If getting better online writing jobs is a constant concern for you, you should know that you are not alone. There are plenty of online writing jobs, the problem is sifting through them and separating the garbage from the good stuff.
But first, let’s ease your doubts. Yes, it is possible to get lucrative online writing work. Unfortunately, there are many other low-paying writing opportunities that make it hard to find good jobs. Even worse, it takes as much effort to find quality online writing jobs as it takes you to find the mediocre ones.
If you are here, you are headed in the right direction. This post will help propel your chances of landing the high paying jobs you seek. It will also help you avoid the common pitfalls that other writers face. Here is what you need to do so you can attract better clients and get better online writing jobs.
Improve Your Writing Skills Regularly
Unfortunately, many writers assume writing better is synonymous with writing complicated words. But, complex words are a turn-off for your readers. Nobody wants to read while glancing over a dictionary to find the meaning of a particular word.
Pro Tip: Editing apps such as Hemmingway Editor help you improve the readability score of your text. The ideal Flesch readability score is 70.0-60.0 (understood by students from 13 years) or higher.
Short sentences and paragraphs are other hallmarks of better writing. Big blocks of text are boring. Breaking up your text into smaller paragraphs makes your writing easier to skim. With our shorter attention spans, your readers will appreciate it.
Adding audiovisuals such as images and videos keeps readers glued to your content.
One of the best ways to improve your writing is to enroll in a comprehensive writing course. There are hundreds of writing courses online, but only a handful cover the A-Z of great writing.
One such course is the small revolution SEO copywriting course. We understand that you might be a talented writer. As a result, our course is tailored to teach you how to go a step further – excel as a commercial writer.
Some of the topics we cover in the course are:
- Crafting captivating headlines.
- Mastering industry-standard copywriting tools.
- Advanced Google search.
- Creating calls-to-action that convert.
- Optimizing your writing for readers and search engines.
- Identify and Target the Right Clients
Identify and Target the Right Clients
As a freelance writer, finding your ideal client is a skill you can’t afford to ignore. If you are a full-time copywriter, you should not be struggling to pay your bills. If you are, the chances are that you are not writing for your ideal clients.
That’s a perfect indicator that you don’t know who a perfect client is for you, yet. Elna Cain has simple criteria to identify the best clients, which include:
- Pays your asking rate without haggling or delay.
- Communicates clearly and concisely.
- Offers you regular work.
- Allows you to write on topics you are passionate about.
- Credits you for your work with a byline.
Still, there is so much more that goes into creating the perfect client avatar.
Once you have the perfect client profile, you need to create visibility for yourself. That way, you can appeal to clients better and increase your chances of getting the job.
Before you embark on a pitching spree, it’s vital that you create a portfolio to share with your target clients. An excellent way to create a portfolio is to find guest posting opportunities.
The alternative is to create a writer website and start blogging on it.
Pro Tip: When looking for companies to pitch, target those with more than 20 employees or more. They should also have a website and a blog. Bigger companies have bigger budgets and can pay more. They are also more open to hiring a writer for regular content to keep their blog updated.
Once your portfolio is ready, consider your bottom line and come up with a rate card. If you are a beginner, it’s okay to start charging low. You can then charge a premium as you improve your expertise and land new clients.
Now that we are clear on how to identify and target the right clients, how do you find them?
Vary Your Prospecting Strategy
Many writers get poor paying remote writing jobs because they are not intentional with their prospecting. If you apply to any writing job you come across, you will probably get low-ball offers.
To command higher rates, your prospecting strategy should be research-based. Step one of a research-based prospecting approach is identifying the companies you want to write for. The second step is conducting a swot analysis of each. This will help you identify where your service would be of most value as you prepare your pitch.
Pro Tip: Job boards such as ProBlogger and FlexJobs are excellent avenues to identify companies with writing vacancies.
While researching companies, check how often they publish content. If they have a regular posting schedule, they might have room for one more skillful writer.
Extra information to look out for is whether they are a startup or have received any funding lately. Funding can signify spending power. If they are a startup, they will want to produce content on a regular basis to boost their marketing efforts.
Google Ads are also a telltale sign of companies looking to expand their customer base. Visit ad publishers to see if you can write for them to complement their marketing efforts.
Become a Subject Expert
All the tips above will help you command higher pay. However, nothing makes you more admirable as a writer than being a subject matter expert.
Like the proverbial jack of all trades, you can end up as a master of none if you take up too many niches. True, there is a perceived safety and comfort in being a general writer. But niching out on one or two related subjects makes you more valuable.
Take doctors, for instance. While they are all medical practitioners, specialists such as Urologists, oncologists, and Neurologists command higher pays than general practitioners. Writing is no different.
If you try to be the best at everything, you’ll end up spreading yourself too thin. Choose a niche and study sit in-depth so you can write credible and authoritative content. Clients will happily pay top dollar for unique and valuable content.
The web is full of rewritten content, which makes expertise an essential asset if you want to stand out. Focusing on a niche helps you offer your clients value for money. It also allows you to hone your skills and develop your subject knowledge.
In summary
You might not be commanding high rates or working with great clients today, but it is possible to have both.
If you want high-paying online writing jobs, you have to invest in yourself. Remember, reading this post is meaningless if you don’t start taking action today to improve your credibility, authoritativeness, and expertise as a writer.
To get better online writing jobs, you must lay the right foundation. That foundation starts with learning how to write like a pro, which you can do with our writing course.
At Small Revolution, we are passionate about remote jobs. It’s this passion that drives us to create in-depth courses with regular updates for freelancers that want to improve their skills. Enroll in our eCommerce Copywriting course today to succeed in your online writing job.
Photo by Drobotdean / CC BY
