( Click above to hear the podcast or read the transcript below)
Hello everyone and wishing you a very happy 2021. The month of January always seems to be full of promises. So if you are a freelance writer, what are the few things you should be planning for the year ahead? Well, here are five tips for freelance writers to make your year more productive.
1) Familiarize Yourself with Multimedia Content
For a long time, freelance writers have been focusing on creating text-based content. But with social media ruling the roost, it’s time that almost everyone gets involved in generating multi-media content that includes podcasts and videos. If you don’t currently work for clients who require this we suggest you do it for your freelancing business. Get a hang of what it takes to create a good podcast or what it takes to make a video. At the very least you should be aware of the media tools which you can use such as Webinarjam and Vimeo.
2) Invest in Your Art or in Improving Your Work Life
One of the things that you can do is upgrade your website to use some of the premium features. For instance, WordPress has a paid version for uploading podcasts and for accessing high-quality images. Maybe that is something that would look good for your business. You could use the paid version of apps like Canva to design more attractive looking social media post. The thing is to make money, you got to put in some money.
3) Make Your Business Visual
Sitting at home, working on a computer most likely all alone, it’s difficult to
visualize your writing as a business. That’s why you need to make an effort to make it look more visual.
If you can afford to, get some business cards and letterheads made. Use these printed collaterals the next time you communicate with clients or talk to people about your business. Get a business poster through sites like Vistaprint hang it near your workstation.
Plan where you want to be as a business by the end of the year. You have to make an effort to feel like a business owner for you to be one.
4) Try Something New
If you are a content writer who has been writing blogs, venture into writing an e-book. If you have written an e-book, how about editing a novel?
If you have done that how about designing graphics and creating an e-book or maybe getting into a more journalistic form by conducting interviews? The key idea is to challenge yourself this year.
5) Old-Fashioned (Evergreen) Writing Tips
Somethings never go out of fashion and it holds true for certain writers’ tips as well. We wholeheartedly still recommend that you invest in Grammarly premium because that will ensure that all your emails, social media posts, and any other content that you write on your computer, laptop, or mobile is accurate grammatically.
Learn at least two new words a day. We all have daily work plans but you should also have a monthly plan. It’s very important to break down your yearly goals into monthly goals and then ensure that you make time for those monthly goals even as you do the day-to-day aspects of your work.
So that’s our five tips for freelance writers for the year ahead.
And if you have read this far – here’s a bonus tip. Pay attention to the background ( the area behind you as you sit on your workstation) when you talk to clients on Google Meet or Zoom. Ensure that the wall or area behind you is clutter-free and looks professional. That would be a good space to hand up some of your business memorabilia. The wall behind me ( as I attend client calls) carries my business poster and a few of my professional photos from my banking days.
All the best friends. Stay safe, stay happy and be insanely successful in 2021.