To fill your schedule you need to play smart. If you’re used to hunting down work on job boards and content mills it can seem like there are endless numbers of writers all scrambling after the same small pool of low-paid projects.
But there is a better way!
We’ve talked before about more effective ways to land high-paying clients. If you’re struggling with this, start with Nick’s post How to Land High-Paying Freelance Writing Jobs Online Fast which outlines a powerful cold emailing strategy you really should try.
Then check out my post How to Find Freelance Writing Clients on LinkedIn (A System That Works) which shows you how to get started landing freelance writing clients on LinkedIn.
These two posts show you how to pitch to find well-paid work, but are you wondering what kind of services to offer when you send those pitches?
If you want to get paid well, you need to match your offering with your market. That means you need to figure out what your prospective clients need, and offer those services in your pitches.
Read on for a rundown of 3 types of writing jobs I’ve had success in landing. They all pay well, and the demand is high. So if you haven’t considered offering these services, give them a a try!
1) Trade Magazine Articles
Everyone’s heard of writing for consumer magazines – the glossy magazines you see on the supermarket shelves and newsstand – but you might not know there’s a whole other market for magazine article writing: Trade magazines.
Trade magazines are industry-specific magazines for professionals – and there are a huge number of them out there.
A quick look at the homepage of TradePub.com shows titles for industries as diverse as aviation and the beverage industry. Have a browse around the site and you’re sure to find some magazines to pitch that fit your interests and expertise.
The great thing about trade magazines is they have less competition and usually higher rates of pay than consumer magazines. Pay can be as high as $1 per word or more, and if you break into writing for a trade magazine you can often pick up ongoing work.
This article from The Write Life is a great resource that walks you through the process of finding and pitching trade magazines. Follow the steps in the article and you’ll be on track to land writing work that not only pays well, but provides you with professional clips you can use to break into other publications.
2) Business Blog Posts
There are a growing number of blogs that offer guest posts that pay $50 and upwards. These are a good way to get some samples, but if you really want to level up then go after business blogging clients.
The good news is an increasing number of businesses now understand the value of content marketing. They know they need to be blogging on a regular basis to generate more leads, but often don’t have the bandwidth to do it well.
Business blogging is a great opportunity for you as a freelance writer. Businesses don’t just need one post, they need a regular stream of content. And that can mean ongoing work for you.
Add to this the fact that companies are investing in more long-form content, and it’s clear you can make excellent money as a business blogger.
Carol Tice’s recent post How to Make $5000 a Month With Freelance Blog Writing is a great starting point for writers looking for a strategy to land these kind of clients.
Among Carol’s recommendations is to search for abandoned business blogs – blogs that aren’t being updated. You can then do some digging online to find the right person to pitch with title ideas. Don’t forget that companies with an active blog may also need outside help to keep the content flowing!
LinkedIn and cold email pitching are both good ways to land business blogging clients. Make sure you do some research on the companies before you pitch them – in general, medium-sized companies that have a decent marketing budget are your best bet to reach out to.
3) E-newsletters
E-newsletters are another type of writing job well worth going after. Like trade magazine writing and business blogging, the work can be ongoing and command excellent rates.
You could choose to offer your e-newsletter writing services in a package alongside business blogging, pitch the service separately, or even team up with a designer and tech person to offer businesses a complete package to start their e-newsletter from scratch.
Ed Gandia’s popular High Income Business Writing podcast has a very informative episode all about e-newsletters which explores how to structure and price the service.
Hubspot also has a free project that guides you through the process of creating an effective and engaging e-newsletter. It’s an excellent overview of the steps involved, and can be used as a checklist for each new e-newsletter project you win.
So, what’s the best way to pitch and win these jobs? The easiest way to get started is to search for companies that have an existing e-newsletter. A quick look at their homepage will reveal whether they have a sign-up box.
As with prospective clients for business blogging, do some work to track down companies large enough to have the marketing budget to work with freelancers.
Once you’ve found some good prospects, sign up for and read their e-newsletters. How could the content be improved? Write down some suggestions and include them in your cold email or LinkedIn pitch.
Which of these well-paid writing jobs caught your eye? And what writing services have you had success in landing? Let us know in the comments!
