FYI, you can subscribe from any page of the site — see subscription box to the right. Now, on to today’s post …
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There are so many ways to market your freelance writing business that it can be hard to decide which method will bring in the most freelance writing jobs. I started thinking about this when I received the following question from a freelance writer who bought the SEO writing ebook. She wrote:

Yuwanda, I have your book on SEO writing and I’m planning on building a website to market my services. I do have a squidoo lens with some samples and my rates. Do you think a squidoo lens is good to use for marketing?

I answered:

S-:
 
First, thank you for your purchase.
 
Regarding your question, IMO, you should use a separate, standalone website to market your SEO writing business. 
 
With that being said, everyone has their own way of marketing. For example I have a Squidoo lens, but never use it. So experiment and do what works for you.
 
Good luck!

I wanted to go into a little more detail here by revealing the methods I use – and why.

Guidelines for Marketing Your Freelance Writing Business

I have three rules I follow when it comes to marketing. It doesn’t matter what I’m promoting, I always adhere to the following:

1. I must be able to afford it: The reason I follow this rule is that prospects have to see your message a bunch of times for it to be effective.

I read somewhere years ago that a prospect has to see your message between 7 and 28 times before they will purchase.

According to a 2005 article in USA Today, Consumers today encounter from 3,500 to 5,000 marketing messages per day, vs. 500 to 2,000 in the 1970s, says J. Walker Smith, president of consumer and marketing watcher Yankelovich.

As you can see, prospects probably have to see your message many more times for it to be effective because there are so many more ways that advertisers reach us, eg, social media, blogs, podcasts, DMs, etc. And, this is in addition to old-school marketing outlets like newspapers, TV and radio.

This is why I invest in marketing methods I can afford to repeat because it’s rare that consumers will purchase from you the first time they see your ad.

2. I must be able to make time to do it: Some marketing methods can be effective, but if they are time consuming and you don’t do them on a regular basis, then it doesn’t mean a hill of beans.

My primary methods for marketing are:

E-newsletters: Eg, what you’re reading right now. I send out two of these a week; one for InkwellEditorial.com (usually on Tuesday) and one for SeoWritingJobs.com (usually on Wednesday).

Email Blasts: I use this when I’m prospecting for freelance writing gigs. I rarely do this anymore, as I stay pretty busy with existing clients.

Note: I’ve been freelancing since 1993 and have built up a pretty good list of steady clients. Also, I have multiple streams of income (ie, ebooks, affiliate marketing and e-seminars in addition to regular writing gigs). I say all this to say, if you’re a freelance writer and you don’t have any of these, it’s imperative that you continue to market even when you’re busy.

If you don’t, you’ll find that the inevitable dry spells will be longer. If you do, they’ll be shorter and you’ll build up a steady roster of clients quicker.

Article Marketing: This is my favorite method of marketing. I have to admit, I don’t particularly enjoy sitting down to write articles to submit to free directories like EzineArticles, but it’s so effective that I make myself do it.

In next week’s post, I’ll go into detail about how I go about my article marketing.

3. It must produce quantifiable results: I’m not very good at tracking my marketing methods. BUT, I do enough research to know what’s working and what’s not. If I took the time to dig more into the details of my marketing efforts, I know I could do better, but I just don’t have time.

So I guess my message here is to dig deep enough to at least know if a method you’re using is paying off.

How You Market Your Freelance Writing Business Is Up to You

There are tons of other ways to market your freelance writing business (pay per click, Squidoo, blogging, etc.). I’ve outlined the guidelines I use that work for me. Yours may be different. So if you’re comfortable with Squidoo, for example, then that might work better for you than say, article marketing.

The point is to market – consistently. If you do this and pay attention to what’s working and what’s not, you’ll be well on your way to building a successful freelance writing business.

SEO Writing Ecourse News

FYI, the next SEO writing ecourse commences on April 26^th. As of today, there are 13 slots remaining. You’ll learn four ways to make money online using your newly acquired skills that will give you financial security. Get full details on the SEO copywriting training this ecourse offers.

Best,
Yuwanda
P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I’ve personally sold tens of thousands of dollars of e-products (my own and affiliate products) doing this since January 2009.

Copyright © 2010: All material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

FYI, you can subscribe from any page of the site — see subscription box to the right. Now, on to today’s post …
###

A few times in the last couple of weeks, I’ve come face to face with how intimately “I am” New Media Words, my SEO copywriting services firm.

The first thing that brushed me up against this knowledge was receiving four requests for proposals (RFPs) in the last two weeks for search engine optimized content; some also wanted submission services. As I was putting each RFP together, it hit me – yet again – how intricately my persona is tied to my company.

The second thing that highlighted this was a question I received from a new freelance SEO writer. He’s not new to SEO writing, as he’s been doing that for almost a decade. What’s new is the fact that he’s striking out on his own (yeah baby!). He sent me a Twitter DM, asking:

Found another domain. Should I brand myself (eg, johndoewritesseo) or a company (seowritingcorp)?

Note: Info in parenthesis has been changed to protect the sender’s identity.

My answer was:

Depends on how u want to grow. Wanna stay small; brand u. Wanna grow; brand a company. I started off branding me, then formed a company.

Even though I’m a “company”, the brand is still me. And I’m fine with that. Following are the main two reasons why.

Money: I earn as much or more from my SEO expertise as an “individual” as I do as a “company” via my seo writing ebooks and seo copywriting training e-course.

Search Engine Rank: As an individual, I rank well in search engines for industry keywords (eg, “seo writing,” “seo content provider,” and “write seo content”).

Getting to this point was not easy, so I don’t want to dismantle what I’ve accomplished. New Media Words is a small firm. If it never grows beyond where it is now, that’s just fine with me.

And in the end, I think this is what it’s all about – what your desires are. The SEO writer referenced above who contacted me tweeted back:

Thanks! Was thinking along the same lines (personal brand first, then a business brand if I grow large enough). Appreciate it!

One of the reasons I love being my own boss is that I get to mold my business to fit my life, my personality, my being. This is the joy of entrepreneurship.

2 Things to Consider When Trying to Decide Whether to Brand Yourself or Brand a Company

I would have said more to the writer who sent in the question if Twitter didn’t limit users to only 140 characters. I would have told him to consider the following when trying to decide:

1. Write out a one-year and a three-year plan for your life: Why? Because where you want to be personally will guide what you do professionally (or at least it should, in my opinion). And, this changes constantly, which is why I suggest having immediate goals (eg, a one-year plan) and future goals (a three-year plan).

2. Run the numbers: As in, figure out how much you want/need to make a year as an SEO writer to be able to meet your financial obligations – and be happy. This is different for every person. For example, I’m a 40-something year old homeowner with all the bills that come along with it. This requires a certain income level to maintain.

And personally for me to be happy, I like to “take to the friendly skies” and travel.  This requires funds over and beyond paying normal, set expenses like a mortgage.

But, if you’re a twenty-something year old who shares a rented apartment with no other “life expenses” (eg, mortgage, homeowners insurance, car insurance, etc.), then you may require less to live on – and to be happy.

Personally, I don’t believe it matters – up to a certain point – whether you brand yourself or a company. If you treat your copywriting business like a business and conduct yourself professionally with each client interaction – you will have no problems acquiring clients for your SEO writing firm.

Just some food for thought this snowy Wednesday afternoon (yes it’s snowing in Atlanta; a wet, barely-stick-to-the-ground snow, but snow nonetheless).

