If I were to ask: “I need a freelance blogging job. Where do I go?”
What would you say?
Let me give you a couple of seconds to think this through.
Job boards, am I right?
Even if that wasn’t your final answer, I’m pretty sure it was on your mind nevertheless.
Job boards (actually, all kinds of publicly available job listings, forum sections for freelance deals, sites like Fiverr, and so on) are THE obvious place to go for any kind of freelance-related work. It’s surely no surprise that many new freelance bloggers rely on them exclusively when hunting for their first gigs.
I did too.
And don’t get me wrong, they are very good at getting you employed. However, in the long run, they are not that great of a tool to keep your career advancing.
Maybe it’s just my experience. Maybe I’m just not very skilled at getting the most out of job boards and making them my money machine. But when I look at my long-term client portfolio, it shows that I landed almost none of them by responding to a publicly available listing.
My best paying clients always either came directly to me (referred from my previous work), or brought me on board as a result of me creating a gig for myself (more on that later).
This is why I’d risk saying that the quicker you ditch job listings as your source of projects; the quicker you’ll grow your career. Bold words, I know, but please bear with me for the time being as I explain why publicly available gigs suck:
1. The pay is too low
People posting job listings don’t pay top dollar. And, honestly, why would they?
I mean, no matter what type of listing they post, some freelancers will always respond. This means that you’ve basically lost right from the get-go unless you’re willing to work for scraps.
Which brings me to the next reason.
2. Zombie-attacks on every better paying gig
Every once in a while, someone will post an interesting job listing. A listing where either the pay is good, or the company is interesting to work with for some other reason.
If that happens, the listing will immediately be zombie-attacked by tons of other freelancers.
In such a scenario, you will have to go through a recruitment process requiring you to send a number of writing samples, negotiate the pay, and likely witness the details of the job changing at the very last moment…all due to the overwhelming interest in the job.
3. It can be very difficult to complete the job
Some freelance blogging gigs involve guest blogging. It’s a fairly common type of blogging work these days.
Now, being a successful guest blogger is in everyone’s reach. But the amount of money you can make doing it is very dependent on the way your client specifies the gig.
Companies that understand the nature of guest blogging and the limitations it imposes (e.g. the time it takes to get an article published, the uncertainty whether an editor will accept your post) rarely look for guest bloggers on job boards or post listings.
That is why most guest blogging job listings look something like this:
“We need X posts published on PR4+ blogs in a month. The posts need to reach page #2 on Google for their desired keywords. Each post needs to feature an SEO link in the bio box. We are ready to pay $100 for each post that achieves these goals.”
Getting $100 per post may sound good, but this type of job is nothing but a trap that’s completely undoable for most bloggers. You’ll end up getting paid for 2 articles out of the 10 you’ll send out.
4. The clients’ expectations are too high
Something that’s true for all kinds of freelancing (not only freelance blogging), is that the less the client is willing to pay, the bigger the expectations they’ll have.
I don’t know why that’s the case. It just is.
Let’s face it, we’re not freelancing just to be bossed around and have everything we do questioned. And if a client’s expectations are too high, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
5. It’s difficult to differentiate your offer
When responding to a publicly available listing, you look exactly the same as anyone else who’s responding to the gig. There’s very little you can do to differentiate yourself.
I mean, the available budget is probably specified by the client, the task is described in detail, same with the delivery time, and it’s all topped with the credentials each person applying needs to possess. There’s no place to show what you’re made of.
(I’d suggest sending your proposal through a client proposal software like Bidsketch, but I’m biased. Wink!)
So let’s try…
The “no competition” alternative
Now let’s talk about a tactic that has the potential to bring much better results.
To be perfectly honest, I only used it twice, but the success rate is 100% so far, which makes me confident sharing this with you.
The “no competition” tactic is about creating a gig for yourself.
Instead of pursuing the gigs that are already out there, you are creating one for yourself that fits your persona hand-in-glove.
Three main benefits:
- There’s no competition (duh!).
- The client is aware of your expertise and knows you can deliver on the job.
- This method isn’t prone to price negotiation.
Here’s how you do it:
#1: target
Pick your target – the site/blog that you want to be a part of (aiming at blogs that are kind of big, but don’t have big teams of authors yet is the sweet spot).
#2: research
Examine the things happening on the blog and going on with the various elements of the blog’s online presence (the content they publish, the products they offer, their social media profiles, press releases, guest articles published on other blogs, etc.).
#3: chinks
Find chinks in their armor – things that could be done better. (This step is crucial.)
#4: outreach
Write to the owner of the site pointing out the issues. Suggest a solution in the same email.
