Taking a break from the usual long, written blog posts, here’s a video for you.
A couple of weeks ago we started an occasional “Blogger of Interest” series in which we talk to freelance bloggers to find out how they’ve built their career and what tips they can share with us.
This time, our blogger of interest is Francesca Nicasio of Be a Freelance Writer and FrancescaNicasio.com.
Francesca started her freelance writing career at Examiner. From there, she built a reputation that attracted new clients and professional rates for her online writing.
In this interview, Francesca talks about how she took her first steps into freelance writing, how she finds her clients, and why she’s started a blog that teaches aspiring freelance writers how to build their business.
Watch the video
Video highlights
At 01:00 — How Francesca became a freelance writer
At 02:30 — What blogging services she offers (and the one service she purposely avoids)
At 05:25 — How Francesca finds new blogging clients
At 07:30 — How she contacts potential clients and what she says to them
At 09:00 — How beginning and intermediate freelance bloggers can step up to a higher pay grade
Free stuff for you!
Francesca gives away two free ebooks to people who subscribe at Be a Freelance Writer: one of those ebooks tells you about places where you can find work that pays a fair rate, and the other explains how to get clients in just 10 days.
Connect with Francesca on Twitter or Facebook to see what she’s sharing.
And if you’d like to learn more from Francesca, you can! She’s one of the guest experts in The Freelance Blogger’s Client Hunting Masterclass.
Who else is a “blogger of interest”? Let us know who you’d like to see featured on Be a Freelance Blogger, and we’ll invite them to chat.
Williesha Morris says
It’s 5 a.m. here and I don’t have headphones. You should consider transcribing audio and video. And this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact I offer transcription services LOL.
OK it partly does, but seriously, I’m going to have to listen to it later. 🙂
Congrats Francesca! I’m nominating my buddy Erica Hayes with Rubber Ducky Writing! (http://www.rubberduckywriter.com) She has a way with words the likes of which I haven’t encountered.
Sophie Lizard says
Willi, email me info about your transcription services & rates — I *so* don’t have time to do it myself these days! 🙂
Williesha Morris says
Just saw this! Will do! 😀
Francesca Nicasio says
Thank you, Willie! (And my apologies for the long overdue response. I got back from vacation a little over a week ago and had a lot of catching up to do. )
🙂
Roger Wilco says
What a really nice interviewee. Very giving and ‘open’ with advice.
Sophie Lizard says
Yep, Francesca’s lovely. She’s every bit as sweet, smart and thoughtful as she seems in the video!
Francesca Nicasio says
Awww thanks, Roger!
And Sophie, you’re making me blush. (But seriously though, thank you so much having me.)
Diana Marinova says
Hi, ladies! I think this was the first time i heard you speak (both of you) – this idea of “blogger of interest” is awesome! 🙂 I had a “freelance success stories” series idea for my blog but never really got to it… still.
Anyways, i haven’t thought about using Angie’s list the way you describe but the LI tactic is cool, really working for finding any type of freelance clients, not just bloging and writing.
A question – i hear platforms like Problogger forum are popular for freelance bloggers to find new clients. Do you use such platforms? How and/or why not? (And when i say you, i mean both of you 🙂
Sending you some social media love!
Diana
Sophie Lizard says
I check Problogger more to add job tip-offs to the BAFB Community jobs board these days, but I have had some good gigs from there.
Francesca Nicasio says
Hey Diana! I’m glad you like the interview and I hope my tactics work for you.
Have you tried any of them yet? I’d love to hear about your experience!
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of job boards–I’m more of a direct outreach / referrals type of gal. However, if I had to make a shortlist of good job boards/forums for freelancers, I would definitely include Problogger. I’ve picked up a couple of decent gigs there.
