Are you sick of seeing job ads for blogging that only offer $20 a post or less? Scanning the online job boards, you might think there are no good-paying blogging gigs.

But there are. I know because I’ve earned as much as $300 a blog post, and often get north of $100 a post.

What makes the difference? It’s all in the type of client you’re blogging for, and the type of business they have.

What sort of clients pay more for blog posts? Here is my guide for sleuthing out a better class of blogging client:

Ad-Click Model vs Lead-Generation Model

Most low-paid blogging offers come from online-only companies or content mills. These businesses all have the same way of making money: ad clicks.

The problem? This model doesn’t work well for most of the people who try it. So they don’t have a lot of money to spend. Even when the sites are able to attract big traffic, the strategy may not be profitable.

Instead, look for companies that sell a real product or service, usually in the physical world.

Their model is also reliant on throwing a ton of quickie, keyword-loaded content on their site, to drive traffic and create lots of pages for the ads. Because they need large numbers of posts with this strategy, each post can’t pay much.

Instead, look for companies that sell a real product or service, usually in the physical world. For instance, they sell cars, or insurance, or in-person consulting services. They are looking for blog posts that will draw in new leads and get them to join their email list, so they can sell to them later and turn them into customers.

Companies that pay for various forms of lead generation understand the value of a sophisticated, well-written blog post. When there’s a direct correlation between your blogging and their ability to build their marketing list and generate new revenue, companies are happy to pay a decent wage.

How can you connect with successful companies? Target companies you’d love to blog for and scan their company job board online for openings. Or reach out to them directly with a phone call or marketing email introducing yourself. Continue Reading

There’s a reason you see a smattering of women in red business suits in the crowd when you watch the State of the Union address on TV. Red is a power color, and these are powerful women!

The colors you choose to wear and even brand yourself with say a lot about you—individually and as a business.

I have very few business suits. My absolute favorite one is a gorgeous tangerine and hot pink brocade with a mandarin collar. It’s hot. It stands out from the crowd. It is not conservative. Whenever I wear it, I get lots of compliments. It’s sooooooo me!

But I’m not trying to blend in with everyone else around me. That’s not my M.O. I’m a freelance writer, editor, and entrepreneur. I like to have fun with color. I know what colors look good on me and I wear them as often as possible. Does that mean I have an abnormally large collection of bright green shirts? Yes, it does.

I really enjoyed reading this article on Inc.com about being color conscious. Wearing bold, brash colors might not be a great idea for someone who makes a living managing other peoples’ money. You don’t want your financial adviser to look quirky and brash. You want someone who presents themselves in a polished, even conservative manner. That’s why black, gray, and khaki are such popular, classic colors.

But what if you were creating an ad marketing campaign from scratch, or designing a new website? What would you want your designer to look like? I’m guessing the word “boring” doesn’t instantly come to mind. Which is why creative professionals need to be cognizant of color, whether it’s what they wear on their bodies or what is used on their websites.

Take a peek into your closet and at your website or marketing materials and notice what colors are most prevalent. Lets take a look at what those colors might say about you, according to the psychology of color: Continue Reading

Have you been wondering if you could be a freelance writer?

Well, despite all the rah-rah you hear on many freelance sites about just going for it, and all the excitement about the pluses of the freelance life — no boss, set your own hours, a variety of work — the plain fact is that not everybody can hack this lifestyle.

How do you know if it’s not for you? I’ve mentored a lot of writers, and at this point I have a pretty clear sense of who is going to make it and who will end up throwing in the towel and finding a day job again.

Here are my seven warning signs that you’re not cut out to be a freelance writer, and suggestions on how to overcome each of these obstacles:

1. You’re insecure. Deep down, you need to have confidence that you possess writing talent and will be able to find gigs. If you don’t really think you’ve got something to offer, neither will anyone else. If needed, work to build up your confidence. Look over past writing you’ve done and see what you’ve accomplished. Surround yourself with people who are bullish on your writing efforts. Look in the mirror every morning and say, “Damn, I’m good.” Repeat until you mean it.
2. You’re not self-disciplined. If you were home all day with no one looking over your shoulder, would you do your writing assignments and market your business — or would you stuff most of the contents of your fridge down your gullet, yack on Facebook IM, and watch reruns of Dancing with the Stars? When you’re a freelancer, you need the inner resolve to haul yourself into the chair, turn on the computer, and write. So meditate, do yoga…whatever it takes to develop some discipline, get some inner calm, and start to focus on what matters.

