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Business of Freelancing

How to find editors’ contact details

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June – My income report for the 19-20 financial year

My goodness, who would have predicted that the first half of 2020 was going to be like this?

It’s been a rough old ride, and we’re only half way through the year.

I hope you’re all holding up okay.

In Australia, the end of June marks the end of the financial year and so I wondered if you’d like me to update you with where things are at for me.

I realised that last June I didn’t share my income for the 2018-19 financial year, but this time in 2018, I had been commissioned for over $120,000 worth of work and had invoiced for just over $116K.

So, shall we take a look and see how this financial year has gone?

But first, let’s take a look at June.

The biggest mistake freelance writers make when quoting rates

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m not shy about sharing my mistakes.

When I’m feeling good, I look at mistakes as huge opportunities – to grow and to learn.

But when I’m not feeling in quite such a positive mood my mistakes are misguided, forehead-slapping moments that I ruminate on for days and days.

But recently I’ve come to realise that I’ve been making the same mistake over and over when quoting my rates.

And once I cottoned on to where I was going wrong, my whole approach to quoting rates (mostly to corporate clients), changed.

4 reasons why you need to find high-paying clients

You might think that the topic of this post is a no-brainer.

But beyond what your initial reaction may be, there are actually some very compelling reasons why freelance writers need to find high-paying clients.

For me, finding (and keeping) high-paying editors and clients has been the key to my financial success.

But it’s also been key in feeling like freelancing is sustainable.

Finding high-paying clients is about so much more the money.

It’s about the freedom and flexibility that gives you.

Read on to find out the 4 reasons why we need to know how and where to find high-paying clients.

How I’ve increased my luck as a freelancer

You know that saying about how you make your own luck?

Well, it turns out it’s true.

And it’s not through vision boards or manifesting (although I do know people who swear by them), but by applying a few principles that have been scientifically proven.

I know this all sounds a bit woo-woo, so let me explain how freelance writers can enhance their luck (and how it’s worked for me).

May – the month I pitched 1 story

Is it me, or is 2020 going from bad to worse?

I know this is a blog and newsletter about freelance writing, but I don’t think I can send this out without acknowledging what is happening in the world (particularly in the USA) at the moment.

I know that as a white, middle class person my words mean very little and it’s hard to know how to express myself without seeming glib, but I wanted to say I am more motivated than ever to fight for equality and to donate to causes that promote civil rights.

As freelance writers, we write about, and report on, what’s happening in the world and this feels like it could be a turning point where we all have a duty to stand up and fight for equality.

I know that’s a big shift from what I usually talk about in my monthly reviews, but I think it’s important to say.

Okay.

Here’s my post for this week …

When I first started out freelancing, I never believed there would be a time when editors and clients would come to me with work.

I was on a hamster wheel of pitching and hustling, and most of the time, I loved it.

I loved the buzz of getting a ‘yes’ or receiving a positive reply to a letter or introduction that I sent to a potential client.

But I must admit, since the pandemic, I’ve felt my energy flag.

Last month I managed to get my hustle on and send out 8 pitches, but this month I only managed a measly one pitch.

Still, as you’ll see, I ended up busting through my income target working only 2 days a week.

How to work out what’s holding you back

When you think about your work as a freelance writer, can you easily identify what it is you lean on?

Do you know what I mean by that? I mean: what’s your crutch?

What’s holding you back?

What’s the thing you use for support or reassurance that helped you at the beginning of your freelance career, but may not be that useful to you anymore?

In this post I want to share one of my crutches with you and also the common ‘lean-ons’ that I see freelance writers using (and what to do about them).

Watch me review a writer’s pitch (VIDEO)

Last week’s post was about 3 reasons why freelance writers’ pitches to magazines and newspapers aren’t successful.

This week I want to do something different.

Rather than writing a post about pitching, I’m sharing a video of a pitch review.

I’m regularly asked by writers in my coaching sessions about how to pitch an article, what makes a successful magazine pitch, and why I think their pitches aren’t being commissioned.

This week you can watch me review a writer’s pitch.

This pitch is from an established Australian writer and author who was having trouble breaking into one of her favourite publications.

You’ll see (and hear) my process for reviewing her pitch, what I think works well and the things I think she needs to work on before she sends it.

April – negotiating rates during a pandemic

I started April with nothing.

I had no work lined up.

Just the sound of silence from my editors and clients.

Since the middle of last year, I’ve had a recurring retainer gig with a corporate client, which brings in around $2000 a month.

But in March, this client let me know that due to budget cuts they would be dropping my regular gig.

I asked if they might have other work for me, but they said they were working out their approach and couldn’t commit to anything.

At the end of March, I had made a plan, but to be absolutely honest, half way through the month (or even before), I ran out of puff.

But you know what?

I ended up exceeding my income target.

In fact, I made $500 in about five minutes.

Keep reading to find out how …

How freelance writers can find content marketing clients

There’s a big divide in the world of freelance writing.

Before COVID-19, there were so many organisations creating content and looking for freelance writers.

Everywhere I looked there were companies who wanted to create content, but didn’t know where to find good writers.

At the moment everything is paused. But I can already feel some gears starting to shift.

Some of my corporate clients that went quiet at the beginning of coronavirus are now starting to get back in touch.

So I want to make sure that you are poised and ready to capitalise on what is sure to be an uptick in work once organisations get back on their feet.

This post takes you through the best ways to identify potential content writing clients, who you may not have heard of before, but who have budgets and a need for freelance writers.

Corporate Writing

Improve your LinkedIn profile in 5 easy steps

This is your annual reminder to optimise your LinkedIn profile. Despite LinkedIn being one of the most useful platforms for freelance writers, many people are overwhelmingly ambivalent about it.

My plan for the next few weeks

It seems funny to write about having a plan when the world is so topsy-turvy, but I feel as though I’m finally coming out of my coronavirus fog and settling into a new way of being.

The last few weeks have been a time of watching commissioned travel work disappear, feeling incredibly unsettled, feeling frustrated about chasing up late invoices, and if I’m totally honest, struggling to find the motivation to do any writing.

But, over the last week things have slowly shifted.

I’m tentatively developing a plan because as I write this I have no work.

Here’s what I plan to do in the next couple of weeks …

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