Guest Posts | Page 2 | Be a Freelance Blogger

Fear and Loathing in Freelance Blogging: Your 7 Techniques to Smash Them

What makes us, freelance bloggers, different from writers?

We don’t believe that same old megillah about inspiration necessary for creating lip-smacking content. (Clients would kill us twice or thrice if we sat and waited for inspiration instead of met deadlines.)

And we’ll never agree with those claiming that everyone can master a writing craft once and forever.

Because all that’s bulls**t!

To master a writing craft, freelance bloggers dive into unknown niches, research, play with words, and polish drafts statedly.

We don’t write texts.

We build them.

But, to build well, we have to overcome fears. Some prevent us from writing, some turn into loathing; but none of us denies them. BAFB readers confirm: [Read more…]

By Stephanie Ruopp 5 Comments

Weird Science: Using the Wacky Psychology Behind Negotiations to Your Advantage

If you’ve been blogging for any amount of time, you’ve probably run up against the experience of negotiating. If it went well, congrats! No, seriously, kudos. Because negotiating can be damn tricky. And if it left you stressed to post traumatic proportions, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in good company. We’ve all been there.

Relationships are hard. And negotiating is just another relationship. It takes practice.

Whether negotiating with your client for more money, your best friend/partner/spouse to make dinner, or your neighbors to remove the avocado colored refrigerator from their front porch, there’s a lot of psychology tied up in it. And you can’t seek out the comfy couch of a negotiations counselor when things get rough.

You don’t have to. Next time you’re suiting up for negotiations, consider the following questions and the psychology behind them. Then use this knowledge to your advantage. [Read more…]

By Aisha Sulaiman 22 Comments

22 Lessons from Experienced Freelance Bloggers on How to Land Your First Client

So, you know you want to be a freelance blogger.

However, there’s a little problem.

You don’t have any clients yet, and a potential client will probably want to know if you’ve worked with anyone before.

Does this sound like you?

Well, the good news is that you’re not alone.

All the professional freelance bloggers you see today started with that very first client and I’m sure it wasn’t a pretty experience for all of them.

Today we’re going to take a peek at how other professional freelance bloggers landed their very first client. [Read more…]

By Sef Cruz 3 Comments

How to Write a Blog Post in 8 Steps: Back to Basics

We all know that Be a Freelance Blogger is the place to go when you want to learn how to become a better freelance blogger. There are articles on how to get hired, how to “stay sane” while working, and how to get paid what you deserve.

Most importantly perhaps, BAFB is great about sharing how to write pitches that “sell” your blog posts. The quarterly Pitchfest contests are great for that – showing freelance bloggers exactly what needs to be said in order to get an idea accepted by an editor or potential client.

However, writing the best pitch in the world won’t do you any good if you can’t deliver on the final product.

As strange as it may sound, a lot of “freelance bloggers” out there simply don’t know how to write a great blog post!

We’ve gotten so caught up in what comes next – getting a raise, or what have you – that we’ve ignored the most basic element of our jobs: Writing blog posts that captivate our audiences and please our clients.

So, whether you’re a complete newbie or an established blogger, let’s go over the basics. Here are eight elements each of your blog posts needs in order to succeed: [Read more…]

By Andrew Howe 6 Comments

How to Not Burn Out While Working Freelance

You have been scrolling different websites for several hours to find something to boost inspiration. And it’s not the first time you realize that time goes by soooooo slowly.

Neither articles nor motivational quotes help you roll up your sleeves to start writing a good blog post.

Hold on a minute. Are you about to burn out?

Let’s check it:

You procrastinate at work (Oops! It seems, you do!)
Irritating mood
You don’t have motivation
Decreased working performance (how many articles have you written today?)
You get negative feedback from your clients
A lack of creative ideas (you’ve run out of good ideas)

If you are nodding right now, I have bad news for you then: you might be emotionally and physically exhausted.

Being a freelance blogger, you spend much time reading, writing, editing, seeking out new clients, communicating with customers, being in contact with your readers, and managing your time.

Obviously, being responsible for your work from A to Z is not an easy thing to do, and it can lead to a burnout. [Read more…]

By Jorden Roper 23 Comments

Exactly How I Doubled My Freelance Blogging Rates in Less Than One Year

About a year and a half ago, I was where you probably are today.

Underpaid, overworked, and wondering how the hell I was going to find clients who’d pay hundreds of dollars for a blog post.

I get it – when you’re starting out, booking yourself with tons of high-paying freelance blogging clients seems about as achievable as chugging an entire 30-pack of beer without barfing your guts up the next day.

But I’m here to tell you that it is possible to boost your freelance blogging pay fast.

When I started freelancing full-time, I charged about 10 cents per word. Now, I typically charge a flat rate that is twice that (or more!).

You may be thinking:

That sounds too good to be true. I don’t have a degree or any connections to help me make it happen.

I didn’t have those things either. But what I did have was a crazy work ethic and marketing/sales knowledge – that’s what helped me scale my business so fast.

So today, I want to share that knowledge with you. Keep reading, and you’ll learn 4 strategies you can use to double your freelance blogging rates. [Read more…]

By Emma-Louise Hudson 3 Comments

6 Simple Steps for Optimized Blog Posts That’ll Wow Your Clients

The hours of diligent studying have paid off; you’ve got your first gig as a freelance blogger! You know you should be excited, and you have a great idea for a post.

But your head is full of doubts. Is it enough to just write a post? Will my client’s audience be able to find it? What happens if no one reads it?

You’re scared your client will think you’re an amateur. But there is good news! Improving the visibility of web content in search results is no secret, nor will it take you weeks to learn how to do it.

In fact, you can optimize your blog posts and make them search engine friendly in six steps using some simple SEO techniques. [Read more…]

By Ashley Gainer 9 Comments

How to Come Up with Blogging Ideas Forever and Ever

As a regular contributor here at BAFB, my job is to come up with an idea that you lovely readers will find helpful and relevant, and then write it up. I’ve been a reader here for years, and a freelance writer even longer, so usually it’s a lot of fun to come up with a few quick ideas to pitch.

Usually… but not always.

I use calendar reminders religiously to keep track of deadlines (you have a system to help you track deadlines, too, right?). So when I got the reminder that it was time to submit an idea for my next BAFB post, I opened up a new email, tapped out a quick introduction, and waited for the ideas to come.

But to my horror, all I had was… a whole lotta nothing.

Nothing!

I’m kind of an “idea person” — I have pages of ideas for various topics. My favorite part of pitching new gigs is the “send us some ideas” part. I even have an idea generation module in one of the courses I offer, for crying out loud.

But my idea well was completely dry.

What to do when you have no ideas

Whether you’re pitching a new client, trying to land a hot guest post, or coming up with content for your own blog, there will be a time when you don’t have any ideas. [Read more…]

By Karen Banes 8 Comments

How to Drastically Improve Your Freelance Acceptance Rate

If there’s one constant we all deal with as freelance bloggers, it’s rejection.

It happens to all of us. In different ways. Sometimes it’s a polite no thank you, sometimes it’s silence, and sometimes it’s a scathing commentary of why our idea sucks on every level.

Whether you’ve sent a quick query letter, spent hours on the perfect pitch, or written a whole piece from scratch, there’s only one thing you want, and that’s an acceptance. There are no guarantees in the world of freelance blogging, but there are some steps you can take to improve your chances. [Read more…]