Ways to make better Money being a Freelance writer

You might be a freelance writer, programmer, coder or journalist or anything for that matter, the idea is the same in order to get more jobs than an average freelancer and that too at a more than average rate of pay. An average freelancer

depending on the job board you use may make $8+ per article and if you have established yourself over the years you might be lucky enough making an average $35 an article, like me. Here’s how:

Online Portfolio

An online portfolio is your key to be able to land a job but it can’t go without mentioning that having a few sample job proposals is also crucial. This is your chance to elaborate your past achievements and experiences you have gained. Don’t brag too much though – keep it simple but lucid. A client measures your ability to deliver by looking at your portfolio and since they are putting a lot of money in their projects, they want a bang for their buck.

A convincing portfolio (and I don’t mean a flashy graphics and design portfolio) should show off your best work which could be even at your permanent day job. Sometimes, clients don’t go for the most expensive and experienced freelancer but instead look at your portfolio and make that decision.

Volunteer/Free work

Now if you have read the whole article so far I mentioned that I did free work but that was then in my pre-freelancing days. Providing no obligation trial articles is another way to win those clients who would have otherwise turned me down, not that they haven’t, but it is all the more rewarding to practice this. I have earned more jobs by using this simple method. If the client doesn’t like it they don’t have to pay.

Recommendations – flaunt them

Keeping that rating high is another thing that would immensely help you get that next job – recommendations are major in getting business. Use them as leverage. Tell your client that the rating matters and after completing a project don’t forget to rate you. Its Ok to let them know your future projects depend on it. If a project is going south go out of the way and reduce or eliminate your charges but finish the project and ensure that all is delivered. This will not only prevent you from getting a bad review but also make the client want to return to you even though the first experience was not that great.

You might want to start from a lower rate like $8-$10 an article to get that 5 star rating and gradually increase your rate once you have reached a certain number of successfully completed projects with 95%  5 star ratings. It is exceedingly important to get and maintain that 4-5 star rating if you want to make more money. So, this is another advantage for writing a trial article is to prevent the –ve rating from your clients in the event they don’t like you article.

Act quick, charge more than you anticipate

Apply to the most recent jobs. It is likely that if a job is more than a couple of hours old, 15+ applications have already been sent to it. You will barely be noticed as a client usually decides amongst the top 10 candidates. If you are amongst the top 5 candidates, you have better chances to win that project.

Don’t aim to be the cheaper freelancer but to be the excellent service provider.