Guest Posts | Page 37 | Be a Freelance Blogger

How to Quit Your Job and NOT Become a Freelance Blogger

Oh, it’s not that being a freelance blogger doesn’t sound awesome to you, just like it did to me.

It’s not that there isn’t awesome example after awesome example of people doing it. In fact, this website is dedicated solely to getting you there.

It’s just that all this crap gets in the way. And by crap, I mean, my own crap. But your crap is very much like my crap. How crappy is that?

Good thing you’ve found this blog and you’re reading this post. You’re about to learn the 7 things that stand in the way of your freelance blogging career and how to get around them.

Bonus: They’re all your own fears, so they’re totally under your control. [Read more…]

By Rob McNelis 28 Comments

Freelancing: How I Close Deals Faster Than You

Okay, you might be one of the few people who can close a deal faster than me. There’s probably 1 or 2 out there. 😉

Kidding aside, I do know the MOST important sales tactic, and I learned it the hard way. Take advantage of my experience to save yourself a lot of stress and regret…

My first business sucked! Definition of sucking: Not making enough money for your time.

I had no problem finding customers, or providing quality services. But I still wasn’t making enough money.

Dealing with potential customers just took FORR-EVV-ERR. I had trouble communicating my value, identifying their needs, and collecting their money quickly.

So I used this basic strategy to fix my business: [Read more…]

By Amanda Lewan 24 Comments

5 Ways Storytelling Helps Your Blogging Stand Out

Today is a beautiful day. Not only are you feeling creative and writing great posts, but you’ve just signed on a new client.

Your new client’s hired you to propose creative ideas to ramp up their company blog. The blog has a few subscribers and plenty of informative content, but the content is just OK.

Nothing featured on the blog stands out. Nothing inspires you to read more or share it. How you can help this client increase their readership and build their brand online?

Look for the Story Behind the Brand

Whether you’re crafting a pitch, creating copy for a website, or offering fresh ideas for a blog, approach all of these outlets as different ways to tell a good story. [Read more…]

By Bree Brouwer 35 Comments

The Jedi’s Guide to Conquering Your Freelance Blogging Fears

You know those moments when you feel too paralyzed to press the Send button, or where you think “I actually suck at this”?

That’s your fear breaking out, and it sucks. I know my many fears surface on occasion, but guess what? Star Wars taught me how to beat them.

For thousands of years before the Star Wars trilogies, the Jedi fought the Sith, a terrifying force who built an empire relying solely on their powers from the Dark Side. Because of their dangerous legend, Yoda is careful to warn young Anakin Skywalker (later known as Darth Vader) in Episode I that the origin of the Dark Side is fear.

Just as the Jedi had to deal with the Sith for thousands of years, freelance bloggers have to deal with their own Dark Sides on a daily basis (which, on a bad day, can feel like a thousand years).

We always have some sort of mental or physical fear we need to overcome. Let’s look at the top three fears that most freelance bloggers have, and how to battle them with the dedication of a Jedi. [Read more…]

By Sarah Rickerd 54 Comments

7 Job Board Mistakes That Compel Clients to Reject You

It’s not exactly a secret that one of the easiest places to find freelance blogging gigs is on popular industry job boards.

That said, why is it that some people seem to luck out and secure the “cream of the crop” jobs, while others apply time and time again without seeing any results?

In fact, it might not be your skills that are preventing you from getting hired. If you’re making any of the following mistakes, your odds of gaining new clients go down significantly – so get your act together ASAP! [Read more…]