About This Lesson
Especially when you start out as a freelance writer, many things that professionals do don't make sense. However, there are a few skills that you can build on to reach their level: improving your writing skills, targeting your pitches, and following up on emails.
Improving Your Writing Skills
Welcome to the world of freelance writing. While it can be lucrative, it also requires talent and practice. Putting one word in front of another may seem easy, but you have to put the right word after the next to make money at it. The solution to finding the right word is to practice with targeted feedback. Grammarly and Hemingway Editor do an excellent job at editing common words and sentences. You can also join a writing group online or find one in your area. If you continue to practice with honest, targeted feedback, your writing will improve.
Aiming Your Pitches
So assume your writing skills are perfect. You can dot i's and cross t's with the best of them. Now, you have to find someone who will pay you for those skills you've gained. You can search for various phrases on Twitter, including "call for submissions" or "call for pitches." Alternatively, you can write emails through LinkedIn to a company that mirrors your skill set or experiences. For example, if you are a parent of a toddler, you should avoid pitching something to a technology company unless you have an idea how to blend the two topics.
Following Up On Emails
How to follow up on an email or any electronic contact is an important step to freelance writing success. When you pitch to the company, make a note somewhere you will see it again. For example, you could use a note-taking app on your phone, a Word document, a real calendar with or without motivational quotes, or a sticky note that you attach to your computer. In any case, make sure you will see it again. The standard wait before contacting someone again after an initial pitch can be anywhere from a week to thirty days, depending on how busy your potential contact is. If you have not heard back from them at all, imagine that your email got lost in a spam folder. If you do hear back but the response is negative, thank them for their consideration and keep moving forward.
If you hear back and the company would like to hear more, that's it. You've made positive contact with a company. Begin by remembering that your response represents you as well as your pitch. Take your time, but reply within 24 hours. Remember to be professional and answer any questions they might ask. If the company wants you to write for them, provide the material they order by a reasonable deadline. Do not be afraid to ask your contact within the company if you can write something else for the the company. This step is often neglected in email skills for freelance beginners.
If you want to become a freelance writer, there are certain skills you must obtain, even some outside the purview of this article. Do some research on your skill set and experiences to learn more about freelance writing. However, you must be able to follow up correctly through email or electronic contact. Remember during this electronic contact to be patient and professional. Also, never be embarrassed to ask for more work once your pitched work is complete. Second, know where to aim your pitches. There are a few social media options for pitches, but keep in mind that a company focusing on building mortar might not be the best option for a article about modern dance. Finally, improve your ability to put words on the page since that is what you hope to be paid for in the first place.
