That helpless feeling… it’s horrible, isn’t it?
You know you were born to be a freelance blogger. It’s the perfect fit for you. But so far, you’re kinda going nowhere with it.
You haven’t won the high-paying jobs you hoped would be yours, and you haven’t been invited to join that inner circle of pro bloggers who all seem to know each other.
You check a handful of online job boards regularly, but there aren’t many ads that sound right for you. And when you do apply for gigs, you often don’t hear back from them at all.
How are you supposed to make money at this when there’s no work available?
Oh, it’s available all right. While you’re waiting for a miracle job to materialise, some other blogger is getting rich on projects that could have been yours. Why? Because you haven’t taken charge of your own career yet.
It really is that simple.
If you want to climb the freelance blogging career ladder, you need to step up and make it happen. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think! Start with these 7 simple ways to take your business into your own hands and win the rewards you deserve.
1. Go Where the Good Jobs Are
Blogging job ads are easy to find. They’re on classified ad sites, freelance broker sites, professional social networks, and niche websites like ProBlogger.
There are lots of reasons why those job ads might not be your best bet: they don’t always give enough detail, and the pay is often lower than you’d like. But you know what the biggest problem is with all those ads? They’re scattered. You can waste the whole day looking them all up.
Here’s the secret: just stop doing it. Find a couple of places that only list ads for good freelance blogging jobs that pay a fair rate, and stop chasing the rest.
Where are these havens of high-paying work opportunities?
There’s one right here: The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs is free to download, and gives you all the important details of 45 blogs that pay $50 or more per post.
The great thing about the Ultimate List is that these aren’t job ads with an application deadline; they’re open-ended opportunities for paid blogging work, so you can submit a piece to them as often as you like.
Another resource I recommend to any freelance blogger is the Freelance Writers Den, a members-only website with a “junk-free job board” that lists high-quality freelance writing job leads every week. The Den also gives you lots of training, friendly discussion forums, and expert advice. I’m a member myself, and it’s worth much more than the $25 fee!
Finding a good job opportunity curator isn’t the only way forward, though…
2. Be Where the Good Jobs Aren’t (Yet)
Every ad you see online has been seen by hundreds or even thousands of other people, too. There are better ways to find freelance blogging work than by scouring job boards and sending out 10 applications a day. This is one of my favourites:
Search the internet for big businesses that are relevant to the topics you want to blog about. Find companies that are making money, that sell a product or service you understand to a market you can empathise with. Then check out their blog.
- If they don’t have a blog, drop them a short email and ask if they’ve ever considered it. Let them know what it could add to their customer experience and to their business revenue. When a message like that arrives in a potential client’s inbox, sure, they can choose to ignore it or say no. But if the time and message are right for them, you might get hired on the spot!
- If their blog looks abandoned, with no recent posts or only one post a month, let them know you can take the hassle of creating blog posts off their hands. They’ll get more targeted website traffic and make more money, increasing the return on the investment they’ve already made in blogging. And if that interests them, you’re available for a quick discussion of their options…
- If they have a blog that already rocks, send a quick email to introduce yourself as a freelance blogger in their field. Hit the right note in this email and the next time they’re hiring, they’ll think of you before they advertise the job to your competitors.
So, about hitting the right note. This is so important, it deserves to be listed as a separate item:
3. Make Your Application Count
Every time you make “first contact” with a potential client, your approach matters enormously.
Don’t just barge into their inbox with a message like, “I can do this job.”
In the nicest possible way, stalk them first. Look at their website, sign up for their free download or their email updates. When you make contact, let them know what you liked about their stuff so far, and why you’re interested in them rather than some other project.
If your initial message shows that you’ve taken the time to get to know the client blog, it’s much more likely to win their approval. Of course, next you need to show that you’re as good at blogging as you are at email!
4. Supercharge Your Portfolio
Let’s be clear about this: you need a portfolio. But it doesn’t have to be fancy.
A page on your website giving links to your best freelance blogging work will do. If you can add little screenshots of the live posts, that’s even better. Here’s a shot of my blogging portfolio so you can see what I mean.
