Author: Freelancing Buzz

The internet has created absolutely loads of opportunities for freelance writers. One of the biggest is the world of affiliate marketing. It can be really lucrative if you have good knowledge of a specialist subject that people build internet businesses around. In this article, we’ll be looking closely at how freelance writers fit in the world of affiliate marketing. We’ll begin will looking at what exactly affiliate marketing is before moving on to the advantages and disadvantages of writing for affiliate marketers. Introductions out of the way, let’s begin. What is Affiliate Advertising? Affiliate advertising or marketing is all over the internet. Basically, it’s when an online retailer of some sort pays third-party publishers to put out content for them. Typically, each time the retailer receives a visit to their own website via a link hosted by the publisher, the publisher receives payment. Where Does the Freelance Writer Fit in? The freelance writer’s job is to create the content that the affiliate link goes in. This is then put out by the publisher. Typically, a publisher will commission a piece of writing from the freelancer about a given topic. This will usually involve a short brief, sometimes a title, and product links to build into the writing. They will also agree on a set rate – either per word or per article (per article is more common since publishers are suspicious about writers spewing out reams of nonsense for a larger payment) – and a word count, as well as a deadline. Affiliate marketing writing can take on different forms. Sometimes you will be asked to write product reviews. Sometimes you will be writing about some news event that’s related to the industry your affiliate is working in. Alternatively, it might be how-to guides. For example, loads of cosmetics affiliates want content on how to create certain makeup effects such as contouring . They’ll ask you to write a typical how-to guide and include a link to certain products in the copy. This is known as an advertorial and is favoured by many affiliates because it promotes the product in a much less aggressive way than a standard advert or review. Advantages of Working for Affiliate Marketers There are loads of advantages to working with an affiliate marketer as a freelance writer – particularly if the niche they’re working in is a highly lucrative one. If the marketer makes more money on successful leads, they’re usually willing to pay you more, too! Below are some of the many advantages to choosing this path as a freelance writer. It can be tough to make a decent, steady living as a freelance writer. It often involves a lot of rejection from various publications and getting a regular gig can be troublesome. If you manage to get in with a decent affiliate marketer, they will usually approach you with writing tasks they need completing. Having the work come to you really is a godsend! It’s also nice to not have to think […]

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Ever wonder if there’s a well-trodden path to being a six-figure freelance writer? You know…a step-by-step plan, without any twists and turns, that leads you straight to that sought-after income goal for a lot of freelance writers. If you’re just starting out or you’ve been a freelance writer for some time, you’ve probably experienced the ups and downs of freelancing. It’s part of the gig. So how do you get to be a six-figure freelance writer? Here’s the thing. There’s more than one way to get there. Everybody’s path is a little different. In fact, one freelancer almost gave up on writing for a living to teach English in Asia. And then unexpectedly found her way back. At first it was a rough and winding road that included a stint on food stamps. But she hustled. She worked hard. She got some help along the way. Last year she broke the six-figure mark as a freelance writer. And so can you. Want to be a six-figure freelance writer? Your path is this way… Meet freelance writer Casey Hynes Freelance Writer Casey Hynes Freelance writer Casey Hynes earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. From there, it didn’t take her long to get on the path to becoming a national political reporter. And then something happened. She wasn’t sure political writing was her thing. She needed a change of scenery. So she moved to Asia to teach English. And then almost unexpectedly, she found her way back to freelance writing about eight years ago. She’s been writing for a living ever since. Last year, with the help of Carol Tice, fellow freelance writers in Den 2X , and plenty of hustle, Casey surpassed the six-figure income mark. Here’s how she did it: Q: When you decided to get serious about freelance writing, what happened? Hynes : I was in Beijing to teach English, and decided I’ll give writing a go again. And I ended up kind of being in the right place at the right time. There were tons of companies lots and lots of people and publishers in Beijing who needed someone who could write content for their English-speaking audience and their expat audience. Q: What kind of freelance writing jobs did you get? Hynes: It was kind of like a scattershot approach. I would just take anything that anyone would give me. I was editing translated work. I edited a guy’s fiction book. I mean, anything, writing, editing, whatever. Q: How did it feel to start landing clients and making money as a freelance writer? Hynes : I realized that I justloved working for myself. I was like,”This is what I want.” I liked the flexibility that came with it. I liked being able to choose different projects, and work on things that interested me, and just the whole aspect of being self-employed and having that kind of freedom in my life. I was like, “This is it. I don’t ever want to get a job […]

