How to get a high-paying client in 2 weeks (even if you just started)

Freelancing can be tiring and the problem for most starters is that it’s not tiring enough! Most freelancers are stuck with low-paying agencies and job boards like Fiverr and UpWork, job boards are a great way to put your foot through the door but they are not the end of the world. Freelancing is not just about writing, it’s also about selling what you write; frankly, that’s the more important part of being a freelancer.

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Get out of the loop

Stop settling for 0.01$/word. You are worth more than this, there are freelancers out there who are not as good as you but are making 10, 20, or even 50 times this crappy amount. Their secret? They’ve spent time on other aspects of freelancing like marketing, building a portfolio, and actually building relationships with real people.

Set yourself apart

Remember that most freelancers are not good at their job so the easiest way to set yourself apart is through practice, getting some tips, seeing what works, and remembering to pen all of this down so that you’re continuously learning from your mistakes. There are a bunch of YouTube videos about common wring exercises, try doing some of them daily and never ever stop learning. Also, most freelancers forget that they are in the writing industry and they have to, well, write. Don’t get immersed in the other aspects so much that you forget that you also have to write. The best way to do this is to make a habit of writing about 800 words every day. This will set you apart from your peers and help you the most in the long run.

Niche down

It’s important that you select your niche because this will allow you to bag high-value clients and set you apart from the majority of freelancers but if you’re not sure in the beginning don’t let this stop you. Pick a bunch of topics, start writing and create a working portfolio. However, down the road, it will become important that you niche down not just for your clients but for you as well. Your best work is going to be about something that you are passionate about so find your passion and don’t be afraid of going down a completely different road.

Building a portfolio that actually works

A portfolio is your pitching ground to showcase your best work (it’s not a history tab of everything you’ve written since you were 6). A working portfolio has 2-5 samples of work for THAT PARTICULAR CLIENT. You heard it right, to make this work your portfolio needs to be personalized, and if you’re pitching a client in a particular niche, showcase what you’ve written for that particular niche, better yet, create a new portfolio for clients that show promise.

Make a prospect list

You have your niche and you have your portfolio. What’s next? Start selling, go crazy. Finding clients can be tricky and a lot of people have different ways to market themselves. The most common way is using Linkedin. Linkedin lets you connect and network with a bunch of people and if you know what to write you can figure out whom to write for. And as soon as you have that huge prospect list of people to approach it’s time to do just that.

Be human

The biggest problem with cold pitching and approaching clients is that people have the wrong idea that they need to approach a million people at once. Remember quality over quantity. Approach 3-5 people every day but be incredibly personal with them. Create a working portfolio for them, research their business and compliment them in a genuine manner. If you can show them a problem and if you’re able to market yourself as the solution, you’re most likely in. the best way to do this is to pick out some content from their website and rewrite it in the most amazing way possible to show them the quality that you’re offering. Save all your trying hard and sass for the writing copy, in the pitch be simple, genuine, and most importantly don’t be an automated template.

Charging a fair price

If you’re starting out, charging the correct price can be a problem. Remember, it’s okay to be human. If you’re just starting out, your network is more important than quick cash so put some thought into this but at the same time don’t put yourself in the job board group. A fair price for freelancers starting out, can be anywhere between 0.1$-0.5$/word, don’t undersell yourself, and remember to always know your worth. It’s okay letting a bad client go than work with almost zero satisfaction and incentive.

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Ready for the first day of the rest of your life?

The most important tip? Start working, you don’t know when the next opportunity will knock, all you can do is be prepared. Remember nothing in this business is luck, it’s all about hard work and consistency. 365 sleepless nights of hard work and you will finally be an overnight success.