Ed. Note: Earlier in the week we looked at articles around the web on promotion and marketing strategies. Today, we’ll be exploring tips from our very own Patrik Larsson.

Self promotion is something we all do in one way or another, some of us do it by blogging (like me), some do it via communities and some even do it while walking down the street. But is there a good way to self-promote or is it harder than it looks?  To promote yourself is one of the easiest and most difficult things you can do. Promotion tends to cost money but there are ways we can do it affordably yet effectively. Continue Reading

Finding good online markets to write for is like panning for gold. When you dip your pan in the waters of the Web, instead of gold, you often get lots of rocks. Not a great way to find leads.

So when The Urban Muse Guide to Online Writing Markets was published, I was intrigued, but skeptical. Not because of the author (seasoned freelance writer Susan Johnston) but because so many online markets pay so little.

I’m also fairly new to freelance writing. So besides leads, I needed advice. That’s why I bought the guide which promised both. It is $15.99 (USD) and easy to buy online. Here’s what I found. Continue Reading

I’ve been reading through a lot of articles from our archive this weekend, and I managed to get some inspiration, great tips, resources and so much more from doing it. I decided to share a few of the best articles I dug up within one single post. So whether you want to learn about how you should handle work that infringes on your own, or want to learn about social proof – I recommend these articles for everything from useful tips to an all-around great reading. Continue Reading

Pull up a bean-bag chair and let me tell you a story. Everyone runs out of inspiration some days. When it starts to happen, I step away from the screen and head to my bookshelf or local library for a kid’s book. There’s nothing like feeding your inner child to get the creative juices flowing.

Children’s picture books take you back to that time in childhood when you were not afraid to try new things. They also inspire with beautiful artwork, design, and storytelling. They’re filled with uncluttered inspirations and creative thoughts.

It could be a book from when you were a wee thing or books you’ve discovered recently. Find your inner child again. I’m positive it will help your work. It’s definitely helped mine.

Here are 6 picture-book classics that I love. Are any of these books familar? Continue Reading

Self-promotion is something a freelancer needs, to get a gig, land a client and to be successful. Sometimes this requires a whole lot of promotion, but is there an easy way and a hard way? In my experience, the hard way is to let the time take it’s course. Something important a freelancer needs to consider for promoting himself is to always be careful on how you promote. You should never join a forum, community or any other site like that for just posting a link to your work –  you might get considered as a spammer. Which will lose you clients and destroy the reputation you’ve already worked so hard to build up. These articles I’ve collected throughout some time, might be able to help you get started or to evolve your self-promotion. Continue Reading

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The Ultimate Guide To A/B Testing

A/B testing isn’t a buzz term. A lot of savvy marketers and designs are using it right now to gain insight into visitor behavior and to increase conversion rate. And yet A/B testing is still not as common as such Internet marketing subjects as SEO, Web analytics and usability. People just aren’t as aware of it. They don’t completely understand what it is or how it could benefit them or how they should use it. This article is meant to be the best guide you will ever need for A/B testing.

Productive Working Hours: What Are Your Best Work Times?

Although most offices operate on 9 to 5 (or 8 to 6) working hours, not all workers work best on this timetable. Night owl workers prefer to burn the midnight oil, working late into the night when there are no distracting coworkers and their brain is at its sharpest. Continue Reading

You’ve probably heard the super-successful people say that they didn’t get there all by themselves. And you’re probably thinking that the words “super-successful” don’t apply to you, so why read this article? Because even you, a diligent climber of “Success Mountain,” have received the benefits of mentoring. And not always in the places where you think you’d find them. Continue Reading

Last week we gathered a lot of great quotes from our fantastic readers, and I’ve decided to dedicate this post to some of you. Due to all the amazing quotes and responses we recieved, I’m not able to feature all of you. So I’ve gathered the 5 best quotes from our awesome readers and added my all time time favourite quote.

Submitted by: Kolama
“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” – Jamie Paolinett

Submitted by: Nabeel
“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford Continue Reading

You’ve probably met those people who say that they get all of their business through referrals and word of mouth. And, admit it, when you encounter someone from this nirvana, don’t you feel a bit jealous? Not to mention annoyed? Continue Reading

If you’re active in the freelance forum, you might be aware of what’s going on there. For you who aren’t that active (myself included), might want to check out some of the most notable discussions that took place last week. I’ve been browsing the forum a lot these past days, but I actually haven’t got around to post anything yet. If you find a really interesting topic, make sure to post a link to it, and I’ll check it out.

Freelance Web Developer Rates. This is a quite interesting thread for all web devs about what kind of freelance rates developers charge which turned out to a full blown discussion. If you haven’t read any post yet, I strongly suggest you do. You might get a nice insight on others opinions and experiences.

Go to the Gym? Started little over three weeks ago, but just a couple of days ago, it got turned back on. Very interesting topic in my own opinion, who does work-out and who dosen’t? I for one, I really need to start again – been awol from the gym for almost a full year now. Someone to kick me in the right direction? Continue Reading

Most readers of this blog provide creative services of some kind, largely as designers or as writers. And if you are contemplating a switch to the freelance life, you may be wondering about your own creativity, about your ability to constantly come up with new and better ways to do things for your clients.

While there are many different kinds of freelancers offering many kinds of services, all the freelancers I have known have been able to demonstrate outstanding creativity in at least one aspect of their work:

Avoiding it! Continue Reading