#5: wait
Get asked to come on board and handle the issues.
Sounds simple, maybe even ridiculous, but it does work.
On a personal note, the first time I used it, it got me hired as a blogger for a popular WordPress theme store. The other time, I landed a nice gig writing press releases.
Homework
Yup, I have homework for you today:
Just give this method a shot.
- Do some researching
- Find a target
- Reach out with relevant advice.
Don’t ask to be hired, and don’t be pushy. Just provide a piece of valuable insight, finish your email with “have a great day,” and click the send button.
If done with dedication, great things will happen.
Win a Client Hunting Handbook
Today’s prize is a copy of Sophie Lizard’s The Freelance Blogger’s Client Hunting Handbook, created for students on her in-depth Client Hunting program. It used to be available only to students, but you can get your hands on a copy now!
For your chance to win, tweet the following message [click to tweet it now]:
“WIN the Freelance Blogger’s Client Hunting Handbook here: http://beafreelanceblogger.com/job-ads-suck by @carlosinho via @sophielizard #bafb”
We’ll choose the winner at the end of January 6th. Good luck!
Sorry, this contest is closed.
YOURS FREE:
Number 4 hit home with me. I once signed up for a website that paid $0.007 per word to begin with. Since I thought it would be simple to work my way up to a nice pay, which was supposedly “possible” on the site, I wrote a few articles. Turns out the clients could blatantly reject the articles without even asking you to do revisions, so because it wasn’t EXACTLY what they wanted, all my work was for nothing. I know my writing is worth a lot more than $0.007 cents, and I didn’t dull down the quality just because I wasn’t being paid as much. What did they expect to receive for $2? I certainly don’t bother with sites like that anymore. It’s not worth the time, effort, or headache.
What you’re describing may actually have a different explanation under the surface. Gigs that pay that low are often a vehicle for extorting work.
Basically, once you submit an article, you get rejected almost immediately but your work gets used anyway. That way the “client” gets a lot of free work done. Try searching for your articles on Google, they may have been published somewhere without your knowledge.
Ugh. Glad you left that place behind…
By the way, HOW COOL does this post look? 😀
Karol did the layout himself and I’m pretty impressed – perfect example of how to create your own gigs, because I ended up asking his rates myself!
Nothing like some instant validation. 🙂
Tweeted out!
Great system. I will be starting on using this. I have stayed away from sites like this because it is not worth my time.
Looking forward to the Client Hunting Masterclass as well! Sophie is great to work with!
Hi Karol,
Thanks for this helpful post. As Sophie says, its layout is pretty impressive.
Thanks for the homework: I’ll definitely try this strategy and I’m sure it’ll work.
Btw, I used to write for content mills such as Suite101, Bukisa, and Constant Content.
Good learning experience but not much more than that.
The old saying is true: “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” 🙂
Thanks for sharing. You’re right on the money with that old saying. 🙂
Hey Karol,
I’m with Sophie on this one – great content accentuated by a unique and eye catching design!
I’m really happy that you broke down the individual steps a bit on how to find yourself work – I’ve found that a lot of freelancers, especially new ones, rely a bit too much on job boards and end up getting frustrated when even a good application doesn’t land them much success.
Great work Karol!
Thanks. Like I said, job boards work to some extent, but it’s rather difficult to build your career using only them.
This post looked cool on my phone! I have tried that method without success but I think I may be aiming too high Thanks
I’m happy that it works on mobile devices too. 🙂
About aiming high. If you’re reaching out to big sites, it’s important to find a way to contact the owner or CEO directly, and not use the provided communication channels and contact forms. This is something Neil Patel talked about in one of his posts.
Thanks! I will try that! 🙂
Great post, I need to do more of this. I have the Client Hunting Handbook and its a great resource, Thanks.
Great tactic!
It’s actually part of my plan (I’m just starting out) to contact companies and websites that have a ‘hole’ in their online content. The part I have questions about is: what rates do I set?
If I create the gig, I should create the rates, right?
You see, I could REALLY use this guide:)
Sure, you do create the rates too. 🙂
Putting a price tag on a new service is always tough. What I usually do is measure my time when I’m doing the thing for the few first times. Then based on the actual time spent and my desired hourly rate, I come up with the per-project rate.
That’s what I was thinking too, but then you still don’t have rates for the first times:)
Karol, this is the approach I’m planning to take this new year. And I have to tell you that I worked with Bidsketch last year to do some guest post placement, but fortunately my colleague and Rubin understood how involved guest posting was. I was paid fairly and it was good experience for my resume.
