Finding Writing Jobs Offline – Your Next Assignment May Be Right Next Door

Recently, Dana Prince wrote a couple of helpful posts (5 Ways to Fill a Freelance Writing Schedule Gap and Five Ways to Get Writing Jobs Fast) about finding work online when you experience a slump. These posts got me thinking about the many places you can look offline for leads to writing assignments.

Friends and Family

Reach out to everyone you know and let them know what you are doing and that you are available. Create a compelling sound bite, not just “I am a freelance writer, looking for work.” Many people have no idea what that means. Tell them “I help businesses communicate with their customers.” Or “I write articles that allow consumers to make educated choices.” Make it real with specific examples and then mention that you happen to be taking on new clients this month. Once I was able to articulate what I do in a manner that my friends and family understood, I quickly received leads for a plumber, an ophthalmologist, and an inspection company. In today’s world, nearly everyone knows somebody looking for assistance with web content.

Professional Organizations

I joined my local Toastmasters club to help me overcome my natural tendency to hide in my home and speak only through my keyboard. Twice a month I meet with professionals in a variety of fields at all levels from solopreneurs to small business owners to executives at international corporations. Not only am I networking, but I am also gaining speaking experience that helps with my marketing pitches. If you do not want to pursue public speaking, there are many other organizations – not just professional ones, but also service and charitable groups. You may even find an organization which needs a writer’s services for newsletters and blogs. Just be sure to have your sound bite prepared when someone asks, “What do you do?”

Small Business Owners

Talk to the business professionals with whom you interact in the course of your day. The local pizza shop, your pediatrician, your accountant – all of these are potential customers. Let them know what you do (remember that sound bite?) and then shift to questioning mode. What are they doing to promote their business online? What are their challenges? Do they understand the possibilities for using online tools to drive their bricks and mortar businesses? Let them know if they have any questions about the internet or online marketing, you are the person they can call for reliable information.

Colleges and Universities

Check the bulletin boards at local schools and bookstores and consider marketing your research and editing skills to students. I am careful about accepting assignments that challenge my ethics – for example, I will not write someone’s term papers. However I do get a great deal of satisfaction from proofreading a student’s paper and helping her take it from good to great. I can see over time how my edits have improved her first drafts. You can also advertise to write resumes and grants. Perhaps you will connect with a professor seeking a collaborator to help write a book.

Sometimes the competition is overwhelming online when it feels like we are all striving for the same jobs. I hope these ideas have you thinking about places in your own neighborhood to market your services. Stepping away from the computer and introducing yourself and your skills to the people in your offline world may be just what you need to find the client that catapults your career to the next level.

Tammi Kibler provides a complete array of ghostwriting, copywriting and blogging services to businesses looking to increase the effectiveness of their web presence. (Photo credit)

Tagged as: get paid to write, writing business, writing markets

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