Tired of feeling overworked, burned out, and generally stressed with your freelance workload? Here's what I suggest for more proactive workload planning.
Read moreFreelance Writing Coach Podcast Season 5 Recap
My friend and fellow freelance writer Emma Siemasko and I have been talking about all things freelance writing on our podcast, and season five just wrapped up.
If you’re a freelance writer (or thinking about becoming one), this podcast is for you. This season, we talked about things like client boundaries, how much to charge for different services, managing overwhelm, and lots more.
Read moreI Hired an Editor. Here's Why.
spend a lot of time editing these days. I mean…a LOT.
Whether it’s a draft or an outline from a subcontractor, a podcast write-up for our side business Content Remix, or just a final read-through on a super long-form post, the reality is: I’ve been spending hours each day staring at words on a screen.
After experiencing some burnout and feeling overwhelmed, I decided it was time to outsource some of the heavy lifting when it comes to editing.
The reality is: When you’ve stared at a piece for a long time, your eyes kind of glaze over. You’re too “in it” to see the content with fresh eyes and a sharp mind.
Read moreHow to Get Freelance Writing Clients WITHOUT Social Media
You don’t have to build a following, post every day, or connect with CMOs on 30 different platforms. You can find incredible, high-paying freelance writing clients without making your personal social accounts business-oriented.
In fact, you don’t have to be on social media at all. Here's how.
Read moreHow to Map Your Ideal Workday as a Freelance Writer
Every so often, it's a good idea to set aside some time and map out what your ideal workday looks like.
The reason: You can't work toward that ideal until you know what it is. Sit down and write it out, hour by hour. Every time I do this, I'm surprised by what I learn.
Read more35 lessons from 9+ years of full-time freelancing
Sharing a few lessons learned from my seven years as a full-time freelance writer. These insights are useful to anyone running a business. I wish I would've known these things...well...seven years ago.
I’ve also added in relevant podcast episodes where there’s more detail on these specific points.
Read moreHelpful Resources for Freelance Writers
Here are my favorite, most helpful resources for freelance writers all in one place.
From business education resources that’ll help you run a more organized, profitable business, to resources for finding writing work, to a few helpful tools that’ll make writing simpler and easier, it’s all right here.
Read morePricing How-to for Freelance Writers
Everyone loves to tell freelance writers to charge more.
But "charge more” is a little...vague.
What does more mean? What are other freelance writers charging? What can you expect to earn when you go full-time? How can you make sure you don't get stuck under-charging and working with the most stressful clients?
Today, I want to share a bit about how I answered these questions (and how you can, too.)
Read moreHow to Turn your Freelance Writing Side Hustle into a Full-Time Job
I recently asked this question on Twitter: What would you tell someone making the switch from part-time to full-time freelancing? The following tips are lessons that both other freelance writers and I want you to know before going from part-time to full-time.
Read moreHow are Freelance Writers Faring During COVID?
I’ve had some questions on how my freelance business is doing during COVID, so I’m here today to shed some light on my personal experience and to spotlight the freelancing industry as a whole during 2020 and beyond.
Read more2020 Year in Review
A recap of the past year in my freelance writing business, some personal highlights, and plans for the year ahead.
Read more5 Templates Every Freelance Writer Needs
Once I started adding templates to my email writing and proposal-making process, my hamster wheel of a freelance writing career transformed into a real-deal business. I saw my proposal acceptance rate jump from 50% to 80% and my income grow by 284%.
Here are the templates that every freelance writer needs to start booking better, higher-paying clients (and more of them.)
Read moreConsistency for Freelance Writers (And Everyone!)
We all like fast, simple, and easy. We crave instant gratification. We want shortcuts that allow us to fast forward past all the grueling work so we can get to the point where we’ve done the thing or achieved the goal.
The hard truth is: Just like when working to run long distances, you’ve gotta chug along at that slow, persistent pace at first.
Read moreFreelance Tools I *Actually* Use
There’s no real guide to freelancing. You have to be a-jack-of-all-trades, so having a “tech stack “(or a few handy tools) to help you along the way is a major key to success.
Here are the freelance tools I use on a regular basis.
Read moreGoodbye MailChimp, Hello ConvertKit
I’ve decided to leave Mailchimp and switch to a new platform: ConvertKit.
About a month ago, I migrated over and have been watching my reports to see how performance varied. More on that in a sec, but first...here's why I decided to switch.
Read moreWays to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
When you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, it’s tempting to use job boards like Upwork to try and find work. I have two words of advice: DO NOT. Before you burn yourself out vying for low-paying gigs and shady clients with thousands of other freelancers, take a breath.
Ask yourself: if you were your dream client, who would you rather hire:
A person who you know nothing about beyond a form they completed on a freelancer marketplace?
Or a trusted member of your professional community?
Choosing a Credit Card for my Freelance Writing Business
Up until about six months ago, I didn’t have a business credit card.
However, I recently got one, so I wanted to share the why, how it’s working, and a few of the problems it’s solving for my freelance business.
Read moreHow to Wrap Up The Year for Your Freelance Writing Business
I wanted to share a few of the activities I’m doing this week to wrap things up. Maybe these will be good reminders, or maybe they’ll be inspiration for a few new things to try out. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freelancer, a business owner, or work at a company--all of these things are versatile enough to be relevant.
So, let’s dive in...
2019 In Review
This year I celebrated six-years of full-time freelance writing, and it was my most productive and interesting year of self-employment to date.
Client work picked up, Paul Jarvis and I partnered on the Creative Class course and podcast again (cracking 100K downloads!), and I still find myself excited when I sit down to work each day. I’m so grateful to have found a job I enjoy doing and am truly interested in…the novelty of that never wears off.
Why I Specialize as a Freelance Writer
Should you be a generalist or a specialist?
I personally started out as a generalist. I was a freelance writer who’d basically do any job that came my way that first year...because MONEY.
But you know what? That was a tough year.