Motivation Parlour

Tag: freelancing

  • Freelance Writing: 5 Beginner Tips for New Freelance Writers

    Freelance Writing: 5 Beginner Tips for New Freelance Writers

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    Seven years ago, there was some hype about making money online as a writer. I was a student in college at the time pursuing a BSc in Horticulture.

    Back then, I didn’t pay much attention to freelance writing. I saw it as one of the many distractions I had been warned about when joining college. But who said you couldn’t do some meaningful activity that can make your life easy while a student?

    Against that backdrop, I attempted some writing gigs on a freelancing platform – iWriter but failed miserably. I couldn’t keep up with the writing speed and the short delivery deadlines.

    Well, that’s different today. Besides my formal employment, freelancing writing has become a sensation in my life. This post offers you some valuable lessons in this industry that I have learned through failed experiences. Keep reading.

    1. Drop the Skewed Mentality about Freelance Writing

    Freelance writing is no longer a side-hustle as many people used to believe it is. It’s the main thing. Unfortunately, the side-hustle narrative is still the mentality in this part of the world.

    If you mention that you are a writer, the first thing that comes to your listener’s mind is academic writing.

    Academic writing is getting paid to research and write term papers and class assignments for college students. It’s also freelancing since you work with many different clients.

    I talk about academic writing because this is a sensation among my peers in my country. However, that isn’t the kind of freelance writing I’m talking about.

    I’m talking about writing E-books, blog posts for blogs and websites, product reviews, articles, and white papers. If you mention this in some quarters, you will be asked to get a real job.

    But as usual, people embrace change in different stages, some being the beginners and some the laggards. Check my latest engagement here.

    2. Work on your Skillset

    When I began freelance writing, I had fewer skills than I have today. All I knew much was writing. But even the writing itself wasn’t that polished.

    Come to think of it, any technical skill requires constant practice, without which you lose. Think of a computer programmer or simply having basic knowledge of computers, a car driver, a mechanic; the longer you stay away from doing the job, the sooner you become archaic.

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    On the flip side, I have picked other skills along the way because of my zeal in the industry. A few to mention are

    • formatting and publishing blog posts on WordPress,
    • basic html,
    • website page editing using Elementor and Thrive Architect themes,
    • fact-checking,
    • digital marketing, SEO, and
    • graphic design using canvas.

    These are what I would call technical chops.

    They look trivial but go a long way in positioning you as a person of value in the marketplace, especially as a freelancer. Some of these skills will require some financial investment, which you should be willing to part with. You could also build a free or premium course from whatever you have learned to train other writers.

    3. Embrace the ‘Yes I Can’ Mentality

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    The trick about freelance writing is that people think they have to be pros or experts to start. Ditch that right now because you are closing your doors to many freelancing opportunities.

    I wasn’t a pro when I started, and I’m still learning on the job as I write this. Some clients will reach out to you, notice your limitations and offer to train you.

    The critical thing here is your willingness to learn. You should always be open to every new opportunity that comes, whether you have industry knowledge or not.

    But as you get the gist of freelance writing, start identifying topics you love and can narrow down to. Check a niche topic I write about here.

    5. Don’t Be Shy to Ask for Better Compensation

    As a freelance writer, you will be dealing with online clients most of the time. In most cases, if not all, you will never see their faces or even hear their voices.

    The only cues to their personality are their communication via chat or email. This may make it hard for you to relate personally and even ask for what you feel you deserve.

    But that shouldn’t be a concern or worry you.

    The person on the other side chatting with you is basically a human being. Though you may be in different cultures and time zones and bred differently, learn to exercise emotional intelligence and attention to detail as much as possible.

    Some clients will come out as rude and others as very polite. For the polite ones, there will be a lot of thank-yous and please. That being said, if you feel you are being underpaid, never shy off from asking for a raise.

    As sane human beings, they will listen and respond accordingly depending on the budget at hand. I talk more about this in my affordable training.

    5. Build your Writing Portfolio

    As a freelance writer, you must learn to operate as an entrepreneur. Don’t only write but also market your services to win more and better-paying clients.

