I recently received the following email from a reader:
Currently, I am a teacher, but want to make the gradual transition from the classroom to the freelance commercial writing arena. However, because I lack a marketing background, I am concerned that clients may be hesitant to hire me. How can I transition from academia to this type of writing career?
That’s a valid concern for many aspiring freelancers. Maybe you’re in similar situation. If so, here are 3 strategies to overcome what may seem like an obstacle to launching a lucrative freelance career.
Strategy #1: Leverage Your Background
Who says that “agency types” make the best copywriters? And who says you had to go to art school to be a great designer? Some of the best writers and designers I know do NOT have what you might call traditional creative backgrounds. Instead, they have leveraged their diverse experiences and specialized knowledge to bring a fresh perspective to a field crowded with “me too” service providers.
I told my reader that she, in fact, could have an advantage over other writers. Especially if she decided to target companies that sell educational products or services to teachers, educational institutions and parents of homeschooled children.
Her background gives her tremendous credibility. She understands the emotional hot buttons of her potential clients’ audience (educators). And if she’s strategic about how she positions herself – and delivers value and results for her clients – she can easily become a very successful “go to” writer in her industry.
Strategy #2: Take the Courses and Certifications
That brings up another point. Your background alone won’t save you. Neither will raw talent. You also need to learn your craft…and learn it well.
There’s no way around it, folks. You need formal training. Without it, you’ll have a very hard time getting invited to the dance. The market is already full of talented freelance professionals struggling to make ends meet. If talent alone were the secret, most would be extremely busy, earning a great living.
Don’t get me wrong, talent is a big plus. But these days you need much more. So take the courses. Get the certifications. Read the books. Don’t skimp here.
And don’t think the learning is over once you’ve established yourself. Make it a point to keep up your knowledge base. I’ve never met a successful person who didn’t continually invest in themselves and their business.
Strategy #3: Market Yourself Aggressively
Finally, you need to continually promote your services. This effort must be steady and aggressive – probably more aggressive and methodical than you think.
I’ve talked about this many times before, but it bears repeating. A focused and continual marketing effort is one of the most important factors in ensuring a successful transition from your current job to a freelance career.
To keep it from becoming a chore, break it up into small chunks. Instead of trying to do monumental activities every 3 months, commit yourself to doing lighter activities every day.
No career transition is easy. But you can dramatically increase your chances of success if you leverage your strengths and work hard on the factors that you can control.
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Ed Gandia is co-editor of The Wealthy Freelancer and publisher of biweekly e-newsletter, The Profitable Freelancer. To get a free copy of his MP3 audio class, 10 Smart Ways to Grow Your Freelance Income in a Recession, visit http://theprofitablefreelancer.com/site/newsletter.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Great advice. However, I’d like to know what a person can do to start a freelance career when they don’t seem to have a strong background that can be spun into a niche to market your services to. I always hear that it’s better to be a niche writer as opposed to a generalist, and I agree. So, what’s a person to do?
HI Ed,
This line from your newsletter (TWF) intrigued me:
The market is already full of talented freelance professionals struggling to
make ends meet. If talent alone were the secret, most would be extremely
busy, earning a great living.
Do you see the market for copywriting competitive? Do you find yourself up
against competition? I have, but only very rarely. Perhaps the copywriting
world is changing?
Warmly,
chris
Mike – Your niche doesn’t necessarily have to be based on your professional background. You need to also look at your hobbies, interestes, ALL work experience, aptitudes, etc.
This process often takes a while. Shouldn’t be something you put together in a couple of hours. Take time to inventory all of the items above and to do some soul searching.
Also, keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to specialize from day one. You can start off as a generalists and then develop a specialty based on what you like and don’t like once you start working on projects.
Finally, keep in mind that industry specialization is just one way to do it. You can also specialize on a specific type of project (e.g., white papers, AdWords campaigs, etc.) or in terms of the way you work or the way you package your services (e.g., partner with a graphic designer or offer project management along with the other deliverables).
Chris – That’s a good question. Here’s how I’m seeing it: True, I don’t run into much competition. But that’s for different reasons than most people think of. First, I’ve picked and worked a niche. Second, I go after a very specific type of client that markets a very specific set of products and services to a specific audience.
Then, I’ve differentiated by talking about how my background makes me different — how my experience in street-level software sales, fighting in the trenches, allows me to deliver better copy and sound strategy.
There’s more, but these things alone thin out the competition.
Now…how many other copywriters are following a similar strategy? Very few. Your students are, of course (I was one of them). But that’s still a small slice of the total market. So when you venture out into the jungle, it’s a bit bloody. Yet too many folks (many of them very talented) have failed to realize that there’s a whole new world outside of that jungle.
Anyway, not sure if I’m making any sense. But that’s my take.
-Ed
Important ideas, Ed.
Thanks for the reminders.
Is your second point highlighting self-improvement for its own sake, or are you suggesting that I should bolster my resume with classes and certifications?
One way or another, how can one distinguish ‘good’ learning material from the bad? (Please resist the temptation to answer “It comes with time, and taking many bad classes, oh grasshopper.”)
Many thanks in advance.
Hey Mike!
The second point was simply meant to emphasize the need to take good courses — both when you’re starting out and as you progress in your career. Not just for the sake of self-improvement, but also to show your prospective (and current) clients that you have the technical knowledge to do the work right.
If your profession requires a high degree of technical knowledge (in the way of specialized software, for instance), then this is an absolute must. So I don’t see this problem as much in those types of professions (e.g., web design, software development, engineering, etc).
But if your profession is one where soft skills can arguably “get you by” (writing, telesales, project management, etc.), I see a lot of people skimping on formal education. And that’s a big mistake.
And for ALL experienced freelancers, regardless of profession or experience level, I was also trying to emphasize that continuing education is a must. Keeping up that knowledge base is essential if you are to continue to deliver value to your clients and command respectable fees.