Be a Freelance Blogger

It’s finally happened. You’ve landed your dream gig.

You’ll be writing for an existing business blog in your favorite industry. The work is consistent, and the pay is amazing.

Then, when you’re in the middle of discussing potential blog topics with your new client, it happens.

You discover they have no idea who their company’s audience is.

Your stomach drops as you realize this gig isn’t going to be as smooth as you envisioned. Your dream job is quickly turning into a nightmare…

As a fellow freelance blogger, I’ve been there. And the truth is that while there is a way to solve this issue, you need to be cautious. Learn from my experiences in how to build a blog audience for a client who’s been doing it all wrong:

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“Time is money”… whether you like it or not.

After all, the faster you write, the more money you earn by the hour on per-post or per-project rates.

When I started freelance blogging, it took me a long time to get 500 words done – about one afternoon, I’d say. I realized that, if this was going to be my main income, I’d have to boost my productivity so I could get more writing done in a day.

So, I started googling articles on productivity and drew on fellow freelancer’s experiences to try to find out what would best suit me.

But here’s the thing, though: most productivity methods just didn’t do the trick for me.

For instance: almost every article I read quoted the Pomodoro Technique, which can be great for certain activities but, as a writer, it didn’t do me any good. In fact, some productivity methods just made me anxious, which ended doing more harm than good.

After gathering a few bits and pieces of many different blog posts and testing out a few methods of my own, I came up with six hacks to speed up my writing. In a matter of weeks, I went from writing 500 words in an afternoon to 1000 words in an hour.

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Ah, millennials! Ask most people over fifty and they’ll tell you we’re lazy, entitled, and can’t keep a job for the life of us.

I mean, sure, we do five things at any given time and have a slightly *cue eye roll* unhealthy relationship with our phones.

But does this mean we can’t be extremely efficient?

Must we fight our inherent millennial-ness to actually get shit done? Does wanting flexibility, purpose and a bit of fun in your work mean that you can’t be productive? Are we forever condemned to struggle with short attention spans and insatiable appetites for excitement? (Okay, now I’m just being dramatic).

But here’s what I think. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to use your phone less, stop watching TV, or work at a regular 9-5 to start getting shit done. 

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Congrats! You’ve come far as a freelance blogger.

You’ve been featured on reputable publications. Fellow bloggers come to you for advice. You have engaged subscribers on your email list. The blog posts you create attract comments and shares. Clients find you, leaving you more time to do the stuff you enjoy doing as opposed to feeling like you have to market all the time.

The problem? You’ve grown comfortable.

Maybe you haven’t raised your rates in a while. Perhaps you’re still shying away from pitching some of your favorite blogs and brands because even though you know you’re good, impostor syndrome is making a comeback in the middle of your career. The list of things you ought to learn more about keeps growing, and overwhelm is pissing you off.

Relax. We’ve all been there.

The thing about being a freelance blogger is that there’s always something new to try and something else to improve. And that’s fantastic! Your career will never be boring. (Challenging and occasionally frustrating, yes. But boring? Never.)

So where do you begin with leaving your comfort zone? How do you raise your rates, expand your reach, get more awesome bylines, and update your website? Worry not, we’re here for every step of the way.

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Stuck in that stuffy office, being a freelance blogger was the ultimate dream: working whenever and wherever you want.

But while my old boss made sure I worked 9-5, my new boss (a.k.a. me) seems to have no trouble with late starts and regular Netflix marathons. As great as that sounds, it’s not so good for the bank balance.

Getting your rear in the seat and doing the work can be a real challenge.

Many of us started freelance blogging because we wanted to be our own bosses, but who knew being your own boss was such a demanding job? You need to manage your time, motivate yourself and, occasionally, crack the whip and hold a disciplinary meeting, all before you even get started on the blogging.

Don’t forget about the inevitable disasters that’ll come along. I’ve been to hospital emergency rooms twice in the last fortnight, which meant at least one day of work up in smoke. No doubt you’ve had your fair share of catastrophe; in my experience, freelancing means you’re always either dealing with an emergency or waiting for the next one.

Whether you’re dealing with the lure of procrastination or the stress of unexpected setbacks, if you don’t work you don’t get paid. Your pay is directly related to your productivity.

Now, I’m no productivity guru. I’m not knocking out 10 posts a day or writing 100 words a minute. I watch way too much TV and love sleeping in. But in spite of my mad procrastination skills, I’m consistently able to hit all my deadlines and keep my clients happy.

The aim of this post isn’t to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of the day, but rather to succeed even if you’re a world class procrastinator. Here’s how to make your working time count, whether you’re dealing with a crisis or just want to binge-watch every episode of Parks and Recreation.

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