How to Become a Successful Freelancer When You’re “Different”
Posted July 26, 2010 in Getting Started, How-To
“Currently, I am a teacher, but want to make the gradual transition from the classroom to the freelance commercial writing arena,” an aspiring freelancer recently emailed me.
“However, because I lack a marketing background, I am concerned that clients may be hesitant to hire me. How can I transition from academia to this type of writing career?”
That’s a valid concern—one that some of you may also have if you’re exploring the freelance path. And while neither an email response nor a blog post will do the topic justice, I can at least provide you with some general direction and advice.
Strategy #1: Leverage Your Background
Who says that “agency types” make the best copywriters? And who says you had to go to art school to be a great designer? Some of the best writers and designers I know do NOT have what you might call traditional creative backgrounds. Instead, they have leveraged their diverse experiences and specialized knowledge to bring a fresh perspective to a field crowded with “me too” service providers.
I told my friend that she, in fact, could have an advantage over other writers. Especially if she decided to target companies that sell educational products or services to teachers, educational institutions and parents of homeschooled children.
Her background gives her tremendous credibility. She has “been there, done that.” She understands the emotional hot buttons of her potential clients’ audience (educators). And if she’s strategic about how she positions herself — and delivers value and results for her clients — she can easily become a very successful “go to” writer in her industry.
Strategy #2: Take the Courses and Certifications
However, that brings up another point. Your background alone won’t save you. Neither will raw talent. You also need to learn your craft. And learn it well.
There’s no way around it, folks. You need formal training. Without it, you’ll have a very hard time getting invited to the dance. The market is already full of talented freelance professionals struggling to make ends meet. If talent alone were the secret, most would be extremely busy, earning a great living.
Don’t get me wrong. Talent is a big plus. But these days you need much more. So take the courses. Get the certifications. Read the books. Don’t skimp here.
And don’t think the learning is over once you’ve established yourself. Make it a point to keep up your knowledge base. I’ve never met a successful person who didn’t continually invest in themselves and their business.
Strategy #3: Market Yourself Aggressively
Finally, you need to continually promote your services. This effort must be steady and aggressive—probably much more aggressive and methodical than you think.
Contributors to Freelance Folder have talked about this many times before, but it bears repeating. A focused and continual marketing effort is one of the most important factors in ensuring a successful transition from your current job to a freelance career.
I know that the thought of marketing your services may not sound appealing. But, it doesn’t have to be a chore. Break it up into small chunks. Instead of trying to do monumental activities every three months, commit yourself to doing lighter activities every day or every week.
For instance, promise yourself that you’ll mail five letters a day. Or, that you’ll make ten cold calls a day. Or, that you’ll write and submit one article every other week to a targeted online publication. Or, attend a very focused networking event every month (one that’s rich with potential prospects).
No career transition is easy. You can dramatically increase your chances of success if you leverage your strengths and work hard on the factors that you can control.
Share Your Thoughts
How else would you advise my aspiring freelancer friend?
Image by pshutterbug
Related posts:
- 10 Hidden Skills of Successful Freelancers
- The 5 D’s Of A Successful Freelance Career
- Elements of a Successful Project Proposal
- Is Fear Stopping You From Being Successful?
- Essential Advice from 6 Successful Freelancers
About the author: Ed Gandia is co-author of the bestselling and award-winning book, The Wealthy Freelancer. He's also the author of the newly released 2011 Freelance Industry Report. To download a free copy of the full report, visit http://www.internationalfreelancersday.com/2011report/.
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33 Comments
Freelance FactFile
July 26th, 2010 at 8:42 amSound points. Marketing should be a ‘drip drip’ activity rather than a blast of activity a couple of times a year. And, yes, courses/certifications are a must. Way back, when I started writing my first website, I went on three courses and bought relevant books to ensure I knew everything there was to know at the time about writing great web copy.
Now things have moved on and recently I’ve needed to know about writing web copy for search engines. So I’m currently following a course called SEO Copywriting which will give me an accreditation once I’ve passed the exam at the end of it.
