In Parts One and Two of this series on creating a resilient freelance writing business, I shared steps I took after my primary client put my work on hold. While we can’t foresee what our clients will do in the future, we can help our businesses withstand setbacks should we lose a client or they temporarily suspend their need for our work.
Here in Part Three, I’ll share with you ways I suggest you build a sustainable freelance business and more security into your life.
Mindset Is Fundamental
Try listening to positive affirmations every morning. You’ll then feel more eager to take action. Searching for new clients is time-consuming and getting rejected smarts. So, be sure to program your subconscious to stay positive as I think I have done.
Short-Term Ways to Generate Leads and Content Work
Reach Out to Past Clients
I did that and am writing articles for two small clients. I’m doing one-off pieces in the short term due to circumstances, but it’s not reliable or enough money in the long term.
Network with Fellow Writers
You can network through AWAI or ASJA (the American Society of Journalists and Authors). The latter is the nation’s largest professional organization of independent nonfiction writers and they have a strong content writing group. I met Jennifer Goforth Gregory through ASJA and have been reading her book. I just joined The Freelance Content Marketing Writer group on Facebook. Fellow writers shared in this forum that the last few months were especially slow in the health niche. Now I know I’m not the only one affected. Learn about your industry in these groups, and as I said before, your fellow writers often send work your way.
Join Other Groups and Content Writing Forums
You may want to join a few Facebook writing groups and various forums in your niche. You’ll stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your industry.
For example, I met a New York woman through one group who promised to give me high-paying health work but hasn’t any now. I told another writer friend from the same group, and she shared about a health company she writes for that pays $1,000 for 1,000-word articles. She even offered to refer me. Again, both aren’t reliable gigs, but may be good temporarily.
Work a Part-Time Job
The benefits? You are being productive (and if it’s local, getting out!). You can count on the income and meet key people. I was offered a flexible job in retail nearby because I worked before as a stylist/personal shopper on Fifth Avenue. It’s fun to help women again with their fashion choices. This will also assist me directly on my content and website work in the long term as I’ll explain in just a moment.
Another reason to take a part-time position? You never know who you’ll meet. I met a VP of an organic beauty brand (with former experience at Procter & Gamble) who wants to meet me for lunch as well as a Senior VP in commercial (industrial) real estate for a company with local and global offices. She’s a prime B2B content writing prospect!
Add a Local Business to Your Client Roster
Per Part Two of this series on developing a resilient freelance writing business, I suggested you add local clients. (Mine had been all national.) You could find them by attending local business and chamber events. I met a woman at one involved in real estate and property management.
I told my friend, a computer consultant who’s been in business for 21 years and has 2,000 clients in the Sarasota area. He recommended me to his luxury real estate client. Her team is top-notch and their career sales to date total over $2.4 billion! We chatted and I might work on some projects for her!
Long-Term Outlook on Fortifying Your Writing Business
Focus on High-Paying Niches
Once you’ve built up some experience writing for clients, you might want to shift to high-paying niches. Many coincidences seemed to be leading me to real estate. My mom was a commercial real estate broker and my sister owns tons of real estate so this niche feels somehow familiar.
But you need to research. What did the data say to back up my hunch? I hit up Google and my new bestie, ChatGPT. I dove in to learn about real estate marketing and content development. And the market seems good!
Pitch Your Services Before You’re Completely Ready
I contacted a good friend who oversees five real estate offices and 80 people in my local area. I asked him a battery of questions including how do they get leads and convert, why do all realtors sound alike on their template pages, what are their pain points, and how do they view blogging.
Always have statistics to throw into the conversation. I shared that websites with blogs receive 55% more traffic than those without blogs (HubSpot). And active blogs on websites generate 434% more indexed pages on search engines which can increase visibility and rankings in SEO (from TechClient).
I didn’t expect what happened next. I figured I’d offer his staff monthly blog posts. My friend said, “How about I hire you to do three blog posts over three months for two of my top realtors? Throw in the personalized profile free for each, too. I’ll pay you and then you’ll have proof of concept so you can work with the others.” I was thrilled! I’ll interview these two high performers, create a free tailor-made profile to help them niche, differentiate them and position them as authorities. And I’ll write them each three optimized blog posts!
My online research and that informal market research I conducted with this friend on the phone helped me pitch before I felt 100% clear or ready. That’s a good lesson to learn.
And I now have even more packages to offer him the next time we speak. These will help realtors increase their client success stories on their web pages and in their marketing vehicles, boost their video content, and create partnerships with aligned businesses like developers, architects, and property appraisers to generate a pipeline of B2B referrals.
Develop a Writing-Related Income Stream Not Reliant on Clients
I took Nick Usborne’s fantastic How to Build, Write, and Grow Your Own Money-Making Websites program through AWAI. Over the course of 15 years, his coffee-related, information-rich site has generated more than $500,000 in passive income for him.
Remember that part-time job helping women in fashion? The Money-Making Website I created, FabulousFiftyDresses, will offer dress tips, reviews, and insights for the sophisticated woman in her 50s, 60s, and beyond. I’ve learned more about SEO, ads, affiliate marketing, Canva and its new AI tools, and AI image making. I’m watching tutorials and will take free courses to go deeper in these areas. Imagine not relying solely on clients and leveraging the power of your copywriting and content writing skills with your own site! Imagine making passive income over time!
In summary, to best build a sustainable freelance writing business that gives you peace of mind, have reliable work; be open to working with local professional services providers (like lawyers, accountants, IT directors); consider a new niche; and maybe develop your own writing-related income stream by creating an informational website that can, over time, become a Money-Making Website.
