Want to build a successful career as a freelance writer? Then this article is foryou. However, you will probably be very surprised about what I’m going to share in this article. In fact, many people will tell you the opposite is true. This article is about how you can profit from globalization. That’s right. You don’t need to be scared of competing with foreigners willing to work for pennies. Keep reading to find out why.
The true bread and butter in the life of a freelance writer can best be summed up in a single word: diversity. All freelance writers need a diverse array of clients to hedge against the feast or famine tendency of being a freelance writer. You can completely avoid all of this simply by having your clients spread out across the globe.
Because of the nature of freelance writing work it is always imperative for freelance writers to have enough clients that should one dry up or have a period where there are no assignments available that the others will maintain the necessary income for the freelance writer to continue their business.
There are several ways to diversify your client list but one of the best is to tap into foreign markets. Not only will this expand your business globally, it will also all but ensure you never end up in the feast or famine cycle. On the face of it this sounds great but most freelance writers, especially new ones, will tend to get bogged down in the scope of the matter instead of looking at the most basic ways that they can accomplish this goal without stress.
Why you should tap the foreign markets
I wrote briefly once before about how to make a living as an offshore writer. You don’t want to concentrate all of your clients offshore for the same reasons that you want to seek them out in the first place.
Every freelance writer needs to be aware of the economy in their local area as well as at the national level in their own nation. This makes sense because you livelihood depends on it. However, just as an economic downturn locally doesn’t necessarily have a national impact, a national problem doesn’t necessarily have a global impact. In other words, a recession at home doesn’t mean there is one abroad. Your client orders may slow in one nation but be unaffected in another. Diversity of clients is very good for your bottom line. Tapping the markets in several global regions is the best bet for an overall successful writing career.
Another reason, and it may seem to be a bit odd, is the holiday structure. The United States, like other nations, has a set of national holidays. Writing work can slow a great deal around those times. Other nations have a different holiday set. So while things are slow in the US they aren’t necessarily slow in other parts of the world, namely Asian and Middle Eastern nations which have an entirely different basis for their holiday structure.
Before you start hunting for foreign clients
Before we get into how to find clients, there are a few things that most United States based writers are going to need to be aware of before they start looking for clients abroad. The most important thing here is formality.
Americans tend to be far less formal than either their European or Asian counterparts. This can be taken as an insult by many clients in these areas. It’s not difficult to look up the business practices of different nations and it is something that every freelance writer should do before starting work on any project in a particular area. While you are looking for clients, just be as formal as possible unless the client tell you otherwise; many clients are aware of how things work in the United States and they will often adjust their way of thinking despite what is typical in their area.
Formality is important to remember not just because you are likely from a more laid back environment. The Internet also lends itself to more informal communication. If you add these two things together you could have a recipe for a communications disaster. You are trying to be relaxed and friendly but they could take it as rude and unprofessional. Let the client dictate the tone and level of formality in communications and always err on the side of overly formal in initial communications.
Know what you are getting into
This can be an issue for many freelance writers based on what they write. For example, financial writers need to be current on the information and standards of the target audience. Now if you are writing for American targets, which isn’t unusual if the client is trying to expand into the US market, then you would be fine. But if you are writing on Japanese issues, for example, then you will need to know how their economic system works. This is true of every niche and is generally easy to overcome in most areas.
Most of the clients you will be seeking will either be addressing Americans living in their country or they will be attempting to expand into the US. As long as you are on the same page as the client there should be no problems. If you aren’t sure, ask. I have yet to have a client that had a problem with giving me clarification.
Finally, be sure you ask what form of English the client wants. Many, if not most, Asian and Middle East clients will want American English. Most European clients will want British English at least as far as spelling is concerned.
Finding Clients
Freelance writers can do very well in foreign markets simply based on numbers. The US has over 344 million people, and foreign companies want their business. However, paying a fulltime English writer is a little more than most companies want to splurge on and is usually more than they need.
Finding clients in foreign markets is actually no different than finding clients in the US, aside from the above mentioned formality. Whatever techniques you use to find domestic clients can be used to find foreign clients. There are a couple of additional tricks you can use though that might speed things along a bit.
Websites
Pay a visit to websites in your niche area that are based in your target countries. Look for the English version of the site and study it. If the English needs work, this is a client you might wish to approach. Check to see where they do business and what markets they are looking to expand into. No company wants to spend a million dollars on an advertising campaign that is made fun of because of poor English. The English version of their website can be a big tipoff that they haven’t yet found an English speaking writer.
Video Games
If you don’t play games you will be inclined to skip this section; don’t. I’ve done very well by contacting foreign video game creators, even after the game was released, and offering to rework their script. If you have ever played a game you have probably seen some script. Sometimes it’s a minimal amount of text that covers parts of the story that the game doesn’t. It’s important that the writing be well done. I discovered this purely by accident as I frequently beta test games before they hit the US market. I contacted the developer and let them know the script was poorly written. They paid me to fix it. I didn’t even have to write it from scratch. This is a great and ever growing freelance writing area. If you like games, consider it.
Travel Guides
This is something that doesn’t come up very often for writers in the United States but it is a big issue in other nations. Most nations want the tourist money that is generated by English speaking tourists. That means travel websites, brochures and assorted tourism information needs to be well written in English. These are also some of the few places that may actually hire you for long term jobs. The tourism bureau of your target nation, city or specific region is the best place to start.
If you speak another language
So far everything here is written for the English speaker and writer working out of the United States. But what if you speak a couple of languages fluently? I can address that personally because I also write in Russian and German for Russian and German clients. Depending on the clients you are seeking, you could have a decided advantage.
I’ve mentioned that many foreign clients need English writers for specific projects but don’t often hire them and instead seek freelance writers to do the work. As someone who writes in both English and the native language of the client, you are able to fill both needs at the same time. They don’t have to go on the hunt for another freelance writer because you are already there and they know your work. This can lead to a wide variety of assignments as well because you will be setting yourself up as a freelance writer in that nation as well.
Expanding your freelance writing into a global enterprise is really no different than setting up your freelance writing career in the US. As long as you take the language and cultural differences into account you will have no problems.
Happy Writing!
