Getting Started

HOW TO GET STARTED STEP-BY-STEP

Getting Started

Register and Create Your Profile

Registering on most websites is free and only takes a few minutes. Some

websites will take a percentage from what you will earn while others charge a

yearly or monthly membership fee for access to available projects. Research the

website credentials and take the dive.

Once you register, the first important thing you must do is create a profile

page. This is the page buyers would see when you bid on their projects.

When a buyer comes along and watches your portfolio, he would be forming

an opinion about you. It is an opinion, which his brain will only take a few seconds

to create. Make sure to spend adequate time on your profile.

A Soapy Story

A friend of mine has a soap manufacturing firm. Initially, he was selling a

variety of soap in the middle price segment. To increase his profits, he hired a well

known marketing consultant.

The consultant simply asked him to take the current soap, add perfume to it,

put it in an attractive package, increase the price and promote it like mad.

The soap was a hit in the market and literally doubled the profits!

Please note this is a real life example.

I need not elaborate, but do you see the power of packaging? The human

mind never ceases to amaze me!

In your freelance writing career, your resume would be the packaging. Make

sure to make it attractive. If you can do so, increasing your price won’t be an issue.

Building your portfolio is a lifelong process and raises your perceived value

in front of buyers.

Secrets to a Great Profile

A good profile should tell a buyer:

1. who you are

2. what you do

3. what you have done

4. what your achievements and areas of expertise are

Let take a look at them one by one.

1. Who You Are

Some freelance writers use a fictitious name or a screen name while other’s

use their real names. The choice is completely yours.

If you decide not to use your real name, here’s a trick to you can use to make

buyers remember you on the basis of your name! It makes use of human

psychology.

When choosing a name, make use of the following guidelines:

• Name has to be one or two syllables long, no more

• Each syllable should start with a strong consonant (B, C, D, G, K, P, Q,

T)

• It should be fun to say (it just “rolls off the tongue”)

Here are a few examples of some companies which make use of these

techniques:

• PayPal

• Best Buy

• QuickBooks

• Coca Cola

Here’s an exercise you can take: Call out the following names out loud 3 to 4

times:

Paul Smith

Sam Ferris

These are common names.

Now spell these names (based on the above 3 rules):

David DeAngelo

Carlos Casteneda

Which of the two sets resonates in your mind? By the way, the last two

names are associated with famous writing works.

Studies have shown that there are some words that resonate in the brain and

have an easier recall than other words ( This phenomenon is attributed to a part of

the human brain which deals with sound recall) . This technique is employed by

multi-national companies when naming products. Use it to get a screen name and

see the results for yourself!

Select a name that is:

• Short

• Easy to pronounce

• Memorable

The second most important way you can give information on who you are is

to include a photograph. A photo gives a personal touch to a profile page and breaks

down cognitive barriers that a buyer could have while selecting a bid. It puts buyers

at ease since there's a certain level of comfort in seeing that the person is “real.”

A photograph acts like an ice breaker.

The photograph should reflect your image. Don’t post a photo of

yourself drinking beer in a pub!

2. What You Do

Tell buyers what services to expect from you. Never talk about yourself in

this section. As a writer, include your experience in different areas such as articles,

e-books, press releases, sales copy, technical writing, etc.

3. What You Have Done

Samples of work make buyers aware as to what quality of work they can

expect from you. When it comes to posting samples, limit the number. When a

human mind is given many choices, it prefers not to make any choice. It’s the truth!

Post your best pieces of work. There are two ways to showcase your

previous work:

• Upload it to the freelance exchange website (if it has an option of doing

so)

• Provide a link to your website (discussed later)

4. What Your Achievements and Areas of Expertise Are

The last section of your profile should list any achievements you may have.

Now, you don’t need a Pulitzer award to fill in this section. It could be anything that

gives a perceived higher value.

Tip: If you are a new writer, sign up for a free account at Ezinearticles.com ,

the largest free article website, and write 4 or 5 good quality articles on a topic of

your choice. If you pass Ezinearticles.com’s quality guidelines (which isn’t very

stringent), you would be given this badge:

You can easily post on your profile something like: “Rated Platinum Ezine

Articles Expert.”

Another easy way is to write a free article for your local newspaper or an

online publication. Once you are published, you can add “Featured on XYZ” in

your profile.

Like this there are numerous ways to build perceived expert value.