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Freelancer employment marketplace Cavalry Freelancing has closed an investment round which includes agency entrepreneur Ben Lilley. In 2011 Lilley sold his agency Smart to McCann, becoming it’s new CEO. McCann went on to create one of the most awarded advertising campaigns of all time, Dumb Ways to Die for Metro trains. Lilley stepped down last year. Another investor is the founding partner of Ironbridge Capital, Paul Evans. They join ex-global CEO of MullenLowe Profero, Wayne Arnold, who invested in the first funding round . Cavalry, which was founded in 2018 by former MullenLowe Profero managing director Dave Bentley and Razorfish’s former senior tech lead, Nick Stevens, raised its first round of seed funding in May last year. Nick Stevens, Cavalry CTO and co-founder, Ben Lilley and Dave Bentley, CEO and co-founder The platform has flagged continued product development and expansion into small and mid-sized business as the next area of growth. Dave Bentley, Cavalry CEO, said he believes the business represents the future for the creative services industry. “The calibre of investment and the talent we’ve been able to attract in our seed round demonstrates a vote of confidence in the growing importance that a platform like Cavalry has in an industry where freelance demand is growing with agencies and brands,” said Bentley. “Cavalry represents the future of expertise in creative services by making it possible for any company to connect and do business with the world’s best creatives, designers, thinkers and doers. “Tapping into the freelance market becomes a sustainable and effective option with a system like Cavalry that makes it easy to access a large pool of curated industry experts and build your ideal team of freelancers.” Lilley said the platform is something he would have happily used during his time at the head of McCann. “From an investment point of view it’s a no-brainer. Agencies need to be more agile than ever, but historically finding freelancers has been an unreliable and costly headache. Cavalry removes this tension by bringing the creative services freelance community together and making it simple to assemble a team of industry quality experts.” The Cavalry platform includes a marketplace that recommends and connects companies to freelancers and rosters which help companies build and replenish their freelance team.

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Members at the WeWork Cos. Iceberg co-working space in Tokyo, Japan. Freelancers are becoming a larger part of the modern workforce. Bloomberg In my second year of studying for my mass communication degree, I learned about influencer marketing. The concept of companies hiring and paying individuals to promote a product or service was foreign to me. The landscape has markedly changed today. My clients don’t consider traditional advertising channels unless they’re a well-known television channel or newswire. They only want to work with influencers. They want to know how they can leverage an influencer’s SnapChat and the cost of inviting one to visit their business. My 10-year-old cousin and her friends aspire to be influencers when they grow up. Their concept of careers is different from mine when I was growing up. When I graduated from university, I attended a motivational talk where the speaker told us that we shouldn’t stay at one company for more than three years. That’s crazy, I thought to myself, as I had just started working at a government organisation and saw myself staying there for a while. I realised that in order to grow, one should continue to search for opportunities rather than settle into a comfort zone or job that doesn’t serve my development or career progression. Entrepreneurship was not considered a career in my university days, but today it is a buzzword and an aspiration of many. According to the UAE’s Ministry of Economy, the number of SME companies operating in the UAE is expected to increase 70 per cent by 2021. Currently, they account for some 86 per cent of the private sector’s workforce. Given the fast pace of change in the advent of the digital age, it’s imperative that we embrace change in order for our economy to develop in tandem with the rest of the world. I know that my career will continue to change and evolve throughout my life. I already work with freelancers from around the world on different projects. Freelancing will increasingly become a viable career option for more people and companies in the UAE and the wider Gulf will come to consider working remotely a realistic option. A study by Mckinsey estimated that by 2030, 50 per cent of the workforce in the United States will be freelancers. In Egypt, the gig economy is contributing nearly 40 per cent to the country’s GDP, according to a 2018 story in Egypt Today. The digital age is about expanding options and disruption. Australian company Freelancer.com is the world’s largest freelancing platform, with over 30 million freelancers from around the world to do jobs in web development, graphic design, writing, even engineering and science. Gofreelance – an initiative launched by Dubai’s Tecom Group, in association with Dubai Creative Cluster Authority – offers licenses for creative designers, film directors and executive coaches. The Abu Dhabi Government, ahead of the curve, announced in December of last year that new companies and freelancers will be exempted from paying for business […]

