Freelance Writers: How to Use the Slow Summer Months to Get More Work

Summer can be the best time to start a freelance writing career. If you're wondering why, consider the following:

For Newbie Freelance Writers: If you're a newbie to freelance writing, there's a lot you don't know. If you start during a slow season like summer, you'll have time to work out all the kinks before the busy season rolls around.

Just in case you didn't know, freelance writing is somewhat of a seasonal profession. It goes something like this:

The Freelance Writing Seasonal Work Cycle

Jan-June: The first two weeks of January tend to be slow. It picks up around the third week, and the busy season continues on into late May/early June.

June-August: From early June through the first week of September (after Labor Day), it's usually pretty quiet. You'll have work, but it'll be a lot harder to come by and will usually be what's known as "one off" projects. These are projects where a client hires you to do a one-time job, and you never hear from them again.

September-December: From after Labor Day through mid-December, it's busy, with the exception of a slow time around Thanksgiving.

Now that you have this knowledge at your fingertips, you can use the down time during the summer as a learning curve.

For Experienced Freelance Writers: Even if you're an experienced freelance writer, there is always something to "get a handle on." For example, you may want to review your tighten up your contracts, or indeed, even formulate a contract if you don't' currently have one.

Preview Client List: Summer is a great time to go back over your projects over the last year to see which ones have been the most lucrative. How can you capitalize on this knowledge? To illustrate this point, I'll use a personal example.

How to Analyze Your Freelance Writing Service Offerings to Make More Money

I'm a freelance SEO writer. I recently added Meta Tag Writing to my list of service offerings. I immediately noticed that old and new clients were eager to take advantage of this service. Even though this service pays less per job that some of my other SEO service offerings, it is also quicker to complete, meaning I bill more per hour for meta tag writing than most of my other services.

Now, which service do you think I'll be pushing more of in my marketing campaigns come fall?

Doing this type of analysis is pivotal to making more money as a freelance writer. And, using the slow summer months to get it done means more money when the busy fall season rolls around. Now get cracking!

About the Author:Yuwanda Black is a freelance SEO writer and the author of How to Make $250+/Day Writing Simple, 500-Word Articles. Ms. Black says, "You can work from home as a freelance writer in your PJs, getting assignments via the internet. I do it every day."