You Want Freelance Writing Jobs? Avoid These 16 Mistakes

Why I am not getting any freelance writing jobs?

If you have asked this to yourself multiple times, here’s the reason!

It’s the MISTAKES every new freelance writer makes.  That too over and over again. Because they aren’t aware!

Therefore, today, I wish to take your attention to your mistakes. The mistakes which cost you freelance writing jobs.

Frankly, I made them too! But I learned from my mistakes.

And the best part?

You can learn from my mistakes and be cautious in your freelancing journey.

So let’s get started.

16 Mistakes That Cost you Freelance Writing Jobs

You pitch to freelance writing jobs without preparing

I am guilty of this!

The day I decided to make my career in freelance writing, I joined a few Facebook groups to look for remote freelance writing jobs and started pitching to them.

Well, Facebook groups might land you some profitable gigs, but that’s not the best way to search for freelance writing jobs.

Before you even pitch for a gig, you must know what’s working and what’s not in the content writing industry. What are the different writing styles? What’s the pay rate for a fresher? And much more!

This will show clients that you are serious about your craft. You have done your research before stepping into freelancing and they aren’t working with a simpleton.

You’ll also lower the chances of getting fooled by a client because you will know the nuances of the industry.

Also, read my post on how to start freelance writing with no experience.

You don’t have a blog

Prospects judge your suitability for the freelance writing jobs based on your writing samples. And they prefer live links as samples over a Doc file or a Google Sheet.

That’s where a blog comes handy. You can easily send links to your latest blog posts to the prospects and land your first writing gig.

So get out and start your blog.

Your pitch isn’t strong

You don’t land any freelance writing job because your pitch isn’t strong.

Phrases like “new”, “learning freelance writing” or “freelancing for a few months” weaken your pitch. No prospect would risk working with a newbie.

Instead, convey your expert knowledge in your service, even if you are just starting out.

Are you an expert in health or lifestyle or fashion? Convey this expertise to your prospects in your pitch emails.

Here’s how to write a winning pitch to land your first gig.

You never follow-up

What do you do after emailing your prospects?

Wait, wait, and wait expecting them to contact you! Isn’t it?

Because you think you only need to answer the job ad with your application.

However, that’s not all!

You are not the only one applying to that job ad. Thousands of other freelance writers look forward to grabbing that gig.

So business owners have to sieve through countless pitches to select one. And the process takes days to weeks.

Therefore, after you have sent the pitch, wait for a week and send them a follow-up email. Ask if they have already found a writer for the gig and if they haven’t, mention that you are still available.

When you send a follow-up email, you may just catch your prospect’s attention and direct them to you and your pitch.

You make many grammar and language mistakes

Do you proofread your pitch before sending them to the clients?

I recommend you do it. ALWAYS!

Nothing sucks more to the prospect than a pitch with lots of grammatical errors.

Your pitch is your first introduction of you and your services to the client. Make sure it’s error-free by proofreading and editing your pitch before sending it.

Also, pay attention to the formatting of the email.

We all create a standard pitching template to copy and paste the necessary sections and send them to multiple clients.

However, be careful to fix any formatting problems like different fonts, colours, and names before sending off your pitch email.

You lack a niche

Clients today seek writers who are experienced in one niche. More your experience, the more you can charge for your writing.

Not having a niche or having a too broad one will give you a hard time to land high-paying clients.

You take any work that comes your way

That’s just natural for a beginner.

You want experience in freelance writing. So the more you write more will be your experience. And you accept every freelance writing job that falls your way. Without even thinking of the pay rate.

However, sometimes more is not better.

Nodding your head to every assignment that comes your way, thinking it will add on to your experience is an illusion.

Why?

Number one, you’ll be accepting freelance writing jobs even outside your niche. And I’ve explained the importance of a niche in point 6.

Second, accepting low-pay assignments gives out a wrong message about your talent and authenticity as a writer. You’ll never be able to scale high if you start with too low the rates.

So think before you pitch off to any prospect. Is it worth your time and attention?

You are overconfident

Confidence can rock your freelancing biz. But be cautious!