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Complete staffing plans are built around the assumption of gig workers filling specific roles. By Sanjay Lakhotia As another financial year begins, it’s time to rethink the impact of gig economy on corporate India. Gig economy—where companies tend to hire independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time workers—is making stronger inroads into corporate India, with more and more firms adapting it to their needs, and making it an intrinsic part of their HR function. In fact, this is what our report ‘The Future of Work is Anywhere-Gig Workforce’ has revealed. There are three trends that will make the year a gig economy landmark. The hunt for quality: While 2018 saw almost 70% firms confirming using a gig employee, the market is set to move to a new requirement—getting it right the first time. Firms have factored in the first flush of gig workers, and don’t have the cushion of making mistakes. Complete staffing plans are built around the assumption of gig workers filling specific roles. The earlier cushion of saving on hiring costs with a gig worker vis-a-vis a regular employee no longer holds. Firms have a reduced margin of error for hiring mistakes, so gig workers will need to raise their game. Short, sharp, valuable: Projects are becoming shorter as firms learn to calibrate expectations versus delivery ability. Also, remuneration is rising faster, as the cost of non-compliance for want of right employee, or hiring delays, helps firms develop a better appreciation of the value of the gig worker—who might find more value in working non-stop for, say, a 15-day period, followed by a week-long break, than following the corporate schedule of a five-day week for a month. Small is beautiful: A recent event by an industry association for trade between Africa and India had a surprising thread running through it. Of the 400-plus African delegates from 35 countries, a large number were interviewing prospective candidates for jobs back in their home country. Guess what? A lot of these assignments were of a short-term nature, as hundreds of family-owned firms seek to professionalise running the firms. There is a similar shift in India’s small towns, opening up a whole new world the gig worker. Experience is back: There has been a perception that the gig economy is more about younger strata of professionals who seek flexibility and learning. It was probably true when gig economy started taking off. With time, experienced professionals are moving in, attracted by an opportunity to ply their trade at multiple places with a strong key skill, besides speed and flexibility. With a smaller firm, experience counts for a lot more as the senior management appreciates the extra experience on board and its influence beyond the basic project. This opening for experienced talent, as we see it, is only going to grow and take a larger share of the market, going by the feedback we get from clients as well as the quality of people joining up. The author is co-founder, Noble House Consulting […]

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By Karina Kaae – Futurist, company advisor, speaker, Sustainable Lead As a futurist and company advisor in the future sustainable life, I have summarised what I believe are some of the most critical skills to train already today, if we want to stay fit in the future job market. Because, when artificial intelligence moves into our jobs, when the freelance economy booms and when stress, anxiety and depression are the leading disease burdens, how do we not only survive but thrive as workers? 1. CONTINUOUS LEARNING – The 4th industrial revolution with artificial intelligence (AI) means that 50% of workers need reskilling within the next 5 years according to Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl from Digital Europe. The times where we specialised in one field and stayed in this is over. In the future we will have multiple careers. One way to look at it, is to invest in your own upskilling and learning and make it a habit to dedicate at least 10% of your working week for this. “Life-long learning” is a term we will get used to. 2. POSITIVE FUTURE-IMAGINATION – Robots and AI are bringing out a lot of fear in people. As the Chief Decision Scientist at Google, Cassie Kozyrkov, expressed it: If we are afraid of AI we are afraid of humans. But a lot of our fear is based on made-up, weird science fiction and not hopes and dreams of a better future. But as humans we are basically going to be the trainers of AI, and it is therefore in our power to remember to continuously ask better questions, and dream about better futures and we will be able to create this with AI as our new power tool. 3. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – AI and machine learning will increasingly take over more of our logical tasks. Look at AI as your future personal assistant. If you are a doctor AI will e.g. help you examine x-rays with much greater precision and speed than a human person can ever do. This leaves you extra time and attention to the critical aspect of patient care, human touch and empathy. Therefore, EQ will be a sought-after power skill for the future across industries. That said AI is certainly able to mimic emotional intelligence, which you can see already today in some service jobs. For example, in some Pizza Hut Restaurants you can meet a very friendly service robot as your waiter. 4. CRITICAL THINKING – AI is in a nutshell a reproduction of human behaviour by a machine, which is taught by examples. These examples are past data. Therefore, AI is only as good as the examples (data) that the algorithms are based on. Many of our future jobs will therefore involve our critical thinking and our abilities to use human judgement. It will be a critical skill to remember to bring in different human perspectives from our colleagues and collaborators to challenge our own preconceptions to avoid biased AI. 5. CREATIVITY AND ART THINKING – With […]

