Guest Posts 26 - Be a Freelance Blogger

7 Freelance Blogging Lessons from a TV Spy

Starting out as a freelance blogger can be rough. You have no money, no support from anyone, no portfolio highlighting your experience, and you’re stuck at whatever computer you happen to be working from.

I understand your pain — I was in the exact same scenario when I first started blogging. When I managed to find my first few jobs, they were cheap gigs that paid peanuts. It felt like it was impossible to get anywhere in my blogging career until one day, when I was feeling down and frustrated…

I was sitting on the couch watching TV after a long day of writing 1,000 word articles for 10 bucks apiece. A spy drama called Burn Notice came on the screen and I realized something: starting out as a freelance blogger is exactly like being a burned spy!

After reading that last sentence you probably think I’m insane. And you’re probably right. However, let me explain.

[Read more…]

By Jovell Alingod

7 Clever Moves to Land Freelance Blogging Clients If English Is Not Your First Language

Consistent cash flow is what all freelance bloggers want.

But good-paying clients seem to be the most aloof people on the planet. And if you’re a freelance blogger whose first language is not English, you can’t help but feel this pursuit is made even more difficult for you.

On the other hand, if you really want to level up, you’ll do what you can to stand out and be noticed.

If this is you and you’re up for the challenge, keep reading while I share how I succeeded as a blogger even though English is not my mother-tongue. That’s right, I’m giving you permission to steal my moves.

[Read more…]

By Barrett Self

Why Your Blogging Habits Cripple Your Productivity [And How to Get It Back]

Inefficiency and procrastination are dream killers: a blogger’s worst enemies.

So why do many of us welcome them with open arms?

Blogging is one of your passions and it’s your job. Yet, sometimes it seems impossible to turn the world off, sit down and focus on what you love. Then once you do finally start writing, you feel like your mind inevitably wanders to anything and everything else!

Well, here’s the good news:

If you feel you aren’t the most efficient blogger, it is NOT because you aren’t capable of becoming one. There are fundamental reasons why your brain fails to do what you demand, and there are tangible explanations for why you aren’t as efficient at your craft as you’d like.

Let’s make blogging easy. Here’s how:

[Read more…]

By Karol K.

“Freelancers Are Unreliable!” How to Show Your Clients You Won’t Let Them Down

Okay, you’ve seen the headline so maybe my question is a bit pointless, but what would you guess is the #1 objection clients have with freelancers?

Is “lack of reliability” high on the list? It should be, because that’s exactly what your prospective clients think.

If you need proof, here are a couple of quotes from business owners about their dealings with freelancers (and this is only the beginning… plenty more quotes later in this post):

“Firms have relatively more to lose (reputation, lawsuit), so while freelancers are cheaper, quality and reliability are also lower with freelancers.”
-Vlad Solodovnyk, business owner in web and mobile development

“Firms are more process oriented which means that there are checks and balances in place and the delivery is not dependent on skill or mood of individual.”
-Sameer Jain, business owner in software development

Maybe I’ve been living under a rock or something, but for me, seeing these opinions was somewhat a surprise. I didn’t think we had such a shady reputation. And the rep itself isn’t even the worst thing here. The worst thing is that it almost certainly has an impact on the success of our businesses.

Some business owners simply don’t believe that the average freelancer can be trusted with a project.

This opinion hasn’t been dreamt out of thin air. The people who think this way have been burnt by freelancers in the past — or heard horror stories from someone whose freelancer let them down — and now they’re afraid all freelancers are the same.

[Read more…]

By Tiffany Jansen

What Miss America Can Teach You About Blogging

Confession time…

I was a pageant girl.

Yes, there was a time when I strutted around the stage in a bikini, narrowly avoiding death by killer heels.

Now, you know and I know that this is a blog about freelance blogging. By now, you can probably see where I’m going with this (if you don’t, I’m about to make a comparison between blogging and beauty pageants). And I can already feel you rolling your eyes.

Bear with me. As wacko as it may sound, there’s a lot bloggers can learn from Miss America. After all, we both want to be crowned. One with a tiara and the other with her reader’s attention.

And our ‘judges’ typically make their decision in the first 7 seconds.

If you want to be the last one standing when the curtains close, take a hint from the pageant world and brush up on these 5 elements of competition.

[Read more…]