January 2023 In Review: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Biggest lesson of the month: Toot Your Own Horn.
Hello 👋 and welcome to the first edition of "Musings Of An Ambitious Freelancer".
I can't believe it’s February already, January seemed to have just flown by.
January was a lot for many people - from the layoffs to the never-ending ChatGPT hype to the recent Yandex leak. A lot of freelancers had to deal with a quiet month with content teams having to prepare their plans/catch up on past assignments, and clients trying to put together their budgets.
Anyways like Rosemary mentioned, everything will be fine🙂.
About this newsletter, I originally wanted to write think pieces on SEO and content but taking a look at it, I can tell that no one really wants more of this stuff knowing there’s an overflow of information out there. So, rather than add to the noise, I decided to do something different; something done by just a few freelancers like Lizzie Davey and Marijana Kostelac. And that is showing you the behind-the-scenes of freelance writing.
This year, I set out a target for myself to achieve $100k by the end of the year but I’m also taking on the challenge to show others the exact steps I’m taking. This includes my wins, losses, and lessons. The goal is to simplify the process for others and show that with hard work, time, and consistency, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
So, How Did My Month Go?
A bit lower than what I expected but it wasn't that bad. I had a lot of amazing moments!
👉 Reached out to 5 new prospects and existing clients. So far, I've gotten 2 positive responses but I was able to just work with 1 last month.
👉 Spoke at FCDC x LondonSEO meetup. This was my first speaking engagement in an SEO event so it was a big deal for me. I shared the stage alongside two brilliant ladies from the FCDC community: Roshni Shaikh and Katherine Nwanorue. Do well to give them a follow on Twitter.
👉 Wrote 4 Cybersecurity blog posts. I've been working on a topic cluster project since Nov 2022 so these pieces were basically content clusters.Â
👉 Got featured on ATFW blog 🎉Â
ATFW means "All Things Freelance Writing". I noticed the growing community a while back on LinkedIn and thought to reach out to the founder, Jessica Walrack for a feature. I spoke to her and a "10 questions interview" series was arranged.
In this interview, I answered 10 questions surrounding my freelance career- how I started, things learned, and other relevant content SEO questions. Check out the interview here.
👉 Got super-active on LinkedIn and Twitter
I made 33 posts around topic clusters, content strategy, SaaS writing tips, SEO think pieces, and a few memes last month.
👉 Due to pricing, I turned down 3 prospects who indicated interest in working with me, so I didn’t onboard any new clients.
👉 Added consulting to my list of servicesÂ
Over time, I've had other freelancers come to me to help with templates, advice on new projects, and other specific questions. While I had to turn down some requests to save time, I wasn't so comfortable with the decision every time. So, I decided to add consulting as a service for brands and freelancers who:
probably signed up with a new client, and wants to pick my brain for directionÂ
need clarity & advice on a particular SEO projectÂ
need help with keyword research and want to improve your content strategy (topic clusters included)
will love to get practical advice on scaling as a freelancerÂ
need templates (e.g rate sheets, BOFU/MOFU/TOFU templates, invoices)
Now, those are the major highlights of the month…
…but find anything common?Â
I took the initiative. This brings me to the ‘theme’ of today: Toot Your Own Horn.
Do you know why a lot of people have great skills but seem to be doing below average? That's usually because they keep their work to themselves whilst talking down on their abilities.
If you must excel as a freelance writer (especially a newbie), you should build publicly.
Wrote a blog post? Share it!
Got some excellent reviews? Share it!
Achieved a cool result? Share it!
Got featured on a podcast? Share it!
Created a new website? Share it!
You're your biggest cheerleader. There's no way anyone will think of you as a thought leader in X if you don't talk about X enough.Â
Talk about your craft, get tired of talking about it but keep TALKING.Â
Public building is powerful. Now, I'm not saying you should go about sharing every single thing about your personal life in an attempt to be authentic. That’s totally different.
I also get that a lot of people don't fancy "personal branding" and that's alright. Unless you have some sort of privilege and can afford to get clients without going on socials for a while, the hard truth is that you have to put yourself out there to get noticed and attract amazing opportunities.
Now, think of the preceding information I just shared with you. About how I spoke at my first SEO event, did an interview, and worked on projects – that's me tooting my horn.Â
This is the #1 way to get opportunities so if you're a newbie writer struggling to land gigs or a professional looking for better chances, do this one thing: Toot your own horn.
What next?
Going forward, I’ll be doing these in February:
I'm pitching to more sites, podcasts, and publications
I’m releasing a mini-course next week. Watch out for this 👀
Write 1-2 articles for my blog
How about you? What's your plan? Feel free to reply and I’ll be sure to respond.
P.S – I plan on doing monthly reviews so let me know your suggestions, thoughts, and recommendations.Â
Like this newsletter? Do well to recommend and share with your friends.
Rooting for you 🙂
John.
Hey John, thank you for this!
I am honestly looking forward to the templates on TOFU, MOFU, BOFU templates for writing high quality content (I really hope it is something within my budget but I'm ready to save up for it).
Rooting for yourself is really the secret, most people don't know that and I'm just realising it myself. But it can be hard, how do you stay positive and motivated through it all?
Great post by the way, John! Definitely reeks of ambition, outdid yourself there.