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hackajob aims to eradicate unconscious bias in recruitment by matching candidates by their skills and not CVs Razvan Creanga, CEO and co-founder Tech recruitment platform hackajob is launching a freelance contract service to hire talent. With the aim to eradicating unconscious bias from the recruitment process, hackajob’s assessment platform uses AI technology to assess candidates on their skills, rather than relying on a CV. The new service is an extension of their recruitment platform to now let businesses hire freelance workers from across Europe. With access over 100,000 candidates in the technology space in Europe, hackajob aims to help companies fill roles for verified technical talent faster than traditional recruiters. “With recent and longstanding discussions surrounding subjects such as unconscious bias and the gender pay gap, it’s arguable that traditional recruitment is broken,” said Razvan Creanga, CEO and co-founder at hackajob. “Our new contract hiring offering provides a huge opportunity to embed widespread meritocratic hiring processes and simultaneously equip growing businesses with the talented people they need. “A third of our candidates have already expressed an interest in hackajob’s freelance positions and we believe it’s vital to reward Europe’s tech talent with relevant roles to suit their lifestyle.” hackajob has previously worked with companies such as Apple, Argos and Vodafone and more than 100,000 highly skilled technology experts have signed up to the platform.

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Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s largest freelancing website. Each year $1.7 billion of work happens through Upwork, allowing businesses to get more done and helping professionals break free of traditional time and place boundaries and work anytime, anywhere on projects they love. At Upwork, you’ll help build on this momentum. Together, we’ll create economic and social value on a global scale, providing a trusted online workplace for businesses to connect with extraordinary talent and work without limits. Two types of talent offer their services through Upwork — individual freelancers and contractors, and Agencies that do team-based, large project work. Agencies are professional service firms ranging from boutique design studios to large software development firms. You will be responsible for ensuring that Upwork has a strong supply of Agencies to fulfill and grow demand for high-value projects, with clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 enterprises. Working with cross-functional partners in Product, Marketing, Sales, and Operations, you will work to activate, grow, and retain the best professional service firms. You will lead the end-to-end management of talent programs that identify, distinguish, and promote the best agencies that work with top clients. You’ll be a member of the Freelancer & Agency Success team — we are dedicated to helping great talent build their businesses and earn more. Sound exciting? Your responsibilities: Become the authority on Agency supply health to direct program design and recruiting efforts Segment and prioritize Agencies based on their value contribution and needs of the business Gather input on client demand from internal partners to inform supply priorities Lead the “Premium Agency” program and develop “Rising Talent” and “Top Rated” programs, designed to engage and distinguish top Agencies Develop program vetting process and qualification criteria, and identify perks to motivate Agencies Partner with Analytics to evaluate impact; monitor and report results Advise Sales teams on how to best position Agencies to generate demand Partner with Product to build a strong Agency acquisition funnel and improve the user experience Partner with Marketing to improve Agency merchandising and promotion Lead a team to accelerate these initiatives, including an Agency Acquisition & Relationships Manager and Agency Program Coordinator What it takes to catch our eye: You have a track-record of leading projects end-to-end — establishing goals, developing project plans, influencing others to act and holding them accountable for results You have at least 5 years of experience in Program/Project Management, Business Development, Sales/Account Management or Management Consulting Experience working at professional agencies/services firms or staffing firms What it takes to knock our socks off: You’re a strong leader with success driving cross-functional initiatives You have a sense of urgency, initiative, and persistence You love variety, you’re excited by change; you enjoy experimentation You find opportunities to impact metrics, evaluate and prioritize approaches, and take ideas from concept to execution You have strong analytical skills; you’re able to analyze quantitative data and generate actionable insights You have advanced knowledge of Excel; proficiency in SQL is a bonus Come change how the […]

