Promoting myself as a Freelancer?

Question

I have been looking into Freelancing for a while. I want to start as a freelance writer/proofreader.

I am aware that freelancing does not necessarily mean more money and I am aware that it does not mean less work. Thats not why I have decided this.

I have been published before but that was before I decided this career change.

Any ideas about how to promote myself or how to start going about this?

I already have a website

Answer 1

Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* Start and Run a Profitable Freelance Writing Business: Your Step- By-Step Business Plan (Self-Counsel Business Series) by Christine A. Adamec
* How to Become a Fulltime Freelance Writer: A Practical Guide to Setting Up a Successful Writing Business at Home (Road Map to Your Writing Career) by Michael A. Banks
* The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less by Peter Bowerman
* The Freelance Success Book: Insider Secrets for Selling Every Word You Write (Write It, Sell It) by David Taylor
* Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments by Jenna Glatzer

I also posted links to some free articles in the source box.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 2

Working as a freelancer can be great: you get lots of flexibility and variety. However, you also need to be the sort of person who can (a) live with the uncertainty of freelance work and (b) be comfortable promoting yourself.

Freelance work is handed out on a word-of-mouth basis. This means that the right sort of promotional activity for you is the promotion that results in people talking about you and recommending you.

Here are 3 tips I often give people who want to develop their word-of-mouth freelance business (notice that none of them require you to spend money!):
1. Ask your existing contacts to please keep you in mind for freelance work. One week later, send them a 1 page letter summarizing your skills and enclose a couple of your business cards.
2. Consider doing a couple of freelance jobs for little or no money in exchange for getting credits, by-line, links to your website and other useful recognition.
3. Consider doing a high-visibility freelance project on a volunteer basis, such as writing an article about a charity for a magazine. Again, make sure you get commercial name recognition.

Good luck!

Answer 3

How about an email to the creative directors of all the advertising / new media / marketing agencies in the area where you live? Go through the yellow pages, find out the name of the person in question (and their email address) and send them a personalised email with your web site details attached. It might take a bit of slog initially but once you build up your contacts it will pay off. Also there are various creative media groups on Facebook which you should have a look at.

Answer 4

Since you already have a website, you need to promote it online and offline so that people come to understand your capabilities.

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