Freelance Writing Business
The Freelance Writer's Toolkit
Written by Charles Mburugu for Gaebler Ventures
Specialists in every field have a set of tools that makes them successful and comfortable at what they do. A doctor's toolkit, compared to a car mechanic's, are very different but yet so important to each of them in order to be successful in their work. In the same way, every freelance writer who wants to succeed in his business should have a specialist toolkit. What are the essential items for a freelance writer's toolkit?
As a freelancer, you need a specialist tool kit so as to be successful in running your work at home business.
A poor tool kit will lead to a poor online income for your business. If you have an updated toolkit, you will not only get regular writing jobs but will also be in a position to deliver value to your customer.
The following are items that you should have in your toolkit as a freelance writer.
A sales letter
Much of your pre-sales will be done through cold e-mailing. Most freelance job openings have hundreds of applications. The main thing that will cause you to distinguish yourself above all the other applicants is a well written sales letter.
A freelancing resume
Most potential clients want to see your freelancing portfolio before assigning you the contract. So you should have a well written freelancing resume since this is frequently one of the main things a client considers before making a decision. If you need a professional freelance resume written for you, you can find experts who would do it at a fee.
An online portfolio
Every client is interested in seeing your writing style, as well as what you have achieved in your field. Most of them will ask you to send some previous samples or request for online links to your works which have been published. It is crucial that you have each of these when getting started in your freelance writing profession.
A rate sheet
Clients frequently compare the rates of different providers before they decide who to work with. It is essential that you prepare a well formatted MS Excel template that shows your charges for various niches, turn-around times and word counts. It is also vital that you name your file correctly and have appropriate value added services and discounts.
Value Added Service (VAS)
You should provide your prospective clients with a list of the various value added services they will receive for free if they choose to work with you. If used correctly, your value added services list can be a powerful tool for influencing your prospective customers' overall decision.
Charles Mburugu writes for us from his home in Nairobi. He has a graduate degree in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. He is interested in writing about branding, CSR and intellectual property.
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