Having too much confidence can also play against you and you’ll have a tough time getting ANY paid work.

Don’t set too high a rate or be arrogant with your prospects and fellow writers. It won’t land you anywhere.

You aren’t active on social media

Social media is the breath and life of a freelance writer. And if you aren’t active on it, you are losing many potential clients.

With channels like Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest getting popular, you ought to rectify your online presence.

Start with Twitter and LinkedIn as they are the best platforms to land freelance writing jobs. Later, you can move on to creating your Facebook business page.

Read how to create your social media strategy for your freelance writing.

You don’t have a project management system

Do you keep an account of all your client work and pitches you send?

As you get knee-deep into the freelance business, you must streamline your work. And the best way to do it is with Google sheets and Google Keep.

I use Google sheets to keep track of my client work, pitches, and finances – and Google Keep for my content and social media calendar.

Here are some of my favourite Google extensions that I recommend to all freelance writers:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B65J_KIg0ZF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

You never ask questions

Okay, you landed a freelance writing job! Congratulations!

But do you ask questions about the project after landing your job?

“Asking questions? Won’t that reveal that I am new to this freelancing business? I’ll lose the client. I am expected to know everything. So it’s better to stay mum.“

Well, that’s where you are wrong!

You should ask questions about your freelance project.

Imagine you hire a web designer for your website and he never asks you anything about how you want your site to be. How will you react?

Similarly, if you don’t enquire about the project, you’ll risk submitting a subpar work, or worse, not what the client wanted. You might even ruin your reputation as a writer.

So asking questions won’t make the client think ill of you. Rather, it shows how serious you are about your craft and your dedication to better represent your client’s brand/business.

You are overbearing

Do you ask too many or irrelevant questions from your client?

Yes, I told you to ask questions to the client and seek as much information as required about the project. But ask ONLY the right questions.

If you are too overbearing with your questions, it shows you are not flexible or easy-going as a freelance writer.

So prepare a list of relevant questions and send a few at a time rather than a ton at one go.

You don’t negotiate

As a beginner, you don’t want to price yourself too high for the fear of losing out on gigs. However, that doesn’t mean accepting whatever rate is offered to you.

If the pay-out is not worth your time and energy, reach out to the client and negotiate your pay rates. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself buried in frustration.

Negotiation is not arrogance but asking for what you and your service are worth of. It’s all about coming to a consensus where it’s a win-win situation for both.

Besides money, you can also negotiate on deadlines, the number of posts to be written, etc.

You don’t have regular work hours

The best part about freelance writing jobs is that you can work at your leisure. At whatever time you desire, from whichever place.

However, to achieve success, you need to be regular with your work – writing posts, sending pitches, replying to emails, etc.

Without regularity and consistency, you’ll lose amidst laziness.

You never work on your skills

The best thing all new freelance writers should know – how to use various tools, how to streamline their work and improve their writing and marketing skills.

But, if you think that landing a freelance writing job is the end of all, you are wrong.

A freelance writer must work on his skills and stay updated with the trends of the industry.

You never set your business goals

Freelance writing is just like any other business.

You must plan how to take your biz to the next level!

Sit down and plan how to launch your blog and get to full-time freelancing, plan your goals. Set a financial goal and a time frame.

Will you be offering only writing services or any other services like web designing, social media marketing or coaching?

Think about your goals to grow your business before you jump into freelancing.

Conclusion on Landing Freelance Writing Jobs

Landing your first freelance writing job is not that difficult. You only need to keep few important things in mind.

Choose a niche for yourself. Research about that niche, the different writing styles, and start your own blog.

Have an active online presence, especially on Twitter and LinkedIn. Post regularly about your blog posts or industry news and engage with fellow writers and prospects.

Pitch your writing services to the prospects. However, make sure you convey your area of expertise in your pitch and avoid any grammar/formatting mistakes.

Always follow-up with your prospects after a week of sending your pitch email. Be professional and respectful in your tone.

If you follow these steps with consistency, you will definitely get success in your freelance writing jobs.

So what problems do you face in landing your freelance writing job?