SEO Writing Ecourse News

FYI, the next SEO writing ecourse commences on April 26^th. As of today, there are 15 slots remaining. You’ll learn four ways to make money online using your newly acquired skills that will give you financial security. Get full details on the SEO copywriting training this ecourse offers.

Best,
Yuwanda
P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I’ve personally sold tens of thousands of dollars of e-products (my own and affiliate products) doing this since January 2009.

Copyright © 2010: All material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

I’m really devoting a good chunk of time this year to my minisites and will posts updates here from time to time. Minisites are a good way to make passive income online. Mind you, there’s nothing passive about it in the beginning; it’s a lot of work. Following is some info on my progress to date. As I said in my previous post on this topic (linked to above):

. . . my goal is to build 5 of these sites to actively promote, with the objective of making just $100-$200/day from all of them combined. I think I’ll be there within the next 18 to 24 months.

So, how’s it going so far? Overall, I’m pleased with my efforts. There are days where I get frustrated because it seems that just when you’re making some progress, things fall off and you’re like, WTF! But, I knew going in that this was going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Good thing I’m a runner!

Now, on to some specifics . . .

Changing Focus

Instead of building five sites to promote, I’ve decided to focus on the three that I have. The reason is, I’ve made inroads with these sites already and it’s a lot of effort to start a new site.

ForeclosureBusinessNews.com is still the one that makes the most money per month; it accounts for about 80% of my AdSense earnings (among my minisites, not among my total AdSense earnings). Remember, I started this blog to promote an affiliate product.

Once I saw the click thru rates (CTR) and the earnings from each click, I was like, “I’d be stupid NOT to focus more on this site.”

So this one gets most of my attention for right now. I’m slowly giving the others more time.

Earnings from My Main Minisite — ForeclosureBusinessNews.com

In November the site made $95.26

In December it faltered a bit, earning $74.04

In January it bounced back, pulling in $125.24

So far this month, it’s earned $114.44

More AdSense Income Figures for ForeclosureBusinessNews.com

Biggest Day: The most I’ve earned from this site in one day is $20.51. The least I’ve earned is $0.

All-Time Earnings: I put AdSense on this site on May 2, 2009. It’s all-time earnings are $803.67 (about $2.70/day).

Note: I’ve purposely withheld a lot of info that Google doesn’t like for you to give out (eg, CTR, page impressions, eCPM (effective cost-per-thousand impressions)), etc. Of course, this is info you have access to when you sign up with Google AdSense.

Now that you have some raw data, following are some questions that may be running through your head.

How to Make Money with Minisites: FAQ

Why bother with this when the payout is so little; you’re not making a lot of money?

As I’ve stated before, I’m in this for the long haul. It’s by no means a get-rich-quick scheme. And to be honest, that’s why it appeals to me. Remove that furrow from your brow; let me explain.

I like to invest time in making money online in projects where I’m guaranteed a return on my time. Building minisites has done this. The more time I’ve invested, the more money I’ve made. Now mind you not a lot, but that’s not the point right now. It’s knowing that I can multiply these efforts and  over time I will be guaranteed the income I want.

Right now, I could reduce the amount of time I spend on ForeclosureBusinessNews.com and still make between $75 and $100 per month. Then I could go on to build other sites, 5 10 or 20 of them. With each earning just $75 to $100 per month, it’s a not too shabby little income at the end of the month.

Remember, this is over and beyond my other income streams (eg, writing for clients, ebooks and seminars). I build minisites for future, steady income. The most important thing to remember is that I like making money with minisites. I enjoy the process because it suits my working personality.

Personally, I’m a social butterfly; I love interacting with and being around people. Professionally though, I tend to be a loner. That’s why freelance writing appeals to me as a career — I like to be given a project — then be left alone to get it done. I’ve always been like this.

To like what you’re doing can not be overstated. Because it’s not a get rich quick thing, you have to be patient. If you don’t like building minisites, you’ll give up long before you ever see any kind of success.

How much time do you spend promoting this minisite?

I don’t spend time promoting ForeclosureBusinessNews.com as a site, per say. I promote the product(s) I built the site for (eg, the ebooks on foreclosure cleaning).

So the traffic that comes really pays off in two ways for me – in AdSense income and in the affiliate products I promote on the site.

How do you promote the site?

I primarily use article marketing. Love, love, love this mode of marketing. It is time consuming though. I write 2-4 articles a week, and submit them via several outlets.

I also run a pay per click (ppc) campaign, although most of the traffic comes via organic traffic. I plan to discontinue the ppc campaign at the end of this month. The reason is, since I’ve been doing more digging into the actual stats, I was really surprised to see that the vast majority of my traffic was coming via organic search.

Foreclosure cleaning is a small niche, one me and only a few others dominate. My prominence is due to article marketing. If you type in the keyword phrases “foreclosure cleanup,” “foreclosure cleaning” or similar phrases, you’re going to run into a piece of content put out by me.

How do you plan to increase earnings?

Continue to do more article marketing and a few other tricks I have up my sleeve. I talk about this in Module V of the SEO Copywriting Training ecourse.

How Being an SEO Copywriter Helps You Build a Minisite Empire

“Never put all of your money eggs in one basket; cultivate multiple income streams.”

One of the reasons I love being an SEO writer is that you can put this skill to use beyond writing for clients. This pads dry spells – and allows you to pick and choose the projects you want to work on really.

You can also charge more for your SEO copywritng services (something I need to do but have just been too busy to get around to adjusting).

When you’re hired by a client to write SEO copy, it’s because they’re making money (or plan to) with a site by getting it more traffic (hence, sales). Why wouldn’t you put this knowledge to use for yourself?

SEO copywriters have all the skills they need to make money online in a multitude of ways – whether it’s for clients, or for themselves. In light of the article, Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs, in the New York Times, it’s just some food for thought, no? As I tweeted earlier today, “There is no job security anymore other than what you give yourself.”

SEO Writing Ecourse News

FYI, the next SEO writing ecourse is scheduled for April 26^th. As of today, there are 16 slots remaining. Get full details on the SEO copywriting training this ecourse offers.

Best,
Yuwanda
P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.

Copyright © 2010: All material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

Basically, she was worried that she was possibly losing clients because they felt she was too busy and/or because she worked for the competition. I’ve posted the entire email because it relays how stressed she obviously was about the situation. Of course, her identifying information has been removed. My response follows.

Let me just say up front, prospects won’t ever think of not hiring you because they think you’re too busy. Obviously, if you’re marketing, you want the work so they presume that unless you say otherwise, you can handle it.

The exception is if it’s a really big project and they need it fast, eg, 100 articles in a week. Then, they’ll probably query you about whether you can handle it or not. This is why it’s always a good idea to have the contact info of a few other SEO copywriters on hand, just in case you have to outsource.

FYI, don’t put yourself out there as “just a freelance SEO writer” – not if you want to grow. Operate your SEO writing business like a small business which means, “Of course we (you/your firm) can handle bulk projects.” And, be sure that you build in resources so that you can.

QUESTION FROM AN SEO COPYWRITER
 
Hi Yuwanda,

I know you are currently relaxing somewhere in the tropical confines of Jamaica and are super busy (can you sense my envy? LOL! My husband is actually from Jamaica and it’s been too long since we’ve been back…but I digress), so I will try to make this as quick as possible and please feel free to respond at will.
 
