Diversifying means success for a new freelance writer. When you tell someone that you’re a freelance writer, you get all kinds of reactions. Most of them revolve around the perks of working when, how, and where you want. Others may assume that your career as a freelance writer is nothing more than a “hobby”. But let’s face it. Freelance writing is tough. For myself and other freelancers I know, it’s not a walk in the park. It takes a lot of hard work, time, and effort to constantly drum up clients and that income rolling in on a fairly regular basis. That’s where planning, strategy, and diversifying come in.
No matter what you do for a living, having goals is essential for success. For example, have you figured out how much money you need to earn on a monthly basis to meet your financial obligations and, if you’re lucky, have something left over to put into savings or to tuck into an I-don’t-have-enough-work-to-pay-my-bills-this-month fund? Check out my post on operating fund tips.
Adapt and diversify
Diversifying is essential for growth of your business. Your goals not only focus on how much work you need to drum up for this month, but for next month, and even the month after that. Unless and until you have created a solid foundation of clients in a specific niche, it’s important to be willing to adapt and diversify.
Whether you focus on ghostwriting, copywriting, or grant writing, it’s important to be able to change hats as a circumstances demand. You may notice trends throughout the year when it comes to potential job opportunities and types of clients seeking your skills. When creating your production and income goals, avoid sticking your nose up at jobs that you consider “beneath you”. Sometimes, you may have to accept a project that offers a less-than-stellar payout. Bills are bills.
Of course, try to stick to your guns as often as possible in regard to your pricing, taking into consideration the time and effort you need to complete those projects. However, the more experience you obtain by taking on different jobs, the more versatile and diversified you’re going to be as a freelance writer – and more successful.