12 Low Cost or No-Cost Techniques to Snag Lucrative Freelance Writing Assignments ASAP

No matter where you live, landing lucrative writing assignmentsdoesn’t need to be difficult. The secret to a profitablefreelance writing career is to start small and build it fromthere. Another secret… you must remember to promote yourbusiness on a REGULAR basis. Don’t shoot off a few ads orletters, then wait three months before launch another campaign.Promote your business DAILY.So here’s your first technique: Approach your local newspapereditor. Ask if they need a freelancer to cover city council,school board, and/or county board meetings. If they do, you’reon your way earning a living as a writer because you’re about toearn tons of clips. You’ll also start making valuable businesscontacts. More on that later….Armed with your local clips, you can start approaching biggerfreelance markets. Markets like small and mid-sized magazinesthat are hungry for new articles. Start querying them and waitfor their response. (Technique 2)While you’re waiting to hear from your magazine queries, chatwith few of the mayors, city council people, school boardmembers, etc. that you’ve met at your meetings. Most of them arebusiness people. Ask if they need a freelancer to update theirbrochures, write ads or direct mail letters, or if they need awriter-for-hire for a project they have brewing. You’d besurprised how many business people will take you up on youroffer after they’ve witnessed your diligence and accuracy whilecovering their meetings. (Technique 3)Now target local businesses and contact them. Offer to writetheir marketing materials. (Technique 4)To start attracting more commercial clients, run a small ad inyour local paper. As your expertise increases, place more ads insurrounding papers. (Technique 5)Join your local Chamber of Commerce. You’ll meet even morebusiness owners who may need a freelance writer and you’ll makeinvaluable contacts. (Technique 6)Send out a direct mail piece advertising your writing services.If you’re not comfortable writing direct mail, you can puttogether a newsletter. Target the businesses you’d like to workwith and make sure you contact them on a regular basis.(Technique 7)Another technique to keep the money rolling in as a freelancewriter is to keep lots of irons in the fire. Along with themagazine queries and copywriting, always have a book in theworks and send publishers proposals for it. Another idea: I know one local freelancer who has cultivated adevoted clientele who has her write all their correspondence…including Christmas letters. Your projects are limited only byyour imagination. (Technique 8)Make goals each day. Decide how many queries you’ll send out.Decide how many sales letters you’ll mail. How many words areyou going to write in your book? How many new contacts are yougoing to make this week? Make your goals… then follow throughwith them. (Technique 9)Ask and you may receive. Don’t be afraid to ask for what youwant. If you’re a stringer for your local newspaper, ask theeditor if it’s possible for them to run a small ad promotingyour business at a discount (after all you’re a staff writer.)If you write for local businesses, ask them to recommend yourwriting services to their friends. (Technique 10)Never tell anyone your phone number. GIVE it to them. Print abunch of business cards and whenever anyone asks for your phonenumber, give them your card instead. (Technique 11)Network. Make friends in the freelance writing. Give each otherleads and help each other become the best writers you can be.(Technique 12)Carry your latest project with you. If you’ve written a book,bring it wherever you go. If you just finished a big copywritingproject, have it nearby. Got an article in the latest issue of amagazine or newspaper? Better bring it with you…. Nothing sparksa conversation faster than “What ‘cha been up to lately?” Then,next thing you know, you’ve got a prospective customer.(Technique 13)I know, I know… I promised twelve strategies to start makingmoney ASAP as a freelance writer. But I got on a roll andthirteen (I’ve heard) is an unlucky number so here’s one morestrategy.Read. Read everything you can get your hands on. If you writenovels, read novels. If you write direct mail, read EVERY pieceof direct mail that lands on your doorstep. If you write ads,read ads. Read what your competition is writing. Read what yourfriends are writing. Make note of what “works” for you and whatdoesn’t. Then write something better.Read e-mags that will help you make your writing as sharp aspossible. Perfect your craft, become the best writer you can be,promote your business, and you’ll have more work than you canhandle.So there you have it. Fourteen fantastic strategies to landlucrative writing assignments and make a great living as afreelance writer. The possibilities are endless. Find out whatworks for you, then run with it. You just may find yourselfearning a very nice income.