Finding freelance work requires research, planning and a proactive approach! There are a number of effective ways to find freelance jobs depending on the type of freelancing you do. Use these tips and advice to help you secure the freelance opportunities you want.
Steps
- Write for greeting card companies. This can be a rewarding way of earning income as a freelancer. There are over 3000 greeting card publishers in the US, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia and many outsource work to freelance writers. Greeting card companies each have their own particular guidelines for submissions and these can be found on their websites. A reputable list of greeting card companies to submit samples of your work to can be found at the The Greeting Card Association website or in The Writers Handbook which usually can be found in your local library. The trade magazine "Greetings" also lists company information for freelancers.
- Do freelance proofreading. There is a growing amount of work available for proofreaders especially due to the massive growth of websites but the competition for this work is tough. Effective ways of finding freelance proofreading jobs include printing your own promotional material such as flyers and business cards and then distributing them to your likely target market. This includes college students, local companies that produce marketing and advertising material, publishing firms and print shops. You can advertise your proofreading services in the Yellow Pages and in relevant online directories. There are a number of freelance market websites such as Elance where you can bid for online proofreading jobs.
- Find freelance writing jobs. Many freelance writing assignments are available from business writing to sales writing to technical writing and the ever growing demand for writers by websites. Again online bidding sites give writers the chance to bid for freelance writing jobs. Try Guru and Elance. There are websites that list freelance writing jobs such as freelancewriting.com and getafreelancer.com. There are a number of big freelance writing companies looking for new writers such as textbroker.com. You can register with them to access their job lists. You can also approach local companies directly with samples of your sales, technical or brochure writing. Make a list of possible clients from the Yellow Pages. Approach magazines and newspapers. Magazines are often looking for freelance writers to supply the 50 -300 word blurbs that they use in the front and back of magazines.
Tips
- Finding freelance work demands a multi faceted approach - keep as many irons in the fire as possible. With determination and energy you can become a successful freelancer.