Jordan Walker
July 26th, 2010 at 9:10 amThose are excellent points to become successful. Courses and certification are nice, but if you can only pass test but not expound on business concepts when presented, what good are those certificates?
nikos lianeris
July 26th, 2010 at 9:57 amI agree that marketing is the key to success.But I believe that it’s not only that.If you find a way to effectively promote yourself and you work really hard on your writings,your designs,your websites etc then I believe that success will come.It demands hard work though! :)
eagleseyedesign
July 26th, 2010 at 10:00 amnice points! freelancing is a lot of plain hard work but can def be worth the effort!
ameetkarn
July 26th, 2010 at 12:14 pmhighly motivational blog…but kind of repetitive
Ed Gandia
July 26th, 2010 at 12:56 pmThanks for the comments, y’all!
Jordan – The reason I made the point about the courses and certifications is that just because someone already has a basic level of competence on their field doesn’t mean that knowledge will automatically generate business for them. I see a lot of freelancers (namely writers) skip this step because they feel that they can already write. So why bother? But knowing how to write a complete sentence and writing, say, powerful copy are two different things. I’ve also seen this attitude with some translators, virtual assistants, professional organizers, and others.
Jordan Walker
July 26th, 2010 at 3:04 pmEd – Thank you for the response, my question was sort of loaded. Another reason to get a certification is to validate your genuine interest and differentiate yourself. In my profession you can get a very standard certificate from over 20 different sources or get an industry recognized certification. The later being unequivocally more difficult: w3schools vs. Zend
Christopher Morris
July 26th, 2010 at 4:24 pmI may be the exception to the rule here, but I never had formal training to do what I am doing now (programming,marketing & SEO). I sort of just picked it up as I went along with each job. Of course, when it comes to the technical field many people (and most bosses) don’t know HTML from Apache so naturally I would be asked to take on responsibilities where I didn’t really know how to do them. I took them anyway and learned real fast! Because of those opportunities (and with maybe a little too much confidence in my competence) I do all those things for a living now and more. Knowledge may be important, but willingness (even when it’s sink or swim) to dive right in when you don’t have the knowledge is equally important.
Stephanie
July 26th, 2010 at 8:28 pmGreat points! I especially like #2 because everyone should be open to learning more and new things about his or her craft. Even if you’ve been doing the work for twenty years, it really pays to attend a course or two that’ll hone your skills with innovations and new technology.
Deb
July 27th, 2010 at 5:57 amOn the other hand, I know plenty of people who have every diploma, certificate and credential you could get in their field, and their writing still sucks… So yes, getting your informal “craft” competence validated with a diploma form a formal class is a good way of “proving” yourself to prospect clients (clients do like hard “facts” like tangible diplomas and trade association memberships), you can’t judge a person’s work solely by looking at their credentials.
Bartosz Oczujda
July 27th, 2010 at 7:35 amI disagree with the formal education point of view.
I’ve got a bachelors degree in English philology. During my university years I started to learn photoshop and basic design principles from books and the internet. After graduation I relocated to a bigger city and got a job in an advertising agency, they didn’t even ask me about my education and hired me just as they saw my portfolio.
Then I started to learn Flash development, only from books and internet tutorials. I made a few interactive websites that my clients were really impressed with.
Few weeks ago I decided to quit freelance and find a “normal” job. So I applied to a flash developer position at one of the major software development companies in my country. And guess what? They hired me, my lack of formal programming education wasn’t even an issue.
If you’re really dedicated, don’t throw your money down the drain investing in formal education. Buy some books, search the internet for tutorials, join a club, find people interested in the same topic, go to conferences… The possibilities are endless…
Joe
July 27th, 2010 at 7:49 amChristopher,
I agree that you don’t always need formal training to be successful. If you’re going to freelance (or look for another job), though, you need to be able to provide some kind of evidence you know what you’re doing. The best kind of evidence is past results. If you can show web sites you’ve built or provide results of a marketing campaign you put together, formal training isn’t as important.
However, if you’re just starting out and don’t have those results to show yet, having education or certification is another form of proof you can use to show clients (or employers) you know what you’re doing.
What it really comes down to, though, is how you market yourself. If no one knows you’re out there, it doesn’t matter what you know.
Sponsi
July 27th, 2010 at 7:58 amWell.. I am a teacher and a freelancer. I had some problems with my primary profession because teaching English (as foreign language) is not as professional as years in design with different agencies (although I always tried to combine the two). My strategy was to show myself as a person who links teaching and using technologies, creating web, online systems for teaching. I think that it’s better than even five certificates from extra mural courses or something. I guess a diploma in crafts would be enough, but who has time to take 3 or 5-year studies now? : )
Alan - $100K Small Business Coach
July 27th, 2010 at 8:39 amEd
Some good things for a new entrepreneur and writer to think about.
