More writers than ever before are freelancing. With the right tools and know-how, freelancing can be an incredibly lucrative, flexible way to earn a living while writing. But it’s not just a matter of putting words on paper.
If you want to be successful as a freelance writer, there are several common mistakes you need to avoid. Writers can make six figures or more without having to live in New York or Los Angeles, but only if they avoid these common pitfalls:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Properly manage your finances to avoid financial pitfalls. |
| 2. Set realistic rates and avoid undervaluing your skills. |
| 3. Communicate clearly with clients to avoid misunderstandings. |
| 4. Balance your workload and avoid overcommitting to projects. |
| 5. Continuously improve your writing skills through learning and practice. |
| 6. Diversify your freelance writing niches for increased opportunities. |
| 7. Prioritize self-care to prevent burnout and maintain productivity. |
| 8. Learn to negotiate fair and competitive rates for your services. |
| 9. Build a strong portfolio to showcase your expertise to potential clients. |
| 10. Handle difficult clients professionally and know when to set boundaries or walk away from toxic work relationships. |
Working Too Hard
When you’re working hard to achieve your goals and make money, it’s easy to think that working harder would be the answer. But no matter how devoted or passionate you are about what you do, there is such a thing as “too much.”
You need to protect yourself from burnout by keeping your schedule flexible and understanding when it’s appropriate to take breaks and when it isn’t.
If you’re sure that the extra hours will result in more sales or greater success (and not just more stress), then go for it! Just remember:
Take time off when needed; don’t try to force yourself through exhaustion and stress just because people say that this is the right way forward.
There are plenty of freelancers who work long hours but still aren’t very successful or happy with their writing careers; so if there’s any doubt about whether these long hours are worth it for both parties involved, don’t do them!
Respect other people’s limits on their time/energy expenditure due diligence before committing yourself too deeply to something without knowing exactly what kind of commitment level will be required from them (i.’e., if someone doesn’t seem like they want any part in this project yet).
If you’re a freelancer surviving on a tight budget, our guide on 13 Tips for Stuffing Your Face with Ramen Noodles While Freelancing will show you how to make the most of your meals without breaking the bank.
Not Expressing Gratitude
Expressing gratitude is a powerful tool for building relationships, building trust, and making your work more effective. It’s not just about saying thank you; expressing gratitude can be done in many ways.
For example:
- You might send a quick email to say thank you for an opportunity that has helped your business grow.
- You might write a blog post describing how someone else’s writing has inspired yours (and link back).
- You might share another writer’s content on social media with the comment “I loved this article!”
Thinking You Know It All
Sometimes the worst thing you can do is think that you know it all. This can lead to mistakes like not asking for help when you need or want it.
You might think that asking for advice will make people think less of your work, but actually, having someone else’s opinion on your work can be incredibly helpful and allow them to see something in your piece that you didn’t even realize was there!
When it comes time to ask for feedback, choose a person who is familiar with writing and has experience as a writer (or someone who has been published). This will ensure they have an idea of what makes good writing great.
If possible, ask multiple people because different perspectives can bring new ideas to light and help open our minds up to different ways of thinking.
Wondering which freelancing platform is the best fit for your skills? Dive into our comparison of Upwork and Fiverr, titled Is Upwork or Fiverr Right for You?, to make an informed decision and kickstart your freelance career.
Spending Too Much Time On Social Media
Social media is not a place to sell your services. You know how it goes: someone says something negative about your product or service, and you chime in with an argument. This can lead to a heated exchange that ends with everyone upset and no one buying anything.
If people aren’t willing to buy what you’re selling now, they probably won’t be later either so don’t bother trying to convince them otherwise!
Social media is a place where freelancers can connect with other freelancers and build their network of contacts.
Many writers use social media as a way of getting feedback on their work and improving their skillset so that they can eventually land more clients who need writing help online.
Diluting Your Focus
When you’re in your first few months as a freelance writer, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of having a new career and lose sight of what you want out of this experience.
You may start taking on too many projects at once or spend too much time researching projects that don’t fit into your skillset.