    As you begin, you may not have much experience building your portfolio.

    Your portfolio is like your resume, which showcases your previous and current writing engagements with potential clients. It highlights your skills, experience, and the kind of services you offer. I have mine here though not quite polished. Looking to build my freelance services website in the new future.

    Wrap Up

    That’s it for today. I will be sharing more freelance writing tips in the coming weeks. Remember to subscribe to the blog to get the latest updates. If you believe you are a writer or can write, type in the comments section below – Yes, I can, and begin your journey in a freelance writing career.

  • 5 Things you Need to Kickstart your Freelancing Career

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    Image Courtesy of Google

    Hello guys,

    You must have been surprised after realizing I lost quite some money online. Well, the experience was the best teacher and that’s why I want to share with you the one and twos on what you need to kickstart your freelancing career.

    If you have been working on your regular job from 8 a.m to 5 p.m, this might appear to be difficult for you and almost impossible. But wait, nothing could be further from the truth. You can still juggle between two jobs with proper planning, commitment, and timely communication.

    I do freelancing as a part-time job while still maintaining my daytime job. It is only wise to quit your daytime job when your are sure your freelancing career is stable, and it is already paying you way more than what you make in your regular daytime job.

    So, what do you think you need to kickstart your freelancing career?

    The first on my list would be a desktop /laptop with a good internet connection.

    When I began freelancing 5 months ago, I had no laptop of my own and was using my mother’s mini-laptop. I could as well locate places with public wi-fi and spend there the better part of my day working on freelancing projects if I am not in my regular job.

    Do not be cheated you can freelance with your smartphone. It is close to impossible and even if you were to do it using a smartphone, your work is bound to be poorly done without proper proofreading.

    However, you may be having a laptop but no access to an internet connection or a public wi-fi utility. One more comfortable way to work with your own internet connection is to subscribe to Safaricom or Airtel internet bundles and press the wi-fi hotspot button on your smartphone to make the internet accessible by your personal computer or laptop.

    The upper side of using Safaricom internet bundles is that it is very efficient compared to Airtel. Conversely, the packages get easily depleted with annoying warnings of your bundles being below 2Mbs. I always shift between the two networks depending on the convenience and urgency of my work. Airtel bundles last for a longer time but are slow compared to Safaricom bundles.

    A Proper Chair and Deskop Table

    Really? Is this even a need in the first place? But when was the last time you sat straight in your chair while working on your computer? In most cases, you are always seated in a slanting posture or your seat leaning forward.

    I need not remind you that for the safety and good health of your spinal cord, you better spend some bucks on a good table and seat for your freelancing career.

    Have a Cash Back Up

    Having some cash with you to keep you going when kickstarting your freelance career is of great importance. You will come to realize that freelancing is not like a regular job where you get paid every end of the month, however, this may be subject to your own arrangement with your client.

    Despite these, you also need to realize there are dry spell seasons in freelancing. It gets to a point where you bid for a job endlessly with little or no forthcoming. It is at this point in time that your saved coins will keep you going and get you paying the bills.

    Have an External Computer Storage

    What happens when you wake up one day to find your computer crashed with all the important files and a client’s assignments?

    As much as your internal memory may be large enough like let us say 1TB, you want to ensure that you have an external backup just in case your computer memory losses all the data stored.

    Enroll in a Freelance Course and Learn one or two Technicalities about a Computer

    I understand you may be a pro or skilled in a particular task or responsibility but no one is ever knowledgeable enough to stop learning. For you to be able to kickstart your freelancing career on a higher note, you are better off enrolling in a freelance course like article and SEO writing or transcription depending on your area of interest. Instead of starting off from square one like a novice, a freelance course will help you jumpstart your career as an intermediate or expert writer with well-paying writing and transcription gigs. We offer a freelance writing course for beginners an affordable fee, Click here for more information.

    Some of the above-mentioned life changes might cost you money but you would rather have them and launch your freelancing career with a bang than start off behind the rest.

    Let me know your thoughts and comments below.

    Until next time esteemed reader.

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