These Tips Will Make You Better at Landing Blogging Jobs

by Dave Polykoff

February 3, 2020

You’re focused on earning a bigger paycheck as a freelancer, but you can’t find clients. Or when you apply for jobs, someone else is selected for the position.

Those situations aren’t fun, but they don’t have to bring an end to your writing efforts.

While finding clients can feel overwhelming, there’s no reason to panic. We’ve got a brief list of things that successful bloggers do to land more work. Some of them may work for you.

Engage in job boards

In order to apply to jobs, you’ve got to know who is hiring. That’s where job boards come in. They offer an indispensable service for writers because they collect a list of potential clients all in one place.

As another bonus, most of the listings on job boards clearly state the details of the job including the focus area, the word count, and what they’re paying. That makes things more efficient for everyone.

If you see the perfect job, act fast.

There’s a lot of competition for the best jobs on a job board. If you see one that’s a good fit, don’t sit on it.

It means something to a potential client that you’re eager enough to be one of the first respondents to their ad.

In addition, sometimes they receive so many answers to a job post that the first ones they read make the biggest impression on them. Everything else is a blur.

If you get in early, you’ll have a better chance of being considered.

Put your best foot forward in your application

There are a few ways to make a stellar impression on your application. For starters, when you’re responding to an ad remember that everything you write for your application is a sample of your work. Be sure that these are clearly written and error-free.

Secondly, when you’re writing your cover letter, don’t shy away from showing off all your expertise.

Are you great with SEO? Do you have a working knowledge of WordPress? Do you have a track record of creating engaging content with metrics that back up your claim? Mention it.

Include samples

You also want to make sure that each application includes samples of your work and/or a link to your portfolio. Don’t skip this step. It shows you’re experienced, capable, and ready to take on their job.

Before you know it, you’ll be developing your blogging client list and you’ll have just the amount of work you were hoping for.

Writer Tip

Build Readability With These Three Tips

by Dave Polykoff

January 27, 2020

Bloggers, writers and other content marketers know that engaging content is the name of the game. If their content is boring or turns people off, it is game over.

Readers that aren’t interested in a story aren’t going to finish. They’ll leave the page mid-read, which not only means that they won’t learn as much about your organization, it can kill your site’s search engine rankings.

How do you get readers hooked? It is a skill that content marketers can learn and then master with practice.

Short and simple well-written content build readability

Quick, punchy and easy to understand sentences are the building blocks to readability. Luckily, you don’t have to guess at exactly how short something should be. Break up your text every 80 to 100 words and you should be fine.

In addition to being shorter, the content should be well written. If the content contains endless, wandering sentences that don’t seem to have a point, why should readers continue to the end of the page?

Leave the reader with something they didn’t have before

In addition to a shorter structure for your content, be sure that the content itself provides the reader with something new. Something they need that can’t be found on every other site.

Original, compelling content will keep people reading through until the last paragraph. As long as they’re getting information that they find is valuable, they’ll stick around.

Use graphic elements to break up text blocks

In addition to short paragraphs and interesting information, use graphic elements between areas of text to keep readers moving through your page. Place them every 200 words or so.

What kinds of graphic elements? Photos, pull quotes and subheadings work well. These elements also help people scan through the article and understand the news, advice, and information you’re trying to tell them.

As you use them, you’ll see that graphic elements act like bread crumbs, leading readers to the destination you’d like them to reach — the full end of your story and any calls to action you have.

Writer Tip

Starting Strong: Writing A Great Intro For Your Blog Post

by Deborah Cameron

January 14, 2020

If you’re going to do one thing right on your blog, make sure you start strong. When you nail your blog post intro, you hook your readers. High traffic and engagement numbers follow.

But how does it happen? Can you do it well? With a little common sense and creativity, it’s easier than you think. If you can remember just two steps, you can get it done.

Start With An Invitation. Make It Memorable.

Just as with any other party, start your blog post with an invitation. Make it compelling and personal. Use it to address the reader directly and tell them what to expect.

Ultimately, this your invitation should be a more developed follow up to your headline. It leads the reader down a path to the rest of your content.

