FREELANCE WRITER JOB RIDING ON THE FREELANCE WRITING TREND. This post was one of the most useful of the year, judging by the traffic it got, so I decided to make a new prediction for 2019. But this time, rather than write high-paying texts, I draw attention to the hot trends you should know to earn a good living in the coming year.
How you take advantage of these trends and forecasts for freelance writing will depend on the kind of writing you like to do and the types of clients you serve. These are high-profile trends that will affect us all, whether you’re into blogging, magazine writing, or copywriting.
I’ve included action steps that outline how to take advantage of each of these trends over the next year.
Freelance writing predictions look bright
The short version: I’ve never been more excited about the opportunities for freelance writers than I am today.
Ready? Let’s look at the seven biggest emerging trends:
Massive change
Whether you personally find Donald Trump terrifying or are excited to see him take office, one thing is certain: he has promised to make things happen.
And I think that’s going to create writing opportunities that are, well, huge.
How will a new president impact freelancers’ written predictions? This means that every industry needs a needs analysis, and they need it now. How will the new policies affect their industry? Will these declarations really take place or not? The companies will strive to reposition themselves for success over the next four years, alongside progressive causes such as environmental preservation.
Once organizations have determined their point of view, businesses will need new RFPs and position papers, and nonprofits will be able to plan different initiatives. The playbook is tearing up – and that means a lot of new stuff has to be written.
Action: Start building your repertoire of economics and business experts, especially for the businesses or non-profit sectors you specialize in, and you’ll be in the right position when businesses need help or trade publications will be looking for stories. Read a lot, to find out what has already been said, and ask yourself what will happen next, then present a story about it. If you write on or for government agencies, this could be a real boon.
Change is the essence of news – and there should be a bang of that in 2017. Change = opportunity. Be ready to take advantage of it!
Not all of us are happy to see these changes coming, but there is no doubt that documenting and explaining the impact of these changes will be very important for writers.
The death of junk contents
I’ve been wishing for it, hoping for it, and planning for it for years, and now it’s finally here. Google has killed SEO value, low value, 300-word content. The world of crap $5-$10 blog post postings is fast drying.
The final nail in this coffin? Automation has reached the point where short messages can be written by robot software, with an increasing degree of skill.
I get emails every day from writers asking me what to do next now that trash content is dead. The answer is: Aim for better gigs! My freelance writing predictions suggest that soon, more complex assignments will be all there are.
This trend is great news for talented authors, as the low end of the market is dying out! All of these $5 blog post offers have certainly had a negative effect on blog rates overall. I believe we will have less work to do informing clients about business rates in 2017.
Stop chasing low-paying blogging jobs. In any case, it is a fading opportunity. Think $100 as the floor for writing a blog post of fewer than 1,000 words – and get a permanent supply for a minimum of 60-90 days of work. Think about how you can position yourself to get higher-paying, higher-quality gigs.
In 2017, more and more companies will stop wasting their marketing dollars on cheap, low-value content. Instead, they will focus more on the next trend in my lineup…
The Rise of Authority Content Marketing
Expect more businesses in 2017 to understand that the purpose of blogging is to build their authority, differentiate them from their competitors, and strengthen their connection with their customers. They need professional writers to create long-form, high-value posts – hence the $400 increase in blog post assignments.
In an effort to please Google – and due to the growing competitiveness of the blogging space – the pendulum has swung to very high quality, longer blog posts of 1,500 words and above. I think it will be a long time before robots can write them – and this is a big opportunity for freelance writers.
I’m thrilled to see that blog posts are finally getting the business-building credit they deserve, and to see that pricing reflects the value of high-quality content in increasing sales. This trend will only increase in 2017 as competition for the best ghost bloggers intensifies.
let’s face it – a 1500-word blog post is as much work as a 1500-word article! These two forms of writing converge more and more. So don’t hesitate to ask for a rate that actually compensates you for the time spent creating authority posts.
Obviously, the ultimate authoring content is a book or e-book. And every company that hires a marketing consultant is told their CEO needs a book. This is an opportunity for editors to snag projects at 20,000 Euros – 50,000 Euros each. (Stay tuned in the coming weeks for news from me on an opportunity to learn and enter this mega-lucrative niche
Action: See what you can do to get some great long-form samples to show customers. Write a long post on your own blog, if need be! Better than that is posting on high-visibility sites that your potential customers tend to read. If you’re interested in ghostwriting books, start cultivating clients that you could upsell or consider writing a book yourself that you could use as a sample of your long-form work.
Showing on top sites will be more important than ever in 2017, due to the next trend:
Inbound marketing
At this point, the great writing works find you. You can’t find them.
And how should they find you? More and more, thanks to your online presence, especially on high-traffic websites.
Outbound marketing is great for growing your business, initially. I’m certainly not here to discourage anyone from starting a magazine or business they’d like to write for! Go for it.
, But.. if you do this role well, freelance writing predictions for the foreseeable future suggest that once you have a portfolio and build your inbound marketing machine, the right leads should come to you, through your incoming tools.
I’m talking about your author’s website and LinkedIn profile, the most important, although in some situations (especially for young writers targeting Millenium brands) it could be your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or another channel.
At this point, big companies and magazines with big postings don’t advertise jobs. Instead, they go trolling online, checking editors’ portfolios and their online visibility. Next, they cater to writers whose writing style and online background are a good fit for their project.
I’ve gotten all my gigs this way for years now, and I’m hearing more and more writers reporting the same.
Example: I was poached from my Entrepreneur blog to write for Forbes. I was hired by an M&A firm on my Forbes blog for what has been around $10,000 in business plans and other marketing projects so far. Alaska Airlines and Costco are just two of the big companies that hired me after seeing my LinkedIn profile.
Action: Build your online presence! Getting inbound leads is what really makes being a freelancer the dream lifestyle. If you don’t have a website for writers, now is the time to get one (if you need help, you’ll find some recommendations on this page). Improve your LinkedIn profile, and make sure your tagline contains keywords to help you find your way around.
While we’re on the subject of online presence, there’s another big trend for freelance writing forecasts to take over: