With the Internet as loud as it’s ever been, any writer will tell you that you can have the best blog or article piece the Internet has ever seen but it won’t mean anything if you can’t reel your audience in with an enticing headline. Think of a headline as a first impression and (almost) everybody likes making good first impressions. Coming up with strong headline is the easiest, most difficult part of creating a blog or article. A good rule I use when crafting a headline is to brag and back it up. What does that mean exactly? It means that you want a headline that is going to immediately get the viewer’s attention and have them curious to read on to the article or blog, almost as if they have to. As a quick note, keep in mind that the tone should be appropriate when called upon to do. I mean, you don’t exactly want to make light of reprehensible news unless you’re into the dark comedy niche. One obvious thing more than anything is to be accurate about what your blog or article is portraying. Don’t make an article about how to leverage Microsoft Excel functions for monetary budgeting and I read an article about relationship problems and how to solve them using Microsoft Excel instead (as intriguing as that sounds). For the technical aspects, one of the most popular things many headlines use is numbers, let me assure you that readers love numbers (especially when paired with adjectives) so go wild especially with uncommon numbers (often odd numbers) such as 17 or 23. Also make sure to keep your headlines short as this has many benefits such as fitting into various formats through channels such as Google and e-mail messages, easier for sharing and lets you craft more impactful headlines. With a few exceptions, always aim for crafting headlines around action verbs. The idea is that you want the readers to subconsciously want to read the article, instilling a sense of urgency in them. Now let’s apply these concepts in action. Using titles like “5 Weird Ways Penguins secretly lead society” or “8 Crazy Things Humans Eat” or “20 Surprisingly Awesome Lessons that Shakespeare Taught Us” can increase the likelihood of someone sticking around to read your content. Creating snazzy headlines is no easy task and it often takes a while to build experience and savvy on how to attract readers while retaining the integrity of your blog or article. Remember, creating the greatest article ever doesn’t mean jack if you can’t reel your audience in with an attention grabbing, earth shattering, galaxy bending headline so make sure you got one ready so people will actually read your article or blog. Any unique tips and tricks you’ve done to create killer headlines or titles? Let us know in the comments. If you’re new to Freelancing, odds are one of the first things you are probably thinking about is how to reel in clients and naturally this is where the pitch comes in. There are plenty of great articles and advice from well regarded pros (on both sides of the table) but here I want to give you a unique twist to crafting pitches that show potential clients you are worth their time. The idea here is that while it is important to develop strong pitches that properly showcases your skills and value, it is equally if not more important to develop a pitch that is tailored specifically to your client’s needs so here are few things you want to check for while creating your pitch.
First you want to analyze their job description, not simply look at, but analyze it. What I mean by this is that you want to incorporate the at-face needs of the clients into your pitch, but you also want to spotlight the underlying needs of the client. For example, a client is looking for someone to help craft a sales speech that they will use to pitch their product or service to potential investors. First off, you know they need a sales speech but pay attention to the wording of their description; incorporate words that will resonate with them and show off your knowledge. Also pay special attention to their audience as this is a big one that many freelancers miss. When crafting your pitch, keep the audience of the project in mind and demonstrate a quick snapshot of your knowledge as it relates to that audience (your portfolio/samples will do the rest of the work). Next is the tone of their description and it takes a keen eye to notice the subtleties and how you can incorporate that into your pitch. While not always true, the tone of your client will often demonstrate how you can approach them. If your client takes a more casual or relaxed tone to their job description then you may reply in kind; likewise, if a client uses strict formal speech then reply accordingly. As a reminder, it is always imperative that you maintain a high degree of professionalism in your pitch no matter the tone; you are a professional first and foremost. Breaking into freelancing may seem intimidating and a large part in my experience comes from getting your foot in the door and that need to craft the killer pitch. A strong pitch is worth a great deal to your freelance success but the right pitch finely detailed to individual clients’ needs is invaluable. As such make sure to pay attention to the little things, not simply paraphrasing what the client needs in your pitch but also demonstrating your knowledge and/or previous experience as it directly relates to their needs and analyzing the tone of their speech so that you may respond accordingly. How were your experiences crafting pitches and what strategies did you use? Let us know below in the comments. Stepping into the Freelance world is always a scary thing, whether you’re inexperienced or not the idea of working on your own and being solely responsible for everything you do just seems foreign due to the message that our media often pushes with the benefits of guaranteed job security and being told when and where to work. Looking at the Freelance game and seeing all of these experienced, successful freelancers can be quite intimidating. Have no fear, the freelance market is big enough for all and there are a variety of ways for you to build confidence and put your best self out there. 1. Contact Your Support Network One of the first things to consider when trying to build confidence is contact your support network. This can be family, friends, e-friends, groups, teachers, fellow freelancers, etc. Having a strong support network can be greatly beneficial in helping you get over that slump or hesitation. In some instances, your support network can actually help you land your first clients through referrals. 