If you don’t have a website yet, you can easily create a portfolio for free on Contently (tell it where you’ve been published, and it does the rest for you!), or add your blogging clips to your LinkedIn profile (yep, that’s free too).
If you don’t have any published work yet, make some. Write some posts similar to the type of work you’d like to do, and get them posted online. It’s never as difficult as you think – here are just a few ideas:
- Use the Ultimate List to get paid while you build your portfolio
- Ask relevant blogs you read if they’d accept a guest contribution from you
- Ask a local business if they’d like a free blog post written by you in exchange for a byline
- Create your own website or blog to publish your work
The important thing is that your portfolio must have an objective.
What that objective is will change over time, but a portfolio without an objective is about as useful as a sniper rifle with the sights broken off.
So, what are you aiming at with your portfolio? Who are you aiming at, and what do you want them to do?
My portfolio’s objective is to demonstrate that I’m a longstanding freelance blogger who’s been published on respected sites and gets asked back for repeat posts. It also, semi-incidentally, shows the range of topics I enjoy and my usual writing style.
OK, your turn. Write one sentence that describes your portfolio’s current objective. No semi-colons! 
Make it one clean sentence. Post it in the comments box, if you like, and I’ll check it out.
Now all you have to do is put work samples that align with your current objective into your portfolio, and leave out any that aren’t such a good fit.
Your portfolio is one of your biggest weapons in the fight for freelance blogging success, so keep it well-maintained and you’ll always have a supercharged, perfectly targeted job-winning machine to prove your skills to potential clients.
Let’s talk about how you can get them to check you out.
5. Get Noticed Before You’re Needed
It’s one of those little secrets that not everyone likes to admit: all blog editors and clients are biased. Including me.
A few months ago, a client asked me to hire 5 new freelance bloggers, so I posted a recruitment ad and when the applications streamed in, I read through every single one. I was open to hiring anybody with the right skill set and interests, but…
In the end, only 2 of the 5 bloggers I hired were strangers to me. The other 3 were people I knew from previous jobs, social media, or my own circle of friends. See what I’m saying? Totally biased.
So what does this mean for you? Well, the more people know and like you, the more jobs you win. It’s human nature to want to work with people we feel we can trust, and a familiar face stands out from the crowd of unknowns when you’re competing for freelance blogging gigs.
To use this bias to your advantage, start laying the groundwork now.
Use email, blog comments, guest posts or social media to start a conversation with blog editors, marketing managers, and top bloggers in your niche. Make friends, ask no favours, and be your best, most helpful self. You never know who might tip you off about a dream job, or suggest your services to your next client!
6. Buy Your Way to Better Blogging Contracts
This may shock you, but it’s true: some of the most successful freelance bloggers in the world got their big breaks with cold, hard cash. And you can do the same, even if you’re on a tight budget right now.
Here’s the thing: all bloggers are at least a little bit vain. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be so convinced that our words are worth sharing!
Because we’re vain, we read our blog comments from our audience. We love to get a thoughtful email from a reader. But there’s one thing that gets our attention even faster than a blog comment or an email, and that’s cash being spent on something we created.
[Damn, that makes us sound like capitalist bastards, doesn't it? Bear with me while I explain how the love of sales springs from our love of you, dear reader...]
See, a lot of pro bloggers create products and services to please you, just like we do our blog posts. We want to help you and earn your appreciation.
So when you choose to pay for something we put out into the world, that shows us that we’re doing good for you. It makes us happy, and it makes us curious to know more about you.
What I’m about to suggest is slightly unorthodox, but it can light a rocket under your freelance blogging career.
Look around at some of the blogs you enjoy and the people you follow. How many of them have created a product or service that you might be interested in, and what kind of value do they offer?
If you can see one or two that stand out to you as particularly useful, set aside some money to buy them! It doesn’t have to be expensive; a $9.99 ebook is a good start on a tight budget.
Once you’ve got the goods, put in some time to really make full use of them. Then contact the creator to thank them for their creation. Let them know how it worked for you, and add an insightful comment or question.
Now you’ve got their attention. You’ve proved to them that you value their work, and you’ve shown an interest in understanding what they’re all about. What do you think happens next?