As you set your invitation, get creative and make readers curious about the details. Don’t show them everything right away so that they’ll want to stick with you to learn more.

Add Humor, Personality, Or Both

Nothing reflects better on your company than a well-told joke. Once you know what you want to say in your invitation, consider adding humor. It can give a more down-to-earth impression of your brand or business culture, and seem more welcoming.

Along these same lines, don’t be afraid to let some of your personality shine through. What does this look like? Think about the kinds of things your company represents.

Are you casual? Sometimes shocking? Playful? Does a certain kind of music embody your mission? Show that and more.

Two Steps Keep Readers Around

Revealing who you are from the earliest parts of your blog is one of the best ways to keep your readership and engagement numbers high. It helps people want to get to know you for the long term. Sure, it may take a little longer to get it right. It’s worth it.

Writer Tip

How to Find Images for Freelance Writing Work

by Dave Polykoff

November 4, 2019

As a freelance writer, there are many challenges that you face in your pursuit to provide a powerful product for your clients, especially if you’re trying to keep your costs low.

One such challenge is finding the right images that will add context and value to your content without breaking your bank.

The following is a quick and dirty overview of how you can find images for your clients:

#1 – Use Royalty-Free Images

Royalty-Free images are stock photos that are a part of a service like Shutterstock, Getty Images, and iStock. You pay license one time and then can use it as much as you’d like. Searching for the perfect image is easy, as there are numerous photos on most any topic and featuring all sorts of people, animals, products, places, and more. If your budget is limited, this option may be a bit pricey — if so, reach out to a sales rep and see if they can give you a deal. Sometimes they are willing to work with small companies and freelancers.

#2 – Public Domain

There are some images that have copyrights that expired or never existed. You are free to use these photos for both personal and commercial use. Just make sure you understand that public domain laws are different for every country.

In the United States, public domain images are free to be used throughout the world. When using an image, make sure you read their disclaimers. Visit Flickr Commons, USA.gov, 1 Million Free Pictures, Free Stock Photos, and My Public Domain Pictures to find tons of great images.

#3 – Creative Commons

Creative Commons refers to image licenses that are free to use but have restrictions based on type. Types include Attribution 3.0 and Zero.

Attribution 3.o images can be found on:

Zero images can be found on sites like:

As you navigate through the realm of finding images, try to think out of the box. Have fun with the process, and you’ll be amazed at how thankful your clients will be!

Writer Tip

How To Create A Writing Routine As A Freelance Writer

by Dusten Carlson

September 23, 2019

At first glance, a writing routine as a freelance writer may seem superfluous, or just flat-out unnecessary. But take a closer look and the freelance writer can discover multiple advantages available by establishing simple repetition.

Figure Out When You’re Most Productive

As with many endeavors, it’s probably best to begin with what works best. That said, think about starting by determining your best time to write.

Many writers perform best in the morning, others at night, some in between, even others in bits and pieces. Most established writers will know, and focusing on working during those optimum times is vital.

Write Every Day

Once the best time to write is set, get in the practice of writing every day, no matter what. Besides meeting client obligations, this helps train the mind to best switch gears into writing mode, much like elite athletes get themselves into the “zone.”

Over time this makes it easier to execute writing assignments – and may even allow you to complete more tasks overall.

Think of it the way athletes consider practice: it develops and hones skills, which only can help.

For writers, this could be as simple as an extended Instagram post, a marketing-related email message, blog writing or writing pitches for more content marketing work.

Guard Your Time

Finally, establish times just for writing, and protect it.

That is, set a schedule, stick with it, and don’t let outside influences like text messages or email inboxes distract. Even use a digital calendar (such as those on smartphones) to hold writing time – and even text or email reminders to yourself to get to it.

Key Takeaways For Writers

These four things – determining the best time to write, writing daily, and scheduling and protecting writing time – are the base for creating a solid writing routine for a freelance writer.

Using this foundation should free more time for associated activities like coming up with new content ideas, marketing yourself, or planning ahead with outlines or a looking-ahead calendar.

All together, these things can only lead to success.