I’d put the most emphasis on your last point, marketing yourself heavily . . . but only after learning how.
As a business coach and writer, when I started doing this I had no clue whatsoever what I needed to do. I took sales clases, but that didn’t work, mainly because sales comes after marketing. Marketing is your first touch to someone who doesn’t know you and sales comes after they’ve come to you. So if you have no one coming that’s a problem.
It was when I started not only studying marketing, but hiring coaches that suddenly movement started.
But to a couple of your other points, getting certified and your concern about coming from an educationall background.
When it comes to marketing and getting the most people to notice you I always ask my clients this one question: Does having a certificate, a degree, or having done it for 20+ years GUARANTEE that you are good at what you do?
No it does not. So the question is: What does?
Someone who has done it before, delivered consistent results, and those who deliver THE MOST VALUABLE results become the keys to you getting more clients. So, focus your marketing on results not on credentials or years of experience. And, for those who don’t have experience DELIVERING RESULTS, then get out there and get your hands dirty. Leverage your education to get you in the door, but give away some time to get those first jobs. If you pick 5 people to go help, and they experience results, you will get at least 5-10 referrals, and you will have the results to start putting into your marketing.
Mary E. Ulrich
July 27th, 2010 at 8:57 amI’ve been thinking about this a lot and have decided that (for me) the most important pieces are to find a mentor and a friend. I’ve just found a local group of bloggers and am going to make their meetings a priority. Good luck.
BTW: Teachers are experienced marketers. They have to sell some pretty old and boring material to a group of unwilling kids. Could anything be harder?
jagmohan
July 27th, 2010 at 9:15 amThere is new breed of employers offering Freelancers $1 an article of 500 words, expectting 10 articles from a writer, offering $0.25 per 100 words content this all is ridiculously low, more so is the increase in the charges levied by GAF fro $12 to $19.95 plus 3 % of the bid before the employer tells what to write about and before the writer receives the payment from the employer. This is driving writers to look for other options on the internet than working on so harsh terms..
Issa
July 27th, 2010 at 11:21 amYou’ve got great advices here though sometimes, they may not really apply. These days, businesses are looking for innovation and people with out-of-the-box ideas that really work. It doesn’t matter if you had a marketing degree from an ivy league school if you can launch the next thing that will overshadow Facebook and the likes. So, I’d say freelancers should take their creative hat and try guerilla publicity or marketing for a change. Take the risk; Win or Lose.
dp
July 27th, 2010 at 12:45 pmCourse and certificates? Really? In terms of design, potential clients are gonna look at the resume and portfolio and that’s about it.
Ed Gandia
July 27th, 2010 at 1:35 pmGuys – My comments about taking the courses and getting the certifications is creating some confusion. Mostly my fault for not explaining that point better. So let me clarify:
* First, this article is about making the leap into freelancing. It’s mainly written for aspiring freelancers. Not as applicable to those of you who’ve been freelancing a while.
* Second, my recommendation to take courses and get certifications mainly applies where those factors play a role in a client’s decision to hire you — even if it’s minimal.
Basically, I find that in freelance professions where there are low barriers to entry, many aspiring freelancers want to skimp, figuring that “Hey, I can write. I can hang my shingle right now and start going after clients right away.” (or whatever profession it may be). As I mentioned in an earlier comment, I’ve seen this type of thinking with some VAs, writers, organizers, etc. Again, it’s much more common in professions where there are low barriers to entry.
But even in professions such as design, photography, etc., there are basic skills you need to know. And there are software tools you must be proficient in. So if you’ve been out of the biz for 5 years (or if you’re just now getting started in that field), you’re going to HAVE to get caught up. There’s a basic price of admission we all have to pay.
Regarding the point about just learning as you go. Sure, that’s very valid. But if you’re getting started today, this is a very different environment than it was, say, 3, 5, 10 years ago. This environment is NOT very tolerant. Clients aren’t looking to provide you with a training ground. Today, you have to be able to hit the ground running. Clients expect that. And they should!
Are there exceptions? Of course. But I’d rather err on the side of caution and assume that I’m going to have to bring in some basic knowledge, skills and experience to the table.
Still disagree, that’s fine. But I hope this helps clarify things a bit.