I just finished corresponding by e-mail with a potential SEO/SEM client who seemed “surprised” that I wrote for a certain SEO company (I’d submitted samples upon request) and they even went so far as to say “So ——- hired you to write these for them? I would have thought they do copywriting themselves from the looks of their site. Are you a regular contractor for them?”
 
While it sounded like “hateration” on the potential client’s part to me, after confirming that I am a freelancer for that company, I was left feeling like the potential client was taking a dig at my current client (or myself) for using me as a freelancer, but more importantly that I’d inadvertently done something wrong by revealing this info.
 
On my copywriting site, [her site URL]I currently have samples of blog posts/copy in my portfolio that I’ve done directly for current SEO/SEM companies (these are some of my best samples, as I have only recently graduated to acquiring better paying clients and am still currently developing a more comprehensive portfolio). While this isn’t in violation of any of my NDA’s, I’m sensing that this may be a hindrance of some sort to acquiring new SEO/SEM companies as clients.

[Editor Note: For those who don’t know, an NDA is a non-disclosure agreement.]
 
I’m feeling that maybe some companies are hesitant to hire me because they feel I will be too busy or because I write for the “competition.” I’m not quite sure how to tackle this issue or if it is one at all, since even without the portfolio samples I’ve included, companies will want to see examples of my work and/or my resume (which will include the names of these very same SEO companies) and many who’ve contacted me seem to find my posting of online samples refreshing and helpful.
 
Could you please let me know if you think that I am potentially hurting or jeopardizing my chances by using (or removing these samples), or in the way I am submitting samples in general? (emphasis added)
 
P.S. As you will notice, my site is heavily based upon yours. I’ve done this only because in the past you’d stated that you weren’t offended by it (please let me know if I’m wrong on that) and because prior to recently, I’ve ignored the importance of differentiating myself.
 
So, I say all that to say, please let me know if I am offending you by borrowing heavily from your site’s style (emphasis added) and I will change it immediately. And please know that I am actively incorporating all of your advice in 2010, including branding!
 
Thanks for your time and please have a cocoa bread and a beef &cheese patty with a Ting for me!
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MY ANSWER

I bolded the sections that highlight what her questions to me are.

QUESTION #1

In answer to the first question — ie, is she hurting or jeopardizing her chances with future clients by using clips from current client projects and/or by submitting samples at all — the short answer is . . . maybe. Why?

Because clients don’t like it when you use the work you’ve done for them to snag other clients. This is why I never do this. And it’s a surprisingly easy thing to fix. Following are two ways to get around this situation.

(i) Create “Like” Samples. Let’s say you write copy for a drug company – and you think it’s some of your best work and you want to use it as a sample – don’t. Instead, create a like sample.

For example, you could create a fictional drug and write about it just like you would a real drug. If it’s a drug that helps with diabetes, talk about it as if it was a real drug. You can use real statistics, draw from real case studies and mention real publications where the “drug” was featured.

Just point out to clients that this is a sample. However, because everything else you’ve used is real, the sample will clearly demonstrate your writing and research ability, as well as your knowledge of the subject matter; in this case, pharmaceuticals.

See what I mean?

(ii) Get Permission: If you do want to use actual client copy in your samples, then get permission from the client. Ask them if it’s okay if you have it as part of your portfolio. Over and beyond asking the client for permission to show the sample request to potential clients, ask them if it’s okay that you list it on your website.

While they may give you permission to send a piece out as a sample when prospects ask for it, they may not want you to put it on your website for all the world to see at any time.

In my opinion, it’s not something you should do.

How I Handle Client Requests for SEO Writing Samples

I’m lucky in that I rarely receive requests for SEO copywriting samples. When I do, I have a few pieces that I send out. Funnily enough, when I first started out, I didn’t even have SEO copy in my portfolio. If you know my story, then you know that I pitched myself as a real estate/mortgage writer primarily. So when I first started marketing for SEO writing work, I just sent along some old articles on those subjects that I had.

One client wrote back saying, “This is nice writing, but it’s not SEO writing.” So I simply rewrote a few articles I had using SEO guidelines (ie, choosing a keyword, optimizing it for 3-5% keyword density, chopping it down to 500 words, etc.).

Over and beyond this, I’ve never had to provide other samples. This is why I tell all new SEO copywriters to create a few samples in each niche they want to target.

Remember, what clients want to know is that you know how to write SEO copy; they don’t care if you’ve worked for X company or Y firm. And to me, this is what makes SEO content writing so easy to get – as long as you can prove you can do the job, and all other factors are okay with a prospect (eg, your SEO writing rates), then you have a good chance of snagging gigs.

How to Handle Writing for Clients Who May Be Competitors

Most SEO writers will never have to deal with this problem, so don’t let it bother you in the least. I’m just touching on this just in case you ever come across it.

As a general rule, if you write for more than one internet marketing firm, then you’re writing for competitors. So what do you do? Offer to sign a nondisclosure agreement. I’ve had exactly two companies ask me to sign one in my three years of writing copy. One of them never even used me (go figure, huh?). The other client I worked with for over two years on a weekly basis– and I still get work from them from time to time.

Note: You are under no obligation to tell prospective clients who your current clients are, unless it’s covered in your NDA. And even then, you don’t have to give specific names.

For example, your NDA might say, you can’t work with our leading competitor in such and such industry. It may even spell out specific companies. THEN, of course it’s okay to divulge. Or if you don’t want to give specific company names, you can simply decline to work with that client.

I have never divulged the names of companies I work with. I simply tell prospective clients about the types of companies I work with, eg, internet marketing firms, real estate companies, computer services firms, etc. And I tell them the types of content I provide, eg, SEO copy for their websites, for article marketing campaigns, for industry blogs, etc.

This is more than sufficient.

SEO Writing Testimonials

On my SEO writing company site, I have testimonials. You’ll notice that most of them list names (usually a first or last name and an initial) and types of firms; not the actual names of the firms. This is because clients want – and expect – confidentiality.

The few testimonials there that list actual names/website URLs are those where the client actually sent in the testimonial, and I asked if I could list it on my site, including their identifying information. I’ve found that most small companies and/or individuals who operate websites tend not to mind giving you permission to list their indentifying information.

Mid-size to large firms do mind.

The bottom line on using client samples/testimonials is to ask permission. If you ask, you can never go wrong because all they can say is yes, or no.

That sums up the first question. Now, on to the second question, which was . . .

QUESTION #2

Please let me know if I am offending you by borrowing heavily from your site’s style. (Thanks T for asking this . . . which gives me the opportunity to explain as it’s happening more and more).

You know, as much as I hate to admit it, it does bother me when others copy my site’s style and wording. Before I offend anyone, please let me explain.

When I say to other SEO writers, “feel free to use my site as a guide,” it never occurred to me that so many would do it so directly. I thought that people who had no idea about how to go about it would borrow some ideas from my site, but go on to put their own imprint on it.

I’ve run across SEO writing sites that look exactly like mine – in words and in design. While borrowing my design doesn’t bother me as much, it really does rankle me when others use my wording – almost verbatim. You are a writer; so to me it’s almost like stealing when you borrow wording so heavily from someone else.

This brings me to a later email from this writer. She wrote:

I will also be editing the copy on my services to reflect my own personal brand, instead of yours. You’ve taught me well, so I can take off the training wheels now (besides the more I thought about, the more I realized that it just didn’t sit well). . . . I’m declaring that 2010 will be the year I make it happen. It’s amazing what you can and will do when you resolve to put on your “big girl panties” and handle business. But you already know this.:)

Hilarious!

