Want to increase your freelance writing income? There are a variety of ways to make it happen and it’s all about strategy. I’m a big fan of working smarter, not hard, though I can’t say I’ve mastered that by any means. Below you’ll find some of the ways I’ve managed to increase my writing income by a significant degree.
5 Strategies to Increase Your Writing Income
- Anchor Clients. Anchor clients are the key to high-potential earning for a freelance writer. These are generally higher-ticket clients with long-term, regular work. They typically pay a monthly retainer and you agree on a scope of work. Many businesses don’t realize they need a long-term freelancer, but you can demonstrate how your skills can help them on a regular basis.
- Niche Down. If you want to grab the attention of specific clients more easily, get a niche. The minute you can demonstrate even a little expertise or experience in a particular industry, you immediately become more valuable to them. People want to hire someone who has some knowledge about their industry. It’s less educating for them to do.
- Raise your Rates. It may seem obvious, but many people have no idea how much they are under charging. When I first began freelancing, I would take almost anything. Now, I’m much more picky and won’t settle for less than I’m worth. This is easiest with a new client, but you can also simply inform a current client that you are raising your rates based on yearly inflation.
- Re-Engage Old Clients or Networks. You never know when old clients or folks in your network are in need of some work. Some of my best income has come from literally just sending out an email saying hello to someone and letting them know I’m available. Most of the time, people aren’t advertising this stuff. Because it’s hard to know if you can trust random people, they’d rather use a trusted source.
- Don’t Work By the Hour. At this point, I would never work on an hourly rate. As a freelancer, your experience and skills are worth more than your time. Hourly rates penalize efficiency and limit your schedule. Always charge by project or by the month based on the scope of work. This way, you will definitely make a much higher hourly rate and the client will not even notice.
What I find is that there is so much need for good freelance writers out there — and the need is consistent across the board. You can make a full-time living doing this with the right strategies in place. Start dreaming about how you can make this work for you.
If you want to learn more, check out my signature course, Bragworthy Bylines: Get Paid & Published.