[Sticky] Freelance Writing

  Summary:

             Are you a freelance writer looking to stand out and build your unique personal brand? Are you someone who can easily strike a chord with your target audience by providing unique solutions for their problems? Are you someone who has acquired a trusted group of audience with your writing services?  

             Then it is about time to start building your brand to get more visibility and bring in reliable clients.

Introduction:

             Personal branding is a strategy followed to propel a professional to the next level of prominence in his career. It is important for any professional within an expertise but more so when you are into freelance writing.

             Here is a roadmap for you to consider building your personal brand and move to the next level in your writing journey. If you are an expert in your niche or you are a rising star or an executive, the below roadmap will only give you an outline on how to build your brand if you do not where to exactly start.

             Once you get familiar with the strategies, turn them into a formal course of action or as a daily planner to work out your way to personal branding.

1. Identify where you stand today

          Before you even start, try to identify if you are falling under the rising star category or on the expert level category. Knowing yourself and your level of expertise is the first step to determine your current position.

Not all writers are born writers. Try to work on writing more precise with plain English or work with an experienced editor. Start by upgrading your skills and strive to improve to achieve the next level.

2. Choose a niche/micro-niche

         If you are already an expert in a specialized area, you might probably know your niche skill. Choosing a niche which is focused and narrowed down will help you gain the right audience for your services.

         If you are working for a broader area of interest, you are likely to have trouble in building your brand. Try to identify the niche category in your area of interest and work on what you write or speak about in your speeches or webinars.

3. Create a website/ Enhance your profile

         Creating a website need not be a cumbersome job nowadays. Build your website by featuring your written articles, the main mission of your services, the sessions which you have delivered and the achievements you have won. When you add all these features, it adds more value and credibility to your website and can convince your audience that you are an expert in your niche and would want to proceed with your deal.

4. Build a strong portfolio

        While marketing yourself as a brand, your online portfolio comes as  a very effective tool for the target client. There are many online platforms where you can showcase your bio and your writing samples by organizing them based on niche.

        This can be a daunting task, especially if you are a newbie freelance writer. With few tips and tricks, they can as well build a simple portfolio. Try to unearth past experiences of your writing journey and write a summary of activities that you have done related to writing.  For any beginner, to have a fully professional website is not possible. There are online portfolio services which can help a beginner with creating an online portfolio.

5. Create social media profiles

      Having a social media profile is now the new normal for all professional services.

       LinkedIn is by far the most used social platform to showcase your professional services. Have a profile that is complete and join in the active groups which belong to your niche. Chances are your next prospects might be there already and watching you for their services.

       Twitter is again another social platform where you can promote your content. Facebook and YouTube are also social media platforms where you can promote your niche depending upon your niche.

6. Work on your email platform

       If you are a beginner and setting up a new one from scratch, make sure to select a email platform that’s easy to handle and has good list of tools. Use full names and legible information to create a professional email addresses which will help clients to identify you. The email address should speak for your services to the clients/future prospects. It not only builds trust but also emphasizes on your brand.

    Conclusion:

      Well, that can be overwhelming initially but it is that small, first step that you take towards your growth which will matter. Break down your strategies into small tasks and start building on it. You should start to see your results – a steady growth in your followers or a writing opportunity exclusively related to your niche. The journey will be all the more worthwhile.

        Please post your comments on your personal branding journey and make us more inspired to start building each other’s brands.

Written by: Tripureswari, Digital Writopreneur, DW Hub

#personalbranding #personalbrandingforwriters #brandng #tripureswarip #rajindersoni

                         5 Easy Steps to Start A Blog without Knowing Any Code

Summary

Do you want to start a WordPress in the right way? We know that starting a blog may be a tough thing that you are thinking. Many users create a blog, and you have decided to create the most comprehensive guide on how to start a WordPress blog without any technical knowledge or without knowing any code. 

Introduction

 In this digital era (2021), it is very easy to start a blog even if you are a beginner who does not understand anything about coding or web design. 

Under the good guidance and the right tools, you can have your very own personal or professional blog up and running in less than 30-minutes.

