A freelancer is a self-employed person who sells his skill. They get hired by different clients who need their services.
In Nigeria, the youth have been taking advantage of different platforms to learn and increase their skills. Writing is one of those skills many people have decided to make a living from. Truly, making money through freelancing can be very lucrative if you get the right job. Yeah, it\’s not easy, it takes a lot of hard work and consistency to be able to get the peak of the job.
Hence, this article is tailored toward helping new freelance writers and those who need tips on how to become better freelancers in Nigeria.
Challenges Of Being A Freelancer
Most people opened this page because of the challenges they are facing in their freelancing job. Well, it\’s unusual to start thriving without striving. So, let me mention a few problems you might be facing or that you are facing.
1. No or Low Gigs
You might not have the time to open this page if you have enough work at hand. That being said, some would open the page because they desire to know more. Not getting gigs happened to almost every freelance writer that is now doing great out there.
You might have signed up on several freelancing websites, which includes Upwork and Fiverr, and yet it\’s not coming in as expected. You don’t need to worry, just continue working on yourself. When the job starts coming in, you might not be able to do it if you are not prepared.
To solve that, talk to people who are into freelancing. Cast your bread on many waters, at least one would return one day. Also, try to join WhatsApp groups of freelancers, or take up an internship with a company. It could be less pay, take the job and learn.
2. Rejection from Clients
This is common to new freelancers. After struggling to get a job, work refusal or tons of corrections might come back with the work. Rome was not built in a day, you won’t be the best writer in weeks. This is often caused because most freelancers are after the money they want to get paid and not the value they want to give.
Nobody would want to pay you for a job not well done, or that he has to edit ⅓ of the work. You need to step your game up. Read books online and learn from people. Observe people’s approach to how they combine words and enhance the sentence flow.
You won’t have trouble getting materials to help you with this part. YouTube and Google are free classes you can attend. Take your time to get better at what you do, and your work would no longer be on the rejection list.
3 Inability to keep Client
After giving you a job he disappears. Not that he doesn\’t have any job to offer, just that he ended the deal with you. It might not be your fault at times, the client might not be patient enough while giving instructions or so rigid about a style of writing.
One thing I try to do is make sure I understand the psychology of the person I’m working with. I once worked with a client who is not great with an explanation. He could request that two opposite things should be done on a job. At first, I looked confused and frustrated. When I submit the work, he’s almost unsatisfied.
When I understood he could not explain, I started with the ability to ask everything bit by bit. Just make sure you know what your clients want and give it to them, Try to be friendly, and ensure you are on the same page. If your relationship and work are good, you won’t have a problem keeping a client.
What To Do To Become A Better Freelancer
1. Consistency
The more you write the more you get better at it. Writing is one profession that requires steady effort to improve. You can’t ignore the need to write in a day.
A lot of people stop writing once they have no job at hand. That\’s not the way to be better, you can’t just be writing because you would get paid for it. For days, weeks, or even months that you don’t have much job to do, invest your time in self-development. Keep this in mind, the more you engage your writing prowess, the more you become great at doing it.
2. Be accustomed to different niches
When I started writing, all I focused on was writing fiction. Especially during the covid in early 2020. Later on, I realised a fiction job isn\’t coming in any longer, so I had to do something. Being rigid to a particular niche would limit the jobs you can take. Most times, it might not be that you don’t have a job, it might be that you can’t just work on those available. Go online, learn terminologies about the new niche you want to know about, and start writing samples. In a short while, you would be better at it and be ready to take jobs.
3. Connect with other freelancers
A tree doesn’t make a forest. No matter how great you are at what you do when you see how others are doing it better, you will see the need to learn. Everyone has a unique way of doing things, going through others\’ work and learning from them would.
Conclusion
The competition among freelancers is breathtaking. Improving on what you know would create a space for you. Different blogs are created every day, and they all need writers to come up with content. There is a space for you.
In addition, freelancing is one of the ways to earn dollars. But thriving at it needs you to be efficient and give great outcomes. If you are consistent about it, progress is sure.