Derick Okech

A few years ago, Deeksha Rawat, a freelance content writer for B2B SaaS and marketing brands, was trying to get clients, but all she heard from her pitches were crickets.

“It was really frustrating for me, so I just decided to network a lot with other freelancers and try to get information on how they landed their first client,” she told me. “Luckily, a freelancer requested my samples. She liked them and asked me to work for her. That’s how I came to know about the term subcontracting.”

Subco...

Early this year, CNET made a bold move when they quietly published several AI-generated articles. The experiment was a disaster—more than half of the published pieces contained errors.

As a prudent freelancer looking for ways to keep up with AI writing tools, I did a postmortem of the situation and realized one thing: Even though generative AI is impressive, there are still some critical skills it can’t replace.

While AI tools like ChatGPT may be adept at churning out straightforward written ...

Recently, when renewing a contract with one of my clients, I noticed an odd new requirement. The client requested that, for the term of this new agreement and for a period of no less than three years, I must maintain business insurance—at no cost to them.

I emailed my contact at the company for elaboration, and he consulted their internal legal team. While the client ultimately agreed to strike the clause requiring me to have insurance—they decided it wasn’t intended for vendors like me—I was...

Worrying about not having enough work is a casual pastime for many freelancers, myself included. According to a 2020 study by freelancer insurance company Dinghy, nearly half of us say “finding work” is our biggest career concern.

This stress has only gotten more pronounced over the past couple of years. The pandemic, inflation, and AI tools disrupting the industry have made freelancer pipelines feel even more precarious.

But if there’s one way to be proactive and ensure career longevity, it’...

For a long time, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) was the go-to resource for freelance writers and journalists looking to include insights from experts in their content. If you were seeking a source in a super-niche field, you may have found fifteen excellent ones on HARO—including a range of academics, executive-level professionals, and startup founders.

But as of late, the responses—and requests—from HARO users have baffled me. They seem much more self-serving than they used to be.

I’m not alone ...

Referral marketing is an amazingly effective tool when employed correctly.
As Mark Zuckerberg said: "People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising."
So what does that mean for you? Well, referral marketing offers a win-win situation for consumers and businesses alike. The more customers referrers bring, the less m...

The field of customer support has transformed a lot. Before, businesses and customers would connect, interact, and build relationships only via face to face. But with more users and network algorithms favoring customers and brands, customer support has never been rewarding than it is now.

The moment has now arrived to shift focus on customer support to its best practices – building meaningful relations.

Customers today want to communicate via any means possible, including taking advantage of ...

So your book is so close to being finished, or finished already – sealed with the last two magic words: “The end!” It is now time you pat yourself on the back, rest, and let the fun begin: celebrating this grand achievement with some mashed potatoes, bubble bath, chocolates, or Groupon massages.
Wait! Not so soon. I know the feeling we writers get when done penning a manuscript. It is so cathartic to our well being. However, finishing your draft is just one of the many roadblocks you have to ...

When the coronavirus was declared a global pandemic in March, business people across various industries and full-time employees were a worried lot. Indeed, we saw furloughs, job losses, and income drops among many people. Even the almighty Bitcoin tanked!
As expected, many people thought the freelance industry will also follow the downward spiral.
And while some freelance industries have suffered tremendously, we have also witnessed the opposite in some industries, like health, SaaS, and mark...

At one time, virtual reality was thought to be a science fiction fantasy. Just a few decades later, its application is visible almost everywhere, from flight simulators to hospitals and even deep-sea mining. Virtual reality is proving to be a game-changer in many industries.
But could freelancing be one of them? Yes, and here’s why:
Learn about a topic or niche you less familiar with
Assume, you are working on a scene that has to do with our galaxy, where would you go to gain background knowl...

Another year has just begun. Online teaching platforms and course creators are aggressively advocating for their courses, boot camps, and conferences through online as, newsletters, and promotional emails.

Be it freelance writing, social media management, graphic design, or SEO, online courses and certifications are steadily proving to be useful in freelancing.

But if you have never brought an online course, you may wonder if they are really necessary — or worth the cost. You may be skeptical...

Even after engaging in a few video calls or virtual hangouts, I admit I am still nervous to speak in front of a webcam. In most cases, especially before a call, I will Google desperately for ways to engage better, but everything falls flat immediately when the conversation begins. Even my usual mantra doesn’t help!
I believe I have some kind of social anxiety that makes me turn down any conversation or interaction via a webcam. Or maybe it’s imposter syndrome, making me hide behind emails.
Ca...

Writing means freedom to many people, especially individuals transitioning from the corporate environment to freelance writing.
It’s freedom from all the corporate policies that come with an organization—don’t forget customer complaints and pressure from top executives.
That is what I thought after I was given the ax by my former employer and jumped into freelance writing full-time. Instead of feeling anger and disillusionment, I felt a sigh of relief.
Finally, I would be away from all the co...

Social media conferences, unlike writing conferences, may not ring a bell in you if you are not really into content marketing. Still, it is one among many types of conferences that writers shouldn’t ignore, especially if they’re into writing fiction or do content production for online and social media consumption.
If you want to up your social media marketing skills, boost your creativity in design and writing, or open up to new possibilities in areas such as tech, you may have to look beyond...

This is a guest post by Derick Okech. You can read more of his work here.
In my undergraduate course, I had a classmate who rode to campus each day for lessons. I admired his courage: facing chilly mornings and evenings, heavy traffic, and possible encounters with striking government employees who barricaded roads.
I couldn’t imagine ever riding to town for anything. Let alone my classes. I have a stocky build, hence I figured I wouldn’t look nice on a bike. Plus, if it was a matter of keepin...