As for my site’s design, why anyone would want to copy the site is beyond me. It’s so plain and so simple that really (at the risk of repeating myself), it just never occurred to me that it was worthy of being “copied.”

Since I’ve put it out there though that I don’t mind others using my site “as a guide,” I can’t very well get too upset about it because it is what it is. But, people . . .you can do so much better. My SEO writing site is a reflection of my limited web design abilities. Anyone with even a tiny bit of web design talent can do better – as this writer’s site proves. It’s gorgeous, which makes me jealous.

In conclusion, as the writer here said, you have to “put on your “big girl panties” and handle business” if you want to grow. This is what being a small business owner is all about.  At the end of the day, the decisions you make — good or bad – are all yours — and so is all the glory!

SEO Writing Ecourse News

FYI, the next SEO writing ecourse is scheduled for April 26^th. As of today, there are 17 slots remaining. Get full details on the SEO copywriting training this ecourse offers. In next week’s post, I’m going to talk about making money with minisites. The little experiment I’ve been conducting is going really well. The SEO writing eocurse teaches you how to use your SEO writing skill to make money in four different ways, one of them being creating minisites. Stay tuned for next week’s post.

Best,
Yuwanda
P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.

Copyright © 2010: All material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

Yesterday, I received the following email. I promised to give the reader a thorough answer today, so here goes (I’ve disguised some details to protect her identity)  Note: This post is over 1,800 words long so settle in for a good, informative read.  

Hello Yuwanda,

I understand that you are busy.  And you may not respond to this message.  However, I thought I would just throw it out there.  This may be a topic that appeals to a lot of part-time freelance writers.   

I work a full time job [in the hospitality industry]. So, it is very stressing, I try not to take things personally. . . I am on the phone with a guest for 5 minutes because they only hear what they want to hear.  I play all the tricks of the trade; put a pink cloud, kill them with kindness, hold your blue rock, etc, etc.  And still no budge!  By the time I finished my 8 hour shift I am mentally drained and just want to clear my mind from all the negativity.   

I know Seo articles [writing SEO content) is the way to get [freelance writing] clients in the door. However, you say write 10 a day. I can’t wait for the day that I can do that with ease.  I really want to quit my job because I am like you: Type A personality, wanting to dance to my own tune, travel and write, etc, etc.   I know if I jump right in I will be a success, but I have to be practical, because I have no savings.   If it wasn’t for my SCORE mentor, I would have taken the leap already, but he keeps me in check.  

You say you are going to work 10-12 hour days, I can’t wait to the day I can do that as well.  I am curious to know if you will be willing to share exactly what you do for 10-12 hours a day.  (emphasis added) I have [a couple of days during the week] off from my job.  However, I use that time for Networking (takes more time since I gave up my car and bussing it everywhere).  So, it will be very helpful for me to find out how to structure my 10- 12 hour days with my limited availability.

I understand that you are busy, but as always thank you for all of your time and knowledge.  You are truly an inspiration to me and other writers as well.  

Thank You
###

First let me say to this reader, I appreciate you being such a loyal reader of the site and am inspired to keep doing what I do because it inspires others like you to reach for their dreams.

Now, to answer your question.

As an SEO copywriter, my days have changed dramatically from when I first started doing SEO writing. That’s because I’m working towards different goals, which I’ve talked about on many occasions here and on my SEO writing blog (see section entitled “Personal Freelance Writing Goals for 2010: On Track, or Not?”).

A Day in the Life of a Successful SEO Copywriter: An Hour-by-Hour Rundown

I covered what my days used to look like when I first started writing SEO content in a blog I used to write for back in 2008. I started to rewrite this content, but figured that linking out to it is better because I was “in the fire” then, so to speak. Hence, I probably had greater clarity then. The post is A Day in the Life of an SEO Writer.

One thing I want to point out is that marketing for SEO writing work was the first thing I did each day. This is particularly important when you are just starting out because, as with any new venture, marketing is going to eat up the bulk of your time. In fact, it should take up 50%-75% of your work day.  

If you don’t have clients, all of the other “busy stuff” you may preoccupy yourself with doesn’t mean a hill of beans because without clients, it’s all for naught.

So make marketing the first thing you do every day. And, commit to a certain number. When I first started, I made contact with at least 20 new contacts a day. The busier I got, the more I cut back. Now, I may market once a quarter (maybe) – literally. Why? For three reasons:

Why I Barely Market for SEO Writing Work Anymore

I. I Have Steady Clients: I have about 30 clients I work with; about a dozen of them are very regular. This keeps me busy enough to pay my bills, but not so busy that I don’t have time to concentrate on other work, which brings me to the second reason I barely market for SEO writing jobs anymore . . . 

II. Retiring from Writing Client Copy: As I previously discussed in this post (which is the one I linked to above about freelance writing goals), by the end of the year, my goal is to retire from actually writing for clients and step into a full managerial role at New Media Words, my SEO writing firm. This has been a dream for the last few years . . .one I’m doing everything in my power to make come true by the end of this year.

I currently contract with four SEO writers, but I still do a lot of writing myself. My days can be really, really crazy with everything on my plate . . . which brings me to the last reason marketing for SEO writing work is not a top priority these days.

III. Hands in Many Pies: I have my hand in so many projects, it’s ridiculous. For example, I co-author books with my sister, who has a real estate services line of ebooks.

I conduct freelance writing ecourses (SEO and regular freelance writing);

I produce two weekly newsletters;

I write and market my own line of ebooks on freelance writing;

I do affiliate marketing; and

I build minisites as passive income.

This is in addition to writing for clients.

But I’m too scattered. Once I’m no longer writing content for clients, I can get my professional (and personal!) house more in order. I have a list of projects I want to finish and some I want to start within the next two years (I have three and five-year plans I constantly update).

But, I can’t add anything else to my plate right now. Realizing this (and my dream of travelling more) is what really made me push my date for retiring from writing for clients up. Something just had to give if I was going to realize other dreams.

Why My Schedule as an SEO Copywriter May Not Work for You

I’m single and I don’t have children. So I can literally work around the clock if I want to. So don’t get discouraged if you’re thinking, “I can’t possibly keep up.” You can. You just have to find a schedule that works for you.

An Inspirational Story of “Making It Work Because You Have To”

I have several girlfriends who are single moms. One went back to nursing school in her early 40s, right after she had her son. She was broke, with patchy childcare and she had a job. But, she found a way to go to school.

She said she’d get up at 4 am to study every morning; two hours before she had to get her son up to take him to the baby sitter’s, or pre-school (once he got old enough).

I couldn’t study chemistry and biology at 21 with enough sleep and no child responsibilities. Can you imagine:

Working at a minimum wage job you hated;

Then going to class (and staying focused);

Then picking up your child from day care, feeding and caring for them;

Then sitting down to study for an hour or two after you tucked them in . . .

AND getting up and doing it all over again – for four years (it took her that long to finish because she had  a child) – averaging four to five hours of sleep per night, if you’re lucky?

My girlfriend used to say, “I have to make it work Yuwanda; I have no choice. No one else is going to take care of me and my son and I can’t make it on minimum wage.” Now, she has a cushy job in a plastic surgeon’s office where she works banker’s hours … and she makes a very good salary.

And this is why to me, single moms (scratch that, single parents) are God’s angels on earth. I literally don’t know how you all do it, but my hat (and scarf, and gloves, and pants, and shoes and underplunders!) are off to you. You make the rest of us look like lazy slobs!

