Viewing a bid from the employer’s point of view can be the secret to delivering a successful bids for writing jobs. Every freelance writer should think about how a commissioning editor will view their bid and question the image that they are projecting.
In addition to that, writers should be aware of the top five mistakes made by freelance writers, and try to avoid them:
- Wasting Time
- Working For Too Little Money
- Asking For Too Much Money
- Going For Unsuitable Jobs
- Not Playing The "Odds"
Wasting Time
It’s all too easy to believe that checking Facebook, or Twitter is the sort of “networking” that could turn up a job. In fact minutes and hours can be frittered away in a totally unproductive way whilst sitting in front of the computer. The only way to be really productive is to adopt some time management rules:
- Get a Routine - Set aside one day a week, or two hours each morning, as the time for actively searching for jobs and writing bids.
- Set Goals or Targets – keep track of the number of jobs applied for, the number of responses received, and set a reasonable target for the week or the month of jobs to find and apply for.
- Never Miss a Deadline – professional writers never let deadlines slip. Procrastinating is the biggest enemy of the freelance writer.
If a writer doesn’t force a routine upon themselves, then time – and the chance of a successful career as a freelancer - will just slip away.
Working For Too Little Money
It’s tempting to bid low to try and win a bid, but working for “slave labour” wages will only build resentment in the long run. It’s important for freelance writers to get the right balance between setting a competitive bid, and feeling that their time is being adequately rewarded.
If writers fill their days with low-paid work, there is also the danger that they won’t be available when better opportunities arise, or worse still, they won’t have time to bid for better jobs because they’re so busy working for a pittance.
Asking For Too Much Money
Setting a price that is too high will result in disappointment. However, if a job demands unique talents, or if a writer has a unique story to sell, it is always worth asking for a higher fee.
Going For Unsuitable Jobs
Freelance writers who put themselves forward for jobs for which they are not qualified, are wasting their time and everyone else’s. Commissioning editors going through the writers’ bids will dismiss many with only a glance.
On this same subject, if a writer is an expert in a field, it’s important to stress this straight away and to highlight special talents or abilities.
Not Playing The "Odds"
If you want to win the lottery - you have to buy a ticket. And you increase your odds, the more tickets you buy. If freelance writers want to increase the odds of finding work, they have to put themselves forward for as many jobs as possible.
And there's a bonus… practice makes perfect. If not perfect, practice can certainly help to improve a writer’s bidding techniques. Making as many bids as possible each week – or month – means that the chances of picking up a job are substantially increased.
Find out more about the basics of Freelance Writing or read about how to bid successfully of freelance writing job sites
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