Be a Freelance Blogger

4 Guest Blogging Lessons You Can Learn from the Spice Girls

The Spice Girls may not be as “in” as Miley Cyrus, One Direction, or whoever the kids are listening to these days, but you have to admit, their all-time hits such as “Wannabe” and “Stop” are timeless and can still get people up on their feet.

Not to mention, the Spice Girls taught the world a lot about good times and girl power. [And about dancing in platform wedge shoes.]

But they can also school us about guest blogging. From how to approach bloggers correctly, to what to do after your article is published, here are a few guest posting lessons we can learn from this all-girl group that took the world by storm way back in 1996.

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By Sophie Lizard

You’re an Expert (And Don’t You Forget It)

There’s this thing that keeps happening.

Not to you. To me. For once, I’m starting a blog post by talking about myself… but only so I can talk about you.

Yeah, you. The one who says you don’t know what you have to offer a client, or what your specialist expertise might be.

It keeps happening. I have conversations that go something like this:

BAFB READER: I recently started freelance writing and I don’t really feel confident asking for money because I don’t know much about anything. I’m not an expert, I’m just a writer. And I’m scared to send any queries in case I get rejected. Or in case I don’t get rejected. Or in case I get writer’s block after I’ve been hired. Or in case I just can’t handle the pressure of a writer’s life and go crazy like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

ME: Oh. OK. So, um, what did you do before you started freelance writing?

BAFB READER: Oh, I was a professor in advanced examples at the University of Examples. Then I spent a couple of years as an examples artist at the Example Institute for Impressive Examples.

ME [With restraint.]: So… did you ever think that maybe you could get started by writing about… you know… examples?

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By Brennan Dunn

How To Double Your Rates Without Scaring Off Your Clients

Imagine for a moment that you’re driving down the highway and you’re low on fuel.

You pull off at the next exit and see two gas stations. To your surprise, the one on the right side of the street wants $4 a gallon, but on the left side of the street they’re only asking for $2.

Where are you going to fill up?

For most of us, the answer’s obvious: at the cheaper station. After all, gas is a commodity. Shell and Exxon both sell the same product, no matter how hard they try to differentiate themselves.

So why do we question why our clients balk when we try to command a higher price or reach beyond the invisible ceiling of “market rates”? If all we’re selling is words, why should they pay you twice as much as what I’m proposing?

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By Sophie Lizard

How to Self-Publish Your Way to Better Freelance Writing Gigs

One question Be a Freelance Blogger readers ask a lot is: how can I convince a potential client that I’m the right writer for them?

The answer: you don’t have to convince. You just show them, and they convince themselves.

The convention of proof in freelance blogging is that you give the potential client links to 2 or 3 of your most relevant published posts, or to your online portfolio. But what if you had bigger, more powerful proof to offer?

What if you gave them a copy of your book on their niche topic?

Let me give away your potential client’s big secret right here: they’re human, and they’re impressed by the same stuff as anybody else. That means they view you as an expert in any topic you’ve published a book about. Magazine articles and academic publications count for a lot, too, but a book tops the list.

Yeah, yeah, publish a book. Riiiight, Sophie.

I’m not kidding. Self-publishing isn’t difficult; there’s a learning curve, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. And I’ve brought in an expert to give us a few pointers.

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By Gary Korisko

How to Sell Your Blog Posts Without Selling Your Soul

Do you hate selling?

Does the idea of approaching strangers and asking them to give you money make you want to curl up and die? Do you feel all dirty and slimy talking about prices?

Well, I have good news and bad news for you.

The good news is that you’re not alone. A lot of people feel that way. The bad news is that when you’ve picked freelance writing as your career, being able to sell is about as important as, oh… let’s say oxygen.

But before you throw in the towel to pursue a career in accounting or fry cookery, let me make you feel a whole lot better about this scenario by sharing some inside sales guy information with you.

You’ve been lied to. Or at the very least misled.

Sales is not what you think.

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