The result is that you have no time left over for the things that brought you joy when you started writing: developing relationships with clients and learning new skills while working on specific types of writing projects. Here are some ways to avoid diluting your focus:
Focus on one thing at a time. If possible, keep only one client at any given time (unless they request otherwise). This will help ensure that all of your energy goes into completing each project as well as keeping track of deadlines!
Focus on what YOU enjoy doing most not what others think is best for YOU! There might be other writers who feel drawn towards editing jobs because they seem easier than writing articles from scratch;
However, if these aren’t areas where YOU excel then don’t force them onto yourself just because someone else thinks they should be part of YOUR business model instead!
Using A Too-Casual Tone In Business Communications
Use a professional tone. Business writing is different from personal writing in that it’s more formal and less informal, so you should use that in your favor. In business writing, it’s important to be clear and concise, using the right words for the right situations.
You also want to make sure your sentences are grammatically correct (unless you’re writing creative nonfiction or literary essays) so they don’t confuse or distract your readers and they’ll know what you mean!
Use standard format and structure. When writing anything for business purposes, follow whatever format is required by the organization or company who hired you (or whoever will read what you write).
This means having headings at the beginning of each paragraph with bulleted lists underneath them; italicizing titles of books/magazines/websites/etc that have been referenced elsewhere within an article; making sure all text aligns properly along both axes (left vs right as well as top vs bottom).
Also, remember not just how many pages there should be per document but whether each page has two columns instead of one (this matters!).
Feedback is crucial for freelancers to grow professionally. Learn the strategies to garner positive client feedback on Upwork in our comprehensive guide, How to Make Sure You’re Getting the Best Client Feedback on Upwork.
Competing With Peers Instead Of Collaborating
You are not competing with your peers. You are competing with the client, their competitors, and yourself. Competition is everywhere, but if you’re smart about it, it can be a great way to learn from others’ mistakes and successes.
The best freelancers know that when they share their knowledge and experience with other writers, everyone wins by learning something new or improving upon what they already knew.
They also understand that no one else can do everything better than them not even close! This means there’s always room for improvement in every aspect of your business and craft as a writer (and life).
Not Reading Enough To Improve Your Craft
Reading is the best way to improve your craft. Reading helps you learn new writing techniques, develop your voice, and understand what your audience wants.
I like to read everything, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. I enjoy both reading articles and books on writing techniques, as well as novels by different authors in different genres (romance books are my favorite). Reading is also a great way to get ideas for blog posts or articles!
Just last week I was reading an article about book reviews when suddenly an idea popped into my head: What if readers could leave a review right inside the ebook? And then all of the sudden it hit me a “readers’ choice award” where readers could vote on their favorite books and we would give out awards based on those votes!
Undervaluing What You Do
Don’t undervalue your work.
If you’re like me, the idea of asking for a lot of money for something anything can feel a little uncomfortable. But freelancing writers often don’t get paid enough for the amount of work they do and the value their writing brings to their client’s projects.
It’s not that clients are bad people; it’s just that we tend to undervalue our talent and expertise when it comes time to negotiate payment (or accept an offer).
To avoid this mistake: When someone asks you how much you charge per word, tell them. If they balk at paying what you think is fair, then find someone else who will pay your rate without complaint or negotiation (and who can offer some flexibility if needed).
Being Inconsistent In Your Work Habits And Presentation
When you’re first starting, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. The best way to do so is by being consistent in all aspects of your work and that goes for more than just what you write about.
Being consistent means:
- Having a schedule with which you adhere
- Having a general idea of what types of things and how many hours each week you will spend working on something (this might change over time)
- Doing the same thing every day, even if only in small ways like making sure your desk is clean or having snacks ready at regular intervals
Being consistent means: * Making sure that everything has an order and purpose; this includes what you read, how you keep track of books, etc. because those are the things that will help define who YOU are as a writer
The gig economy is transforming the way people work. Discover valuable insights from freelancers themselves in our article, Freelancers, What Can You Tell Us About the Gig Economy?, to understand its impact on modern employment.