My point is, if you want it bad enough, you will make it work.

Earlier today, before I sat down to write this post, I received this email from another reader of the site. It dovetailed with the first reader’s question so well, that I know that this post was meant to be (I believe God works in mysterious ways, and this was an issue that obviously needed addressing).

More Questions from Another Reader about SEO Writing

She wrote:

I’m considering purchasing your SEO Article Writing ebook. With your system for getting seo content writing jobs:
 
Could someone working full-time use the system?  You mentioned that you received a request for 10 articles that were completed in 5 hours. Not sure how I would handle this working full-time. When working with these SEO firms, are you able to refuse assignments without penalty?
###

To answer her questions:

Could someone working full-time use the system [outlined in my SEO writing ebook]?  

Yes, if you’re employed full time you can use the system I outline in my ebook to start out part time. You just have to realize how much work you can take on . . .and still meet deadlines. In the beginning though, you might have to burn some midnight oil. For example, if a client says they want 10 articles in 24 hours, you might say, “That’s a little tight, I can have them to you in 48 hours though.”

For the record, most don’t expect a 24 hour turnaround. 48-72 hours is perfectly acceptable.

24-hour turnaround is a tactic I used to use all the time though to hook clients. I wanted them to use me again, so I’d work through the night to get an article order done if I had to. But again, I’m single; I don’t have children. Only you know your limits.

When working with these SEO firms, are you able to refuse assignments without penalty?

This depends on the client. Just starting out, you’re going to want to say yes to most clients simply because you don’t want to give the impression that you can’t handle the workload.

Clients don’t “penalize you;” they just may not call on you again (which many may consider a penalty). The only reason I turned down work in the beginning was if someone couldn’t meet my SEO writing rate.

I’ll talk more about this tomorrow in the post on SeoWritingJobs.com. This post has run on long enough, and I’m dying for a glass of wine.

I hope I’ve given you enough food for thought though, and shed some light on what life is like as an SEO copywriter.

SEO Writing Ecourse News

FYI, the next SEO writing ecourse is scheduled for April 26^th. I’ve upped the limit on the number of participants from 15 to 20. Get full details on the SEO copywriting training this ecourse offers.

Best,
Yuwanda
P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.

Copyright © 2010: All material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

I’ve been a freelance writer/editor since 1993. And while I’ve had some lean years, one of the things I’m always grateful for is that I know how to make money under my own steam. My income does not depend on any one client (one paycheck); it depends on me, my marketing savvy and my willingness to work hard.

If freelance writing intrigues you as a “recession-proof” career choice, and you find yourself looking to make the transition, following is some first-hand advice on how to do just that.

Tip #1 for Transitioning to a Freelance Writing Career: Rethink What Job Stability Means

If you find yourself laid off from a job that you thought was secure, and you haven’t been able to land another job, maybe it’s time to rethink what job stability means.

Accept the fact that gone are the days when you get with a company and retire with them. While a company can be sound financially one day, as we’ve seen over the last decade or so, things can change in a nanosecond. I mean, who thought GM would go bankrupt and have to accept government help to stay afloat.

While they seem to be bouncing back, they are doing it with a streamlined workforce. And, who knows what’s going to happen in 5, 10 or 15 years.

So tip number one for transitioning to a freelance writing career is accepting that the only job stability is the stability you give yourself.

Tip #2 for Transitioning to a Freelance Writing Career: Create Self Discipline

Many new to freelance writing – or any work from home job – say that they find it hard because there are too many distractions when working from home.

But, if you’re going to succeed in this career, you must develop self discipline. And the easiest way to do this is to create a routine — much like you would if you had to report to a job.

Get up at the same time every day, create a list of tasks to accomplish every day (in the beginning this will be marketing for freelance writing jobs), and sign off at the same time every day.

Some of the tasks you should be doing initially are getting a website up and running, creating writing samples and developing a marketing plan.

A routine will create the consistency you need to get these things done – which will lead to desired results (ie, freelance writing jobs).

Tip #3 for Transitioning to a Freelance Writing Career: Set Up a Home Office

It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can literally be a corner of your dining room table. But, having an “office” to go to goes hand in hand with creating a routine and being disciplined about work.

Tip #4 for Transitioning to a Freelance Writing Career: Set Income Goals

How much do you want/need to make? This will be different for every person. But, do set a goal; have a concrete number in mind. This is important because it’s like driving without a map. You must have an end goal in mind in order to motivate yourself to do what you need to do – day in and day out – to get work flowing in.

Without a number to reach, it’s much easier to be lackadaisical in your work habits.

Tip #5 for Transitioning to a Freelance Writing Career: Find a Mentor

This doesn’t have to be an actual person. It can be someone – or a few people — you follow online. There are going to be times you get discouraged. You’ll need some reassuring words (blog posts, articles, videos) to keep you pumped about your new career as a freelance writer.

Remember, if others can make a living doing this, you can too! It’s not rocket science, but it does require discipline.

Finding a Mentor Tip: The SBA (http://SBA.gov) has a program called SCORE (the Service Corp of Retired Executives). They mentor new business owners – at no charge. Go to the SBA’s main site and drill down to your city/state. Then, contact them to see if they have such a program in your jurisdiction and ask what you have to do to participate in it.

How Long Does It Take to Transition to a Career as a Freelance Writer?

Of course, there are many more steps to take to transition to a career as a freelance writer. But, these are the broad ones that get you on the right road.

How long it takes really depends on you. You can start landing clients in the first week, or it may take a month or more. It all depends on your desire, how adept you are at marketing and which niche(s) you target.

Freelancing Writing: Priceless “Job” Stability

But one thing I can tell you, once you start making money “under your own steam,” it’s a liberating feeling. Why? Because you’ll realize that you’ll never be at the mercy of a job (one paycheck) again.

Even through lean times, I never worry about how I’m going to make ends meet because I know that my income depends on only one factor – me and my brain. And that’s a kind of peace no job — no matter how stable — can compete with.

Best,
Yuwanda
P.S.: Want a Recession-Proof Career? Get SEO Copywriting Training. As of today, 1/19/2010, there are 4 slots open for the class starting on 1/25. You can still register — up until this Sunday (1/24) – by paying the full course fee. If you’re ready to get on the road to job security in an exciting new career, this class will teach you how to do just that.

P.P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.

Copyright © 2010: All material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

Following are four things you can do to get ready for the tax man. And who knows, if you have all your ducks lined up, you may just feel a teensy, weensy bit joyful the closer Thursday, April 15^th gets (come ooonnnnn, you can squeeze out a smile).

Freelance Writers: 4 Things You Can Do Now to Make Filing Taxes Easier

I. Categorize Your Expenses: Freelance writing is a business that, at the outset may not look like it has a lot of expenses, but they can add up. So make sure you know what these are.

Some obvious ones are PayPal fees deducted from payments you’ve received from clients; offices supplies; telephone/cell phone charges and office equipment.

Some less obvious expenses you may forget to account for are:

Fees you pay for professional organizations like your Chamber of Commerce (you’d be amazed at how many forget this fee);

Mileage expenses if you drive to and from networking meetings or to meet clients;

Travel-related expenses: For example, if you go somewhere and write about it and submit to sites like AssociatedContent.com or sell it to your local newspaper, that’s a legitimate freelance writing business expense. Now, how much of your transportation, meals and other trip-related expenses you deduct can be a bit dicey, but it is a legitimate expense.

