You’ve gotten your first writing gig. Now what?

You got your first writing gig! Congratulations, I’m so proud of you.

I remember when I first got my writing job. It was on Upwork; I was to write a 1000 words blog post for a children’s school, and I charged $20.

I was 16, and I just made $20; I was ecstatic! I started writing with so much excitement — I wanted to make sure the client loved it.

I submitted the post, and the client was so happy. I got paid, and she gave me the best review, and we said our goodbyes. I went straight to Upwork’s “Find Work” page and started bidding for other jobs.

Please don’t be that Adeife; do better.

It can be exciting when you get a new writing gig, especially because a client trusts you enough to pay for your skills.

However, the moves you make after getting your first gig can help you boost your writing career.

If you want to double or triple your rates in no time, here are the moves you need to make:

Have a record of your work

When I started as a writer, I didn’t think of having a collection of my work. I worked for over 15 clients on my previous Upwork account and did over 100 blog posts, but I didn’t keep them.

At a point, I was going through a phase in my life, and I deleted my previous Upwork account and lost all my client records. My laptop got damaged, and I lost all the articles I wrote.

I didn’t lose all the clients and articles because of my Upwork or laptop. I lost them because I didn’t have a record.

The internet is for everyone. Once you publish an article online, put a link to the site where the article appears on your online portfolio or LinkedIn. Upload a copy of your work to your Google Drive.

Get a testimonial

If your client is happy with your work, your next step is to get a testimonial.

Don’t wait for a month to get a testimonial (trust me, I’ve done this). Immediately, you publish the article, and your client says “good job”; ask for a testimonial.

If possible, let them write you a recommendation on LinkedIn. It would strengthen your LinkedIn profile and help you go a long way as a writer.

Keep in touch with your clients

If you are looking for more writing gigs, look at your existing clients.

Don’t be like the old me — stay in contact with your old clients. Propose other article ideas or tell them what more you can do to help their company.

Don’t ever discard your clients because you finished a project.

It’s not easy to be fighting for jobs every time. Hop onto the soft life and look for ongoing projects that provide a steady income stream.