Guest Post from Susan Johnston: 5 Trends for Freelancers to Watch in 2014

Thanks to freelancer extraordinaire Susan Johnston for today's guest post on freelance trends. I think you'll find it illuminating: 

Happy New Year, writers! Last year ushered in rapid changes and new developments in the media industry and 2014 promises to be no different. Not only are the markets and opportunities for freelancers evolving, but changes are also afoot to the way we get paid and insure our freelancer selves against potential health issues. Here's a look at five trends to consider as 2014 unfolds.

1.     More opportunities in content marketing.
Many of the freelancers I know have shifted their focus from magazine articles to content marketing (also sometimes called brand journalism or custom content). I even spoke on a panel about content marketing last year. Good content marketing places the needs of its readers before the desire to sell, sell, sell, which should alleviate some of the fears of sales-wary freelancers.

Big brands in industries including healthcare, finance, and consumer products now invest heavily in content marketing, and many of them use freelance journalists to produce that content, a need that I only see increasing in the coming year. Several industry insiders predict how content marketing may mature in the coming year. To read case studies and learn more about this growing field, I recommend reading the posts at the Content Marketing Institute and Content Strategist.

2.     Innovative uses of social media.
Freelancers use social media to crowdsource ideas and sources, promote their work, interact with readers, and in some cases even publish the work itself. I predict that writers' use of social media will continue to mature and evolve in 2014, so if you aren't signed up already, now's the time to claim your book title or name on social media before someone else does. I've even had prospective clients ask how many followers I have on Twitter or Facebook, so a strong following could be used as a selling point for savvy freelancers.

3.     Writers going indie.
Freelance pay rates for magazines have largely stagnated, and online and newspaper rates are generally even lower. Given these conditions, it's not surprising that journalists are becoming entrepreneurs by launching startups or writer communities, crowdfunding articles instead of selling to a publisher, monetizing a blog by charging readers, or self-publishing as Kelly has done with Improvise Press.

All of these smaller trends point to the broader movement of writers relying more on their own ingenuity and less on traditional publishers, a shift that I find encouraging and expect to see more of in 2014. However, these ventures aren't any easier than landing a magazine assignment or a book contract. In many cases, it's a lot more work to build your own media empire. It's also more rewarding because you pocket more of the profit and the glory if the project succeeds.

4.     Growing payment options.
Instead of mailing checks to freelancers, a growing number of companies now pay contributors through PayPal, direct deposit, or other electronic means. This is often faster and more secure than mailing a paper check, taking it to the bank, waiting for it to clear, and so on.

Sometimes clients gross up payments to cover PayPal fees, but many expect freelancers to absorb that cost (it's usually tax-deductible as a business expense but check with your accountant to be sure). Hopefully you're pricing your writing high enough that a small convenience fee from PayPal won't break the bank. However, my favorite workaround is Fresh books' $.50 flat Paypal fee on transactions. Invoice using Freshbooks and you'll only pay $.50 per PayPal transaction regardless of the invoice's size. 

If your clients still pay by check, don't despair. Mobile check deposit, which I covered for US News & World Report, has made it easier for me to deposit checks without a trip to the bank. A growing number of large and small banks have added this functionality to their mobile apps. Still, don't be surprised if more clients switch to PayPal or direct deposit in the new year, which is easier for both parties.

5.     The Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act has had its share of hiccups and controversy. Politics aside, many aspiring freelancers in the United States hesitate because the idea of going without employer-sponsored healthcare and buying their own just seems too daunting. I'm sure there are other freelancers who stay in marriages or domestic partnerships to avoid losing a spouse's employer-sponsored healthcare.

It may take some time to iron out the state healthcare exchanges, but their implementation could help those who previously felt tethered to an employer for the benefits. Massachusetts implemented its own health insurance exchange a year or two before I quit my job to freelance full-time and it's one of the things that even made that transition possible.

Freelancers, what trends are you seeing play out as the new year begins? Leave a comment and let us know!

**Susan Johnston has contributed to print and online publications including The Boston Globe, Self Magazine, and US News & World Report. Her ebook, The Urban Muse Guide to Online Writing Markets, will soon be updated for 2014, and if you buy it now, you'll get a copy of the current edition and the updated version once it's available.

5 Smart Social Media Tips for Freelancers

I came away from last week's ASJA Con Con with pages full of notes, and great new ideas about how I can enhance my freelance business, particularly in in the content marketing arena. On one panel, social media expert and freelancer Yael Grauer offered a slew of advice for both newbie and experienced freelancers, including: 

1. When on social media, focus on sharing advice that benefits your target clients. So, if you want to do content marketing for corporations or agencies, don't post about "how to make more money working for content marketing clients" (although that would be helpful for freelancers!). Instead, post about "how to use content marketing to create loyal customers."

Get it? Think about what your potential clients want to read. So, for example, if I want to attract potential ghostwriting clients, I should post about how to hire a ghostwriter for cheap--which would be of interest for those looking for ghostwriters--and not how to make money as a ghostwriter, which would interest people like me.   

2. Create private lists on Twitter to keep up with current and potential clients. (Go to your home page on Twitter and click on Lists, four buttons below Tweets.) 

3. Take the "LinkedIn for Journalists" training on LinkedIn. It's free, and completing it gives you a free upgrade for a year, which means you can in-mail anyone on LinkedIn for free. 

4. Remember that anyone--editors, potential clients, your competitors--may be reading your social media feed. Don't post anything that doesn't positively reflect on you and your brand. 

5. Use bit.ly or goo.gl to track response to your social media posts, and use that data when creating new social media content. This is one tip I'm going to immediately put into practice, and I'll report on the results in a month or two.

