The Freelance Content Marketing Writer

1. Understand Content Marketing Writing to Boost Your Freelance Career

Content marketing is when a business provides information to its potential customers that helps solve their problems.

Content marketing defined. Content marketing involves creating valuable, relevant content that attracts and engages a target audience without directly promoting products or services. It aims to build trust and establish expertise, ultimately leading to customer loyalty and increased sales.

Types of content marketing writing:

• Blog posts
• Articles (print and online)
• Case studies
• Whitepapers
• E-books
• Video scripts
• Infographic text

Key differences from journalism:

• Purpose: Increase trust in the brand
• Client: A brand instead of a publication
• Audience knowledge: More specific and defined
• Writing style: Matches the brand voice

2. Identify Your Perfect Niche and Clients for Success

The trick is finding the clients from the millions of possibilities who are the perfect clients for your skills, expertise, strengths and personalities.

Define your niche. A niche is a specific area where you have deep knowledge, understand the audience's needs, and stay current with industry trends. Specializing in a niche makes you more attractive to potential clients and can lead to higher-paying opportunities.

Identify potential clients:

1. Use the Audience First Method:
   • Think of an audience you understand
   • List products/services they need
   • Identify brands producing those products/services
2. Research content marketing agencies
3. Look for direct business opportunities

Consider adding B2B technology as a niche, even if you're not tech-savvy. Many industries need writers who can explain complex technology in simple terms, and these opportunities often pay well due to the specialized knowledge required.

3. Craft Compelling Letters of Introduction (LOIs) to Land Gigs

The goal of an LOI isn't to get a potential client to hire you, but to get them to ask you for more information and start a conversation about how you can work together.

Elements of an effective LOI:

• Brief (aim for about five sentences)
• Highlights your experience in the client's industry
• Describes your content marketing writing experience
• Includes links to relevant writing samples

Sample LOI structure:

1. Opening question about freelance needs
2. Your specialization and notable clients
3. Link to LinkedIn profile and website
4. Mention of sample work
5. Call to action

Follow-up is crucial. Many writers land gigs on the second or third contact. Set reminders to follow up on sent LOIs after two to three weeks, and again after a few months if you don't hear back.

4. Develop a Strategic Marketing Plan for Consistent Work

The secret to evening out the ups and downs is creating a marketing plan and sticking to it.

Create a marketing plan that outlines specific tasks to be completed daily, weekly, and monthly. This helps you consistently position yourself as an expert and make connections with potential clients, even when you're busy with current projects.

Sample marketing plan activities:

• Daily: Send two LOIs
• Weekly: Apply to relevant job ads, follow up on previous LOIs
• Monthly: Update website and LinkedIn profile, attend networking events

Implement the plan consistently, even when you're swamped with work. This helps prevent the feast-or-famine cycle common in freelancing. If you're not getting results after three months of consistent effort, reevaluate your approach and make necessary adjustments.

5. Master the Art of Writing in the Brand Voice

If you ever have a client say that they don't like a piece or have a ton of revisions, take a step back. Could the problem be the tone?

Understand brand voice. Brand voice is the consistent tone and style a company uses to communicate with its audience. It's crucial for content marketing writers to adapt their writing to match each client's unique voice.

Steps to determine and match brand voice:

1. Ask the client about their desired tone
2. Request brand guidelines or a style guide
3. Analyze examples of the client's preferred content
4. Consider examples of what the client doesn't want

Elements that contribute to tone:

• Point of view (first, second, or third person)
• Sentence and paragraph length
• Word choice and level of formality
• Use of marketing jargon
• Punctuation and sentence structure

Practice writing in different tones to improve your versatility and ability to match various brand voices quickly.

6. Negotiate Rates Effectively to Maximize Earnings

Always ask for more money when negotiating with clients.

Set a target hourly rate. Aim for at least $100 per hour once you have some experience. This is your internal benchmark, not necessarily what you quote to clients.

Pricing models:

• Per project (recommended): Allows for increased efficiency and higher earnings over time
• Per hour: Can limit earnings as you become more efficient
• Per word: Doesn't account for project complexity and can be misleading

Negotiation tips:

• Always counter with a slightly higher rate (10-20% more)
• Quote higher than what feels comfortable initially
• Ask other writers for input on your rates
• Negotiate via email rather than phone for more confidence
• Reduce project scope if the client has a fixed budget

Remember, it's okay to walk away from low-paying clients. This frees up time to find better-paying opportunities and ultimately increases your overall income.

7. Design a Business You Love While Maintaining Work-Life Balance

You have the power to design every part of your business—hours, clients, type of writing, niche, outsourcing—in a way that works for you.

Create your ideal business: Take time to envision what your perfect freelance business looks like. Consider factors such as:

• Types of clients and projects
• Working hours and schedule
• Vacation time
• Income goals
• Personal writing projects

Balance "Pay-My-Mortgage" and "Feed-My-Soul" projects. While it's important to earn a good living, also seek out projects that are personally fulfilling or make a difference in the world.

Ways to find meaningful content marketing work:

• Look for companies producing journalistic-style custom publications
• Write for nonprofits
• Work with smaller companies with passionate owners
• Seek out businesses creating products or services that help people

Remember that your perfect business may evolve over time. Regularly reassess your goals and make adjustments to ensure your freelance career remains fulfilling and successful.

Last updated: September 29, 2024