Freelance Copywriter and outdoor specialist
How to be a Digital Nomad
In truth I am currently somewhat under-qualified to describe life as a digital nomad because this is my first day of freelance writing combined with remote working and I still have a home office, but I like to think that I am on my way to the wandering freelance work life of a digital nomad (at least for part of each year). Continue reading “How to be a Digital Nomad”
The gig economy is on the rise; in February 2016 the University of Hertfordshire undertook research which suggested that a quarter of women in the UK have sought to work from home via online platforms and a quarter of all gig workers use this work as their sole income.
Let’s say you have done your research, chosen your line of work and given up your day job. Whether you are doing copywriting, web design, graphics work or coding (all of these are common ‘work from home’ jobs) there are some questions you are bound to ask:
Do I need to set up a home office?
The answer to this one is ‘yes’ and ‘no’. If you have a laptop, it is entirely possible to work from home, at the kitchen table or even in the garden. However, although these are great for a quick change of scenery or if you are watching the oven, long-term you are going to need a space in which you can shut yourself away from the rest of the world.
Do I need to work normal office hours?
This really depends on what type of work you are doing. The gig economy is global so you might find that clients expect you to work during hours that suit their timezone. The great thing about freelance working from home is the flexibility. It would be a mistake not to sometimes take advantage of this, but if you want your new business to be a success, you will have to be fierce with yourself; if you take an hour off to go for a swim at midday, make yourself work that hour either early in the morning or in the evening.
How can I keep myself motivated?
There are lots of ways to do this but here at Fi Darby Freelance we find the following three things work:
a) Remind yourself regularly what it was like when you worked set hours and weren’t in control.
b) Keep daily records of how much you are earning. If nothing else the reality of bill-paying is a great motivator.
c) Set yourself mini targets every day. This could be a written to-do list, a target number of blog readers or even an interesting piece of research; anything that will give you a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day.
What can I do about feeling lonely?
It can be a social shock going from the workplace to home working. In many ways the solitude is a pleasant change, but you should also be aware of your mental health; we all need contact with other humans. Keeping in touch has never been easier via social media but getting out and actually meeting people is important too. Try to find other people who are working from home, attend business networking events or go on a course that will help you to make contacts.
Am I going to enjoy working from home?
The answer to this one is entirely up to you. Most life experiences are what we make them. Like anything else, there are pros and cons to working from home. Being responsible for your own wage takes a bit of getting used to and finding your initial clients can be daunting. Once you settle down however, you will find that the world is literally your oyster; which is great if you happen to like oysters!
Interested in finding writing work online? Here’s one place to start.
http://www.fidarby.co.uk/2017/01/19/how-to-find-freelance-writing-work-online-copify/
One of the regularly asked questions at Fi Darby Freelance is,
‘What are your writing niches?’
You would imagine that this would be an easy question to answer, we all have our own favourite topics and expertise in certain areas. In an ideal world everybody would be writing about the things they love. I would choose the outdoors and literature above another topic anytime. However, as freelance writers, we live in the business world and we can’t control demand any more than we can control the weather.
Client Choice of Niche
Clients (particularly web development agencies) require blog posts and other web copy on a wide range of topics. When I started out as a freelancer I was tempted to turn down topics I didn’t understand. This would have been a bad idea for three reasons:
Most Interesting Niches
It goes without saying that if you are interested in your topic you will produce a piece of work that is more lively and engaging, you will also feel more motivated. The same is true if you have developed a level of expertise in a subject. If you have got to a stage in your writing where you can be more choosy about your work, you might want to have a brain-storming session in which you consider topics away from your main interests on which you would like to write.
A great way to test your levels of interest is to write a piece. You could either do this for practice or pitch it to possible interested parties.
It also pays to know which niches you definitely would not like to write about. For me this would include sport as I find it a tad confusing.
Best Paying
Even if you always enjoy your writing, you should remember that freelancing is your business; it is the bread and butter that is going to keep a roof over your head and pay your bills. To this end, and to help you enjoy the freedom of freelance work, it can be a good idea to work out which niches pay best.
