A Writer’s Self-Sufficiency Plan, Part 2
It’s tomorrow! Let’s continue the discussion about self-sufficiency, planning for success, what-have-you. Yesterday I outlined my plan. Today I’ll elaborate on the steps a little bit, as my own cryptic notes may not be as obvious to everyone else as they are to me.
Step 1: Blogging
Blogging is the easiest first step for beginning freelancers, I believe, that can also become something worthwhile and lucrative. But it takes time to get to the lucrative point and so many freelance writers end up taking spammy website content jobs and bulk article writing gigs and picking up some copywriting as they can. I have no problem with website content; I like it. It’s lovely. I have no problem with articles, and I just adore copywriting. (Okay, maybe adore is a bit too strong.)
But your early writing is your reputation; it’s your expertise. If you take whatever you can get to get a few bucks in your freelance pocket, you end up with a clips portfolio that looks like a print version of QVC. Not great if you want to move up to higher ground in the freelance world.
This is why I prefer blogs as the starting point. I begin with a two-pronged advance: one independent blog, and one network blog. The independent blog is a great way to, first, get your feet wet and learn blogging terms and play around and, most importantly, create a consistent and professional venue for your (first) chosen area of expertise. When you start sending in apps that require samples, you can go glean from your blog archives and save yourself the trouble of writing up another 500-word article on your topic. This only works well, of course, if you do three things: 1) Keep your blog focused on what you are trying to write about, professionally. 2) Write good blog posts, longer than 250 words, and just leave the little personal updates/photos of my vacation/rant about my new shoes posts off. 3) Apply for jobs that are also focused on what you are trying to write about, professionally, so you can include those posts you wrote for your blog as sample material.
The network blog is a nice place to get help with blogging, to find out about deadlines and requirements for post length and topic and how often you must post, and to build an audience sooner and to make some money from ad revenue sharing. Networks do have better exposure than the independent blogs, at least in the beginning of your blogging venture. So it’s worthwhile for three reasons: 1) Experience, 2) Credibility, and 3) Networking.
Blogging for a network means you are getting experience as a professional blogger, which gives you credibility and an entire blog to use as a reference in your applications. Plus you have an automatic networking opportunity within the blog network. Talk to other bloggers in the network, comment, interact, do joint contests or promotions, etc. Be helpful and friendly, and you’ll end up getting friends and help. Funny how that works.
What Do You Think?
Blogging was my first real step into freelance writing. I had done some freelance writing, already, before I started blogging. I gained that job through old connection when I was working at a “real” job and not pursuing freelance writing at all. It paid well, with sporadic assignments, and I enjoyed it. It whetted my appetite for freelance writing. When the organization changed and the job was no more, I was hooked on freelance writing. Now I’m hooked on blogging… and freelance writing, which are really one and the same thing, just different subcategories of it.
How did you get started freelancing? What was your first job? How did you get it? If you were starting over now, what would you do? What do you think is the best way to get started freelancing? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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