Continue Reading

Once a week, we feature a fantastic freelance-themed comic from the talented N.C. Winters. Why not also take a look at our comic archive? Continue Reading

Looking for a new client? The FreelanceSwitch job board is a great resource of freelance gigs and opportunities. These opportunities are in various fields, from development to writing to design, and come from a wide range of potential clients. The job board is hand-moderated by dedicated staff and volunteers from the freelance community.

Each week, we’ll feature a selection of the best job opportunities posted for the week. This week, we’re featuring jobs in E-commerce Development, Game Design, Graphic Design and more!

To apply for any of these jobs, simply pick up a FreelanceSwitch membership for an affordable $7 a month. See something you like? Join now!

Continue Reading

View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Designing books is no laughing matter. OK, it is. presented by graphic designer Chip Kidd. In this video we learn about the art of book cover design. Chip Kidd creates book covers that embody the book — and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In one of the funniest talks from TED2012, he shows the art and deep thought of his cover designs. Continue Reading

An expo or a conference is a great way to network with other people who work in your industry, as well as a great place to reach a target market.

I co-own and edit a wedding magazine, so I’ve been to my fair share of bridal expos. And I’ve learned a lot from being surrounded by other vendors as well as dealing with attendees.

I found some excellent blog posts written by professional who have great advice on how to make the most of your time at a conference or expo. I’ve used some of their tips to illustrate my thoughts. If you’ll be attending a conference soon, then these tips are assembled just for you.

Do Your Research Before You Go

You might have to sign up to attend sessions in advance, so make sure to look up the topics and speakers ahead of time. The most popular sessions will fill up fast, so don’t wait to decide on what you want to attend on the day of the event—you might not get a seat!

A good strategy before conferences once you’ve seen the speaker and attendee list is to select the people you’d like to connect with. If you’re well established in the topic, perhaps you want to focus on making a few really strong and solid connections. If you’re just getting started and want to use the conference to get to know people, aim for a higher number. —Inc.com

Think about what you want to learn and take away from the conference, and plan your agenda accordingly. You aren’t going to be able to go to every session and meet every speaker—so make sure to make a list of priorities. Continue Reading

Savvy freelance editors often have a preternatural ability to zero in on dream clients and to steer clear from troublesome ones.

Ideal clients are those that are effortless to work with, straightforward and clear, and earn you the most money in a short period of time.

In contrast, challenging clients are usually those that ask you to work below your standard rate, demand a lot of changes mid-project, request frequent meetings, and seek to micromanage the way you work.

As a freelance editor, there are client situations you don’t want to find yourself in. When you sense a prospective client is going to be problematic, swerve quickly to avoid them.

1. Your client asks for unreasonable discounts.

If your client tries to talk you down from your standard rate, it can be fair to consider offering a discount if you think the project is interesting or could be an excellent addition to your portfolio.

But if you agree to an hourly rate and the client tries to undercut the proposed number of hours to pay you less, it demonstrates that he or she doesn’t understand the investment that is required on your part. Instead of offering an hourly rate, charge by the service or project. If the prospective client continues to balk during negotiations, it’s time to walk away. Learn a few pricing and client intake strategies to help you filter your client list. Continue Reading

I’m a sucker for a good study, and a team of Asian researchers have come out with one about how your social networking sites can accurately predict your personality—something you may (or may not) want to do if you run your own business.

There is a theory out there, which emerged on the scene in 1992, called the Five Factor Model (FFM) that states that human personality can be divided into five categories: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Here’s what they mean:

• Openness: inventive and curious. This person has a strong intellectual curiosity and is likely to be able to think outside the box.
• Conscientiousness: efficient and organized. This person is disciplined, organized, and achievement-oriented. They exhibit planned rather than spontaneous behavior.
• Extraversion: outgoing and energetic. This person is social, assertive, and talkative. They seek stimulation in the company of other people.
• Agreeableness: friendly and compassionate. This is a compassionate and cooperative person. They like to be helpful.
• Neuroticism: sensitive and nervous. This person experiences unpleasant emotions, like anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability, quite easily.

