Level Up 13 - Be a Freelance Blogger

Blogger of Interest: Renegade Writer Linda Formichelli

Ever read a book so awesome, you told all your friends to read it too?

I don’t mean books like The Hunger Games or Fifty Shades of Yawn. I mean books that have the power to genuinely change your life.

Last week I read a book exactly like that. It’s called Commit: How to Blast Through Problems & Reach Your Goals Through Massive Action [that affiliate link will take you to Amazon].

This book is fantastic. It’s my new best friend on Kindle. No matter whether you want to start a business, fix a relationship, regain your health or get your shit together in some other aspect of your life, this will help you get it done and never look back. No regrets, no wish-I-woulda, no fucking waiting.

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By Sophie Lizard

How to Be a Freelance Blogger: The Awkward Toddler Phase

Do you have any memories from when you were 2 years old?

I only remember a couple of things: moving house, and getting bitten by a dog.

We forget so much of our early years. Maybe because if we remembered every screaming tantrum and bedwetting incident, we’d be too horrified and embarrassed to survive adulthood . 🙂

Your freelance blogging career will have its awkward toddler phase, too. It might start 2 years after you launch your business, or it could happen after as little as 6 months.

Here’s how to recognise it:

You know more than you’re able to do
You often feel frustrated by how slowly you’re progressing
You wonder why you can’t stay focused on your work
You envy bloggers who seem confident and effortlessly successful
You can’t picture what your career will be like 5 years or 10 years from now
You’re sure there must be a secret nobody’s told you about how freelance blogging works

Sound familiar? Congrats — you’re a toddler!

And you’re not the only one. This blog is 2 years old today.

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By Sophie Lizard

Freelance Blogging in 2015: What to Expect

How’s this year looking for you so far?

Do you know what you’re doing and how you’ll grow your freelance blogging business in 2015?

It’s OK if you don’t.

It’s awesome if you do know, but it’s totally OK if you don’t.

I just agreed to get married this year, so I don’t know exactly what I’m doing in 2015 except that it now includes a wedding and a honeymoon. None of that was in my “goals for 2015” list at the end of 2014!

You don’t need to know exactly where you’re headed right now to make this year a success. And in a moment, I’m going to offer you a fat prize that will make 2015 your take-off year.

First, let’s recap where we are and what’s been going on. This is our starting point for a shiny future.

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By Kat Loveland

Freelance Bloggers on YouTube: A Beginner’s Guide to Video Creation

What makes your freelance blogging business stand out from the rest?

You all write blog posts. You all have websites. You all look pretty much identical to prospective clients — at least until they’ve taken some time to check out your portfolio pieces and testimonials.

But you don’t have to stay that way.

Do you have a smart phone? Are you willing to learn a new trick or two?

Then video content may be just what you need to get ahead of the crowd.

The internet is an increasingly visual medium.

Sites like Buzzfeed use slideshows as articles, with a picture and a quote on each page.
Vines, vlogs, and YouTube channels bring their creators both money and recognition.
Popular bloggers like Derek Halpern or Gary Vaynerchuk make a new video for almost every post on their blogs.
Businesses are all over Pinterest, Instagram, and even Snapchat, using images and videos to get attention.

So what’s a freelance blogger to do to capture and use this ever growing demand for visual content?

Adapt.

Learn the basic skills that let you take advantage of the increasing popularity (and decreasing production cost) of video content.

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By Carol Tice

Create Popular Blog Posts With These 7 Insider Interview Tips

Are you blogging your heart out, but not getting a lot of readers?

Do potential clients seem unimpressed by your blogging portfolio?

Well, here’s one way to really grab some eyeballs and get the online traction that brings clients to your door:

Deliver an exclusive, fascinating interview with a prominent person.

Wait, wait, I hear you say — how will I ever get anyone to talk to me? Worse, what if someone does talk to me and I get so nervous I blow it?

You’d be surprised at how easy it is.

As a journalist by training and a former staff reporter, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people. If one person you want to talk to won’t say yes, I can promise you, there’s someone else who will.

And with the 7 tips I’m about to share, your nerves won’t matter.

Why interviews? Having fresh information in your posts is key to driving traffic. Most blog posts just recycle things we’ve all seen 100 times before, so when you have exclusive interviews, you immediately stand out.

In fact, when writers ask me how they can earn more this year, I tell them to learn article writing. And the big thing that makes articles more interesting than the typical blog post is the interviews.

Of course, once you get someone to talk to you, you have to be a great interviewer to get some really juicy comments. Here are my tips for how to ace your interview and create an attention-getting blog post:

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