7 Podcasts That’ll Make You A Better Freelance Writer

by Dave Polykoff

December 9, 2019

Freelance writing can be a crazy competitive career field, so it’s essential to always be learning and growing.

These 7 podcasts can help you improve your skills, creativity, and productivity, and teach you more about the business side of writing.

#AMWriting

This podcast covers everything you need to know about writing books, such as how to write your first draft, how to crush it with self-promotion, and how to find an agent.

Co-host KJ Dell-Antonia is a former editor at the New York Times, and fellow co-host Jessica Lahey is a NYT-bestselling author.

The Accidental Creative

If your goal is to conquer the world with your brand and your ideas, then this podcast hosted by Todd Henry is perfect for you.

It’s chock full of inspirational ideas and thought leadership, so it’s definitely worth listening to on a regular basis.

Coach Laura is a highly successful freelance writer who gives away all her deepest secrets on her podcast. These include how to land quality freelance writing gigs and how to build a sustainable and rewarding business.

Beyond The To-Do List

This podcast was made for freelancers who want to reduce stress and improve their productivity, creativity, and focus.

Host Erik Fisher and his guests talk about things like self-care and why it’s important to take breaks sometimes, instead of being constantly obsessed with work.

High-Income Business Writing Podcast

For those who aspire to earn six figures or more through freelance writing, coach Ed Gandia is your guy.

He interviews some of the top freelance writers in the world on his podcast, which covers a wide variety of topics that can help you become a top writer too.

Grammar Girl

Even if you feel like your grammar’s perfect, you should definitely check out the Grammar Girl podcast.

It covers everything from how to use semicolons properly to the minute differences between very similar words, so you’ll definitely learn a lot.

Writing Excuses

This podcast geared toward fiction writers features a panel of published authors from various genres explaining things like character arc and how to insert elements like humor or romance into your stories, plus they cover the business side of fiction writing.

It’s now in its thirteenth season, and the four main hosts have since written a book together.

Listening to podcasts every day is one of the simplest ways to improve your game as a freelancer, and the best part is that you can just play them in the background while doing your usual daily tasks.

Getting Started

How To Earn Your First High-Paying Writing Client

by Dave Polykoff

December 2, 2019

Freelance writing can be one of the most lucrative ways to earn money online, but getting started can feel super intimidating.

There’s no need to fear though.

Even if you have no prior experience, following these steps will help you find your first high-paying client soon.

Choosing Your Niche

Although being willing to write for everyone may sound like a good idea, it can actually backfire on you.

A better idea is to choose one or two niches and position yourself as a specialist.

Here are some factors you should consider when choosing a freelance writing niche:

Does it have a high return on investment?
Is it in high-demand?
Most importantly, does it interest you?

The reason the last one is the most important is because you don’t want to write about things you hate.

That’s like working a job you hate, just because it pays well.

It may seem like it’s worth it at first, but it’s only going to make you miserable in the long run.

Plus, choosing a niche that you enjoy means you’re probably already pretty knowledgeable about it.

Creating Your Portfolio

Once you’ve decided on your niches, the next step is to create your portfolio.

Because there’s no point in applying for jobs if you can’t send them writing samples.

Any legitimate writing job is going to expect them.

Don’t worry though, your samples don’t need to be real.

You can always write fake ones if you don’t have any real ones yet.

What matters most is making sure the client can see your skills.

Where To Find Your First Jobs

Once you’ve gained some freelance writing experience, you’ll probably start to have clients reach out to you.

But in the beginning, you’ll need to pitch them.

The best place to start is on freelance job boards, like UpWork and PeoplePerHour.

All you have to do is search for the keywords for your niche, and then send out pitches to jobs that resemble your portfolio samples.

That will increase your odds of getting hired.

Many freelancers make the mistake of sending out the same generic pitches to everyone though, so the key is showing that you read the job description and that your work aligns with what they’re looking for.

Another option is to cold pitch companies you’re interested in working with, by searching for the contact person on LinkedIn and sending them an email.

Jobs found this way can be better-paying compared to the ones posted on job boards.

Conclusion

If you follow all of the above steps, you’ll have your first freelance writing client soon.

But even if it takes you a while, don’t give up! Keep sending out pitches every day and eventually someone will decide to hire you.