The Write Way Round

Today's morsel of wisdom comes from a blog I read  by Danny Margulies about attaching relevant writing samples to your application. Nearly all job descriptions for copy-writers and bloggers ask to include relevant samples - previously my tactic has been to include a few lines like this in my application: "I  have  attached some blog posts that I have recently created, as I believe that everyone has a unique writing style and I want you to see mine!     As you can see, I've written in a number of niches, from business and digital marketing to travel  and interior design. I am  more than happy researching any topics you might desire." Before including as many examples of high quality blog posts that I've already put out for previous clients, like so: In hindsight, this is probably  not the most effective way to score interviews, for a few reasons. One is that there is no way they are going to read all of them. They are kinda l...

Getting started on UpWork is a bit of a conundrum, right? You wanna smash out work but it's kinda hard with no feedback and you want to get feedback but that's kinda hard when you haven't done any work. Unless you have some mad skills in a niche I haven't heard of and a decent portfolio behind you to prove it, this probably means you're going to end up working for less than your time is worth. Admittedly this seems like a bit of a wonk job and yours truly has fallen prey to not applying to as many jobs as he should have because they don't pay enough. That said, I recently had this exchange with a client: In the end I banged this blog out anyway - to be honest, it didn't take that long but was still a bit 'below me' in terms of earnings over time. Plus digital marketing isn't really my jive. However the moral of the story is that when you're getting started on UpWork, you've pretty much got to take what you ca...

So I've been experimenting with a few different cover letters - this is a quick post about how to write a cover letter on UpWork. Finding a template that works for you not only saves time - with the right formula you can hopefully boost the number of interviews and successful proposals. It's raining in Ho Chi Minh City so with nothing better to do but sit in the hostel, I thought I'd share some UpWork wisdom. Don't copy it word for word, you freaks!! Okay, so key tips: If possible, find out who you're writing to. On the job outline, you can look at the clients feedback and often you'll find their name. Address it to them personally. If not I've been going with 'Dear potential client,' which might be more handy for formal proposals. Straight off the bat I've put why I am interested in that job specifically. Hint: I've never even had a dog. Be creative! Include your portfolio. If you've rolled out of bed and decided to ...

Today whilst scrolling through UpWork I came across one of my favorite kind of jobs. You'll occasionally see a client who needs something done urgently - in this case within an hour. Usually it's pretty simple, and the budget they've set is what they're willing to pay. Which was good for me on this occasion - because $40 per hour (after UpWork fees) is pretty tight huh? Especially when this one only took about 30 minutes. Took the edge off of being scammed twenty dollars by a shoe repairer in Hanoi earlier today. From what I can gauge, these jobs are all about getting in there quickly - having a quality application and being the first on the pile of proposals. My tips for this kind of thing would be: Only go for it if you're sure you can complete it in time. Obviously. This one specified 500-600 words, which I knew I could bash out. Try and find out as much as possible before accepting any proposals. This client wanted a press release, and I knew I c...

Okay, so it’s not really the beginning. I’ve spent two months in Thailand already so I’m pretty much half-way through my South East Asia travels. Unfortunately I’m running out of money  very quickly  so I’m going to see if it’s possible to get shit-hot at freelance writing and make enough to keep going. And document it. Anyone’s guess at this stage. Image Source: www.upwork.com I’m mainly using UpWork. Created my account about a week ago and it’s already looking okay. I’ve clocked in about $45 from a travel listicle about the best cafe’s to visit in Phuket (never been). Two more blogs from the same client mean there’s a bit more money in the pipeline. I’ve also smashed out a business blog on acquisitions, which means I’ve got about 3.5 UpWork hours under my belt (manual time because I couldn’t figure out how to install the app – have now though). Oh and there’s a gig where I make up biographies of authors for a series of kids books, which I think will be about $13 a p...