Yep, you have a fantastic opportunity to [gently!] tap them for their expert advice, sure. But that’s not the best part. Not even close…
If you keep the conversation going and they like what you’re doing, they might choose to introduce you to their friends. Suddenly, instead of one useful contact, you’ve got a dozen.
And the next time one of them hears about an amazing freelance blogging project, they might just suggest you as the amazing freelance blogger to hire.
7. If All Else Fails…
…then you only have two options: either raise your standards, or lower your expectations. I’d choose to raise my standards.
I’ve watched a few good freelance bloggers fall victim to their own low expectations: you take one crappy job because you need the money. Then another job comes along that pays a little more, so you take that on as well.
Soon you’ve got a handful of clients, but working on these low-paying jobs literally sucks: it sucks your time, it sucks your energy, and it sucks so hard that you struggle to escape from its pull. You’re so busy working these suck-like-hell jobs that you don’t have anything left to invest in finding better blogging gigs.
Then you’re stuck in the Matrix of factory-floor blog content production. Take charge. Take the red pill and break free.
Don’t be afraid to turn down gigs that won’t pay the rent. Whatever rate they’re offering, ask yourself this:
Would I be prepared to work in a filing cabinet for this pay? Would I be prepared to clean bathrooms for this amount?
If you wouldn’t work a crappy job for that rate, then you shouldn’t be blogging for such low pay either.
Raise. Your. Standards.
No matter how awesome you already are, you can raise your standards. Oh, you’re a blogging superhero? I’m sure you’ll find at least one “Superhero to UltraMegaSuperhero” training academy. There’s always more to learn.
You can raise your writing standards. You can raise your pay standards. You can push forward to new levels of marketing skill. Improve your subject knowledge. Learn how to manage your clients better. Become more productive. There’s always a step up, if you want to take it.
It’s up to you.
Do you want it?
Then step on up – it’s your turn to be in charge!
Photo:Paul Dineen
Wow, Sophie – you hit this one out of the park! I just had my first magazine article published. As soon as I can get it uploaded to my portfolio, I’m going to start using these tips. Thanks!
Excellent work, Willi! Really glad to hear it. I hope your portfolio keeps on filling up with good projects!
Superb post, so thorough! Always enjoy reading your posts, makes me feel positive as a novice blogger for a fun bloggy future!
Thanks Kerri, always good to throw some positivity out to you! I look forward to watching you succeed…
Great article: Here are my three comments.
1. You got me attention and kept it until “1. Go Where the Good Jobs Are.”
2. I was feeling good then you lost me with “as useful as a sniper rifle with the sights broken off.” But you content was good enough for me to want to continue reading to the end.
3. I like your image and the graphic to your free download. Peace
Hi Cecil, sorry the sniper rifle talk interrupted your reading flow! Peace to you too, and thanks for your constructive criticism.
Great stuff in general here, Sophie, but I’m particularly going to use the tip about LinkedIn.
It’s one of those things where I thought, “Duh! Why didn’t that ever cross my mind?”
Yep, I noticed you can now add links to your work within each job you’ve listed in your “Experience” section on LinkedIn, so it creates a resume & portfolio in one. Even lets you show off images, videos and such. Nice!
Never thought number 6 before. I should definitely try that.
Connecting with people is really a must for freelancers. I’m still trying to figure out all this marketing stuff.
I did number 2 a couple of times The first time, I didn’t get any answer. But the second got me a meeting with the website owner. Although he didn’t need my services at the moment, I was on his “radar” and he asked about what other kinds of writing I do. Then a few days ago, I got contacted by someone he gave my info to.
Glori, that’s awesome! And that’s just one side benefit of reaching out to potential clients instead of waiting for them to advertise.
Keep going, you’re on the road to success!
Glori:
What a wonderful story! I think it’s awesome that you weren’t afraid to put yourself out there (or were afraid and did it anyway!)
It’s nice to hear success stories like this because we so often hear about the “what you should do,” but not the “how someone actually did it” part.
This tactic (#2 above) is something I am going to start doing as well, and to learn it worked for you (and on just your second try, no less) is encouraging. Thanks for sharing!
