I received an email a few weeks ago from a student who’s absolutely terrified to begin applying for writing jobs. Her biggest fear is being turned down – which is completely normal in the world of Freelance Writing!

I tell ya – if I had a nickel for every writing gig I never landed…

My point is, at some point or another, all Freelance Writers will be turned down (yep, even me). In fact, you’ll likely be turned down more often than not unfortunately! But don’t fret – this is completely normal. All writers are subject to this – it’s just the way it is – don’t take it personally!

Fortunately, there are things you can do to improve your chances. And the best part is, they’re quite easy to implement! Here they are in no particular order…

Number One – Always try to relate to your potential client on a personal or professional level when submitting your application. For example…

Hi John! I saw your job posting for the articles you need for your rose gardening website – it really peaked my interest! I’m an avid gardener myself and it’s a topic I love writing about.

I’m quite sure the articles I write for you would be really appreciated by you and your reader base. I’ve had a look at your website and I quickly thought of some fantastic gardening topics that would really compliment your web presence! I’d be honored if I could work with you to create some engaging and informative articles for your readers.

Let me know if you’d like to see some examples of my past work. I’m also available to start writing straight away!

I look forward to working with you, John.

All the best,

(Your Name)

See how I personalized my application? This goes a long, long way – believe me! Start doing this, and you’ll start to get the attention of your potential clients.

Number Two – Start a personal blog on a topic that you’re interested in. I teach this in all of my courses, but not many students actually take the time to do this. The reason this is so important, is so you can prove your published writing skills to your potential clients. If you post a link to your own blog within your application, 99% of the time the client will click through and take a peek. This will improve your chances of landing work more regularly.

Plus, writing on your own blog will keep your writing skills up to snuff!

Don’t have a personal blog yet? Get going and publish one NOW! Choose one niche or several – based on whatever your interests are.

Number Three – Remember, you’re a writer – and you’re confident in your ability to deliver stuff that people want to read! As long as you write good, engaging (even amusing!) articles or blog posts, you’ll be in high demand. Not many people know how to write good stuff – if you can write in a way that keeps the reader’s attention and helps them take some sort of action or feel a certain way towards the end, you’re doing better then 99% of the other Freelance Writers out there!

Still not comfortable with your writing style? Read more. I like to read articles on Buzzfeed and editorial style articles on Huffington Post in order to keep my writing skills honed. You should do the same!

Follow these 3 tips, and you’ll see a 999% improvement in your ability to write and land new clients!

And the student I mentioned in the beginning of this article? After taking this advice, she now has all the work she can handle for the next 4 weeks – good job!

As a new writer, is there anything holding you back from applying to certain writing gigs? Need some advice? Leave a message below!