Things to do to Stand Out in the Freelance Content Writing World

Freelancing is fairly popular nowadays, and content writing as a field is even more so. According to this online study, the number of freelance writers globally was found to be around 204 million.

Considering the number of people that compete in this field and the amount of competition there is, you have to do things that make you stand out and make you an appealing candidate to choose above the rest.

In this post, that is what we’re going to be discussing.

How to stand out as a freelance content writer?

Build excellent freelance profiles

As a freelancer, there are different platforms and websites that you can use to find clients. Some of the common and popular names include Fiverr, Upwork, and the like.

On platforms like these, you have to create a profile that potential clients can visit and learn more about you before deciding to hire you.

Since the profile creates a first impression for you, you need to make it informative, attractive, and catchy. 

There are different indicators of a good freelance profile. Some of them are the following:

1. It contains a brief, concise, and easy-to-understand bio describing the particular freelancer
2. It mentions all of their main skills
3. It mentions their past projects and works/portfolio
4. It features a number of positive user reviews from past clients

When you’re building a profile, make sure to pay attention to all of those elements.

Be available and online

When a client is looking to hire a freelancer, they look for people who are online and available. Consider the example of Fiverr. On Fiverr, there is a gig system where clients can browse different freelancers and pick one that they find suitable. 

In the array of freelancers, the clients can be more attracted to those that have a green online status – even if they lack a little in the number of reviews or seller level.

In the same way, when you’re freelancing – either working with existing clients or prospecting new ones – you have to stay online in one way or the other. Even if it means being online on your mobile phone, you shouldn’t disappear except for your off hours when you turn in.

Carefully understand your client’s instructions and requirements

A lot of freelance writers can get stuck when it comes to the simple and preliminary task of understanding their client’s instructions and requirements. Depending on who the client is and the type of writing service you provide, the instructions provided to you could either be extensive and lengthy or the opposite.

Before you start working – something which you could be overly eager to do if you’re a beginner – you should thoroughly read and understand the instructions you’re given. If there is something you’re unclear on, you should discuss it with your client.

This can sound like something basic and not exactly worth mentioning in a “how to stand out?” post. But, considering the number of mistakes and dissatisfactions that can stem from this not understanding client requirements and the frequency at which it can happen, this definitely deserves to be up here.

With a proper understanding of your client’s instructions and requirements, you will be able to provide them with the work they need without having to repeat and revise.

Create excellent quality content

When you’re a freelance content writer, the main thing that makes you stand out is the quality of your content. The other factors and aspects that we’ve mentioned are important, no doubt. But the content quality is the main core element that you have to focus on.

Freelancers that provide content quality can even get away with crossed deadlines and high prices. We’re not saying that you should, in any way, deliberately violate deadlines or overcharge prices. 

Rather, we’re pointing out the fact that clients can become willing to wait longer and pay more if the content is high-quality and according to their requirements.

There are a few different things that you have to do to ensure high content quality.

1. Do proper research before writing your content. We won’t delve into the specifics, but performing research helps in making your write-up authoritative and reliable. These are two traits of quality when it comes to content.
2. When writing, maintain readability in your content by using easy words and short sentences. Beginner freelancers can get the idea that the tougher they make their content to understand, the more impressive it looks. The opposite is actually the truth.
3. Add visuals and images to your content to make it more engaging. Clients, as well as the readers, aren’t typically very fond of reading long barrages of text. Visuals and images break the monotony.
4. Make sure to proofread and check your content before you wind it up. There are different things you need to check for, such as grammar errors, spelling mistakes, plagiarism, and so on.

For the last part, i.e., proofreading and checking, you can take the help of online tools so that it gets over quickly. For some parts of the proofreading, i.e., the plagiarism checking, you have no choice but to use a tool. However, for the others, such as grammar and spell checking, the tools can play an assistive role.

Since there are different tools that you need to collectively use for this purpose, it can be easier and more efficient to pick a whole toolkit rather than individual ones. We personally recommend using Editpad since it offers a lot of free stuff and doesn’t even require you to initially sign up.

Conclusion

It’s not exactly easy to stand out in the world of online freelance writing, but it sure is simple. If you do a few simple things – the ones that we’ve mentioned above – you can easily make yourself different from the rest.

When you stand out, you have a better chance of getting clients and earning a better income.

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