As a freelancer, I want to be perceived as open, conscientious, outgoing, and friendly. I do not want to be seen as neurotic. Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at client communication and incorporation. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Question 1

I’m a regular reader of FreelanceSwitch which has become very valuable to me since I became a full-time freelancer. I’m currently facing a problem with a client I’d like your insight about it.

I was asked by this client to create their website last year. Since this client is not at all tech-savy, decisions took quite long to make, but we managed to get the project going. Last time I saw them – in June – the website was nearly ready to publish, but they asked me for more revisions on this project, not really being polite about it. I did make the revisions and asked them if they were okay with it. I was told that they would look at it and get back to me the following week.

I never received an answer, despite emailing and calling. I ended up sending them a letter two weeks ago, asking them if the project was still on their agenda or if we should break the contract. I had no answer. However, I learned while talking to a shared acquaintance, that they don’t want a website for their business anymore.

I’m torn between two solutions:

Should I wait for them to contact me, risking that they’ll come and ask for their website completed for the next day or that I refund the deposit they made (I made the mistake of not specifying that it was not refundable in my contract)?

Or should I send them a termination notice for our contract, risking that they ask for a refund (or worse, since the owner of this business is moody and can be aggressive and litigious)?

This project was one of my first as a freelancer and I made a big mistake, being not specific enough in my contract. I’m kind of stuck, here, and like to have an external point of view.

What I would suggest doing depends on whether you’re still owed money on this project. I try to avoid ever leaving an unpaid invoice on my records, even if it means spending more time on collections than the invoice might actually be worth. If you’re still owed money, I’d contact the client via certified mail with an invoice for work completed. Be polite about the whole thing, but be firm. If the invoice remains unpaid, you can choose whether it’s worthwhile to take it to small claims court or to turn over to a collections agency. Continue Reading

Have you ever been stiffed by a client? Many freelancers have—and it sucks. More often than not, the cost to take the client to court is frequently much more expensive than the unpaid invoice. So what’s a freelancer to do?

One thing they can do is join forces in a new civic action campaign created and sponsored by the Freelancers Union.

On April 26, the Union launched a web-based tool called The World’s Longest Invoice, where freelancers can come together and share their horror stories. You can add your unpaid invoices to the list at worldslongestinvoice.com.

Some of the unpaid invoices already listed include:

• $200 for violin performance on Busta Rhymes 2008 album, “Back on My B.S.”, submitted by Andrew.
• $7,000 for published children’s book illustration, submitted by Linda.
• $1,300 for marketing strategy, brand development, event planning, and copy writing, submitted by Allison B.
• $1,500 for environmental graphic design concepts for Rascal Flatt’s Tour, submitted by Adam J.
• $2,700 for WordPress development. Client cancelled the job two days before deadline and refused to pay for it because they didn’t use it, submitted by Sarah.
• $2,800 for iPhone application development, submitted by Charles G.
• $15,000 for 8 videos, filmed and edited, 5 minutes in length each, submitted by Ross F.

There are invoices listed for everything from pet sitting to web-related services, and everything in between. Continue Reading

In this day and age it’s not uncommon to hear bold statements such as “The business card is dead, it’s all about wireless vCard” or “I’ll email my contact details over after the conference”.

The truth is business cards are as prominent as ever, especially with the ever advancing methods that printing allows, such as: unusual shapes, textures, thicknesses, and sizes.

Business cards provide a platform to express your workmanship and creativity, allowing you to nudge aside the tech obsessed that are trying to bump their phones together to exchange details. You can attract the attention of potential clients or partners with a compact and handy card. What do you think is going to make more of an impact, an electronic vCard you forget about the moment you receive it, or a sturdy and beautifully designed business card?

We have compiled a list of common mistakes people make when designing their business cards, which will help you to create a compelling business card design.

1. Low Quality Images and Graphics

Nothing ruins a business card design more than blurry or pixelated images. You wouldn’t put one on your website, so why make an exception for your business card. Remember that just because something looks good on your screen, doesn’t mean it will print fine.

A good guide if you are using photographs is to make sure that they are at least 300dpi. Also, if you are using a logo ensure that it is vector based. Vector files will easily scale up (or down) without any loss of quality.

2. Cheap Quality Card

Think about what your card “says” as you hand it over. Is it strong, sturdy and solid or is it weak and flimsy like a limp handshake? Nearly all online printers offer free sample packs these days, so request one and try them out! Continue Reading