**Thanks again to Yael (follow her at @yaelwrites), and stay tuned for more great tips, strategies, and ideas from ASJA ConCon. Want to know how to add content marketing and other ghostwriting to your freelance repertoire? Check out my new book, Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks! Make Money Writing Books, Articles, Blogs, and More, Second Edition, which covers both short- and long-form ghostwriting. Download the book at Smashwords.) 

LinkedIn Etiquette for Freelance Writers: Guest Post by Susan Johnston

I'm the first to admit that my social media skills need some fine-tuning. Yes, I'm on Twitter (@kellyjamesenger) and I have a personal and fan page on Facebook. And I've been on LinkedIn for a while but I know I'm not making the most of it. So I was delighted to have Susan Johnston, author of LinkedIn and Lovin’ It, write this guest post: 

With over 120 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn is an excellent networking platform for freelance writers who want to build their client base and connect with like-minded professionals. Unfortunately, many writers aren’t active on LinkedIn because they’re uncertain about the etiquette or simply don’t know how it works.

Here’s a look at several of LinkedIn’s main functions and tips on using these features.

·      Inviting connections.
Unlike Twitter, where people collect followers like trading cards, LinkedIn is designed to be a network of trusted professionals. The site urges users to only connect with people they know (or at least know of). When you send an invitation to connect, personalize the message field to ensure that the recipient knows who you are. For instance, “It was great meeting you at the ASJA conference! Since you also cover small business, I wondered if you’d like to connect on LinkedIn?” Much better than a generic, “I’d like to add you to my professional network.”

You probably wouldn’t friend an editor on Facebook (unless you were unusually chummy), but in most cases, it’s perfectly fine to add editors on LinkedIn, especially if you’ve written for the editor before. If you haven’t worked with him or her yet but would like to, check if someone already in your network is connected to the person and use the “request an introduction” feature.

·      Accepting or ignoring connections.
At some point, you’ll probably get invitations to connect with people you don’t know. Lindsey Pollak, a LinkedIn spokesperson who appeared on my LinkedIn panel at ASJA, has a great strategy for these invitations. If it looks like someone you might have met but can’t remember where, send a short message like, “Thanks for your invitation to connect! I’m trying to figure out how we know each other, so could you jog my memory?” Then you can decide if you want to connect (or not).

If it’s not someone you care to connect with, simply ignore their invitation (they’ll never be the wiser). If you’ve already added someone and decide to cull your connections, there is a way to quietly remove connections (again, they’ll never be the wiser).

·      Updating your profile.
As you update your profile, you may want to adjust your privacy settings so don’t annoy your connections with a flurry of activity. This is also a good idea if you have a day job and don’t want to tip off your boss that you’re updating your LinkedIn profile (as this is often a tell-tale sign that you’re searching for a new job). You can turn notifications back on once your profile is ready for viewing.

Some people link their Twitter and LinkedIn accounts so that their LinkedIn status gets automatically updated each time they tweet. I prefer customizing status updates on LinkedIn, because Twitter tends to be chattier and more casual than LinkedIn’s thoughtful, professional tone. If you’re a frequent tweeter, you also risk overwhelming your LinkedIn connections with Twitter chatter. Instead, set a calendar reminder to update your LinkedIn status once or twice a week. You could post an article you found useful (or even one of your own articles you’re particularly proud of) or write a quick status update about what you’re reading or the conference you’re planning to attend.

·      Requesting recommendations.
LinkedIn recommendations help build your credibility. The site offers a request a recommendation feature to make the process less awkward. However, you should be judicious about giving or requesting recommendations. I once had a publicist request a LinkedIn recommendation from me after she set up a single interview, and I politely explained that I prefer to wait until we have longer history of working together before I give her my endorsement. Reserve those requests for people who know you and your work well. You’ll have the chance to review the recommendation before it goes live on your profile. If you get a really stellar recommendation, ask the person’s permission to include it on your website, too.

Your turn, freelancers! How do you use LinkedIn and have you run into any of the situations mentioned above? Leave a comment and let us know!

Susan Johnston (@UrbanMuseWriter) is the author of LinkedIn and Lovin’ It, Rockable Press’ guide for freelancers and other creative professionals. Her writing also appears in print and online publications including Bankrate.com, The Boston Globe, and US News & World Report. 

Tips from Freelancing Experts, Take #2: Start Tweeting!

As a freelancer, you've got to be able to network and create relationships. You already know that. Fortunately there's this thing called social media (you've heard of it, right?) to help you do so. Using it can help you develop relationships and get assignments from editors and clients you haven't worked with before. 

So tip #2 from last week's ASJA board member panels in Chicago is to get social-media-savvy. Specifically, get on Twitter, recommends ASJA board member Randy Dotinga, who writes stories, blog posts and book reviews for The Christian Science Monitor and a daily email newsletter for Voice of San Diego (a leading non-profit investigative news organization). He's nabbed numerous assignments from actively participating on Twitter. "Find people who are like you in the writing business, and follow them," says Dotinga. "If you write about science or the environment or health, look for writers and editors who cover those subjects and follow them...and use Twitter to promote yourself as a freelancer." Twitter has helped him make "warm calls" to new clients and editors because they "know" him from his Tweets. 

He also suggests that new writers consider smaller-scale publications in addition to national ones. "Think about local publications, alternative weeklies, nonprofit organizations, and news collectives," says Dotinga. They are often overlooked by freelancers and can be a good source of work. By following people in your area "who know what's going on," you're also likely to find story ideas you can spin into pitches. 

Bottom line? "Use social media," says Dotinga. "Use it to market yourself, promote yourself, and promote your work." 

**Readers, what about you? Are you using Twitter to build your freelance business? Has it helped you get work? If so, share your stories here!