The only downside of this approach is that it does take time to go through the steps, so it’s not that scalable. I mean, using it on 10 different people a day isn’t realistic.
Hi Karol,
Thank you for a very informative, encouraging post. I too absolutely love the layout…specifically, the arrows that serve as teasers for the next section. Quite brilliant. I will probably drive myself crazy trying to figure out how to implement these arrows. : )
I’m also anxious to look into Bidsketch, so thank you for that as well.
Those arrows are actually simple PNG graphics. If you need some just contact me through my blog and I’ll send you those in any color you wish.
Love this advice – thanks for sharing a better way to land new gigs! I’m so over job boards, and I’ve been trying a variation of this method (with some success). But I think having the steps nice and mapped out for me will really help me refine what I’m currently doing. Thanks so much for sharing – bookmarking this one for sure!
I’m glad you like it! If you’re willing to share your variation of the method I’d be happy to see it.
Hi Karol,
Great piece of advice here. I have worked for a few years on oDesk but didn’t know then, how much worth my writing was, until I read some posts by Carol Tice. I used to do only hourly paying jobs and the max I got was 8 USD per hour, which I thought was good at the time.
A few days ago, an old oDesk client approached me and wanted me to write for him which included research and a lot of reading. Pay? Just 5 bucks for one article of around 500 words. I rejected the offer even though I don’t have any job ATM and need one. I accepted Carol’s advice on this.
Another piece of advice is to find staff blogging jobs. But not through job boards. Some times guest posting can open up such jobs even when there’s no such need by the client. You show them your expertise and the need arises.
Staff blogging jobs are the best kind of jobs for me. I mean, guest blogging can be cool too, but there are many many variables you have to deal with when doing it. With staff blogging the goals are clear, the blog owner knows what they can get, and the kind of content you’re expected to deliver is well-defined too.
I love creating my own gigs. A few weeks ago I sent out an email just letting this site know I was available for hire. It just so happened their regular writer quit and I was instantly hired! I actually got “referred” to somebody else at another department that needed other types of writing done. So I actually created two jobs! Huzzah!
Funny you should say that. A similar thing happened to me a year ago (or so). As it turns out, timing is important too. 🙂
Nice graphic design and awesome piece of advice, Karol!
I’ve been thinking of this approach for a while, and even tried it for the first time last week, unfortunately without success. Call it serendipity, but this post come at the right point in time for me. 🙂 I was told they found someone already, but they appreciated my reaching out to them and said they’ll *definitely* get back to me if they need more help. I agree that timing is a great factor in this. You never know when a such a spot is/becomes available. Moral of my story: Think less, act more!
Oh, and my apologies for the typos and grammar errors in my comment. I’m usually not that sloppy. 🙂
Thinking too much was always one of my main problems. You are right on that one. 🙂
Oh man, I wish I read this a year ago! I learned the hard way that soley relying on job boards and Craigslist ads are not the way to go when it comes to getting some great paying work. I’m definitely going to give this a go!
I started this week just reaching out to the PR companies that send me pitches for my style blog. For me, it was super scary to do but if you aren’t at least a bit afraid you’re not dreaming big enough, right? 😉 Keeping my fingers crossed that something pans out.
Hey Margaret, would you mind telling us a bit more how you went about pitching those pr companies?
I just let them know in a friendly email that I have a freelancing business besides my blog and if they need any help with content like press releases, website content, social media, etc. for their agency or any of their clients to keep me in mind. I also include a link to my professional website (www.mmcgriff.com) and my portfolio so they can take a look. In each email I mention my contact by name and what projects we worked on together in the past. I figured it was a good place to start because I already had a relationship with them, they already know my work, and I’m familiar with the audience their trying to reach. I figured it was worth a shot! We’ll see if anything pans out. 😉
Thanks for sharing!
I’m with Sofie on this one, I’d too like to know what your pitch is. 🙂
Alright, a bit of pressure! 😀
Would be great to see an example of an email “pointing out the site’s issues.” I get a number of those myself and always delete them immediately. How do you tell a blog owner what’s wrong or can be improved on their blog… without offending them? Thanks!
You have to make it detailed. The emails I sent were long ones, really long ones, so long that they were actually against everyone’s email advice. But the more in depth you make it, the more difficult it will be for the person to get offended.
A short “hey, your site sucks” is offending. But even “hey, your site sucks because {1000 word description}” is a completely different story.
Yep, job boards stink. You have to work at finding good clients, but it’s worth it.
Wow, the formatting of this piece looks great and the content is superb, informative and relevant. Big up to Sophie and Karol!
Thanks, Emelia!
