Freelance writers are some of the highest contributors to the digital economy, capable of earning more than $100,000 a year.

Why is this, you may be wondering? What distinguishes freelance writers from other freelancers today? Well, their versatility and ability to adapt to various modes of content creation.

Freelance writers are more than individuals who can write content. Part of their typical work consists of carrying out editing, research and marketing, just to name a few.

These extra skills are not necessary to be carried out, but so many freelancers are quick to add them as free services in projects that only pays for the written product. I know I did this, and have gradually started to see the value in these services that exceed the borders of writing.

Learning to monetize extra skills and services as a freelance writers can be a rough patch at the beginning, because you're eager to impress and land as many clients as possible. But what I have noticed over the years of working with clients is this:

Good clients will often want to pay you for additional services that you suggest to them, while not-so-good clients will flinch at even the thought of compensating you, let alone accept other paid services from you.

So, should you offer additional services as a freelance writer?

The answer is a hard yes. After listing a couple of skills that you know you can offer them, you can package each one of them and sell them as additional services to the one you're already offering (writing).

The 3 main ways to sell additional services as a freelance writer are:

• Highlighting the benefits that your clients will gain by paying for your service.
• Asking your clients upfront if they'd like additional services carried out for them, as they may not know you offer them as a freelance writer.
• Separating your various services into categories or pages on your freelance writing website so that your clients gain a comprehensive view of everything you offer.

Here are 7 skills that you as a freelance writer can utilize and sell as additional services to your clients.

1. Social Media Management

A social media manager is someone who is responsible for a company's social media accounts.

To be able to manage social media accounts, you need to have some background in relevant skills, such as marketing, customer service, keyword research, graphic design, copywriting, analytics, and communication skills — most of which are skills that you already possess as a freelance writer.

Being a social media manages means that you will help businesses create engaging content that will attract new customers for the products or services that they offer. You'll this by creating posts and responding to comments or direct messages on a specific social media account.

Some websites to find social media management clients are Acadium, Guru and Hubstaff Talent.

2. SEO

Not every business is well-acquainted with the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

If you have experience with search engine algorithms and know how to rank content in an organic manner (without ads), then you can offer SEO or consultation services.

As a freelance writer, you may have noticed that many clients ask you to produce SEO-optimized content (SEO being applied for free!), so SEO isn't something that is completely unrelated to what you already offer.

You can offer to train others (including your clients) on SEO and help them learn how to create SEO-friendly content. Your SEO knowledge can be monetized, because it may have taken quite a bit of time, money and effort to learn it.

Some websites where you can find SEO-optimization jobs are Upwork, Guru and Flexjobs.

3. Editing/Proofreading

If you have a keen eye for detail and are a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to grammar, punctuation and spelling (like me!)then you can consider selling editing and proofreading services.

You can offer these to regular freelance writing clients or even get in touch with other writers or authors who may be in need of editing and proofreading services.

There is no universal job description for a freelance editor, and the tasks you do will depend on your clients' specific needs and what you specialize in.

But what you will want to do as a freelance editor is help optimize your client's voice to suit the needs and expectations of their potential customers. This may include tasks such as developmental and line editing, proofreading, fact checking and stylistic or brand editing.

Some websites to land freelance editing jobs are Wordvice, Scribendi and Reedsy.

4. Blog Management

If you own a blog yourself, you know the amount of work that goes into maintaining it. So you can imagine that your clients are as equally consumed by the work required to look after and develop their own websites.

A blog is the backbone of a brand or business in the 21st century, and it's one of the biggest contributors to bringing in customers to a business (after social media).

From keyword research and optimization to website analytics, there is a lot to unpack when it comes to managing a blog, and a lot of business owners simply do not have the time to do it.

So to help businesses with their website and make a bit more money yourself, you can offer to manage your clients' blogs for them, in addition to writing blog posts.

This will help you practice your skills of brainstorming new ideas when it comes to content creation such as blog posts.

Because a number of businesses do not know if they need a blog manager or not, you can talk to them about why they may need one and how you can help them achieve the results they seek.

Some websites where you can find blog management jobs are Guru, SimplyHired and LinkedIn.

5. Bookkeeping

A bookkeeper is someone who is responsible for tracking daily transactions of a company.

As a freelance writer, you can add the additional service of helping businesses manage their finances as a virtual bookkeeper, as part of helping your business reach their desired results.

Bookkeepers form a part of a business' strategy development — creating reports and providing feedback to their clients — and as a freelance writer who already takes part in that, you can learn the basics and start offering services in this area as well.

Some websites where you can locate bookkeeping jobs are Upwork, Indeed and Freelancer.

6. Graphic Design

If you're someone who particularly likes to experiment with designing or are talented at it, then you can add it as an additional service that you offer to clients.

Graphic designs are visual content that help businesses in their content marketing efforts. Pinterest is one of the most well-known engines dedicated to promoting visual content, and this is why so many businesses depend on the social media platform to drive users to their website who may turn into customers.

Creating pins that stand out and attract views can take time and talent, and many clients seek to find someone who can do this for them.

Some graphics you can create are Pinterest graphics, blog graphics, banners, infographics and social media graphics, to name a few. There are many tools you can make use of for creating such graphics, including Canva and Venngage.

Some websites where you can find graphic design jobs are Dribbble, We Work Remotely and Coroflot.

7. Virtual Assistant Services

As a freelance writer, you're already tech-savvy, organized and have excellent communication skills. You're someone who knows how to multitask and can produce quality that guarantees results.

Those skills can convince your client to trust you with administrative tasks.

A virtual assistant is someone who helps a business carry out day to day admin tasks, such as sending emails, scheduling appointments, making phone calls, contacting the company's clients, and managing data.

Some websites where you can virtual assistant jobs are Upwork, 99 Dollar Social and Indeed.

Ready to Diversify Your Freelance Writing Business?

Freelance writing is one of the most rewarding jobs of today's gig economy. Content creation heavily relies on freelance writers, because they form the essential foundation of getting businesses into touch with potential customers.

Nevertheless, locating freelance writing jobs that only include offering writing services can be challenging, given the vast array of skills that are in demand from content creators currently.

The beautiful aspect of being a freelance writer is that you are always free to add services to your existing skill pool, attracting new clients and maintaining a steady source of income.

Freelance writers are more than just writers. Their main talent lies in writing, but that doesn't mean they can't be amazingly skilled in other areas or industries as well. So, uncover and organize the skills you're good at, and get ready to expand your business!

Thank you so much for reading.

Do you have other services that you offer or have thought about offering as a freelance writer? I'd love to know!