As a freelance writer, you have a lot of options when it comes to places for finding work. In a perfect world, though, clients would come to you. If you run a successful, engaging blog, that idea isn’t out of the question.
The more content you publish on your blog, the easier it becomes for potential clients to find you. In some ways, your blog can become a kind of portfolio, helping you drum up new business semi-passively. That is, of course, if you know what you’re doing.
Today we’re going to talk about why your blog can be a perfect medium to help you find new clients. Then I’ll walk you through four tips to make sure you’re going about it the right way. Let’s get to work!
Why Your Blog is the Perfect Tool to Drum Up New Business
The whole point of blogging is to get as many people as possible to read what you publish. For some people, blogging is a personal endeavor, but you can also use it as a way to drum up business.
Let’s say, for example, you’re a freelance writer that focuses on health and diet content. Running your own blog that targets that niche is a sure-fire way to differentiate yourself from other writers. It shows clients you have expertise, that you’re a great writer, and you can tackle long-term projects.
A blog shouldn’t be a replacement for your portfolio, though, but rather a complement to it. You can use your blog to drive traffic to your portfolio and vice versa.
The more successful your blog becomes, the easier it is for new clients to find you. Keep in mind, growing a blog to the point where it gets decent traffic consistently can take years, even if you do everything right. If you make it that far, though, a lot of monetization options open up, beyond freelance writing.
How to Use Your Blog to Get More Freelance Writing Work (4 Tips)
Blogging is a great way to find new leads, but it should never be your only source of work. There are plenty of other ways to find great paying gigs, so my recommendation is you try a bit of everything.
With that in mind, let’s get back to talking about blogging!
1. Focus on Your Freelance Writing Niche
If you want to use your blog to showcase your skills, you need to make sure you focus on the niches you want to target. For example, if you’re a freelance writer who focuses on tech, running a travel blog might not be the best showcase.
Writers that specialize in a niche tend to command higher rates because of that expertise. One of the best ways to show that you keep up with news and developments in your field is by writing about them.
If you want to blog about other topics, you’re free to do so. In fact, it can be relaxing to blog just for fun, but in that case, you’ll want to set up a separate site for it.
2. Target Your Content Towards the People That Can Hire You
Whenever I write something, it helps me to know who I’m writing for. Usually, the articles I get paid to write are technical in nature, so my audience tends to fall along the lines of “guy that needs help solving X problem.”
If you want to use your blog to help you find more work, your audience should be “people that can hire you.” Those are usually business owners with very specific needs.
When I’m pitching a new client, one thing I like to ask myself is, “What value can I bring to the table here?” The same goes for when you publish new content on your blog. At all times, your blog posts should provide value or solve problems for people that might be interested in hiring you.
3. Look for Guest Blogging Opportunities to Drive Traffic Back to Your Blog
Guest blogging is standard practice if you want to grow your audience. You reach out to a more popular blog in your niche and pitch them some ideas. If they like them, they’ll publish you, and you get to place a link to your site.
In practice, it’s pretty simple. On top of helping you get more traffic, guest blogging also puts your name out there. Imagine someone is interested in maybe hiring you, so they run a quick Google search:
If I were considering hiring a freelance writer and their name showed up all over the web on important websites, I’d be impressed. Guest blogging might not pay the bills, but it does enable you to build authority in your field.
4. Remind Potential Clients You’re Available for Hire
Ideally, if someone finds your blog and likes your content, they should know that you’re open to writing work. However, most people won’t just reach out to ask if you’re interested unless they know you’re a freelance writer.
The simplest way to do that is to set up an author biography at the end of each of your posts. That bio should link to your portfolio and mention you’re in the market for more work.
Since it’s your blog we’re talking about, you can also set up a ‘Hire Me’ page that includes a contact form, so potential clients can reach out easily.
Conclusion
Being a freelance writer means constantly looking for more work. Ideally, there will be a way for new clients to come to you. Running a successful blog involves a lot of work, but with the right approach, it can also work as a lead generator. A blog can bring in new business while you hustle on other channels.
Here’s what you need to do if you want to use your blog to help you get more freelance writing work:
- Focus on your freelance writing niche.
- Target your content towards the people that can hire you.
- Look for guest blogging opportunities that drive traffic back to your blog.
- Remind potential clients you’re available for hire.
Do you have any questions about how to use your blog to find new freelance writing leads? Let’s go over them in the comments section below!