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Starting your own freelance gig is always going to be a bit scary and intimidating. There is always that “what if” that is circling at the back of your mind, and that can often hold you back from taking the plunge. If you’ve decided that you’re ready to take the risk, put in the work, and start your own freelance marketing consultancy in Bangkok, one of your biggest hurdles will be to get noticed. Standing out from the competition will be key, not just in the initial stages, but throughout the life of your business. Here’s a look at how you can stand out from the crowd and really carve out a professional niche for yourself. Ensure You Have a Strong Online Presence As a freelancer, one of your biggest challenges will be to find clients, but thanks to the digital age this has become slightly more attainable. Building a strong online presence will be an absolutely necessary first step. This includes an engaging and user-friendly website that offers value and information for visitors, plus a consistent presence on social networks. Make sure you highlight any details that make you and your offerings unique. Carve Out a Niche Another tip is to look for a way that you can carve out a niche for your business. If there is one area that you can specialize in, and start to become an “expert” in, then you can start to dominate that market segment. Of course, at the same time you don’t want to close doors on other areas and potential clients/contracts. Work on Your Communication and Collaboration Skills You also want to be focused on the quality of work you are delivering to your clients. This means working on your communication and collaboration skills . Clients should feel they are truly heard and understood by you, and that the two of you are working together towards one common goal. You never want to make a client feel like they are nothing more than a pay check. Ensure You Have a Professional Workspace Despite the fact that you are a freelancer and therefore won’t likely be holding many in-person meetings, there will still be some clients you’ll need to meet with face-to-face. For those times, you want to be sure that you’ve got a professional workspace to meet in so that you create the right kind of impression. If you’re working out of your home or apartment, that isn’t exactly a professional looking space. A great solution is to look into co-working space Bangkok such as the space available through Workwize. Workwize features an office space right in the middle of Bangkok that could be ideal. Members can use all the services offered and instantly make use of a professional working space. Some of the features available include printers and scanners, high speed Wi-Fi, daily cleaning services, a dedicated phone number, concierge service, lockers, a meeting room, and more. On the Path to Success Each of these tips will help you […]

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the largest freelancing website, today released its newest quarterly index of the hottest skills in the U.S. freelance job market. The Upwork Skills Index ranks the site’s 20 fastest-growing skills in a quarterly series. It sheds light on new and emerging skills and provides real-time validation of current trends in the labor market and tech industry. According to a new report, access to skills and talent scarcity are the biggest hiring challenges. “Labor markets overall are tightening, and for many skills, employers are increasingly struggling to find available workers in their local areas,” said Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork and co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the New Social Contract. “As a result, the array of skills employers are finding through digital platforms is growing, including technical skills like Hadoop and Kubernetes as well as non-technical skills such as taxation and urban planning.” The 20 fastest-growing freelance skills in Q1 2019 experienced more than 170 percent year-over-year growth, while demand for the top 10 skills grew more than 370 percent year-over-year. The top 20 fastest-growing skills, Q1 2019 The fastest-growing skills cover a multitude of industries and emerging markets. U.S. Taxation Hadoop Robotic process automation Explainer videos Computer-aided manufacturing Financial planning Urban design Software documentation Salesforce Commerce Cloud Geospatial Julia development Kubernetes Magento Employee training Shopify templates Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Vue.js framework Leadership development Architectural rendering Podcasting Key Insights Tax reform, potential Recession spur growth in financial skills On the heels of the tax reform bill passed in 2018, U.S. Taxation (#1) was this quarter’s fastest-growing skill out of more than 5,000 freelancers offer on Upwork.com . Those unfamiliar with the new law tapped into the freelance talent pool to help navigate the transition and better understand the advantages and challenges of filing under the new system. Tax season also spurred demand for Certified Public Accountants (#16) and financial planning (#6) specialists. Automation Helps Capture Business Value Organizations are becoming more automation-savvy, earning robotic process automation (RPA) (#3) a spot on the index for the first time. Unicorns like Automation Anywhere and UiPath are providing solutions to large companies to help automate tasks and processes that have traditionally been done manually by humans. As RPA adoption increases among Enterprises, Forrester estimates that the market will grow to $2.9 billion in 2021 (from $250 million in 2016). Changing City Infrastructure Causes Spike in Demand for Urban Planning According to a report, 73 percent of all teams will have remote workers by 2028. As remote work adoption increases and more people are able to live and work where they choose versus where their work is, city infrastructure is also changing. Urban design (#7) specialists are helping keep up with this evolution by arranging and designing public spaces, transportation systems and amenities for residents, tenants and visitors. Geospatial (#10) technologies, which map and analyze the Earth’s surface, and architectural renderings (#19) also saw significant growth as the public and private sector alike look for ways to optimize […]

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