Archive for the ‘ Ghostwriting ’ Category

Yesterday, I received a very nice compliment from one of my long term clients. She stated that she really appreciated my assistance over the years and was happy to recommend me toher friends and family members. I was elated and asked her what she appreciated most about my services.She stated that I treated him like family. When I asked what she meant, she stated, “You make me feel like you genuinely care about my copy and my business. I feel like we’re a team that is in it to win. You can be counted on to get the job done. And, just like a friend or family member, I can trust you.” This made me smile all day long. I really thought about her comments and I realized that what she said was true. I really do care about my clients and their businesses. I work my darndest to please them and I really truly to establish long term and mutually beneficial relationships.

Therefore, my advice is to treat your clients like family and always:

  • Keep your word. If you say that you’re going to turn in a project on a certain date then make sure that you do.

  • If you find that you can’t turn in a project by a certain date, tell the client why and ask for an extension.

  • If a client is unhappy with your work, don’t take it personally. Just see if you can fix the problem. If not, give them a prompt refund.

  • Be fair with your prices and make them feel they’re getting a good deal. Command what you are worth but don’t overbill clients. They like to feel special and offering special deals and specials is a great way to build loyalty. Plus, nothing is more annoying than an inflated bill for subpar work.

  • Take your client’s work seriously and do the best job that you can possibly do. Not only will this keep them coming back for more but it will demonstrate your sincerity and commitment to their business.


When I first started freelance writing, it used to take me one hour to write a 500 word article. Now, I realize that this is way too slow. If I really want to maximize my freelance profits then I had to become a better paid high producer. With this in mind, I immediately raised my rates and also started churning out my quality articles quicker (without losing quality of course).The thing that inspired me was that I wanted to make $40 per hour from my ghostwriting projects. So, I raised my rates to $20.00 for a 400 word article and committed myself to writing two per hour.Sound difficult? It really isn’t.I personally know some writers that can write 3 or 4 articles an hour and these are not crappy articles. They are darn good articles that read well and exceed client expectations. My point is, fast writing be quite lucrative if you know the secrets.

Here are some tips that you can use to write quicker too:

1. Conduct your initial research. Don’t spend hours conducting research. Instead you must research quickly and effectively. Limit your research to 5 minutes for a 500 word article. To do so, use sources like Ezine Articles, Associated Content, Wikipedia and Google. Read through the top 4 articles on your subject matter quickly and make a mental note of their most pertinent parts. (5 minutes max.)

2. Immediately flesh out an outline of the 3 main points of your article. Your outline should have a beginning, middle and end. Don’t worry about perfection at this point. Just get that outline out. (3 minutes max)

3. Start writing your article. When crafting your article make sure you have an introduction, body and conclusion. Your goal should be to ask the reader a pertinent question, then answer the question with relevant information in your article and then provide your reader with a brief recap. (10 minutes max)

4. Proofread your work. Last but more importantly, you’ll need to proofread your articles and make sure it doesn’t contain any spelling or grammatical errors. If it does, change them immediately. (2 minute max)

That is. As you can see, you can craft a really great article within 20 minutes or less. (I wrote this one in ten) If you do this, you can significantly improve your freelance writing income. In fact, if you implement the above four tips, you should see a 20% or more increase in your productivity which will equal some serious cash for you!

As a freelance writer, you probably experience work-related stress and strain everyday. Sometimes you have too many projects (or not enough), clients don’t like your work or love it but refuse to pay the balance due, etc. Unfortunately, stress is part of being a freelancer and as long as you continue freelancing, you’ll experience some stress. But, I have good news for you. There are numerous techniques you can use in dealing with everyday stress. Techniques that will help you get and stay in control.

  1. Get a grip and better balance your life. If you’re constantly in a state of unbalance and can’t effectively deal with the demands of work and family, you need to take control. If you don’t, you’ll experience the effects of stress and will be very unhappy indeed. By learning to balance your family’s demands with your clients, you’ll experience less stress and frustration.
  2. Be more positive. Don’t concentrate on the negatives. Instead, focus on the positives. For instance, if a client doesn’t like your work, don’t see it as a failure. Figure out what you can do to improve it. If you do this, you’ll be using failure as feedback!
  3. Identify everyday stressors and how you react to them. For instance, do your muscles become tense or do you get headaches when you feel stressed? Do you feel nauseous or experience stomach pains? Do you feel nervous or irritable when you’re under pressure? Or, does your heart race and your palms get sweaty? Whenever you notice these stressor reactions, take note of them immediately.
  4. Plan to eliminate stress and then do it. For instance, some people learn biofeedback which is a relaxation method that teaches you to control your responses to stress. With biofeedback techniques, your brain learns how to control your heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, etc. The result will be less stress.
  5. Eliminate stressors now. If you have to drop a particular project because it stresses you too much then do it. Although you might initially miss the income from this project, you’ll soon find better and higher paying projects.
  6. Make accommodations. Try to shorten the amount of time you are exposed to the stress. For instance, if you have a client that is constantly stressing you out then don’t schedule a two hour meeting with him. Instead, keep the meeting to 30 minutes or less so that you avoid the situation as much as possible.
  7. Take frequent breaks. Although it is always better to take a brief walk throughout the day, you may find that isn’t possible. If so, take some time away from your desk to stretch. Simply relax the muscles in your jaw, neck and shoulders which will help you alleviate stress.
  8. Eat healthy foods. Certain foods tend to alleviate stress. For instance, almonds, blueberries, cottage cheese, fish, broccoli, whole-grain rice are thought to have stress-relieving properties.
  9. Meditate. You can do this by breathing deep into your abdomen and slowly letting your breath out. Not only will this clear your mind but it will also increase oxygenate your blood too.
  10. Enjoy life. Take time out of your day to enjoy yourself single day. Do the things that make you happy. After all, life is precious and you must enjoy it!