Traditionally these have included real estate, technology, medical writing and e-learning. However you might find in the future that other factors such as blog length, media (e.g. video scripts), graphics inclusion (e.g. infographics) and an innovative angle are the things that tip the pay-scale balance.
We have found here at Fi Darby Freelance that it pays to keep an open mind about niche writing work. What was a chore one week may well become your favourite topic the next. What pays well in February might not be as lucrative by April. We wouldn’t want to stop you having your favourite topics however; that way you can look out for matching clients and savour your writing when a job in a niche you love lands in your lap.
Keen to avoid some of the common writing pitfalls? We have some advice for you here
http://www.fidarby.co.uk/2017/01/13/freelance-writing-pitfalls-three-things-a-new-freelancer-shouldnt-do/
After some tips on how to make money from freelance writing?
http://www.fidarby.co.uk/2017/01/09/how-to-make-money-from-freelance-writing/
The gig economy has been getting some big news headlines over the last few months. If you have been reading the news, you will have heard the company names ‘Uber’ and ‘Deliveroo’ because they have both found themselves in disagreement with employees over workers’ rights. Both Uber and Deliveroo are big players in the gig economy, but what exactly is it?
There are no shortage of online job boards from which the budding freelancer can choose work. However each one requires you to share a certain amount of information, create links to a portfolio and sometimes even take a writing test before they will take you on.
This makes sense but as a freelancer who is keen to start making some money, it can be frustrating to spend hour after hour creating profiles and uploading work samples. So where should you start? Which freelance writing sites are the most effective? Today we are going to take a look at Copify.
Copify is not the most popular of boards for writing jobs and it definitely isn’t the best paying, but it does have a few advantages for the new freelancer:
1. Copify is UK based
In many ways the country of origin of your writing jobs doesn’t matter. At Fi Darby Freelance we have clients across the globe including Argentina and Australia. However there are two main advantages to finding writing jobs from your home nation: the first is that you will be less likely to make colloquial language mistakes and the second is that you will be working in your own currency.
2. You don’t have to bid for Copify jobs
Most job boards require you to make bids for jobs. This becomes easier once you know where to pitch your work but until then it can be frustrating waiting only to find out you didn’t get the job. With Copify you select a job and it is yours.
3. Copify is a great learning platform
The range of Copify jobs is varied and changes from day to day. One day you might be writing about drone technology, the next composing product descriptions for printer parts. This is all excellent practice but more than that, if you keep a record of your work it helps you to build a varied and impressive portfolio.
Copify isn’t perfect however (no freelance job boards are). Here are its main disadvantages:
1. Copify jobs are low paid
You will definitely get paid more for jobs from other freelance job sites, however Copify makes an excellent starting point and always lets you know exactly how much you will be earning. Besides, having to do more jobs to get the money in is no bad thing; it will teach you to write faster.
2. Copify ‘professional status’ will not greatly improve job rates
Copify do offer freelancers the opportunity to promote to ‘professional status’ after completing 25 jobs. This is useful but relies on professional level jobs being available. As these are more expensive for clients, you will have to look regularly if you want to find them.
3. Some Copify jobs can be monotonous
Sometimes the only jobs available on the Copify site are large sets of very similar requests. Not only can this become boring, it can be tricky to ensure that you don’t repeat what you said in previous pieces of work.
Copify is a great place to start for someone who is thinking about online freelance work. It offers a good range of jobs that fit into relatively short time spans. I still use Copify to fill in slots between larger jobs. The Copify pay system is reliable and easy to use and they are very quick to provide support via their live chat set up. We recommend giving Copify a go, but here is a little warning, you will have to complete a writing test before you are allowed to join.
Have fun!
New to freelancing and want to avoid some pitfalls?
http://www.fidarby.co.uk/2017/01/13/freelance-writing-pitfalls-three-things-a-new-freelancer-shouldnt-do/