Diana Marinova says
Hi, Francesca – it’s been a while since i listened to this interview so naturally, i don’t remember what tips and tactics you suggested. But i have been freelancing successfully for years so i believe i have tried them, yes 🙂
A question though – you say “if I had to make a shortlist of good job boards/forums for freelancers, I would definitely include Problogger” – but isn’t problogger for freelance writers (bloggers in particular) – not all type of freelancers as you last comment suggests?
I rarely, if ever blog for money (i am a marketing consultant) and i asked about problogger out of curiosity because my readers often ask me about it… Did i get the wrong impression you can find only blogging and/or writing gigs on that site?
Melissa says
Sophie & Francesca,
Thank you for posting this. Short and sweet… loved it! This was both helpful and encouraging since I’m trying to get my freelance career off and running. Plus, sometimes it’s just nice to hear from other peeps in my field and hearing/seeing you guys on the recording helps me remember there are real-life professionals out there doing what I’m doing and making it successful. So thank you!
Melissa
Sophie Lizard says
You’re very welcome, Melissa. 🙂
Francesca Nicasio says
Our pleasure. 😀
Edward Beaman says
Wonderful interview.
Francesca, I like very much how you talk about your letter of introduction and what it contains. From my own experience, as you point out too, it’s so important to really show the potential client you’ve done your homework on them.
I was just reading your PostJoint post How This Email Helped Me Land an $800 Per Month Client from July 2013 and this answered a question I had in my mind when watching the above video.
I was intrigued as to how you crafted the subject line of your introductory emails. Going by the screenshot of an email, you tailor this to something they have recently done. This is a great strategy.
It’s something I’ve been a bit stumped on when email prospecting, sometimes spending more time on the subject line than the actual body of the email.
You’re a goldmine of great information. Thank you.
Sophie Lizard says
Edward, with a few tweaks your comment could be the *body* of a great query email!
“Dear A, I like how you do B. I was just reading your article about C because I was intrigued about how you do D.”
Then add, “As I’m a freelance writer, would you like me to do E for you so that you can achieve F?” And you’re done. 😉
Francesca Nicasio says
I appreciate the kind words, Edward!
About what you said regarding subject lines–it depends. Sometimes, I do refer to the company’s recent activities (i.e. press releases). Other times, I try to be quirky and write something that will grab their attention.
For example, when I was pitching to app developers, my subject line would often be something like “I think [APP NAME] is the bomb, and more people should know about it.”
I actually got a response from someone who said he just *had* to open my email because of that subject line. He wasn’t looking for a writer at that time, but I’m glad he took the time to respond anyway.
Anna Wickham says
Thank you so much for this, Sophie and Francesca! Super valuable information for beginning and intermediate writers. 🙂
Sophie Lizard says
You’re welcome, Anna! Thanks for watching. 🙂
Francesca Nicasio says
You’re very welcome, Anna!
Lorraine Reguly says
What a great interview/video! Thanks, ladies, for sharing so openly and honestly. This is just the sort of thing that newcomers to this biz needs to know.
I like the similarity in your urls, too, although it caused me confusion one day when I guest posted on Be a Freelance Writer. (Francesca knows what I’m talking about.) 😉
Do you mind if I use this video (embedded) in a blog post on my site? Naturally, I’d link to your site, Sophie, as I believe in giving credit where credit is due. I have some readers interested in the freelance life and all it entails.
Now, I have a few questions. When deciding on fees, is there a pricing guide you follow? How do you know what is “too much” or “not enough” to charge? I know it’s different for each client, but can you give some examples using dollar amounts, please? THIS is the sort of thing we all need to know…
Thanks.
Sophie Lizard says
Go ahead and embed it wherever you like, Lorraine. 🙂
And if you’re in need of rate guidelines, check out The Be a Freelance Blogger Rate Guide — get it at http://beafreelanceblogger.com/rate-guide or click the “Money-Making Toolkit” link at the end of one of my emails.
Francesca Nicasio says
Hello again, Lorraine and thank you for leaving a comment!
Yes, I would also suggest that you check out Sophie’s rate guide–it can give you a handle on the “pulse” of bloggers and what their rates are.
