by Joe Wallace

I’m a big believer in not following the herd. If there’s a fire, I’m looking for an alternate exit to the one the screaming masses are all trying to jam themselves into. The same rules apply when I’m out searching for freelance gigs.

Take Craigslist, for example. There was a time when I used Craigslist almost exclusively to find gigs. Then every freelance job board in the world started getting RSS feeds of Craigslist writing jobs. Now there are 200 people ahead of you by the time you start replying to that CL job post. The herd has beaten you to it.

So what’s a freelancer to do?

• If you must use a freelance job board, start by identifying one that hasn’t been stampeded by the herd.
• Use your contacts in other parts of the biz. For example–I have colleagues who work for a DVD company that routinely outsources work for the dust cover blurbs and reviews. If I needed to scoop up a new gig, the first thing I’d do is contact them to see what movies need blurbs that month.
• Ask your previous employers if there’s more work available. You can also re-query your previous editors with new material or try a new slant on an old topic.
• Try asking steady clients about associated markets. For example, if you write for a banking-oriented website, you could ask your client if they know anyone looking for writers for insurance topics. “I need to expand my portfolio a bit and insurance is an area I’ve been wanting to get more clips in.” Don’t ask your clients about their direct competition, though–bad idea.
• Read your local paper. You won’t find freelance gigs advertised there, but you may find some local businesses who could use a website makeover or a press release writer. This is more about reverse engineering a freelance gig than finding an advertised one.
• Pick your favorite major retailer and look at their Jobs page or Work With Us page. You’d be surprised where you find some freelance and contract writing jobs.