Whether you’re looking for your first paid assignment or you’ve done hundreds before, you absolutely must have a freelance writer website for all potential clients to visit.
It could be a jazzed-up version of your LinkedIn profile. It could be a website page on Wix or your Medium blog. Or it could be your writer account on nDash.
No matter what you use as your freelance writer’s website, three things can help you land more paid work.
1. Your Freelance Writer Website Must Include a Bio
I get it. Writing about yourself is, ironically, really difficult!
However, it is super important to have a really compelling and insightful bio on your “About Me” section in your nDash profile—and on the homepage of your own freelance writer website, if you have one. (Rest assured, if you only have the nDash profile, you can STILL share a public version of your page!)
A bio provides potential clients—or people who are looking to set you up with the best brands for your expertise (like me!)—with insights into what your writing style is, your ability to self-edit for spelling and grammar, and an overview on which types of clients and industries you enjoy writing for.
When you write (or rewrite) your bio, make sure you include these main points:
- What industries you enjoy writing for
- The types of content you’d consider yourself to be an expert writing
- The expertise you bring to the table—a background in SEO, 10+ years in a specific industry, notable clients you’ve written consistent content for, something else?
2. Include Industries and Topics You Write About
Your bio does a great job of showing clients your true writing style and the subjects you love writing about. But it’s also important to have a section on your freelance writer website (or utilize the “Topics” section in your nDash profile) to bring attention to the industries and markets you excel in writing for.
In short, it’s important to do two things:
Choose 3-5 industries you have a lot of experience writing for. A common mistake I have seen many freelancers do is listing every single industry they’ve ever written for. By doing so, you typically end up attracting clients that are looking for a “catch-all” writer, and they’re also not interested in paying top dollar since it doesn’t look like you hold specific expertise. I would suggest not listing every industry for fear of low-balling your prices.
Under each industry, you’ll want to add a few keywords/niches that you focus on specifically (this is easy to do under “Topics” on your nDash profile).
A good example of this is if you listed “Business” as the space you write for. You’ll want to list a few keywords underneath, such as “digital marketing,” “human resources,” or “sales strategy.” This will help with (1) SEO and (2) showcases your deeper level of understanding of the industry.
3. Don’t Forget to Include Writing Samples
Choosing which writing samples to showcase on your profile can sometimes be one of the most daunting tasks. Where do you begin?!
A great place to start is to look at the industries you’ve listed on your freelance profile.
If you want brands to really understand why you are the best writer for them, it’s so important that you have at least one writing sample on your profile per topic mentioned.
Likewise, while you may have listed “Business” as your topic, if your keywords are “marketing” and “eCommerce,” you’ll want to ensure you have a relevant sample for each of these niches. Whereas, if the topics under “Business” are “content creation” and “marketing,” one sample should suffice.
The goal for you is this: showcase your best work for each of the industries you’d like to land clients in.
Keep Your Freelance Writer Website Updated
Here’s a pro tip for strengthening your website: Don’t forget to update it on a monthly basis!
The information on your website, landing page, or nDash profile has to be as up-to-date as humanly possible. So much of your job is to support marketing for your clients. But it’s just as important to take the time to market yourself—that starts with continuously updating your profile.
For more tips on creating a killer nDash writer profile, check out this help topic.