Here’s another resource from the EFA that lists common editorial rates: http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.php
Like you said, writer fees vary depending on the client, project, and the writers themselves. But hopefully, these resources will help give you some perspective on how much you should charge. 🙂
Peggy Carouthers says
Sophie,
Thanks for posting this interview, and Francesca, thanks for taking the time to do it. This is fantastic information about freelancing, and I especially loved the breakdown of the LOI and client search resources.
I also wanted to say that I appreciate you both advocating for writers making expert pay. Just like you said, Sophie, it’s just about realizing that you are an expert, and I wish more people understood that good writing deserves good pay. It’s because of people like you that I won’t work for pennies just to have clients, even though I’m just getting started. To do so would be to do myself a disservice, as well as every other writer who deserves a livable wage. Thanks again!
Sophie Lizard says
That’s good to hear, Peggy — you *don’t* have to start out at the bottom of the freelance blogging talent pool!
Francesca Nicasio says
“I won’t work for pennies just to have clients, even though I’m just getting started. To do so would be to do myself a disservice, as well as every other writer who deserves a livable wage.” –Amen to this, Peggy! This is a great mindset for new freelance writers. 🙂
Kevin Duncan says
Hi, Sophie and Francesca…
Great interview! I like hearing stories detailing how people got started on their path to success. Examiner, indeed, pays peanuts, but it’s neat how Francesca was able to use it to create her portfolio before moving on to bigger and better things!
First time commenting, by the way, Sophie! Love your stuff.
– Kevin
Sophie Lizard says
Thanks, Kevin, and welcome to the world of BAFB comments! 😉
Francesca Nicasio says
Thanks for the comment, Kevin! Yep, I won’t go back to Examiner.com anymore, but I still look at those days with a bit of fondness. The whole experience taught me that even if you start at the bottom of the freelance pay scale, you can still put your work into good use.
Irene Enriquez says
Sophie, thank you so much for this video! I actually met Francesca in person recently. And she is really nice and helpful. Beafreelancewriter.com is one of the websites that kick started my career in freelancing. I downloaded her ebook How to Land a Client in 10 Days and started implementing the steps right away. Here are Francesca’s tips that really worked well for me:
-List people that you personally know (previous employers or friends who have businesses) and let them know about your writing services. Ask them if they have work available for you! Got two of of my previous employers to hire me as a freelancer.
-Over deliver. I implemented this last month, and it worked well because one of my clients gave me extra work. And my first boss when I started working from home, which is now my client, gave me a surprise bonus!
Meeting Francesca was such a great experience. I suggest meeting with other freelance writers that you follow online. When I knew that Francesca was visiting the Philippines, I immediately emailed her and asked her out for coffee. And I was so happy when she agreed to meet me! 🙂
I just started freelancing last month. I still have a lot of things to learn, but I’m so thankful that I started.
I’m going to see how much it costs to update my LinkedIn to premium. It sounds like a great way to find clients.
Thanks Sophie and Francesca! 🙂 Keep up the great work!
Francesca Nicasio says
It was GREAT meeting you in person, Irene. Thanks again for the treat. 🙂
Congrats on your success as a freelance writer. Like I said in our meeting, I think you’ve done an awesome job in using your blog as vehicle to land clients. And also, I’m really happy my tips are working for you. 😀
Sophie Lizard says
Thanks, Irene! I’ve never met Francesca in person (yet) but I would love to.
Last time I looked, you could get a year’s free LinkedIn upgrade by joining the LinkedIn for Journalists group and attending their training webinar. Maybe try that before you spend money on anything.
Irene Enriquez says
Thanks, Sophie! I will definitely check that out! That sounds so much better than signing up right away. 🙂
Francesca Nicasio says
Oh I would LOVE to meet you in person as well, Sophie. Drop me a line if you ever decide to come to LA. And I’ll definitely let you know if I ever hit your side of the world. 🙂