2. Set Up a Goal Plan Set up a goal plan and for each milestone you make, reward yourself. The best thing to do is to work with others to set up your plan so that you can have someone on your tail to get things done and/or not create a lazy plan. To give you an idea, you can set specific goals by day or week (try to avoid monthly goals from that start as they may be harder to commit). Basically you want to hit goals that are quick to see so that you can slowly build confidence for your efforts. 3. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others A big thing a lot of Freelancers do (and we as people do in general) is compare ourselves to others, often those who are “better” than we are. This can be damaging as this thought process can belittle our self-worth and clients will also see that lack of confidence. It’s quite the habit to kick but don’t compare yourself to others or if you can’t help but to, leverage that mindset. Instead of saying “man, they are so successful and have so much experience how can I possibly compete with them” instead opt for “man, they are so successful and have so much experience I want to learn from that and leverage that expertise so that I can be as successful in my own path as they are in theirs.” Those little mental tricks can make a big difference for your psyche and build confidence. Talk to just about any freelancer and they’ll tell you, often the hardest part about jumping in is literally taking that first jump. The worst that could happen is that you get a couple of rejections, and it can indeed be a frustrating experience after a prolonged period. However, a major part of freelancing is perseverance and adaptation and if you stick with it, freelancing can (and will) be a very rewarding path. Was confidence a barrier for you when you decided to enter freelancing? Comment and let us know. I'm" sure I've blogged about something similar to this but hey, why not get a refresher? When trying to break into freelance, it can be tough waiting for that first foray into the industry and scoring that first gig. All is not lost, the important thing to do while hustling for work (if you're not coming in without a solid network) is to well... work. Here are a few ways to bolster your freelance profile. 1 Blogging Blogging is probably one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to kill time while adding to your portfolio, blogging out stuff like advice, tips and such can show potential clients that you know what you're talking about. There are a variety of ways to blog, as you can see I personally take a more varied approach mixing both subjects from my freelance niche as well as general opinion content. You can still take the specialized blog approach and focus solely on your freelance niche and in many aspects it is encouraged. Mainly, just make sure to blog about stuff you like. 2 Networking You're probably reading this with a big "duh" but it still bears repeating. We're all freelancers and we all started somewhere, no need to be intimidated in asking for help as both fellow new freelancers will help you as well as the more experienced folks. Get a support group going, be on the lookout for apprenticeships, offer to guest blog, etc. Even if you already have a sizable network, more friends wouldn't hurt now would it? 3 Education Oh no, you got to go back to college... nah I'm" messing with you... kinda. Well, you don't have to go back to college but you can research and stay ahead of the curve in terms of emerging trends and what not. You can pick up some new skills to broaden your profile, bonus brownies if it is something that is related to what you're already pursuing. Freelancing can be very rewarding but if you don’t know about the lifestyle changes and little things to take care of before starting full time, it can be a rocky transition and often many unprepared workers don’t last very long before they go back to regular employment. 1. Research and Get in Touch with Connections The first thing that should be on your mind is researching. What are you going to do, who are you going to target, how much are you going to charge, when do you plan to get started, etc. (see my 5W blog) Once you have a basic idea of this down, get in touch with your connections and start networking around. Talk to successful freelancers in your niche, learning as much as possible and emulating their methods until you got a good idea of what to do. Even if you don’t have an established network, you can still do your homework (research). 2. Calculate Your Expenses Next thing you want to do is calculate all your expenses. Make sure you don’t forget anything, at the very the least include your essentials and bills. Count your savings or if you haven’t stopped working at your place of employment, take a look at your paychecks and estimate a range of what you should have by the time you decide go freelancing full time (I recommend using a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheet). This will help you determine how much you will need to make and give you a ballpark estimate on what to charge, taking knowledge and/or experience into account. 3. Set Workplace and Schedule When you have all of the busy work in order, you will need to set up an office where you are going to be free of any distractions. If you’re living with others, you will need to let them know and make sure that they (and you yourself) respect your space. You will also need to set your time or hours and be stern and stick with them. Many new freelancers often fall into the mistake of working 24/7 and defeat the entire purpose of setting your own hours. You have to be disciplined and know that like regular employment you don’t let your work own you. Good clients don’t and won’t take advantage of you. As a bonus note, pay your taxes. Remember that you are an individual or sole proprietor of your earnings and must pay due taxes. Otherwise you will end up owing the IRS money and no one wants to owe the IRS money. Rates may vary but I dedicate at least 35% of my total earnings to taxes (or roughly 1/3 of what I make), that way if I owe in the end (and do check and confirm) it won’t break my savings. When freelancing, you should always take extra care to be smart about your earnings, your budget, your expenses and your savings. Transitioning to freelancing can seem like a daunting affair, but as long as you do your homework, have a level head, a good work ethic and discipline you’ll do fine. We’d love to hear about your experience jumping into freelancing, what advice can you give? Leave a comment below. If you're a youngster