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Today’s interview is with a hard-working and pretty successful freelance writer – Sharon Hurley Hall. Originally from the UK but now living in Barbados, Sharon has been a strong supporter of our Location Independent network for a while now.
She also happens to be one of the more successful freelance writers I know and as this kind of career is one which frequently attracts those aspiring to be location independent, I asked Sharon a few questions about how she’s managed to carve out a successful career in this field…
Can you briefly introduce yourself & what you do?
I wear many hats – I’m a web content writer, blogger, journalist and occasional editor.
How long did it take to get to where you are with your freelance writing business? And how long did it take to get to a stage where you could live off your freelance writing earnings?
I’ve been freelancing for nearly five years now. I started while I was still in the UK and while I still had a part time job, which gave me some time to get the business up and running. The first 18 months weren’t that lucrative, but by the end of the second year, it was obvious that it was a viable business.
What tips do you have for people looking to start their freelance writing careers?
Gosh, where should I start? Aspiring freelance writers need to build a writer platform so that potential clients can find their work (a blog is good for this, especially if you have no clips).
One of the things I did when starting was write for consumer review and article marketing sites. I was already a skilled writer, but this helped me make the transition from journalism to web content writing.
And the most important tip is to take every opportunity to write content for your target market. If you do this, you will soon be able to attract clients.
What have been your biggest mistakes and successes during your freelance writing career?
One of my biggest mistakes is one that a lot of new freelancers make – not knowing how to manage my time and taking on too much. That’s a short road to stress and burnout (not to mention RSI). Keeping a handle on what you can actually do helps you to plan a realistic schedule and keeps writing fun.
Biggest successes? I’m easy to please. Every time a client likes my work, that’s a success. Most recently, I was able to change a client’s attitude to working with editors. Another of my clients was so happy with the work I did on her site and brochures that she has referred several other clients to me.
What’s your opinion on job boards and sites like Elance? Are they worth joining if you’re just starting out?
I’m probably the wrong person to ask because job boards haven’t worked that well for me. I’ve had a couple of jobs via Rentacoder and Ifreelance, but haven’t found other job boards that useful. A lot of my colleagues have had great success on Elance, though.
My top picks for finding jobs are Freelance Writing Jobs and The Writer’s Bridge. Both of these sift ads from various sites to find the ones that are most likely to be great opportunities.
What have you found to be the most effective ways to market your freelance writing?
I took a “throw everything at it and see what sticks” approach in the beginning. I set up a website and did article marketing articles, then I added a blog. That blog’s successor is regularly on the front page of Google for its main keyword and I’ve been hired based on what people have seen there.
What’s really worked for me, though is connecting with people on Twitter and Facebook and, increasingly, LinkedIn. I mainly talk to other writers and bloggers, but we pass opportunities to each other, either directly or indirectly.
Your site, Get Paid To Write Online, provides some useful tips – any particularly valuable posts you can point us to?
- Running The Numbers On 2009 Freelancing
- How I Put My Site On Steroids – Again
- Seven Steps To A Professional Bid
- My freelance writing questions series
Many aspiring LIPs look at freelance writing as a relatively “easy” way to become location independent. What would you say to them?
Building a freelance writing career takes hard work and dedication. Sometimes you work harder than if you had a 9-5 job. However, it has many advantages which may be summed up as — have laptop, will travel. As long as you have the technology and a good internet connection, you can work from anywhere, so from that point of view, it’s one of the best location independent careers.
Are there any specific challenges you’ve faced on the road or living overseas that have impacted your freelance writing business? Any tips for dealing with these?
Once you realise that just because your clients are in a different time zone, you don’t have to be awake at that time, it’s all gravy :)
Seriously, the big challenge when living on a small island like Barbados is services. Most things work most of the time here, but occasionally you get a power cut at just the wrong time. It’s always good to have a couple of internet cafes and friends’ computers on standby just in case. I backup regularly and keep my laptop charged up so I have a couple hours’ grace if something happens.
