6 Facts about Writing for Huffington Post

typewriter image

 

There’s nothing as exciting as writing for a highly recognized and respected website like Huffington Post! I was so thrilled when I got accepted to be a Huffington Post blogger. There are plenty of opportunities hidden behind writing for Huffington Post. It all depends on how you make use of these opportunities. There are some writers who do not encourage writing for Huffington Post, and there are some who are blatantly against it. I am neither, I am all about how to make the most of any opportunity I get and writing for Huffington Post when I have the time does have its perks. It all depends on how you make use of the opportunities Huffington Post offers you. Here are 6 facts you should know about writing for Huffington Post:
1.    Huffington Post does not pay its bloggers
This is one of the main reasons many writers are against writing for Huffington Post, and they are right –to some degree – to feel upset for not getting paid for their hard work. What they don’t know is that you can land sponsorship deals with businesses and advertisers. The money that you’d get from those deals will be adequate compensation for the hard work you put in writing for Huffington Post. Sometimes we have to look at things differently to see the big picture. I choose to write freshly written articles Huffington Post on rare occasions (I have written only once this year) because I need the credibility, I want to be able to reach a wider audience, and I want the freedom to write certain articles I won’t want to publish on my blog.
2.    Huffington Post does not publicize your articles
Promotion is not Huffington Post’s responsibility. It’s yours. You are responsible for your success as a Huffington Post blogger. Promotions can be a lot of work but it is extremely rewarding. As you share your posts on social media or to your subscribers in your email list, you are creating awareness about your writing skills. This is a good way of attracting clients to yourself.
3.    Writers can leverage on Huffington Post’s prestige
This means a lot for a Huffington Post blogger. Having the articles you published on Huffington Post looks very good in your portfolio. Since Huffington Post’s credibility is known all over, people will respect you as a writer. This opens doors for paid opportunities.
4.    It validates your work
You know how competitive it is in the writing space – in fact, any industry. So when you pitch for work, you have to compete against so many other people pitching just like you. Saying that you’re a Huffington Post blogger sets you apart from the crowd. It creates the impression that you are skilled and credible. Since you were able to make it to Huffington Post, this gives you an edge over other applicants.
5.    Huffington Post allows you to republish your earlier work
Unlike some websites that don’t allow you to republish your posts anywhere else, Huffington Post gives you the opportunity to do so if you wish. This is time-saving, especially when you’re also trying to maintain your own blog. You can republish your earlier blog posts on Huffington Post while you concentrate on creating new content for your blog. However I always write freshly written articles for Huffington Post, I don’t like confusing Google by republishing my blog content but many writers do. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.
6.    Access to exposure on Huffington Post
Huffington Post is very popular and it receives a high dose of traffic from its loyal readers. When you write for Huffington Post your article gets a chance to be viewed by several readers on Huffington Post. This helps to increase exposure to your article as well as to all the other articles you had written for Huffington Post. You may also get traffic and new followers on your blog and social media platforms if you include your links at the end of your articles.

 

Do you write for Huffington Post? Would you consider writing for Huffington Post? Do share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading.

6 Tips for Growing a Successful Freelance Career

Looking Summery Image

 

I’m living the laptop lifestyle and I’m loving it! Freelancing gives me the freedom to work whenever and wherever I want to. I make passive income, travel when I want to, take off work when I need to, and have time to spend with my friends and family. I think it’s great not to be tied down to a 9-5 job. I can do what I love, impact millions of people and earn a living from it.

As great as freelancing is, it is still a business and you have to take it seriously. You need to be consistent, committed and hard-working to make it successful.

Having a successful freelance career is a process. Believe me, it took almost 4 years to get to where I am today. I had my fair share of victories and failures. Every experience was a learning process for me, and I won’t change my freelance journey so far, for anything.

Denim Jacket and Dress Image

 

 

I want to share with you some tips to help you grow a successful freelance career. I hope you find these tips useful.

 

1.    Have a plan of action
Planning is key to a successful freelance career. It helps you prioritize your goals, and it forms a blueprint for you to follow. This is great because it will help keep you focused on where exactly you want to take your freelance career. When you are drawing up your plan, make sure you include business goals, financial goals and personal goals. Break down into a set of actions you can take to achieve your goals within a week, a month, a quarter and a year.

2.    Keep an eye on the competition
Research into the activities of your competition. Stalk them if you have to. This will help you make sure you’re on the right track and in tune with the current trends.

The most important thing about observing your competition is finding out their weakness and shortcomings so that you can structure a way you can give better service than your competition. The aim is to strive to do better than what your competition is offering but be careful not to spend too much observing your competition than you forget to work on your career.

3.    Network
Your Network is your Net worth. Networking is a great way to meet new people, learn from them and get new clients. Join meetups in your area. Join in on Twitter Chats and Facebook Groups. Follow like minds on social media and do not forget LinkedIn.  Freelancing business is a people oriented business, so start putting yourself out there, and you will see your connections increase.

 

OLC-shortened-header

 

4. Have a Healthy Work/Life Balance

I struggle a lot with my work/life balance. I am a workaholic and a perfectionist, so I work every opportunity I get, which has its pros and cons. The good thing about my work life is I get every job done in time, but then I feel like my personal life suffers. I work from home as you all know, I do most of my work once my kids are in bed at 7pm. I work past midnight every day, including weekends. And I also work around my kids daytime naps. I am pretty sure I work more than 40 hours a week, and I won’t have it any other way but sometimes I feel drained, all I want to do is curl up on a sofa with a cup of tea and a cool movie on Netflix.

Having a healthy work/life balance is needed for a successful freelance career. You have to know when to stop working to avoid burning out. I recently took a work/life balance quiz, created by Calibre Office Furniture, and my results were I have a work/life expectancy of 75 years, meaning I have 46 years left to work. The quiz advised I seek medical attention because my work life is killing me, I agree, lol. It is a fun quiz, so try it for yourself and let me know what your results are in the comment section below.

 

5.    Establish a powerful online presence
As a freelancer, you need to make sure that you position yourself as an expert and an influencer. One of the best places to do this is on social media. Help people out, give value and share your knowledge. This will help you build an audience and earn their trust and confidence. You’ll be easily remembered and potential clients will reach out to you.

Another great way to establish a powerful online presence is to guest post on authority blogs like The Huffington Post, Mumsnet, and so on. Write a tutorial, a how-to post or share an experience your audience can relate with.

 

6.    Define your boundaries
Just because you’re a freelancer doesn’t mean you should accept every job that comes your way. You are in control of what projects you accept or reject. Never be afraid to turn down a project that will not suit you or your brand and that has unfavourable terms or low pay.

Be sure to have a sold contract that covers the important terms that you and your client must agree upon. This will help protect you and let your client know how you work and how far the project will go and at what cost.

Setting boundaries shows you’re not a pushover. It’s a sign of professionalism.

 

The freelance career is a continuous process, like a journey that never ends. The key to success is to be consistent. You have everything it takes to be successful.

Do you have any tried and tested tip to share? Do you take the work/life balance quiz? What was your result?

 

*This is a collaborative post.

error: Content is protected !!