getting into freelance, you need a good start guide. Take advantage of your networks (no matter how little) and look to build up your reputation by aligning yourself with likeminded people. Anyway using the 5Ws here are some questions for you to ask yourself to give you an idea of how you want to build your brand before getting to work. Who | What | When | Where | Why Who are you going to sell to? Here you should be concerned with your niche. Who (and be as detailed as possible) are you looking to make your audience and/or clientele. For instance, if you have experience and/or a degree in say cooking, you may want to pursue something related to culinary arts or some fashion of taking that knowledge, applying it online and getting paid for it through guest blogging. Obviously you want to keep in mind that depending on the industry and type of clients you're going for, some trades will have more work and variety of clients available than others. What can you do? This is the most obvious thing, but still important as you can fall into the trap of being to general or vague and scaring away clients. These days it's much harder, if not virtually impossible to be a jack-of-all-trades type freelancer. What you want to do is aim for a specific niche, it can be medical engineering or web design for non-profit organizations, etc. When building your portfolio it helps to stay specific though diversifying can help you depending on what you're going for. When can you get started? This may be seem like a no-brainer to some, but if you're already working and looking to transition to freelance then you have to have a plan in place to make the transition as smooth as possible. For example, if nothing changes in terms of your hours and pay then you can calculate roughly how much you'll have saved in say 6 months or whatever is applicable to you. If you have the means financially to jump right in, then knock yourself out. Note that you can also build up a portfolio and network around so by the time you're ready to work, you got clients already lined up. Where do you see yourself in the future? Like anything it is important to have goals and milestones. These will keep you motivated to trek on even when work gets slow. You can set goals that are 3 months, 6 months, a year, 5 years, etc. complete with a mix of both short term goals and long term goals. Why are you doing this? Understanding why you want to pursue anything in life is very important, it is being self-aware and assure of yourself. Do you want to freelance because of the freedom it offers? Do you want to freelance because the work style is better suited to your strengths? Do you want to freelance because the concept of it is foreign to you and are simply looking for a personal challenge? Being self-aware now sets your expectations for what you want to set out to achieve. BONUS (How): How much will you charge? As an extra, I'll go ahead and throw in the H. One crucial misstep that many young freelancers take is that they often don't know how to price themselves. In turn, they end up doing a lot more work for pennies on the dollar and brings the overall value of their industry down thus hurting everyone in the process. I'll tell you straight up, good clients will pay for good quality and in terms of freelancing that means a legitimately livable wage. A good rule when it comes to pricing is that you should be able to cover all your needs with some extra for emergency and splurging so break out Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheet, etc. and make note of your regular expenses. Then include your experience and education followed by researching competitor prices then strike a good ballpark range to start off with. Breaking into freelance doesn't have to be impossible, in fact it's quite easy if you know what to do. If you have any additional pointers to offer or your own 5Ws (and H), don't hesitate to leave a comment. With the elimination of jobs, underemployment, discrimination, overwork, micromanagement, etc. With the right mindset, elbow grease and discipline freelancing can be a very rewarding path. Here are 3 reasons why. Freedom and Flexibility: Perhaps the biggest selling point is the opportunities to set your hours, be your own boss and control your own destiny. If offers you the ultimate work-life balance since you can balance it how you like without the worry of repercussions that come with corporate jobs. No worrying about emergencies or unexpected events as you are given free time to immediately address these concerns. This is especially huge if you love to travel because you have the opportunity to work from anywhere. Do Something You Love: While not true in every instance (let’s be realistic here) there are a wealth of freelance opportunities and some form of paid work is bound to click with you and your desired lifestyle. Perhaps you’ve been looking to pick up some new skills and put them to work, freelancing gives you the opportunity to do just that. If you know where to look and how to market, the opportunities will come. Unlimited Earning Potential: The beautiful thing about freelancing is that there is no financial ceiling and with enough work you could find yourself making a good living off it with the benefits of my previously mentioned points. As good paying regular jobs become more and more scare, freelancing offers the potential to bypass the fluff and expand your revenue net in less time versus a regular job, in freelance clients will still pay top dollar for top talent. Freelancing certainly isn’t for everyone and it takes a vast amount of self discipline, hustle, patience and perseverance to become successful but for those who want to live on their own terms, freelance offers the gateway to freedom. One of the biggest dilemmas new Freelancers constantly face is figuring out how to price their services. It isn’t as simple as pricing yourself below your peers and while it may help you short term, such isn’t (or shouldn’t) be the end goal if you’re trying to create a sustainable living for yourself through freelancing. It takes a lot of research, savvy and most importantly confidence to put yourself out there and show potential clients that you’re just as good as they are. The issue with charging low prices is that like the old saying goes “you get what you pay for” low prices encourage work from cheaper clients, this can easily evolve into a situation where you’re stuck working with smaller projects and your work being devalued from a competitive perspective (in other words, you aren’t getting paid by your skill level).