FYI, this is why I use TurboTax to efile taxes. It truly is practically impossible to go wrong with this software. Before finding TurboTax, I paid an accountant upwards of $3,000 some years to file my taxes (this was when I had an editorial staffing agency in New York). I’ve used TurboTax for the last four years, and I love it.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with TurboTax; I’m just happy user.

Recognizing Expenses Tip: Mentally do a walkthrough of some of your days as a freelance writer. Do you attend networking meetings on a weekly basis; does FedEx regularly pick up packages from your home office; do you use e-fax because you have a paperless office; do you backup your files when you close up at night; etc.?

I do a mental rundown like this when I pack to travel so that I don’t forget anything. By doing this kind of walk through, you remember expenses you may easily forget (eg, your monthly e-fax bill; your annual backup data storage fee; your mileage to weekly networking meetings, etc.).

II. Income: Income is much easier to calculate than expenses. I mean really, who forgets how much money they brought in, right? Not many of us.

HOWEVER, as freelance writers, we have a lot of clients and some of them are “one off” jobs. So don’t forget to declare that income. You should have some type of system where you track all jobs. You do, don’t you?

If not, get in the habit of doing so – now – because one time not declaring some income can have you paying out more in taxes — years later.

Freelance Writers: How Not Being Organized Can Cost You – Years Later — in Back Taxes

I remember one year I didn’t declare like $1,600 from a client who didn’t send me a 1099 at the end of the year. I simply forgot about the job because it had been done at the beginning of the year and the client never used my services again.

So two years later when I got a “revised” tax statement from the IRS, I owed hundreds more in taxes. I can be pretty flighty at times, but I’m not stupid. From that day on, I got organized — quick, fast and in a friggin’ hurry!

1099 Due Date: When You Should Receive These from Clients

The 1099 due date is the end of January. This is when all clients you’ve worked for the previous year should have mailed out your 1099 – if they paid you more than $600 over the course of the tax year. But, some of them don’t. Ultimately, it’s up to you to track your income.

Receipts: One of my sisters owns a business and she several rental properties. She’s a master receipt keeper. I swear to God, if you ask her for the receipt for a key she had made three years ago on October 18^th, she’d dig it out.

I’m not that great with keeping receipts for every little thing. But for the big stuff, I do (eg, purchasing a new laptop, cell phone charges, shelf installation in my home office, etc.).

You never know when you’re going to get audited. So it’s best to keep all receipts. Some accountants say keep them on hand for three to five years. If you haven’t been audited for years gone by by then, then it’s a very good chance you won’t be.

III. Questionable Writeoffs: Is your home office really a home office? If so, how do you account for it? If you take a client out to lunch, can you write the whole thing off, or part of it? When you travel for business, how much of your trip is deductible (meals, car rentals, plane tickets, money exchange fees (if you travel internationally), etc.

All of these are sticky situations where it takes some reading to understand. If you use an accountant, you can ask them. If you use a software like TurboTax, it can give you guidance and you can even request help from an actual tax expert (for a fee).

Line up these questions to ask before you sit down to do your taxes or drop them off to your tax preparer. It’ll make the process so much easier.

IV. Filing Date: Finally, set a date to sit down and file your taxes or meet with your accountant.

This way, you won’t be rushed into doing them at the last minute when it can cost you more. Not only because mistakes are more prevalent and/or your accountant may charge a rush fee, but because you are in such a rush to just “get them done” that you don’t take the time to get every write off you’re entitled to.

Caution: Be Aware of Tax Scams This Time of Year

The tax scammers are starting to come out. Just a couple of days ago, I got an “email from the IRS.” I didn’t even open it. Why? The answer is, and I put the phrase in quotation marks because, the IRS does not send emails. Again, the IRS does not communicate with taxpayers via email. They will always send a letter.

The goal of IRS scammers is to get a hold of your financial info – name, social security number, birth date, etc. All of this means they can steal your identity and ruin you financially. It can literally take years – and thousands of man hours – to get this all figured out.

Don’t fall for it.

REMEMBER, “The IRS does not discuss tax account matters with taxpayers by e-mail.” Source: IRS.gov.

Learn more about IRS phishing scams directly from the IRS.

Happy Tax Filing!
Yuwanda

P.S.: Start a Recession-Proof Career. Get SEO Copywriting Training. As of 1/12/2010 there are only 5 slots open for the SEO writing class starting on 1/25. If you’re ready to get on the road to job security in an exciting new career, this class is for you.

P.P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.

Copyright © 2010: As a reminder, all material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

BUT, I’m not going to talk about marketing. You can read the specifics of how to make more money as a freelance writer here for that. And here; and here.

What I want to talk about is much more important — clearing energy sucking, motivation depriving, negative thinking people from your life. To illustrate this point, I’m going to tell you my story.

How to Make More Money as a Freelance Writer by Getting Rid of Non-Empowering People in Your Life

About a year and half ago, my two-year engagement ended. My ex-fiance was actually a very nice guy – so this is not a bashing story. In fact, although it was very painful, we had a very civil breakup. We broke up basically because we weren’t compatible – in a lot of ways. We looked at money differently; approached our careers differently and had different levels of ambition.

I’m definitely a Type A personality. I don’t do anything half ass. Either I’m all in or all out. This is especially true when it comes to my career. I’m extremely focused and can work around the clock if I have a goal in mind. This type of tunnel vision can become a problem if you’re with someone who’s a bit more laid back about everything.

In our case, it led to a lot of arguments about money, time spent together (or not spent together), future goals, etc.

The year after we broke up, I more than doubled my income and paid off more debt in that one year than I had in the entire two years that we were together. Now, again, this is not to blame or point fingers. The point I’m trying to illustrate is that when you don’t have anyone in your life holding you back from what is really important to you, you can literally move mountains.

I once read somewhere that 90% of your happiness in life will depend on the mate you choose. I believe this fully. Why? Because this is the person that you will ostensibly spend the most time with; who you will look to for inspiration; who will encourage you when you’re feeling down; will inspire you when you feel you can’t go on; and who will give you that extra pat on the back when you feel like crap.

If the person who is supposed to love you the most in the world is not supportive of you and your dreams, it weighs on you – more than you will ever realize. In fact, to realize it, you have to get out of it – and be out of it for some time – to see the effect that it has on you.

The same goes for friends in your life by the way. In fact, people in your life either add to it, or take away from it. A wise man once said that you can tell what a person is all about (ie, how successful they are/will be) by the five people they’re closest to in their life.

If your friends are ne’er-do-wells, or afraid to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, or don’t support your dreams — even if they don’t come right out and say it – they’re holding you back.

How?

When you bring up a new idea, they may shoot it down or say “It’s too risky; why would you want to do that?” Or they may say. . .

“Man, I sure hope you know what you’re doing. I’d be scared to death if I were in your shoes.” Or, …

“How are you going to afford healthcare; you’d be crazy to give up that job.”

Or . . . you get the picture.

They’re well meaning but they don’t add to your life; in fact, they’re holding you back. This is especially true if you’re skittish anyway.

This is why you need to cultivate friends who will support you – no matter what. Now you don’t want “yes men” around you. But at the end of the day you want them to say, “You’re a smart cookie and if you’ve weighed the pros and cons — and have done your due diligence — then if anyone can a make a go of it, you can.”

The year after my fiancé and I broke up, because I didn’t have the emotional garbage that comes with being in a relationship that’s not working, I actually probably worked fewer hours. But again, I more than doubled my income.

