3 Common Mistakes of New Freelance Writers
Writing online has become a common money-making alternative for many people who want to make additional income, and for some who don’t want to get committed to an 8-5 routine.
The influx of millions of websites and blogs in the World Wide Web has also created a huge demand for freelance writers.
There is money online and plenty of writing jobs are available on the web today. Freelance writing requires very little startup cost and all you need is to prove that you can research and write well in order to get a writing job online.
Another thing that you need to consider when writing for the web is the monetary part of it; while it is true that getting paid is not a problem in most cases, you have to go about it the right way otherwise you will not be able to receive your worth. If you have the skills and work ethics of a professional freelance writer, you should not short sell yourself.
Here are three of the most common mistakes that new freelance writers commit when they choose to work online:
1. Charging too Low
Most freelance writers start their career by charging very low rates. Most of them believe that it is the only way to get their first few writing projects. They also consider it as a way to build their portfolio, thinking that their rates will increase after completing a few tasks.
Contrary to what most freelance writers believe, it is not easy to jump from very low rates to a much higher pay. You need enough time to make it happen, and a chance that you become burned out while waiting for this time looms.
Time is an important element in determining your rate. You need to charge what time is worth. If your time spent cannot justify your output, you need to spend more time honing your skills to gain speed in order to earn good money online.
2. Competing with Low-Wage Writers.
Many freelance writers assume that all people who write online are their competition. This is one of the reasons why they charge too low because many writers on the web short sell their services.
If you have the right skills, you will know the value of your work to your client. This includes the information it brings, the traffic it drives, the subscriptions it gets, the backlinks it receives and the revenue it generates. This should determine your actual rate. You should not base it on how much the others are asking for their work.
Competing with low-wage writers is not a valid reason why you should charge low for your services.
3. Thinking that Writing is an Easy Way to Make Money Online.
Some people jump to freelance writing for the web on the assumption that it is one of the easiest ways to make money online.
This is actually a misconception, because writing for the web is real work. In freelance writing, you need to manage things like meeting deadlines and record keeping. While it is true that working from home as a web content writer gives you the privilege to manage your own time, it can make you spend longer hours than traditional work.