“Go for passion, service delivery, great customer experience and customers will keep coming back” – Okon Joseph

Heyyyyyy, freelancers!

We had the opportunity of speaking with a renowned Nigerian freelancer; Okon Joseph, a prolific writer with several years of experience writing great content for businesses and websites.

Can You Please Introduce Yourself to Us?

My name is Okon Joseph, one of Nigeria’s best freelance writer and blogger. I help success driven individuals start and run a successful online business around freelance writing and blogging.

How Long Have You Been Writing?

I found my love for writing after I discovered that I can create stimulating and engaging contents and that was after graduating from secondary school. But professionally, I have been writing for a year plus.

How Long Have You Been Freelancing?

A year plus

In the Course of your Freelancing, what are some of the Challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

Hmmm…one challenge I mostly face and I know other writers face too is writer’s block.

Sometimes I find it difficult to write. I just lose inspiration and enthusiasm to write. I start getting discouraged to keep up with this kind of life.

How do I overcome it?

I sleep. Yeah, I just sleep. It helps me relaxes my mind and when I wake up, I am refreshed and everything starts flowing.

Another challenge I face is getting new high paying client. I was once finding it difficult to land a high paying client but it did not last for long. I overcame it by using a strategy I invented myself.

And here is it.

Before I pitch any webmaster, I first visit their blog to check out their content and see if the webmaster is running advertisement on it blog. If he or she is, I then look for the webmaster on Facebook and invite him as a friend.

When they accept, I chat up with them by introducing myself to them but not pitching. I just thank the webmaster for accepting my invite and give compliments.

The next thing I do is share one of my blog post on my timeline or a post that tells that I am a freelance writer. That is it!

It works. The client always ends up messaging me to ask me what I do as if they don’t know. From there, I do what I know how to do best (sell myself). This one has worked three times for me.

Another approach is, I drop a guest post on the client blog just so he can sit down and check my content and decide if to hire me or not. It has worked twice for me.

What are Your Favorite Tools for Working?

My favorite tools that makes writing easy and sweet for me are:

• Grammarly

I use this tool for proof-reading my content to avoid typographical errors and misuse of some phrases. It has a free and paid plan. I use the free plan.

• CopyScape

This is a paid tool that helps me check for plagiarism. I mostly use it for checking plagiarized contents whenever a content is being submitted to me by any of my writers.

• Semrush

I use this to search for high ranking SEO keywords when I am to create content that I want to rank high on search engines.

Tell Us About Your Works

I have not done much projects. But, due to the constant request from aspiring freelance writers to teach them how they too can become a high paying freelance writer, I wrote an eBook titles, “from PEN to PROFIT”.

The eBook is all about my journey and how I became a highly paid freelance writer in Nigeria and how they too can follow my footstep and top up their game and dominate their niche.

Presently, I am helping low earning bloggers to optimize their blogs for search engines, show them multiple ways they can increase traffic to their blog so their blog earnings can increase. I help them achieve this using various content marketing strategies.

How do you Motivate Yourself to Write?

The cash alone is enough motivation. The pressure I get from my clients also motivates me to write. Though, the biggest motivation is my target.

I do set monthly income target for myself and I make sure I meet it no matter what. That is my biggest motivation.

What is something you’ve learnt about freelancing that others can learn also from?

If every freelancer can take freelancing as a business, they can become financially free. I challenge any freelancer that is doing well (if you have made more than 100K within 3 months) to go full-time into the game. Shun the fear and do it.

That was what I did and I have not regretted it.

Tell us about one of your works you consider as your favorite?

Helping bloggers solve their SEO problems. It has really helped me so much in return. By finding out how I can help my client, I do learn new tips and strategies on how it can be done and I don’t just teach them, I first apply it to make sure I am sharing the right solution.

What is Your Best Writing Tip?

My best writing tip? I think it is better they should read a letter I wrote to all freelance writers. Here is it, A Letter to All Freelance Writer. If you feel I just want to lead you to my blog, please don’t click the link. It shows you are okay with your present position and earning.

What is Your Best Freelancing Tip?

Always strive to make your clients happy. Go for passion, service delivery, great customer experience and customers will keep coming back.

Ask them for any feedback. It gives you clarity on how to satisfy them.

Give discount. It means I like you and I value you.

Sorry, I gave more than one.

What Advice Would you give to a Budding Freelancer or Writer?

Stick to your grind. Don’t switch. If I can make it so you can. I know money is important, but do it for the passion, the money will surely come.

I started writing for ₦200 per 600+ word articles. Today, the story has changed. People that started writing with me at that price at that time has given up. But, you can’t compare where I am today with where they are financially and in terms of personality.

Stick to your grind. Every day do this;

Arise

Grind

Repeat

God strengthen you!