I also started to take better care of myself – running more, eating better, drinking less, sleeping better, etc. All of this attributed to me feeling better, hence more focused. Ideas flowed easier, projects got done quicker, money flowed in seamlessly.

And all of this is because I was able to be at my best – emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. I can’t stress enough how important this is to your success as a freelance writer.

As a freelance writer, you’re building a small business. It takes will power, fortitude, encouragement and boundless energy to do this. The wrong relationships – romantic or otherwise – drain these from you right at the time you need them the most.

So take a good, long, hard look at your life. Are the people most important to you adding to your dreams,  or taking away from them?

If they are taking away from them – get rid of them; I beg of you. You’ll feel so much better and will be genuinely surprised at how much more prosperous you’ll be – not only financially, but emotionally, physically and spiritually as well.

Tranquilly yours,
Yuwanda

P.S.: We’re getting down to the wire in the SEO Writing Training ecourse. As of 12/30/09 there are 4 slots left for the class starting on January 25th. You can reserve your spot for as little as $50, so sign up today!

P.P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100 or $150/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.

Copyright © 2010: I don’t say it often, but all material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

This week, I want to get more concrete.  I want to lay out specifics for starting a freelance writing career next year. 

4 Things You Can Do Now to Start Your Freelance Writing Career Next Year

1. PT or FT: Are you starting a full-time or part-time freelance writing career? Decide so that it becomes a reality and you can do the next step, which is . . .

2. Time Block: As in, how much time do you have to devote to your freelance writing career each day. To make a go of freelancing, you have to do something every day towards making it a reality. And I don’t mean doing stuff that makes it seem like you’re working on your dream, but really aren’t.

What are some of these things?

Freelance Writing Dream Killers: Things That Masquerade as Progress, But Really Aren’t

“Research”: This is in quotation marks because plenty of wannabe freelance writers spend so much time fooling themselves that they’re making progress when what they’re really doing is stalling. You may:

“Research” other freelance writers’ websites to get ideas on what you want yours to look like;

“Research” other freelance writers’ writing samples to see how to write yours;

“Research” the type of equipment you’re going to need for your “eventual” freelance writing business;

“Research” (read) articles on how others have gone about making their freelance writing dreams a reality;

“Research”; “research”; “research”; “research”  . . . . until you have information overload and haven’t accomplished shit!

What you should be doing instead is . . .

3. Formulating an Action Plan: As in, I will have my website done in “x” number of days. I will choose a niche and write 5 sample articles over the next week. I will contact 20 companies a day via email until I’ve landed 10 clients. Then, I will consistently contact 10 a day no matter how busy I get.

I will write one promotional ebooklet that will help me to better sell my services. This will be completed by “X” date.

I will start an article marketing campaign, submitting 2 articles a week to popular article directories like EzineArticles .com and Amazines.com.

I will read one industry article a day (eg, SEO, medical writing, tech writing, etc.) to really get to know my industry inside and out.

See the difference between “research” and concrete actions.

Time is your most valuable asset when starting a freelance writing career. Waste it and you literally piss your dreams away!

Just as important as what you do, it’s what you shouldn’t do – especially in the beginning.

What You Should NOT Do If You Want to Start a Freelance Writing Career in 2010

You shouldn’t be spending a lot of time of social media sites like Twitter;

You shouldn’t be checking email incessantly throughout the day;

You shouldn’t be aimlessly surfing the net – not even for as little as 10 or 15 minutes at a time. This is particularly true if you’re starting part time because your time is already limited.

You shouldn’t be commenting on other blogs – or in fact even reading a whole bunch of other blogs and websites. Even when it’s in your industry, doing too much reading means you’re wasting valuable time. Don’t kid yourself and think that you’re “working” when you do stuff like this. You’re not. You’re procrastinating.

Why Being an Uncommunicative, Time-Selfish B*tch Can Serve You Well in This Career

I’ve been called uncommunicative, antisocial and “hard to get in touch with.” But you know what, that’s because I spend my time on income-producing work. For me, that usually means writing.

I write promotional material for my businesses: my SEO writing company and my freelance writing ebooks.

I’m an avid article marketer, so I write and distribute articles to tons of free article directories for the above-stated businesses.

I write promotional material for affiliate products I promote.

I write new material for my blogs each week (I actively update three and tangentially update five).

I write new ebooks.

I write and instruct freelance writing e-courses.

I write for clients.

My point is, I don’t have time to tweet incessantly, surf aimlessly and interact with others in forums and on blogs because these don’t fill my bank account at the end of the week. Writing does.

4. Implement! Once you’ve formulated your action plan, implement it. And keep implementing it – tweak it if it’s not working; put it on overdrive if it is.

If you do these four things, before you know it, you will be making a living as a freelance writer. It’s not hard, but it does take consistent effort. There will be dry spells, there will be difficult clients (although most are dolls to work with) and there will be times when you wonder if you can make a go of it.

You can . . . if you hang in there. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – if this was easy, everybody would do it.

Are You Ready to Live Your Life the Way You Want . . . Now?

BUT, the rewards are so great. Being a freelance writer has given me a freedom I never expected to have.

Jetting off to paradise (Jamaica) for 5 weeks at a stretch; no problem mon.

Taking off for a fun couple of days in DC with a girlfriend – no problem.

Visit friends in New York City for a week – no problem.

Planning a month-long sojourn to France with a girlfriend – no problem.

Laptop: check!

Cell phone: check

Internet connection: check!

The ability to make a living on my terms and live the life I want — now: check!

This is my life – the life of a freelance writer. And, it can be yours too – if you choose to make it so.

Tropically yours,
Yuwanda

Next Week’s Post: You won’t want to miss this one. It’s all about how to make more money as a freelance writer in 2010!

P.S.: We’re getting down to the wire in the SEO Writing Training ecourse. As of 12/30/09 there are 4 slots left for the class starting on January 25th. You can reserve your spot for as little as $50, so sign up today!

P.P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.P.S.: Want an easy, fast way to get started in affiliate marketing, making as much as $50, $100/day? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.

Copyright © 2009: I don’t say it often, but all material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

Note: This is a long, windy post. I often get sentimental at the end of the year. I figured it was as good a time as any to share with you why I believe some achieve success and others dont. And, how I did it. I hope you find it inspiring — and gets you on the road to achieving your dreams, whether it’s freelance writing or traveling or running a marathon. Whatever it is, just get busy doing it.

A Surefire Road to Success: The Value of a Plan

It’s amazing how things work out when you have a plan. While they don’t always go exactly the way you want them to, when you work from a plan, it allows you to stay on track. I’ve been freelancing since 1993. For the first 5 to 7 years, I just kind of winged it. I had no real plans other than making enough money to pay rent and hang out with my friends.

I was living in New York City then, a 20-something-year-old with a carefree existence.

About 10 years ago though, I started to take my freelance career more seriously. In my early 30s, I got married. Once this happened, I started to take life in general a little more seriously. Things like retirement, mortgages, life insurance and the possibility of children started to loom on the horizon.

Now in my early 40s, they are not only on the horizon, they are a part of my everyday existence. I don’t know if it’s because I freelance or because I’m just a Type A personality, but I think about the future – and how I want it to pan out – a lot.

I truly believe that if you don’t have a life plan, you plan to fail at life. I take issues like saving for retirement, paying off my home in 10 years instead of 30 years, staying in shape and having enough money to do what I want to do when I retire seriously.

