Be a Freelance Blogger

5 Simple Tweaks That Put the BANG Into Your Writer Website

If you’re like most writers, you can spend days, months, or even years slaving away at your writer website, and you still don’t feel like you’re quite “there” yet.

You’re likely to let a few curse words slip and maybe even kill a computer mouse in the process. [Don’t worry. We’ll forgive you.]

But learning how to build your website, and deciding what elements to include, doesn’t have to feel like slave labor.

I’ve looked at a lot of freelance writer websites, and you know what I noticed? Many writers tend to make the same mistakes over and over.

You aren’t going to be one of those writers.

You want your website to say, “I’m a professional.” You’re driven to create copy that makes prospects say, “Let’s get to work!”

Your highly effective writer website starts right here. Begin by avoiding common mistakes, and make these simple tweaks instead.

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By Mandy Gardner

9 Places to Find Blogging Job Ads That Don’t Suck

The happy rush you feel upon deciding to be a freelance blogger can quickly be consumed by the difficulty of finding decent work.

$5 per post is not what you had in mind. You’re keen to find gigs that pay fair, but where do you start looking?

One of the biggest elements that sets freelance blogging apart from “normal” jobs is that you’ve got to actually go out there and find your own projects. You can’t just decide to be a writer one day and then sit back and watch assignments roll in — but oh, do we ever wish it were really like that!

Fortunately, there are a few great places online that post genuine ads for blogging gigs that pay more than just “exposure”. These are my go-to websites to find blogging job ads that don’t suck:

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By Jesse LaJeunesse

How to Convince Businesses That They Need a Blog

Some businesses don’t have blogs.

Not just business that run out of caves on Mars, either. [Though Sophie says she would totally read their blogs if they existed.]

Real businesses. With running water, and clients, and big juicy marketing budgets. But no blog.

As a professional blogger, you might be tempted to write these stone-age businesses off. After all, they don’t need your services, right?

Of course they do!

Some of the best blogging clients out there are the ones whose blog doesn’t exist yet. It’s true you have a little more work to do up front with this approach — you have to convince the client they want and need a blog. But that’s easy when you have the right tools (more about this in a moment). And the advantages are undeniable.

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By Razwana Wahid

5 Essential Steps to Building Your Authority Online

“Nobody said it was easy… no one ever said it would be this hard.”

Timeless philosophy from Coldplay, that happens to also apply to your freelance blogging career.

Professional bloggers like Sophie Lizard and Tom Ewer do make it look easy.

Releasing monthly stats on how they built a business from scratch (à la Tom) is like providing a step-by-step plan to building a thriving blogging business.

But when it comes down to doing the work …why on earth is it so hard?

Sophie and Tom have an advantage: online authority. Google them and you’ll get pages of results showcasing just this.

Trust in them is undeniable.

So authority and trust? Are two of the most important factors in turning a random viewer of your blog, wondering whether they should hire you over oodles of competitors, into an excited client who can’t wait to work with you.

Now, you already know that building this trust in your authority isn’t an overnight process. But the good news is that it isn’t an impossible process either.

There are proven ways you can achieve this without having any qualifications in your chosen niche.

Take a look at these ideas and see how many you can apply to your blogging career:

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By Minh Nguyen

4 Ways to Survive When Freelance Blogging Becomes Sweatshop Blogging

It’s 2:45 AM.

tick tick tick.

You’re tired. You’re sleepy.

Meanwhile, the cursor of your blank word document winks at you, mocking your struggle.

Let’s face it; we’ve all been there. Those late nights when you’re struggling to stay up, writing about something you don’t really care about.

You’re sick of the weekly grind of posts to submit. What used to be fun is turning into a total drag.

I know how that feels. I oversaw 300+ SEO articles at one point. Not fun.

It’s normal to feel out of it every now and then, but when your yucky-feeling days start to crop up, it’s time for a change.

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