Did you know October 19 was International Freelancers Day?
You’d be forgiven if you didn’t.
I did know. But I kinda forgot about. Shows how much it mattered.
Doesn’t help that it’s all just a self-promotional affair for Fiverr.
Their press release describes it as…
“A day established by Fiverr to acknowledge the hard work of freelancers everywhere and the incredible contributions they make to businesses around the world.”
But there’s one freelancer they won’t acknowledge.
After poking me in the eye and kicking me to the curb… it’s hard to feel positive about this day they made up.
Yes. I have beef with Fiverr. Wrote about it here before.
And I did manage to find a clue about what vague law of theirs I broke to get banned. But maybe I’ll hash that out another time.
For now…
Not being vindictive at all…
I’m going to promote their competitor: Upwork.
You see, for all that Upwork is a royal pain in my nether regions at times (yes, I’m sure that’s another email in the making too)…
It was there that I first learned for real that someone will pay me to write.
It offered baby steps of validation.
And I’ve picked up other clients from there over the past year or so — when I can be bothered to flick off a proposal or two.
Also one long-term retainer client… who helps pay a nice chunk of our living expenses.
I won’t say it’s easy on there. When I started out I sent 120+ proposals and only got about 4 jobs.
(Good daily writing practice mind you.)
And there’s a definite knack to writing proposals that get clients’ attention.
That also is an email (or a book!) for another day.
But I will tell you that something like…
“Wow! NAME… it’s awesome that you’ve got a weekly newsletter going! Such a great way to to connect with clients and keep those relationships strong.”
… is far more likely to get a response than…
“Hi, my name’s Chris. I’m an email copywriter who can help you write your weekly newsletter. I’ve written newsletters for other clients like you.”
When there’s only a couple of lines that clients see when they’re scanning through the list of a million cut-and-paste proposals they are inevitably bombarded with… standing out is key. And even getting your proposal read is a “win”.
I’ll give you the link now. But remember… this won’t necessarily solve any “I can’t find clients” problem.
There’s still legwork required.
But at least you know people advertising jobs are actively looking for writers and other freelancers to solve their pressing problems.
Here you go: https://www.upwork.com
And if you love Fiverr… knock yourself out.
Even if they don’t love one of your fellow freelancers — or give me the time of day. 😒
Ready to build your email list? Go here…
EmailForTheWin.com
Chris Milham