How To Land A Writing Job

So often people will look at the list of writing jobs, fire off a few emails and quickly become discouraged. Even writing pros often find applying for writing gigs online daunting and surprisingly unsuccessful.

On the other hand, people email me all the time saying they got one, two, three and even more freelance writing jobs from my posts. What makes the difference?

Follow Writing Ad Directions Exactly!

The first mistake writers often make is not to follow the directions in the ad asking for a writer exactly! You’ve simply got to follow the instructions. If the ad says “no attachments” and you attach your credit list or a sample, your email won’t even be opened before it’s trashed. Sure, pasting an article into email is messy at best, but if you copy it first into NotePad or some other strictly text editor, you’re likely to get more readably copy. Email youself a copy of what the email you intend to send first to make sure it looks reasonably okay.

You will occasionally see ads that ask you to use snail mail – if you want that gig, do so. 

Your job isn’t to try to convince the prospective employer that digital applications are great, but to prove you’re paying attention.

Don’t Ask For Additional Information

I can’t tell you how many people have written me complaining they’ve responded to ads by asking for more information about the advertised writing job, only to receive no reply at all. It’s clear. Don’t bother to ask for additional information in your first response. It simply won’t be answered because enough people will have gone ahead and cobbled together a reponse that is actually an application, the hiring authority can just junk the emails asking for more information.

Your goal in your initial response is to get the person placing the ad interested enough to start a dialog with you about the job. It’s after that conversation has started that asking questions is both acceptable and advisable.

Make Sure Your Writing Credentials Are At Least Close

Don’t waste your time or any one else’s by applying for writing or editing gigs you have no qualifications for at all. It’s one thing to stretch, and another to over reach. If, for example, you’re tempted to apply for a writing job writing white papers, and you’ve never read one, don’t bother. Skip this ad, find some white papers to read and decide if learning how to write them is something you want to pursue.

On the other hand, almost anyone who can construct a complete sentence can write the short articles that are aimed at search engine optimization. Use good judgment about the ads you want to reply to.

What Should You Do?

So, what should you be aware of as you craft your reply? Keep these things in mind:

• The advertiser has a problem. If you can demonstrate that you can solve it, you’re likely to get the job.
• Pay attention to the tone of ad and try to match it in your response.
• Take time to craft your response. Make sure you demonstrate you understand their problem and can solve it for them. Do this and you’ll stand out.
• Respond the day or the day after the ad appears. Most ads get hundreds of responses, sometimes thousands. They often quit reading responses after a day or two.
• Don’t expect to hear anything unless they are interested. Sure, it would be nice to at least know your response arrived, but usually you won’t hear a thing until they want to take it to the next step. That lack of response is usually more about the number of replies than anything you’re doing wrong.
• On the other hand, if you’ve replied to a lot of ads and you believe you’re qualified, get some help with how you’re crafting your response.

You Need Your Own Website!

If you’re serious about being a freelance writer, editor, blogger, translator, etc., you simply must have your own website, with your very own domain name. Sure, once and awhile some ad will state they don’t want links or to look at a site; most do. And once your site has been up awhile, potential employers will begin to find you on their own. I’m always amazed at how many find me at www.annewayman.com. 

If your name is available, use it, or some derivitive. It gives people a way to find you on their own. If that won’t work, pick something that’s easy to say and easy to spell.

My web host is 1and1 as my web host and in the future any new websites I’ll develop as a blog using WordPress. Other folks prefer SiteSell. Either can work well for you. 1and1 is cheapter and requires more knowledge; SiteSell costs more but they lead you step by step. (The links to 1and1 and SiteSell are affiliate links.) Either way, get your website up just as soon as you can.

You may also want to read You’re a Writer – You Need a Website!

Keep up with this blog about becoming a freelance writer and then maximizing the money you earn from writing in two ways:

1. The 3 Keys to Making Your Writing Pay! - free ebook by me and a free subscription to our newsletter.
2. Freelance Writing Jobs – posted for free 3 times a week. Subscribe to the newsletter and/orsubscribe to the RSS Feed. (You may also want to read RSS for Writers.)

Write well and often,

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Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
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How To Land A Writing Job