If you’re reading this you will have hopefully acquired your first client (or two) and will be on your way towards establishing a healthy income from your freelance blogging.
Although becoming a good blogger and finding clients is a challenge in itself, building your business offers a whole new level of interesting challenges.
Let’s not forget that the aim of this course is to help you establish a fulltime income from your freelance blogging. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the key considerations you should take into account as you look to develop your freelance blogging business.
Grow Cautiously
One of the worst things a growing freelance writer can do is overcommit.
If you follow the advice in this course and find yourself in a position where you could take on several clients at once, you must be very careful that you do not bite off more than you can chew.
I cannot overstress this enough: you are only as good as your reputation. If you let deadlines slip and/or neglect your duties, clients will not be impressed. Far better to grow slowly but surely than throw yourself in at the deep end and sink.
Be warned — it is all too easy to overcommit. It is all too easy to say yes to a project that doesn’t feel “real” at the time but quickly becomes a reality when you realize that you need to set aside several hours to get it done.
With that in mind, you should have a handle on how many hours your existing work takes you and how many hours any new project will take you. Furthermore, I would recommend that you top out at 80-90% of your capacity (in terms of available time). This will allow you to get ahead of your publishing schedule and also account for sickness, holidays and unforeseen issues.
Whilst you can commit 100% to freelance writing and leave no room for manoeuvre, doing so will typically lead to some high-stress situations down the line.
Don’t Get Complacent
Once you have been working for a client for a period of time it can be easy to fall into autopilot, producing content that is merely satisfactory, rather than great.
You should, as much as possible, ensure that your standards do not slip. Every article of yours that is published on the Internet is an advertisement of your capabilities and professionalism.
If you find yourself lacking the motivation to work with a particular client, you should examine why. If it is the pay then you should consider negotiating a raise. If it is the subject matter then you should consider whether you really want to work with the client.
In my opinion, a successful freelance blogging business is built on a solid foundation of happy long-term clients. What you must not do is simply continue to produce subpar work — in the long run, that is not in the best interests of either party (and will ultimately lead to a loss of work).
Moving Beyond Freelance Blogging
As I mentioned near the beginning of this guide, the world of freelance blogging can open up a huge number of doors. Once you are established as a freelance blogger, you may consider diversifying your business in a number of ways:
- Alternative forms of writing (copywriting, white papers, etc)
- Consultancy (content marketing, SEO, social media, etc)
- Editorial work
- Making money from blogs
- Publishing eBooks
You can explore a mix of service-driven and semi-passive income streams. The key is to always be searching for ways to increase your equivalent hourly rate. The more money you can make in less time, the better.
It is certainly true to say that freelance blogging does not offer the highest earning potential in the world of “making money online” (which is of course an extraordinarily broad niche). It is however incredibly accessible and opens up a word of opportunities.
Once you are an established freelance blogger, complete with all of the experience gained from your journey, the world really is your oyster.
To learn more about your next steps beyond freelance blogging, check out the exclusive interviews accessible via the sidebar.