Since you asked, I had to comply:
My portfolio’s objective is to demonstrate that I’m a competent, up-and-coming freelance blogger who’s not only an eager learner, but also dedicated to providing quality content worth consuming for my clients and their audiences.
Good one, Bree. I like the “competent, up-and-coming” part!
Can you make it, say, 5 to 10 words shorter (without losing anything vital)? The more you condense your thoughts and refine your wording, the more your objective becomes like a sharp knife that cuts through all the unproductive crap!
Sophie, again you’re superbly a great alarm clock – you awaken my senses with this article.
Always my pleasure, Jeulyanna – thanks for taking the time to comment!
Good advice on how to be proactive without being annoying! Thank you for this insightful approach to life…er, blogging!
Yep, I could probably make up some kind of coach-like catchphrase – you know, like “no I in team” or “assume makes an ass out of U and me”…
Mine would have to be “There’s no ASS in SUCCESS!”, or something like that.
Hey, how’s that new job going?
Thanks for a such a practical post Sophie. I’m new to freelance blogging – though I’ve had my own blog for a few years now- and your advice is perfect for me right now. And what you say about making friends in the blogging world is so true, not just for bloggers, but ALL jobs nowadays. You can’t be an island.
P.S. The Den isn’t open right now- but it will be open for people on their waiting list. So if you want to get in, you need to sign up to the waiting list to hear when it opens up again.
Thanks Rachel, I’m sure you’ll put your skills to great use as a freelance blogger.
And thanks for the reminder about the Den being closed – so for anyone who’s thinking about it right now, get on the waiting list!
Just wanted to add Sophie, that you should put your picture or name somewhere on your blog. I usually read your blog updates inside my e-mail, and so I never really come to the site. After I read your post I downloaded your free e-book (which I just realized I must already have somewhere in the depths of my hard drive), and then went to look for your site.
I thought you were guest-posting, because I didn’t see anything at first that said this was your blog… Could be I’m the only one, but maybe not. But it’s anyway important to see a pix on a personal site.
Yep, I must add one of those sidebar widgets to clue people in! Rachel, you always have these little helpful ideas that most people either didn’t think of, or didn’t consider worth passing on… how do you do it? Are you secretly helping *all* the big bloggers?
You give some great points here Sophie! It all comes down to marketing: getting your name out there and known.
A sure-fire way to do this is to create your client base (#8 Way!). This begins by defining Who you want as clients. Your ideal client probably shares a lot like you but isn’t as far a long the knowledge, skills, experience path as you. They’re probably not a complete beginner, for instance they’re internet savvy and read blogs.
Love it Sophie!
I agree, Tom, knowing your ideal client is vital. What’s always interesting is the gap between your ideal client and your existing clients – sometimes analysing that difference is all it takes to fine-tune your marketing!
Hi Sophie,
I want to work on that one-sentence-portfolio-objective-statement a bit later, it kind of freaked me out.: )
But I agree with a lot of the steps you mentioned, especially the nicely “stalking” and buying/signing up for products part. I always buy/download the products that seem the most useful, after having gone through the content. Then I study them, apply the good stuff and write reviews on my website. That gives me solid content, sends the message that I appreciate their work and we end up promoting the post together.
Nice tactic, Pinar! Writing a review is a good way to show your interest and appreciation for someone’s work. Another way to go about it is to offer *them* your own case study as a guest post – everyone loves a detailed success story!
Thanks for the list, i am not new to writing but i am very new to blogging and this is a great start. Circumstances made move from a 8-4 to work from home and i am determined to make it work. Thanks again.
You’re welcome, Marsha. I hope all your work-from-home plans run smoothly – good luck, and let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns I can help with!
Great advice start to finish, Sophie.
I’ll add some simple tips to your broad-focus points:
1. When you want your Comments (on websites) to represent you, be careful of allowing silly typo’s to besmirch your observations.
2. Never, ever call out the site’s owner on some silly typo he or she made in his or her post. (Try this at Social Triggers and hold still while Derek Halpern smacks y’all upside da head!)
