How To Find Cool Blogging Gigs
Just a few simple steps to landing your first really cool blogging gig.
In my previous post, I talked about how one short sales letter landed me two six-figure blogging gigs. Read that article here:
Based on this success, below are a few quick tips for freelance writers looking for cool blogging gigs.
Fishing fans have a saying:
“A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.”
Similarly, as a work-from-home freelance or digital nomad, writing about a boring topic is better than writing about a topic you enjoy but having to go to a J.O.B. every day to do it.
But, ideally, you should be able to do both — write about a topic that inspires you and do it from home or from anywhere on Earth you like.
Tips for finding cool blogging gigs
1. Write about a topic that inspires you
For utmost job satisfaction, make the commitment to cover a topic about which you are passionate — or at least one that interests you.
2. Build a portfolio on your special topic
If you don’t have any writing examples in the industry you’re interested in, just write a dozen articles and post them on Medium. Take the time to make them great.
If you can get your articles into a good publication that helps. If not, create your own publication with a focus on the topic of interest. Many prospective clients have no idea that anyone can create a publication and post articles. And those that know probably care more about the quality of your work.
3. Make a list of niche marketing agencies
Agencies are often scrambling to hire freelance writers for their clients’ blogs. Let them find the clients. Search Google for a list of marketing agencies in the niche about which you are passionate. For example, in my case, it was “cannabis marketing agencies.” I found several industry lists.
Gather the leads together into a spreadsheet or document.
Alternatively, you could reach out directly to companies in your niche and offer your services as a blogger.
4. Write a short sales letter
This doesn’t have to be lengthy. In fact, the letter shouldn’t be long or it will get tossed. The reader should be able to know what it says at a glance before they have a chance to smash the trash can.
The letter I used went something like this:
Hello. I’m a freelance writer specializing in the cannabis industry. Below are links to some of the articles that I’ve written recently. I have room for another client or two. I’d appreciate it if you would pass this email onto whoever handles marketing there. Thanks.
5. Send the prospects the letter.
I did this by hiring a virtual assistant I found on Fiverr (no affiliation) to fill out contact forms on the prospective clients’ websites. Don’t send out emails of you’ll get blacklisted for spamming. In the letter, include a link to your Medium portfolio. Pin all your best articles to the top of your Medium feed.
You could also send out postcards or letters by mail or use a website such as Linkedin.
If you are persistent, it’s just a matter of time before you find a client in your niche that will keep your inbox full and your to-do list long.
BONUS TIP: Drop difficult clients
Gravitate toward the easy-to-manage clients and drop the difficult ones!
Before I was a freelance writer, I designed advertising and marketing collateral. Projects would always go back and forth and back and forth as I tried to bring the client’s vision together. And then there were the client meetings. This kind of client work is bad for a free-spirited writer’s mental health and puts a damper on traveling.
The great thing about freelance blogging is that clients very rarely ask for more than minor revisions. If a client asks you to rewrite entire sections of your piece, they are always going to be a difficult client. There are cool clients out there who are easy to work with.
Find them and keep them happy.
