10 Freelance Writer Tips to Keep in Mind for 2022
Given the variety and flexibility that goes along with the job, a freelance writing career can absolutely be a personally and financially rewarding endeavor. Realistically, it’s also one that’s a bit demanding and time-consuming at times, especially when working with an assortment of clients and dealing with things like keywords, deadlines, and an assortment of other client-specific requirements.
Luckily, it’s possible to find a balance between your own personal goals and life obligations and your freelance writing responsibilities. Regardless of how well you managed to achieve this goal in 2021, there’s always room for improvement with how you juggle the many tasks that go along with freelance writing.
Prepare for another year of freelancing by checking out the ten freelance writing tips to consider for 2022 offered below.
1. Communicate Effectively with Clients
Some clients provide extremely vague instructions and guidelines while others make requests that can put a wrench in your writing flow (repeating keywords way too many times, awkward phrases that “must” be included, etc.).
Since these issues have a tendency to pop up with some degree of regularity for freelance writers, let’s start by making one of the freelance writing tips for 2022 about client communication.
If there are any issues with what a client has or hasn’t told you about the article or post expectations, don’t be shy about reaching out to them. This is something you can do tactfully by:
- Asking any questions that immediately pop to mind before you get started (this also reduces revision request frustrations)
- Explaining why certain requirements – e.g., a super high keyword density – don’t make sense and why (and suggesting alternative options)
- Requesting reasonable extensions with deadlines if you’re crunched for time to avoid submitting something that’s not your best work
2. Dive Deeper into Niches That Appeal to You
Some freelance writers are very good at exploring a variety of topics. While there’s nothing wrong with accepting a broad range of assignments to keep things fresh and interesting, it never hurts to learn more about certain niches that appeal to you.
Doing so gives you an edge over other writers with only basic knowledge of certain topics you tend to prefer to write about. Besides, once you gain a reputation for being knowledgeable about a handful of topics, you’ll be more valuable as a writer to clients within the related niches.
3. Personalize Your Pitches
With your freelance writing pitches, be as specific to what each client has requested as much as it’s possible to do so. The more client-specific pitches are, the better your odds are of being given an assignment.
Even with blind pitches where you’re reaching out a client, you hope to write for, your pitches can still be personalized. For instance, look at what’s already posted online on a client’s blog or social media pages. Doing so also helps avoid unintentionally making pitches on topics already well-covered.
4. Stay On Top of SEO Trends
It’s no secret SEO is a big part of freelance writing. Search engine optimization is also an evolving concept in terms of the finer points of making content appealing to searchers and search engines.
Because you and your clients want content that gets discovered by the target audience, make an effort to stay on top of SEO trends in 2022. Your clients will certainly appreciate the fact you’ve done this if it helps what you produce perform better. This is also good for your own reputation as a freelance writer.
5. Brush Up on Grammar and Editing
Even seasoned freelance writers sometimes need a refresher on the finer points of grammar. Granted, it’s only human to occasionally make some mistakes or oversights – and as long as it’s only a rare thing with your writing, it’s usually not a big deal.
Still, it never hurts to take a moment every now and then to remind yourself of some of the more nuanced grammar dos and don’ts (anytime vs. any time, comma placement rules, etc.) or learn a few new editing habits (or find some new editing and proofreading tools).
6. Establish Meaningful Connections with Clients and Other Writers
Don’t miss out on opportunities to establish mutually beneficial and meaningful connections as a freelance writer. Start with the clients you regularly work with but don’t stop there.
Networking can be just as beneficial for freelance writers. If you haven’t yet explored the networking world yet as a writer, consider doing this in 2022 by:
- Connecting with other freelance writers to swap advice and tips
- Looking for online/virtual or in-person events that appeal to you
- Finding ways to introduce yourself to potential new clients (even just making more people aware of what you do can payoff later)
7. Don’t Sell Yourself Short
This is one of the freelance writing tips for 2022 that can be good for you personally and financially. If you haven’t done so lately, take stock of your worth as a freelance writer.
This simply means looking at things like the quality of your work, your experience, your past relationships with clients, what kind of feedback you normally get, and the nature of the content you usually produce.
Taking this step from time to time allows you to determine important fundamentals such as:
- What a fair price per article is based on the typical quality of your work
- How you negotiate with clients when working out arrangements and contract details
- What skills and abilities to emphasize in your pitches and profiles
8. Keep Learning and Growing
Just because you’re done with formal education doesn’t mean you’ve learned everything there is to know when it comes to what you usually write about. Be open to learning as many new and relevant things as you can (and even a few things that don’t seem relevant at the moment).
The greater your overall range of knowledge is, the more you’ll have to draw on as you write for clients in 2022. You may be surprised at how often something you’re writing about triggers something stored away in your brain. The result can be content with even more personality and pizzazz.
9. Be Active Online
It’s possible to be a successful content or freelance writer without being heavily involved in your own online world. That said, there are some added perks that go along with having an active website specific to your writing or being active on your own blog or as a guest poster.
If you write about SEO topics, for instance, clients are likely to be more impressed if your name shows up prominently in a search for “freelance SEO writers.” Even if SEO isn’t one of your go-to topics, clients are still likely to appreciate being about to randomly check out some of the content you post online.
10. Know When to Say No
It’s understandable to want to keep clients happy, especially ones you’ve worked with on a regular basis for a while. However, it’s just as important to realize when you may be stretching yourself too thin to avoid burnout and an unwelcome boost in stress and anxiety.
Therefore, the final freelance writing tip for 2022 is to know when to say no. If you really don’t want to flat-out turn down a client, see if it’s possible to adjust deadlines so you’re not putting too much on your plate at any given time.
Final Thoughts
Freelance writing is a versatile and flexible career in that it’s easy to adapt it to what works best for you at the moment. This is why a bonus freelance writing tip to keep in mind for 2022 is to determine and define your goals. Think about things like your preferred work-life balance and what you hope to achieve with freelance writing beyond where you’re at right now. Happy writing!
Ken is a freelance writer currently living in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. Born in California, his fondness for writing dates back to elementary school writing contests and led to positions on both high school and college newspapers. He earned a degree in Journalism and Communications from Point Park University and did work in data entry after college before transitioning to a full-time career as a freelance writer. While his areas of expertise are marketing and health-related content, Ken is a versatile writer and enjoys exploring and researching a variety of topics. When not busy knocking out articles, he likes to spend time with friends, go for walks, and discover new and exciting things about the world around him.
