Are you taking the plunge into the vast Freelance Pool during a Global Pandemic? Don’t worry, so am I!

Having dabbled in the Copy and Content Writing world for the past few years on a part-time basis, I find myself with, if nothing else during the presence of Covid-19; some extra time! Being locked in the house, with a non-existant social life and without exhausting myself at the gym everyday, I can no longer use my preferred excuse of ‘I couldn’t possibly do this full-time, I just don’t have the time to get it off the ground.’!

So, here we are, at the beginning of week 6 in ‘lock down’ and I have finally hyped myself up just enough to (yes, now is a time to be your own hype man, or woman!) do the work! I find myself knee deep in a whole new world. This new world consists of things I didn’t even think about; invoice systems, job boards, figuring out how many hours I truly have in the day (no I’m not Beyoncé!) and whether or not my Niche, really is my niche!

I’m organising my previous jobs, trying to collate a substantial but varied portfolio. Should I pick long, intricate White Papers, or Articles, those that showcase my thorough research processes and my attention to detail. Or, are my chatty blog posts a better representation of how I morph into my clients brand, tone and voice? Are my proposed services enough, or are they too little?

If you’re brave, or crazy enough to be going full-time Freelance during this time then here’s a quick cheat sheet for you to get your started:

– Just start, I know, it seems glaringly obvious but just take the plunge, you’ll feel so much better! Go on, pick something from the list below and do you thing!

– Browse through some online job boards, this will give you a good idea of the types of gigs that are out there. They aren’t all paying pennies in exchange for your life, many of them offer great rates and re-occurring jobs. You can try places like Pro Blogger or All Freelance Writing

– Ensure that your Social Media and/or Website are succinct and reflective of your current position. Tell people you are open for business and have time to write for them.

– Begin to think about your offering: What do you want to do and why do you want to do it?

– Think about your fees. Be bold but not silly, believe in yourself and your work and ensure that you get your worth but don’t price yourself out of the competition. Remember that as you gain more experience and more exposure your chargeable fee can increase.

– Write yourself a cold pitch, this is what you’ll use to get jobs rolling in. Cold pitches can be daunting and there will no doubt be some that you never hear back from but they are character building and if done right can nab you well paying writing jobs with companies or brands that you’ve reached out to. Be sure to tell them why they need you writing for them!

– Explore some guest writing opportunities. This are a fab way of gaining exposure and getting your By line out there on sites with heavy traffic and good readership. Some will pay you to do it too, its just about being savvy. Think of it like charity shopping – you know there is gold to be found, but you gotta’ weed out the moth eaten granny dresses first!

-Take this time to brush up on your skills, read more, explore your style using prompts or learn more about SEO. Be sure that you can be confident in your offering!

We’re all in this together, both the Corona Virus lockdown and the move into the Freelancing world. Be sure to share your findings and any tips and tricks to securing enough paid writing work to call yourself a Freelance Writer! Or, fake it until you make it – yeah, let’s hashtag that: #fakeittilyoumakeit – oh it is ugly!