Karol, you are so right; the job boards suck out loud! Unfortunately, newbies get sucked into them and think all is well, but when you spend hours researching, writing, proofing and editing only to be rewarded with enough money to buy a Big Mac, it’s time to take a good look at what you’re doing and re-think your strategy. Your advice is quite sound. By snooping around the web and taking a peak at what businesses are lacking in online presence is a sweet way of drumming up business for the savvy freelancer.
Good point about the Big Mac, it is true. The difficulty is that we all have our standards, and even if someone wants to pay less, we don’t know how to deliver work that would reflect that lower price, so we do end up working hours on an article that will only give us a Big Mac.
Wow! I’m glad it’s not just me!! I’ve been perusing job boards lately and will occasionally find an interesting listing, but when I read through the entire description or go to the website, it looks like a lot of work for very little return. Since I’ve been there and done that, I’m ready to earn REAL money, thank you very much!
Love the simple three step process. I know it won’t be EASY (if it were, everyone would do it — well, most everyone; there are some who won’t even do easy stuff), but based on what I’ve been learning about padi blogging lately, this is the way to go.
That’s basically how job boards work. There’s just so much supply (freelancers) that the people submitting the gigs feel confident about low pay and high expectations.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing out the fact that the more they want the less they are willing to pay. My personal pet peeve about job boards. I’ve even seen ads where they expect you to have a degree in journalism and are offering $12 dollars an hour.
I like this approach, it’s something I’d be comfortable doing and by George, I think I’ll try it.
Thanks!
Annie
That’s a good one. Good thing they didn’t need a PhD in psychology as well. 🙂
Karol, I’ve used both methods you described above.
I’ve actually had a lot of success with certain job boards (of course, there are lots of low paying jobs also), but I found the key is being very selective (use the search features to filter). It is a bit of a shotgun approach, but there are a few diamonds to be mined.
However, the direct approach is far more focused, so any job you land is likely to be a much higher rate of pay overall. One good tip is to contact web design companies, as they have clients who need the blog content as well as the blog design. Many are happy to refer, or pass on your details.
Wow, Tom! I hadn’t thought of contacting web design companies. I’d love to hear about your experiences with that.
Chris, the method I use is simply to search online for the bigger web design companies offering complete packages. Usually, their customers are start-ups who have a lot of money and need everything done for them (web design+content).
It’s not a perfect client acquisition method, but you will be surprised how many leads you get – if you are persistent. Hope that helps out.
Good idea about the design companies.
One more thing we can do is reach out to people buying sites on Flippa. Since they’ve just bought a site, they might as well need some content.
#4 hits home. When I was first writing, to see if I liked it and could come up with articles on demand, I was posting on Fiverr. One of my first clients wanted these big long, involved and detailed reviews. I was offering 2 (the first 10 gigs or so), and they took me forever to write. After that, I changed the gig, to 1 article, max of 400 words. The person who wanted 2 huge articles whined and complained, and said they couldn’t possibly purchase 2 gigs for 1 article, but if I’d continue to do these huge articles 2 for $5, they’d keep buying my gig. I declined.
I thought about going back that route, to get used to writing more, but I know my writing is worth more than that. I just need to sit down and focus.
For those not familiar with how Fiverr works (the site where you can get anything done for $5), you don’t actually earn $5 per gig. You get $4. The $1 goes to Fiverr. So $4 for two huge articles is brutal.
OK, this contest is closed and the winner is Williesha Morris. Congratulations, Williesha! I’m emailing you your copy of the Client Hunting Handbook now.
For the rest of you, the Handbook is available on demand here or as part of the guided Freelance Blogger’s Client Hunting Masterclass starting January 17th. 🙂
I am SO EXCITED!!!! I am so happy I get to “work” with you this way. Love ya, Sophie!
Congrats!
Congrats Willi! Glad you won what you wished. Don’t tell me you didn’t wish to win this one. 🙂
I just love point 2 XD It’s so true. Any decent paying and/or interesting gig is always going to be flooded with proposals and as you also point out – it’s very difficult to really differentiate yourself. Everyone is going to say they’re perfect for the job and will deliver quickly etc etc.
In my experience the only way to truly stand a good chance of winning a decent paying gig is by being able to demonstrate you’ve done the exact same thing elsewhere. Even then you’re only improving your chances rather than guaranteeing you’ll get the job.
I definitely agree that it’s better to have clients come to you. I think other than what you’ve mentioned – Hourlies on PPH are a decent way to attract clients to you. You do need to feature them for it really be effective but in my experience I’ve always got at least a couple of jobs from doing that.
Great post 🙂