As a writer, there are a lot of things that I am looking for in a writing job, but certain aspects of a client or job will be valued higher than others. I’m going to be sharing my thoughts on what I think are important aspects to look for when picking up new jobs.

 

From a Writer’s Perspective: This is what I am Looking for in a Writing Job

 

The Pay

Whilst it’s presumed that the pay is one of the largest factors that freelancers will be looking for when applying for new jobs, this is not the case. For me personally, the pay is listed far behind other factors, but I thought I’d talk about it first, because it’s a subject that is usually on the front of everybody’s minds.

Unless a potential new client is offering a very poor rate for a project, i’ll often look past the pay rate and focus on other aspects first. I of course need to make sure I’m making enough money to get by, but there are other reasons that will affect your long term success as a freelancer, and they are far more important than the up front cost a new client is suggesting for your writing.

 

Client Reliability

This is one of the highest rated factors for me personally when looking for a new job. If I am going to be getting a new job, I want to ensure that the client is trustworthy. If the client does not have proof of paying others for similar work in the past, there’s no guarantee that client will pay up. Even if a client does pay you the first time, you can’t be sure whether they will the second time.

If you’re short on jobs and have a lot of spare time, it’s not going to be as damaging if a client doesn’t stick to their end of the bargain, so you shouldn’t always overlook new clients. However, if you are limited for time, you should try to look for higher trusted clients first.

 

Solid Communication

This falls under client reliability, but it deserves a separate mention. If you are talking to a new potential client about a project, and you’re already waiting days or weeks for replies, chances are you are going to be wasting a lot of time waiting around for this client to respond.

Sometimes you may find a job where you can happily create content without much input from the client, and that’s fine, but if the client is not replying to your questions in a timely manner, you’re going to be getting paid a lot less frequently than somebody who chose a client who responds to freelancers quicker.

 

A Subject I am Passionate About

Unless you are a great researcher and enjoy the actual writing more than the topics you are writing about, then it’s not as important to find jobs you can relate to. However, for the most of us, it’s much easier to comfortably fall into some kind of niche.

There are a couple of benefits to finding a limited set of subjects to write about. Firstly, if you choose something you are truly passionate about, writing will never get boring. You may end up getting burned out quite quickly if you are writing about topics you have no interest in.

The other benefit of writing about subjects you are passionate about is that you’ll continue to gain experience in your niche. Clients will notice your passion, and they’ll start to choose you over any competitors. Over time, your passion will turn into an expertise, and that’s when you can start to find big paying jobs. And guess what, writing will still be fun!

 

Consistent, Long Term Work

One final thing to consider is whether your client will be offering consistent long term work or a one-off project. Once again, it’s nice to have high paying projects to complete for extra cash, but it’s hard enough as it is to feel like you’re bringing in a stable income as a freelance writer.

Picking up long term contracts can help you to feel a little less worried about your future as a writer, and even if you are making less per article, you are likely to bring in a lot more over time than you would from a high paying one-time project.

Hopefully these tips have given you a good idea of what to look for in a writing job. You may want to consider these things before finding your next client.

Thank you Ollie for giving us a writer`s perspective on this!!

I have a couple of writers hired on a weekly basis, to write for my websites. That free up some time for me and it allows me to take care of other parts of my online business… I love working online and you can read about my #1 to make money, here.