In the current world economic scenario, there is a downfall in jobs and salaries. People are getting laid off and their salaries don’t meet up with their expenditures. In such a situation, however, you can still become a freelance copywriter and earn a living effectively. The main advantage of being a freelancer is that you can bid lower than the competitor companies, which increases your chance of getting selected for a particular job. Once selected, you can provide good quality work and increase your credibility to be selected for later projects as well.
The following are a few tips, which freelance copywriters should adopt to survive in a bad economy:
- When you start as a freelancer, you have to give it your best shot so that you may be distinguished among other freelancers. Obviously, you are not the only freelancer out there; there are hundreds and thousands of them around the world, so put your best foot forward to compete with others.
- The second step is to find clients. Since you are starting as a new freelance copywriter, your focus should be on companies who are relatively small budgeted who cannot hire an ad agency to get their work done. Such companies often resort to freelancers, even in stable economical situations. You may start out with companies whom you had contacted before but did not have any work at the time. It may be possible that they have work now and they may prefer to hire a freelancer who had previously showed interest in working with their company.
- The third step is to prepare some writing samples to show to your prospective clients. Normally, companies like to view your written work before hiring you. So you can start out by writing a few sample news articles and ads, which would demonstrate to the client the quality of your work.
- The fourth step is to organize your writing samples and other related data into a portfolio. Almost every potential employer will want to see your portfolio since a portfolio can describe the capabilities of a worker to a great extent. Make your portfolio simple yet impressive.
- Another important thing to consider is to keep your rates fixed. You may want to lower your rates in a bad economy, but do not do it permanently. Just give discounts for some initial period of time, and when you feel the situation is a bit better, go back to your old rates. Most clients will willingly pay you more for your work if you prove that the quality of work is worth the additional cost.
- Another important thing is to sign an agreement or contract with your clients. When you have a written agreement, it provides a point of reference to go back to if ever there is a question about the scope of work as well or payment amount.
- Be firm with your clients regarding your payments. They have hired you to benefit their business, so they should pay you whatever the economical situation calls for.
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