The idea is to never undersell yourself, if you lack experience in a particular field it may behoove you price below what industry veterans make. However, a good tip for doing this (depending on your preferred payment plan) is to research and lookup the averages in your field. Search out databases like Glassdoor.com and Indeed.com or even scope out what freelancers in your field are pricing themselves. Take your results and combine it with your previous wages and/or experience and find a middle ground, with the target being to price yourself as competitively as possible without taking yourself out of the range that larger project clients look for. Even being new to freelancing, that doesn’t mean you have to sell yourself short. Be confident in your skills and what you bring to the table because every person (or in this case freelancer) is unique. Some projects you will succeed, other times you will fail but don’t let that define you from working for a price that you deserve. Happy New Year everyone, hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but the New Year is as good a time as any so let’s get to it.
It was recently announced that two of the more popular online staffing platforms in Elance and Odesk would be merging and pooling their resources together. While the merger in theory sounds rather ambitious, there are still many questions to be had in the long term implications of this move. My main reservation as it has always been is the price disparity when it comes to competition in the freelance space. It is well known the difficulties that freelancers from wealthier nations face when competing against others from international markets who offer their services at a much lower cost. Another issue is effectively convincing potential clients (businesses, entrepreneurs, etc.) of the value in building relationships with freelancers and convincing potential candidates that there is value in pursuing freelancing. Both Elance and Odesk use algorisms to match candidates with clients with little else in between, much of the shoulder work is paired onto the client thus making it more bothersome for them to consider building relationships with the candidates and potentially hiring them full time. Freelancers across both platforms average less than one hundred dollars and while this could probably be explained away, it still does nothing to convince promising candidates why they should pursue freelancing if the income opportunities are so small, scant and virtually meaningless. The quality and volume of work must improve across both platforms and new development should be put towards making the busywork between matching clients and candidates as seamless as possible. There needs to be protection for both businesses and freelancers and convincing arguments must be made for more freelancers to enter the competitive space and encourage a market where freelancers can prosper, both professionally and financially. As a freelancer, I have a vested interest in this and I want to see this industry prosper; however with such a monopolistic hold on the marketplace between Elance and Odesk, I again can’t say I don’t have my reservations for the long term implications of this deal. In the end we shall see. In the current era of inter-connectivity and interacting with your audience, the popular trend is to simply point to social media. However, it is important to remember that building a relationship with your audience via e-mail is just as or (depending on your industry) even more important than social media. The beauty about e-mail marketing with an inbound strategy is that it always tailored to the information that fits them on their schedule. With e-mail, you’re delivering directly to them without the “noise” of social media. If you’re potentially selling a product or monetizing your services, this allows you to engage your followers on a personal level and help them to the product they’re going to purchase in addition to other products of interest you may offer in the future. The personal nature of an inbound e-mail strategy allows for a much higher chance of closing a sale versus again, the busybody of social media. It does make sense after all when considering the reasons that many access their e-mail versus their social media; in different environments they are receptive to different things in different ways. As useful a tool that e-mail can be it’s always important to remember that, like with anything it is all about content and execution, make sure your e-mail strategy is cohesive with the rest of your engagement offerings so that it is positioned in a way that is not intrusive to your followers but engaging. If you have any experience with e-mail as a relationship tool, feel free to leave a comment. |
Frank Sheppard
NOTE: all opinions/views represented here are my own and do not reflect on any third party that I am affiliated with. Archives
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