Failing To Protect Your Writing From Theft And Misuse Online
Copyright and plagiarism. You may have heard of copyright before, but do you know how it works? Let’s say that you’ve written an article about the best places to visit in Europe. The article is yours and is copyrighted by you. Anybody who tries to copy or re-use your work without your permission would be committing plagiarism.
How to protect your writing from theft: It’s important to protect yourself if you want to make money as a freelance writer; otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth doing! Follow these steps:
Make sure all of your work is properly cited and referenced with sources whenever possible (this means citing only published articles in journals or academic books).
Sign up for DMCA Shield or another similar service that protects websites against copyright infringement claims by automatically removing infringing listings when notified by the owner/creator of an article that has been copied illegally onto another site (eBay does this too).
Registering for an account on sites like WordPress allows writers such as ourselves great flexibility when posting our content online.
While also protects us from potential legal issues down the road due to lackadaisical attitudes towards online security measures like password protection systems which could lead other people to wish harm upon us through their negligence alone!
There Are Many Things Freelance Writers Can Do Better Than They Are Doing
There are many things freelance writers can do better than they are doing.
First, read more books. Reading is one of the best ways to improve your writing skills and it’s also fun! You can learn a lot about how to write by reading books by other authors, or even just novels that you love.
Reading more will help you become a better writer because it will expand your vocabulary while allowing you to see how other people use words in their sentences (and what works for them).
It may also inspire some ideas for stories based on things that happen in the story itself or even something someone says or does in real life!
Are you considering a career in freelance writing or copywriting? Our article, Are Freelance Writing & Copywriting Good Jobs?, explores the opportunities and challenges these fields offer, helping you make an informed decision for your future endeavors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, one of the best things about being a freelance writer is how much it can help you grow as a person. That’s why you should avoid these common mistakes and start focusing on becoming that person who is capable of writing excellent content while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Further Reading
The Biggest Mistakes Freelance Writers Should Avoid: Learn about the common pitfalls and how to steer clear of them in your freelance writing journey.
Common Mistakes Made by Established Freelancers and How to Avoid Them: Discover the mistakes that even experienced freelancers can make and find practical solutions to avoid them.
Avoid These Common Freelance Mistakes to Succeed in Your Career: Uncover the most frequent freelancing errors and gain insights on how to thrive in your freelance career.
FAQs
How can I improve as a freelance writer?
To enhance your freelance writing skills, focus on continuous learning, practice regularly, seek feedback, and diversify your writing styles and niches.
What are some common mistakes made by established freelancers?
Established freelancers may face issues such as overcommitting to projects, neglecting self-care, failing to diversify their income streams, or not negotiating fair rates.
How do I avoid burnout as a freelancer?
To prevent burnout, set clear boundaries, take regular breaks, manage your workload, and prioritize self-care and work-life balance.
How can I find high-paying freelance opportunities?
To find high-paying gigs, build a strong portfolio, network with potential clients and other freelancers, and position yourself as an expert in your field.
How do I handle difficult clients as a freelancer?
When dealing with challenging clients, maintain professionalism, set clear expectations, address concerns promptly, and know when to walk away from toxic situations.
What Are The Most Common Mistakes Freelance Writers Make?
How Can I Avoid These Mistakes?
The biggest mistake that freelance writers make is not researching their clients and their content thoroughly enough. This means doing your best to understand the company, its goals, and its audience, as well as what sort of tone or style fits the subject matter best.
In addition to this, you should also try to get a feel for how long it will take you to write an article or two based on how much research you need to do on a given topic before starting your project plan.
If it’s going to take longer than a week or two, then maybe asking for more money isn’t going to be feasible because some clients simply won’t have that kind of budget available! However, if this doesn’t bother them then by all means go ahead just make sure not
to over-promise anything unless there’s a good reason why we should believe otherwise (e.g., because of previous experience working with similar projects).
What Is The Most Common Mistake Freelance Writers Make?
The most common mistake that freelancers make is not knowing enough about the industry they’re trying to break into, and thus not having an effective strategy for success.
You need to know what your goals are and how you plan on achieving them before you start anything else! Without this foundation, it’s going to be much harder for you to achieve your desired results with any consistency.
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!