Terry
July 27th, 2010 at 6:17 pm@Bartosz Oczujda
Programming, and development are very different from something like design or strategy.
Technologies change so rapidly, a formal education (unless you need to learn PHP in a week for instance) is often a hindrance.
Innovative and strategic thinking comes from knowing precedents and concepts. I’m more likely to trust a web analyst with a degree or some formal proof that they understand markets and numbers than an “SEO Guru/rockstar/ninja/bs”.
Something like user experience or interaction design? Someone with a B.S. in Computer/Human Interaction and a killer portfolio or someone with just a killer portfolio? Again, that’s a position where I want someone who can back up with they say with pattern-based studies.
Web development and flash programming (your examples), I go to a website. Does it work? Yes. Did it check through W3C’s validator? Yes. Is the code organized well and written semantically? Yes. Done. The proof is much easier to read.
——
As someone who has done a lot of hiring, I’ll say it’s true that you can still get a job without a degree, certificate, or formal training, but you are just kidding yourself if you think that if between two similar resumes that doesn’t matter.
No one is judging anyone solely by their degree, but everyone’s got to deal with someone with a nephew breaking into design/web/development/marketing/advertising who is a terrible idiot.
Laura
July 27th, 2010 at 6:19 pmIf you know nothing, yes, you need education, but I wouldn’t put much stock into many of those certification programs. If you’re savvy, a lot of good internet research and little elbow grease can do the job. If you have no idea what you’re doing, then a certification program might not hurt for education, but don’t throw your money away with a lot of those.
As someone who works daily deciding which freelancer to try and which to ignore, to me, it’s all about the work. If we put out an ad asking for a particular sample/test, then I hire people based solely on their sample – I don’t even look at their resume. If we’re just looking to add people to our database, then yes, we track their resume. However, a PhD does not a good freelancer make.
The most important thing is to just do it. If you’re a writer, write. If you’re a designer, design. I don’t care if your article wasn’t actually published (as long as you don’t try to pretend it was) or that your web design is just a mock up. Those things show me that you can do it, and that’s what’s important.
Laura Spencer
July 27th, 2010 at 7:04 pmThanks for the clarification Ed. :-)
Of course, there are always going to be a few new freelancers who are able to hit the ground running and need no formal training or certification. However, they are increasingly the exception rather than the rule.
You do a good job of pointing out that the freelancing environment has gotten more competitive recently. One way to make yourself stand out in the sea of your competition is by having credentials. If you have them and your competition does not and everything else is the same, you are more likely to get the job.
RACNicole
July 27th, 2010 at 7:40 pmIf the asker has a natural knack for “commercial-speak,” s/he could write up some samples of his or her own and provide them upon request. That’s how I got my start as a copywriter. I did not receive formal training, but I did manage to get a significant amount of work simply based on the samples I made prior to applying for a gig. I believe this strategy will work for programmers, web designers, etc. Just get some ‘stuff’ together and have it ready when asked for. Fortunately for me, I already had written software, web designs, artwork, and articles from past projects that impressed clients enough to hire me on the spot.
Victoria Blount
July 28th, 2010 at 4:55 amThis is a really helpful article, there are ways to market or educate yourself to be more appealing to potential clients, i think once you get started words of mouth and testimonials from previous clients will back up your natural talent and standard of work then new clients will disregard the fact that on paper you aren’t formally trained, when you are obviously capable of doing the job.
Dee
July 28th, 2010 at 8:08 amYour blog is great, very helpful and insightful!
I recommend y’all check out http://www.workfreelance.co.uk for further helpful information.
jdjdjdjd
October 17th, 2010 at 6:24 pmHrrm…
I think for the freelancer… The portfolio and experience is the be all end all every time. I do not want to work in the corporate world. Been there, done that. I don’t have degree or any certifications, nor, do I plan to. The proof is in the pudding. I got hired in IT before without the degree, and certainly can do freelance without the degree. #1 thing clients want to see is previous websites, and possibly to look at your code. Generally nothing else. As a business owner, why would I invest money into something I know I can learn anyway. Yes I have taken university courses for some basic background concepts but didn’t see the need to finish, they were not teaching practical skills anyhow. If I ever wanted a corporate career, then sure, a degree, certifications might get me a promotion or help to get hired but, I have absolutely no interest in that. I’d rather spend my time on actually writing code, building portfolio than cramming for some certification and throwing money down the drain. Why do that when I could spend that money on advertising?
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