Freelance content writing is expanding due to great demand across the globe. Online businesses always look for outstanding writers who can write compelling copy for their products and services. Websites based on different niches hire dedicated writers for regular blog updates. Likewise, there are many positions that only freelance content writers can fill.
Although freelance writing is getting traction, yet there are a lot of challenges that freelance writers have to face in today’s era. In this article, you will discover the top challenges that freelance writers are facing at the moment.
Top Challenges of Freelance Content Writers
Freelance writing is all about freedom. You don’t have to be bound to a 9 to 5 job. Write only when you have time and feel good. Freelance writers indeed enjoy their work, but at the same time, they come across a few serious challenges.
- Getting new clients
- Dealing with price negotiations
- Surviving in the increased competition
- Working with clients who live in different time zones
- Payment delays and no payment issues
Let’s discuss some of these key challenges in further detail.
1. Finding Work
Finding work can be extremely challenging, especially for new writers. They might have to write dozens of gigs and job proposals to get new clients. However, things don’t work smoothly for everyone. Most freelancers face tough times in finding the right job. While there are a lot of freelance job websites, they tend to be overcrowded with gigs from freelancers.
One of the top reasons why getting new clients has become difficult is that many novice writers have joined the freelance writing industry. They create profiles on different freelance platforms and start looking for potential jobs. Many of them don’t read the job description carefully. As a result, they don’t get work opportunities.
Unfortunately, many writers remain restricted to freelance platforms. They don’t try other potential opportunities such as local businesses, startups, and marketing agencies. There could be many companies looking for talented writers. So, make sure to check the local newspaper for vacancies. Keep checking job portals. LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for getting the right work opportunity.
2. Bargaining
Freelance writers are not bound to work on specific rates. They can agree to work at any rate that they consider feasible. However, it is mandatory to charge prices that are feasible for the specific writing project.
Unfortunately, writers with very little experience and knowledge become willing to work at low rates. They undervalue their worth. Clients negotiate with such writers and try to bring them to the lowest possible rates.
Clients start bargaining with all writers that they get a chance to work with. They don’t even consider their experience level. This trend upsets the freelance writing market. Writers with expertise and good experience deserve better rates. However, most clients don’t care about it. They just want writers with the lowest prices.
3. Increasing Competition
According to experts, a large number of university graduates are getting attracted to freelance writing. They make extra income to help them continue their studies and earn a livelihood. Freelance writing provides them with the opportunity to earn a handsome amount of money. As a result, the competition rises. Today, you can see every other individual talking about freelancing.
They create profiles on different money-making platforms and start working for clients based in different regions. The increased competition has created multiple challenges for freelance writers. Beating the competition has become a lot difficult today.
4. Rework and adjustments
Not all clients have the same mindset. It’s okay to ask for adjustments when there is something important that needs to be changed. However, many clients stress writers by requesting frequent amendments in write-ups. This creates an extra burden that is often difficult to handle for a writer who manages to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
Working with a client who has such a mindset is hard. It gives rise to psychological pressure and eventually, the writer feels under pressure. He can’t take a breath of comfort after completing the task because the chances of amendment requests are always there.
To get this sorted, you should first discuss everything with the client. Analyze what they expect from you. Say a straight no if you are not able to meet their requirements.
5. Time Management
Time management is one of the most important challenges that today’s freelance writers face. When you work as a freelancer, you work in a global market. It means working with clients in different time zones. You might be working with a client based in the United States while you live in Asia.
Freelancers who work with clients in different time zones often have to leave their beds at night. They need to discuss project details and work with the client in real-time. As a result, time management issues grow.
A wise freelance writer can always handle his projects nicely. He creates a schedule and then works accordingly. He doesn’t take work that he can’t handle. Aside from that, a freelance writer should be available to work more than twelve hours a day if he wishes to achieve something bigger in life. Working at night has become a norm for many freelancers.
6. Payment Issues
Freelancers work for money and it hurts when they don’t get paid on time. A large number of freelancers have to face late or even no payment issues. This is very discouraging for someone who gets up early in the morning to finish his tasks before the deadline.
When you deliver work on time, you deserve to get paid on time. Thanks to many top-rated freelance websites. They ensure that every hour logged is paid without any delay. Those who work outside these platforms often have to come across payment problems.
To avoid such a crisis, you should always work through proper channels. Try finding clients through a trustworthy platform so that your payment remains protected. Reliable freelance platforms work as mediators between you and the client. Once you deliver the work, they ensure that you get paid as per the agreement. If you have any problem with the client or payment, they will settle the case as well.
7. Research
A writer is not supposed to know everything. Normally, freelance writers have to spend hours on research before they can start writing about a specific topic, product, or service. Research takes more time than writing a piece of content.
There are instances when you have to research something that you even didn’t know before. It’s a time-taking process and you have to be patient. Sometimes it gets pretty hard to find relevant details. You have to think out of the box under such circumstances.
The World Wide Web is your gateway to find the relevant information for writing a perfect write-up. Check hundreds of websites that come up when you search a query on Google. Try different variations of the topic so that you can get access to required materials without wasting time. Adopt different research techniques so that things can get a lot easier at your end.
