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Secrets of a 6-Figure Freelance Writer

by Nick Usborne

 

I have been a freelance writer for almost twenty years now, and for the last ten years I have made over $100,000 a year. Sometimes maybe a shade less, but often a great deal more. Can you do the same? You probably can...

 

Here is the biggest secret of all...you don't have to be the BEST freelance writer to make the MOST money.

 

For sure, you need writing skills. You need to know your medium and know your audience -- and you need to write well. If you don't, clients won't want to hire you. So whether you are writing articles, direct mail packages, white papers or resumes...you need to do a professional job.

 

But writing well is NOT the secret to making a 6-figure income. There are plenty of excellent writers out there who make a lot less than that. The real secret to freelance writing success lies in four areas:

 

Secret #1: Go Where The Money Is!

 

Too many freelance writers slog away on projects that require a lot of work, but don't pay a decent fee.

 

Whatever your niche or specialty, take the trouble to find out which companies REALLY understand the value of your writing.

 

For instance, if you write direct mail, there is great money in the health market. If you write articles, you can make a wonderful living as a travel writer. And so on.

 

Do your own research and find out which industries and which companies pay a good fee to freelance writers.

 

Secret #2: Promote Your Business Every Day

 

Don't think of yourself just as a freelance writer working from home. Think of yourself as a business. And as a business you need to promote your services, aggressively and consistently.

 

Do one thing to promote your business every single day. It may be a phone call, attending a local business meeting, sending some emails to prospective clients, improving your web site, buying some ad space. Just do something.

 

What if you end up with too many leads and too much work? Go where the money is! Stop working for clients that take up too much of your time and pay too little in return, and start working for clients who pay you more.

 

Secret #3: Work Efficiently

 

Working on your own can lead to lazy work habits that you'd never get away with if you were employed by a company. Remember, if you want to earn a 6-figure income, you need to be earning money every day.

 

The most important thing is to organize your day. Set your hours and put aside blocks of time for writing, promotion, administration etc. You may want to use some kind of program or system for scheduling tasks by the day, week and month.

 

Be tough on yourself. Set your schedule and stick to it.

 

Secret #4: Set Goals

 

If you don't know what you're aiming for, it's really tough to get there! Far better that you set some goals. Again, set weekly goals, monthly goals and yearly goals.

 

How high should you aim? Stretch yourself, but be realistic. In other words, set goals that will challenge you and make you work hard, but don't set goals that are so ambitious you are almost bound to fail. When you do that, you'll simply become discouraged.

 

Concluding thoughts...

 

Does $100,000 a year sound too ambitious? I hope not. Thousands of freelance writers have broken the 6-figure barrier. With some determination and a clear set of goals, it's very achievable.

 

Related learning materials:

 

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