The 4 Main Reasons Why You’re Failing as a Freelance Writer
If there’s one question that strangers often ask me online, it’s this: “How did you become a successful freelance writer?” I began freelancing more than a decade ago, as a supplement to many office jobs and then as a full-time commitment once I had worked as an editor for a while. Like many people in the media industry, my career as a writer hasn’t been a straight path. But freelancing made it possible for me to climb a ladder of my own making. Seeing as the wider economy has been equally unpredictable, I can understand why more people than ever are interested in freelance writing either as a side gig or a fledgling business.
Freelance writing is challenging, especially when you’re just getting started. If you feel like you’re failing at it, the issues you may be having likely point to four main culprits. Read on to learn what they may be, as well as ways to solve them.
You’re asking for ideas, not giving them.
As an editor, I’ve gotten emails from new writers that often go like this: “Hi! I’m so-and-so. I want to write for you. I’m open for assignments!” That’s it. They don’t share what they like about the specific publication, don’t clue me into the relevant work they’ve done in the past, and don’t list any pitches that might pique my interest. They just say hello and peace out, which makes the email very easy to delete.
If you are a well-established writer, then it’s much more accepted across the industry to list your previous accolades and ask if a publication is currently accepting pitches. But once an editor replies, even the most established freelancers send over pitches! Read the publication you’re interested in contributing to, and cultivate ideas based on the verticals that best suit your expertise. An editor is much more likely to respond to first-time writers if they’ve shown a little effort.
You’re emailing the wrong person.
There’s a lot of excitement that comes with striking out on your own and choosing to be a freelance writer. You set your own hours! You can hone drafts from wherever you choose! You’re probably, unwittingly, emailing the wrong person! Given all of the high hopes you have about where this career might take you, you could be falling into a blackhole of your own making: You’re emailing a publication through its general “get in touch” inbox — which no one reads — or you’re emailing someone so high up on the food chain that they don’t particularly care about your request.
Find the right person to send your emails to, and you’ll be in a much better position to actually get a reply. Most publications have similar email addresses, so it shouldn’t be too hard.
You’re not being consistent.
The act of becoming a confident writer, and one who gets paid a decent salary, all comes down to being consistent. If your editor can routinely rely on you to deliver an assignment on time, then the chances of you getting more work on a regular basis increases significantly. Your first assignment should be early, and the rest of your assignments should be handed over on the due date. It sounds so obvious, but just by doing the simple thing of following through, you’re putting yourself ahead of so many other writers who can’t do the same. Trust me, you’ll be the one to get a solid contract.
You’re expecting the editor to work for you.
The give-and-take between a writer and editor seems like a straightforward transaction on the surface: The writer sends in copy, then the editor moves words around, and finally the copy is published and open to international praise. But in reality, an editor’s day is filled with meetings, writing their own stories, keeping on top of other assignments, authorizing payments, and many other things! So, if an editor receives your copy and it’s full of easy-to-spot grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, or worse, doesn’t match the approved pitch, then you’re in trouble. The job of a freelance writer is to make an editor’s job smoother, and when you force your editor to do work that you could’ve done yourself, that’ll likely be your last interaction with them.
You can avoid this problem simply by turning in a draft that resembles your pitch and is free of elementary mistakes. As my college professor used to say over and over, read your stuff out loud! It’s the only way to ensure your copy is clean and you can build a sterling reputation.
