6 Other Important Skills to Learn as a Freelance Writer

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While many people assume that a writer only needs writing skills, this couldn’t be further from the truth. As a budding freelance writer, you may find that some of your most valuable skills are not writing-related. There are a few other skills that can help you.

Being able to juggle multiple projects and understanding your client’s project scope are just a few skills that come in handy. You also need to have practical experience in selecting and editing photos. Most importantly, a basic understanding of search engine optimization and HTML code will set you apart from other writers.

One of my earliest blog posts talks about the essential skills you need to be a successful freelance writer. Let’s take this further by looking into six other vital skills to learn for your freelance writing career to thrive.

Digital skills

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A must in this day and age, digital skills are described as the skills needed to use digital devices, communication applications, and networks to access and manage information. According to Salesforce, they’re the foundation of the future of work. Here are a few questions to answer: Can you enter data accurately? Do you know how to use a social media platform from a business perspective? Are you comfortable with using different types of productivity tools?

Digital technology is changing rapidly, so freelancers will always need to adapt to using any software application. With more and more clients requiring a certain level of proficiency in online tools, it’s paramount to have at least an understanding, if not hands-on experience. Remember: what you need is the ability to learn quickly independently.

Design eye

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One of the most underrated skills a freelance writer needs is an eye for good design. Appreciating the importance of design is critical. It’s not just about your words but how those words are arranged visually on the page. An article with lots of white space in between paragraphs, for example, is more likely to get read.

Photo editing

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Photo editing is a skill you can’t live without. It’s the ability to take a picture and improve it according to your needs. You need to be a master graphic artist, but knowing how to crop and adjust the lighting in images is essential. Learning to tweak color tones, saturation, and more may seem daunting at first. However, with enough practice, you should efficiently work with images.

Project management

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One skill that is often overlooked, yet can be one of the most valuable, is project management. Freelance writers need to be able to juggle multiple projects at once. You’ll have deadlines for content from clients, you’ll be working on blog posts for your blogs, and you may be hustling for new gigs.

Managing all of these responsibilities at once will make you stand out from other writers. For example, breaking down projects into doable tasks and identifying your most critical to-dos d helps you prioritize your work.

HTML code

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HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is a programming language that defines the text, images, and other aspects of web pages. With most websites being powered by content management systems, you may not need to know how to program in HTML code.

However, it’s vital to have a basic understanding of HTML tags so that you can better edit your content. For example, if you make a mistake in formatting your text and want to fix it before publishing your post, knowing how to edit these tags will make the process easier.

Search engine optimization

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Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important skill to learn to help your content and online portfolio rank higher. The higher your ranking, the more your site will be seen by other people looking for what you provide.

It would help if you learned how to create search-engine-friendly titles, meta descriptions, and content. This means that you need to know how to write in a way that will allow search engines like Google to scan your content and find what you’re offering readily.

About the author

Carla Martinez-Tensuan is a freelance writer and editor. She specializes in crafting blog content, creative copy, and press releases. She enjoys listening to podcasts, reading books, and baking sweets in her spare time. She lives with her husband in Manila, Philippines.