3. Don’t be snarky or hyper-critical when you comment on other writers’ posts “just so you’ll get noticed”. That’s a stupid strategy. Really, it is.
4. Read the Submission Guidelines, wherever you go. Oh, you already do? Well, you’re one in a hundred, apparently!
5. Use a charming, real photo of yourself in your portfolio and on social media profiles. Seriously, forget avatars and silhouettes. Spend the money on a professional portrait so you will present yourself fabulously to prospective clients. ( I need to put this to use, myself, come to think of it!)
6. Be kind, be loyal, be helpful, faithful and true — and all your good deeds will come back to reward you. Hey, Mom had some good advice, too, didn’t she?
Love your site and your honesty, Sophie. Keep tellin’ it like it is.
~Jim
Wow, thanks Jim – that’s almost like a guest post right here in the comments! And yep, you’d be *astonished* how often people completely neglect to read any kind of instructions. I’m an instructions nut, but my fiance just jumps right into things without reading a word! Drives me crazy.
WOW!!!! Sophie you did hit this out of the ball park. You are making me think that I need to go freelancing when it comes to writing for parents. Or maybe I should just hire you if you would have me.
Great post you didn’t miss a thing.
Debbie
Thanks, Debbie, I’m really glad you thought so! And sure, I’ll drop you an email about hiring a freelancer that will help lighten your blogging load.
Awesome tips and resources. Totally agree with getting sucked into the vortex with just trying to make some cash. It can def cause burnout. Writing talents should be used for something that the writer is passionate about. Then the message translates loud and clear. Thanks for the details!
Hi Felicity! Yep, I totally agree: burnout is evil, and scrabbling at the bottom of the blogging barrel is best avoided. You don’t need to fight a million other bloggers for a $10 job when you can win a $100 job sometimes *more* easily!
Hi Sophie,
Do you think it’s better to email a potential client who you’ve studied or call? An email introduction and then a phone call (if you have a direct number to the person in charge)? I always thought phone calls were more direct and therefore preferred, but maybe not in this case?
Sophie – wouldn’t calling (if you have a person of interest’s number) be better to introduce yourself as a blogger than sending an email? Calling is more direct (and intimidating). What says you? Thanks.
Hi Mike, I favour emailing for first contact unless I’ve seen indications that the editor/client prefers another medium. As a UK-based writer working with clients around the world, the timing of phone calls can be awkward at times – I either end up staying awake until midnight, or getting out of bed for an early morning phone call!
That said, if you enjoy a good phone conversation and like to get the extra aural feedback from a call that you don’t get with an email, go right ahead and use the phone! Whatever works best for you and your leads.
Killer post, Sophie! Thanks for the fresh ideas and resources. Now I’m inspired. Time for me to quit piddling around with the content mills and get serious.
Thanks, Michael – blog on!
Hi Sophie, thanks for another great post. I like the idea of using Contently for my portfolio. Have you ever used them to look for blogging gigs?
So, is it completely unprofessional to chime in just to say that I sought out your portfolio out of curiosity to read the post you include with advice for female orgasm?
More to the point, my portfolio is designed to show potential clients that I’m a good writer, who can learn about and write on a range of topics in a variety of formats.
I’m still trying to figure out a “niche,” so I may very well have a more focused goal to my portfolio in the near future.
Unprofessional? Nah. You’re a writer, so *everything* is research.
There’s a good range of topics in your portfolio – not too few, and not so many that it looks unfocused. Nice job! My main recommendation is to add a line of copy below each headline, summarising the article’s key message. That way, people will have a better idea of which links they might want to click.
Thanks! It’s now on my to do list for the week.
Just found your blog, Sophie, from a link on The Renegade Writer site talking about your e-guide for paying blog gigs.
This post really struck me. It has a lot of great advice. But I am wondering about the portfolio. I have been published in magazines, but not in blogs. Would that help me moving into the blog realm? Especially since, with one publication, I have several clips in my area of interest?
Glad I found your site and I am excited to read your “Ultimate List” to paying blog gigs.
Yep, Anna, you’ll typically find that blog clients are impressed by magazine clips. As long as you know how to adapt your writing to the online environment, you should do great!