And, I don’t want to wait until I’m in my 60s to retire. I want the option of retirement at 55. That’s just about a dozen years away. If you’re a regular reader of my blog/website, you’ve heard me express this sentiment before.

I recount all of this to get across this one simple point as a New Year dawns — life moves at an amazing speed. And if you keep putting off something you want to do, you’ll look back and wonder why you never gave it a shot – because the years will slip by before you know it.

So if you want to have a freelance writing career – go for it! You will stumble along the way; there will be dry spells; you will wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into sometimes – but this is all part of achieving a dream.

My Freelance Writing Career & the Dawn of Success

Working towards a dream is never easy. If it was, everybody would do it. I’ve only achieved the kind of success I dreamed of for years in the last two years or so. And again, I’ve been doing this since 1993. If I’d had a plan, I might have been successful sooner. But hey, better late than never.

I receive so many emails from wannabe freelance writers and those who are frustrated because the freelance writing jobs aren’t flowing in like they need them to. And I tell every one of them, “This is part of paying your dues. If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

It’s universal karma; you must pay your dues in order to achieve success – that’s just the way it is. So when you’re having a hard time landing assignments – and you’ve been doing everything “right” (ie, marketing your butt off consistently) – chalk it up to good ole karma (dues paying) doing its work.

Sometimes, I think the Power Superior (as my ex-husband refers to God) tests us. He tests us to see if we really want what we say we want, and to see if we’ll hang in there long enough to get it.

If you really want to have a freelance writing career (or whatever your dreams is), then you’re going to have to weather the ups and the downs. And, this is what keeps many from even trying. They get so scared and kill their dreams before they even give them a chance to flourish.

The American Workforce: Rethinking What Job Stability Means

Yesterday, I retweeted a news story that said that 14,500 journalists were laid off this year, ie:

. . . the powerful forces of the global economic meltdown, plummeting advertising costs, and the shift of readers from print to the web would force seismic changes on traditional media. . . . Paper Cuts, an online site, that tracks layoffs at newspapers and magazines says more than 14,500 journalists have been laid-off  or bought out this year.  [Source: HighTalk.net, The Great Media Collapse of 2009: Part 2]

 Many shy away from freelancing in search of job stability. I quite frankly don’t think there is such a thing anymore. Many of the jobs in manufacturing, for example, have disappeared – and they’re not coming back. And in our field, journalism, jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate.

I argue that freelancing is the new form of job stability.

I’d much rather freelance and have 30 or 40 clients I depend on for my living, than 1 client (an employer) to provide for me.

Think about it this way: if you lose one client as a freelancer, you still have others you can turn to for work – and you can always market to bring in more. While your income may slow down, it doesn’t stop. When you lose a job, on the other hand, you’re a** out.

You panic — because there goes your healthcare, your retirement account, literally your daily bread — because all of your financial eggs are in one basket. As a freelancer, you have a more diversified portfolio.

Freelancing Provides More Job Security

Now yes, when you’re employed you have a steady paycheck. And it’s hard to argue this point. But how long is that paycheck going to last? No one knows that. Just 10 years ago, who would’ve thunk that GM would go belly up. These workers are learning the hard way that no job is safe. And, many of them don’t know how to do anything else.

As a freelance writer though, you learn out of necessity how to do a lot of things. You learn computer skills, how to write and negotiate contracts, how to put together marketing kits, how to write a business plan, how to budget and allocate funds, how to break into new niches – and the list goes on and on.

These are valuable skills – many of which you’d never learn on a full-time job because corporate America pigeonholes you. Your job is X, Mary’s Job is Y, Joe’s job is Z – that’s the corporate formula. But it sets you, the American worker, up for failure. Why?

The Global Economy: What Workers Need to Succeed

New technologies are coming down the pike every day and workers must be nimble and mercurial. It’s no longer enough to know how to do one thing and do it great. You need to know how to do a few things in order to compete.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been offered full-time positions by clients. And, a lot of times it’s because they see that I know how to do so much. If I’d stayed in corporate America, I know I wouldn’t have learned even a quarter of what I’ve been able to learn by being a freelance writer (author, blogger, webpreneur).

Securing Your Financial Future

I believe that in order to secure your future, you need to know how to make money under your own steam. Even if you work full time, always have something going on on the side. My stepfather, who could never seem to hold down a steady job, taught me this.

What My First Small Business Mentor Taught Me

He was the type of worker who would walk off a job in a hot minute. BUT, he always brought money home at the end of the week because he knew how to make money under his own steam. He was a hard worker and as long as it was legal, he’d do it. He never got organized enough to have a formal business, but he had so many side gigs that I realized years later that he was my first small business mentor.

My stepfather was an artist – he could draw and paint with the best of them. He had real talent. And he used it. He was a painter by trade (and I mean house painter, not artist). But he put his artistic skills to use. He’d paint decorative signs for businesses, in addition to painting their walls . . . “for a little extra.” He was a true hustler (the good kind!).

He could have been a gazillionaire he was so talented and had so many business ideas. But again, this took planning – not one of his strong suits. My mom was somewhat of an entrepreneur too. She sold Avon for years, all while working a full-time job. My biological father was an entrepreneur too — the unofficial kind that could never seem to hold on to a job either. If someone pissed him off, he’d simply walk off a job.

But because he had needed skills, he always managed to make a living. He was a carpenter, electrician and auto mechanic – no formal training in any of this stuff. But, he was so good at it – and everyone knew it – that he always had more work than he could shake a stick at. He could build a house from the ground up, fix a car with super glue and if it was electronic, he knew which wire went where. He was another one with amazing talent who never got organized enough to make a formal go of it as a business person.

My mom and stepfather always told me and my sisters to have side gigs. I’ve cut grass, waited tables, sold perfume door to door, made and sold decorative housewares (pillows, placemats, etc.), wrote resumes, etc. Even when I worked full time, I always had a side gig. And I‘m glad I learned this lesson early on.

I say all this to say that I guess I come by my entrepreneurial spirit honestly.

As I wrote in the post, SEO Copywriting: 3 Reasons to Train for this High-Paying, Work-from-Anywhere Career:

I’ve always thought a little differently than others. Having “just a job” never appealed to me. I’ve always been the kind to want to do my own thing.

 And now after all these years, it’s all paying off. I don’t panic or worry about my financial future — even when funds are low — because I know how to make money under my own steam.

I believe this is the wave of the future.

I wrote this long post to get across the point that that the New Year is an excellent time to set goals – and really go after them. As my mom used to say, “Time is going to pass, it’s up to you what you do with it.”

Want to Live Life on Your Own Terms?

I’m off to Jamaica for 5 weeks on Monday. And yes, I’ll be working while I’m there. I have a life I wouldn’t trade for anything – because I have a vision, a plan and the courage to act on it.

You can too!

Happy holidays, and I hope to see you back here in the New Year.

Yuwanda
P.S.: We’re getting down to the wire in the SEO Writing Training ecourse. There are 5 slots left for the class starting on January 25th. You can reserve your spot for as little as $50, so sign up today!

P.P.S.: Find this post informative? Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.

P.P.P.S.: Want to make some extra money ($50, $100/day) for the upcoming holiday season? Get How to Make Money Placing Ads on Free Classified Ad Sites (ie, Backpage.com). If you want to make some easy money promoting affiliate products on free classified ad sites, this ebook is for you. I routinely make $100-$150/day.