Writing blog posts and content can take so much time, though. In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through every part of the process helping you avoid the common mistakes just like a new blogger tends to do.

Sounds good? Then let us start and focus on the steps. 

1. Set A Goal for Your Blog

The first and foremost thing to start your blog is to choose a name for your blog. Most successful blogs can focus on one thing. Perhaps it should be food, traveling, gym and fitness, fashion, or simply about any business.

We like to choose a blog topic that you feel passionate about or interested in. It is even better when you are an expert at something; this helps you to grow your blog through writing well, quality content helping others.

Small Tips for your Blog:

• Are you an expert in something?
• Are you passionate about something?
• Are you learning something innovative and want to write about your process?

2. Find a Good Blogging Platform 

You can sign up with a free blogging site or platforms like Blogger.com, WordPress.com, and Tumblr.com. But once you are ready to build an audience and make money online, there will be only one blogging platform you should consider. 

Which Blogging Platform Should I Choose?

There are many blogging platforms that you can choose and work on it. Some are more flexible and unchallenging to use. Researches show that WordPress is a free blog platform is the most commonly used blogging platform in 2021.

Here is why Self-Hosted WordPress is likely your best option:

• It’s free to use (open-source)
• It’s very flexible with hundreds of free blog themes
• It has a large developer community
• WordPress is being updated and improved

3. Choose a Catchy Domain Name

If you browse the World Wide Web, and you see plenty of headlines that catch your attention. Choose a catchy title for your blog. If you select a good domain name, the audience will get the attention and visit your blog.

 If you want your blog to become a marketing tool, you might look for a theme with a static home page. That way, your site will look professional and appealing to everyone. 

Whatever you do, make sure your theme should be “responsive,” which means it automatically adjusts to look good on any device. 

Create a Catchy Blog Header

Choosing a good blog heading is also an added value for a new blog. 

You can ask your favorite graphic designer, create one with ‘Canva’, or order one on ‘Fiverr’. 

Write your Blog Pages

As you are starting a blog, you can find out few pages. Here are some pages you want to create:

• About

The about page is frequently made as one of the most-viewed pages on blogs, so don’t overlook it. Include a professional headshot and brief biography, and explain why you are blogging and why the reader should care. What makes you an expert? How can you help them? You can get more information by searching the ‘About’ page thoroughly. 

• Portfolio

The portfolio gives you detailed data of your past and present work that you did and has done till now. So, this is your blog, do not hesitate, and show your perspective, clients, and readers that you deserve their time and attention with the portfolio of your present and past work. 

• Resources

Do you have a list of favorite article tools? To find your materials, the resource is an essential part of blogging. Readers love resources and bloggers, they can also know the clever tricks to earn money from the required sources. 

4. Start Writing 

Now you can start writing and start focusing on your blog. What is important is that your planning should be genuine and serious, so you can keep track of your ideas and add a schedule. It is also a chance to assess and tweak your content strategy. What do you want to write about? How will you draw readers in?

Don’t forget you are writing for the web, so your style should be different than if you were writing for print. So, you should keep your tone conversational. 

5. Promote Your Writing

It is time to start promoting your blog. Promoting is very important for branding. If you get promotion and branding, you will be a master of writing. You start posting on other blogs, reposting on sites like Medium and LinkedIn, or including links when writing responses in forums, Facebook groups, or on Quora. Just make sure you are adding value and not spamming people with your URL.

Social media is another great way to get more traffic and grow your author’s following. Start engaging and be interacting with editors, writers, and bloggers, too. You should read and share their content with your community, comment on their posts and support them when and where you can.

Conclusion

Finally, creating a successful blog is about hard work and constancy. If you keep posting helpful and engaging content, optimizing it for SEO, and sharing it with your networks, you will soon see your new blog start to blossom.

So, start building your blog and take action about it, these 5 tips will help you to grab your free action plan now. Add comments and share your thoughts in the comments section.

#blogging #bloggers #personalbranding #wordpresstool #contentwriting #poulomi #digitalwritopreneur #rajindersoni