10 Ways to Scale Your Freelance Writing Business
Scaling a freelance writing business can be a challenging task, but we’ve gathered 10 expert tips from industry professionals to help you succeed. From diversifying your services to investing in efficiency tools, these insights from editors, CEOs, and digital marketers will guide you on your journey to expand your writing business.
- Diversify Your Services
- Use the Power of Your Network
- Focus On a Niche
- Create a Powerful Portfolio
- Optimize Your Workflow
- Bundle Services for Growth
- Automate Tasks for Scalability
- Outsource Qualified Writers
- Build a Subcontractor Network
- Invest in Efficiency Tools
Diversify Your Services
In my experience, the easiest way to scale has been to diversify my services so that I am doing more billable activities for each client. Strategic marketing planning is one of those activities. I’ve had so many clients ask for a blog or an ebook without a clear idea of what they would do with the content once it is written. There is so much more to a successful content marketing campaign than a piece of well-written content (although that is important).
Ask your clients what their goals are for the piece, where they will publish it, and how they will promote it. If they don’t know, offer to create a marketing plan for them (at an additional price). You can even suggest additional content (social media, emails, etc.) to round out the marketing plan. Make sure the plan includes goals and KPIs to measure success.
Pam Georgiana
Freelancer Writer and Content Creator, Pam Georgiana
Balance passion-driven work and flexibility
Promoted by Fiverr
Freelancing is the best way to balance passion-driven work and flexibility – giving people the opportunity to have full autonomy over their career and how they want to work on a day-to-day basis. Whether you’re working at home or on-the-go, freelancers can choose the projects they want to pursue, then craft their work experience around it. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to travel the world, spend time with your family, and manage your own schedule.
As we continue to navigate a volatile economy plagued by layoffs and firings, independent work is a great vehicle for financial security. By not being tied down by a singular employer, you can take on more projects, be your own boss, and further develop your own service offerings with new skills – such as AI. With businesses relying on freelancers more than ever before, freelancers today can expand their horizons and work on projects of all shapes and sizes.
Shai-Lee Spigelman
General Manager, Fiverr Pro
Use the Power of Your Network
One tip to scale a freelance writing business is to take advantage of the power of your network. Using LinkedIn and other social media channels, you can build relationships with potential contacts who may look for content creators like yourself.
This will enable you to market your services more widely and position yourself as an expert in the field, helping you gain recognition and open up many opportunities. Take, for example, influencers related to topics that interest you; introducing them to your work could cause long-term partnerships which will generate positive growth for your business.
Kate Duske
Editor-in-Chief, Escape Room Data
Focus On a Niche
One tip to scale a freelance writing business is to focus on specializing in a specific niche. By honing your expertise and becoming a go-to writer in a particular industry or subject area, you can differentiate yourself from the competition and attract high-paying clients.
Specialization allows you to position yourself as an expert, build a reputation, and command premium rates for your specialized knowledge and skills. It also enables you to streamline your marketing efforts, target a specific audience, and develop a deep understanding of your clients’ needs. By specializing, you can become a sought-after writer in your niche, ultimately leading to business growth and scalability.
Josh Amishav
Founder and CEO, Breachsense
Create a Powerful Portfolio
Having a strong portfolio is super important for showing off your professional skills and knowledge. You want to make sure you include a variety of writing samples that showcase your flexibility and expertise in different formats, like articles, blog posts, case studies, white papers, and website content.
A really outstanding portfolio can help you attract top-notch clients and give you the power to negotiate better rates for your work. You don’t have to have many high-paying clients to build your portfolio. If you haven’t worked with high-paying clients yet, that’s ok! You can offer your services at a discount or even for free to a few businesses to build up your reviews and expand your portfolio.
Inbar Madar
Founder and Business Financial Expert, M.I. Business Consulting
Optimize Your Workflow
Streamlining your workflow is one effective strategy to enhance the scalability of a freelance writing business. This transformative strategy empowers you to amplify your productivity and efficiency, leading to remarkable growth and scalability.
This approach allows you to maximize your output and meet deadlines more effectively. It involves analyzing and identifying areas for improvement in your workflow, such as task prioritization, time management, and communication with clients.
Adopting a systematic approach and using appropriate tools can enhance your work process and ensure smooth operations. This optimization saves time and effort and enables you to handle more projects and scale your business successfully.
Joe Acosta
Digital Marketing Manager, BBQ Galore
Bundle Services for Growth
Want to give your freelance writing business a real boost? Try packaging your services together. Rather than just selling individual articles or pieces of content, consider offering a full suite of related services as part of a monthly package.
This could include not only the writing itself but also SEO optimization, graphic design, keyword research, link building, or even social media promotion. By doing this, you transition from being just a writer to a comprehensive content provider.
Your clients get the convenience of a one-stop shop, and you gain a more substantial, consistent income stream. This strategy can turbocharge your business growth and elevate your professional standing in the eyes of your clients.
Juliet Dreamhunter
Founder, Juliety
Automate Tasks for Scalability
One way I’ve scaled my freelance writing business is by automating my administrative tasks. I used to spend a lot of time managing invoices, scheduling projects, and tracking payments. I realized that this was taking time away from my writing.
So, I started using automation tools. I now have an invoicing system that sends out bills automatically, and I use project management tools to schedule tasks and track deadlines. By automating these tasks, I’ve freed up a lot of time that I can now spend on writing or finding new clients. Plus, I don’t have to stress about missing an invoice or a deadline.
This has been a game changer for my business. I’m now able to take on more clients and projects without feeling overwhelmed by admin work. If you’re looking to scale your freelance business, I highly recommend looking into ways you can automate your administrative tasks. It can really make a big difference!
Irina Poddubnaia
CEO and Founder, TrackMage
Outsource Qualified Writers
Outsourcing writers is one tip for scaling a freelance writing business. Outsourcing allows you to streamline the workflow and assign writing tasks to qualified writers.
This includes various tasks like content creation, research, and editing. It’s important to build a network of reliable writers, and once you have a network of reliable writers, you can easily take on more projects and double your earnings.
It helps you focus on important areas of your business and improve your services. To ensure a high standard of writers, it’s important to communicate your goals clearly and demands from writers.
Sherry Xue
Digital Marketer, VAZASILK
Build a Subcontractor Network
One tip for scaling a freelance writing business is to build a network of reliable and talented subcontractors or collaborators. By forming strategic partnerships with other freelance writers or professionals in related fields, you can take on larger projects or handle more client work without compromising quality or becoming overwhelmed.
Delegating tasks to trusted subcontractors allows you to expand your capacity, take on more clients, and ultimately scale your business while maintaining high standards and meeting client demands.
Luke Lee
CEO, Ever Wallpaper
Invest in Efficiency Tools
One tip for scaling a freelance writing business is to streamline your processes and invest in tools that help you work more efficiently. This can include project management software, time-tracking apps, and automation tools for tasks like invoicing and client communication. By optimizing your workflow, you can take on more clients and increase your output without sacrificing quality or burning out.
Georgi Todorov
Founder, ThriveMyWay
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