How to leverage Facebook groups as a content writer?

Facebook has a vast user base and is still in the game despite its age. It is a platform that hosts mostly millennial and GenX users, which makes it the perfect place to find freelance work. Especially on Facebook groups, since they aim to bring like-minded people together and make a community of people that can help each other. But finding these groups and successfully landing gigs is a grey area that not many people understand how to do. Moreover, gigs here are not exceptionally high paying and therefore are apt for beginners to get started and gain experience. So instead of wasting your time on memes and cute puppy videos, let’s see how you can use Facebook groups to score some content writing gigs. 

Facebook Groups And How They Benefit A Freelance Content Writer

Community

The life of a freelance content writer means you have to do everything on your own. Sometimes you delegate work to other freelancers, but it is mostly you sailing the ship of your business (yes, you run a business). Therefore, it is natural for freelance writers to feel isolated. With an online Facebook Group, you have a community of writers and business owners.

Apart from dealing with isolation, online Facebook groups also help you get out of a writing slump and burnout. How? Many freelance writers in the group have years of experience and can help you deal with your problems.  

Job Leads

Every freelance content writer knows the struggle to get leads. And that’s why Facebook groups are one of the best ways to get leads. Not all businesses have the network to source writers for their requirements; they rely on these groups to find the content writer that can help them. Apart from business owners, other freelancers with surplus work can also outsource it to other writers. Therefore, getting leads on Facebook is just a matter of being in the right group at the right time.

Accountability

We all work better when there is someone keeping score. By nature, humans are competitive and like to win. Our neural biology is wired to be competitive and give our best. How is this related to Facebook groups? Many Facebook groups host weekly challenges, where the premise is to share your achievement with the group. As soon as you know that you have to publicly acknowledge your work as a freelancer, you will put in more effort to outdo yourself and others. It will push you to reach your best level and work harder. Your competitive nature will do this naturally for you, and you will see yourself achieving things you thought weren’t possible. Try to keep the competition healthy because it is easy to make a healthy competition toxic.

Trouble-Shooting

Remember how the computer suggests troubleshooting when something goes wrong? You are not a computer, and therefore when problems arise, you may go into panic mode instead of troubleshooting mode. In those moments, you need someone who understands what you are going through and calms you down. Moreover, you would wish they would help you troubleshoot and develop a feasible solution.

What is a better way of reaching out to people who can help you troubleshoot than a Facebook group full of writers? Your issues may range from problems with the content management system to troublesome clients. A Facebook group with several writers will be happy to help you solve your problems.

Creative Insights

Every writer hates the feeling of staring at a blank page and getting hit with no creativity whatsoever. Especially when you have committed to a deadline, the dread can become tenfold. How does one deal with this, then? Frankly, there is no one shoe fits all solution to writer’s block, and that’s why a community of writers can help you navigate it better than any blog online. 

Recognising The Right Facebook Group

Types of Groups

The types of groups on Facebook come in all shapes and sizes. Some are niche, while others have a variety of freelance jobs available. There are full-time in-house writers, while others offer only short-term freelance writing gigs. Decide which one fits you best and look for Facebook groups. In my blogs, I have mentioned too many times that you need to niche down to be a high-income freelance writer. Therefore, if you have a niche you want to work for, searching for the niche group will yield a handful of options to you. If you cannot find niche groups, join general writing groups and explore that community to find hidden gems.

Course-Associated Facebook Groups

As a freelance writer, you might have bought some online courses to learn a new skill. Many such courses offer added support through Facebook groups. Engaging with the group can yield leads too. For example, taking a social media managing course helps you network with other social media managers and businesspeople. Given your network with them, they may hire you from the course to help them with their content writing needs. Moreover, learning becomes more manageable when done in a group, and therefore joining these groups will help you through the doubts you have regarding the course.

Size

Size matters when it comes to joining Facebook groups. If you want to use the group to be more accountable, it helps that the group is small. However, if you want a Facebook group to give you leads, more prominent groups are better since they increase the number of clients you can reach through group posts. However, niche groups may have fewer members, but you can charge higher for a niche article since you specialise in it. 

Each group has its benefits. Smaller are well moderated and managed, while the bigger ones give you more exposure to businesses. Join a bunch of groups of varying sizes and see which one suits your needs and helps you in what ways.

No luck finding one?

While searching for the perfect Facebook group, why not make your own? Although it will take time for you to grow it and have sufficient ROI from it, making your own will help you find like-minded writers and businesses that can mutually benefit each other. When making a group, you can have some ground rules to set a vibe for the group. Moreover, managing the group efficiently is your job, so if someone is causing a stir in the group or violating the ground rules, feel free to chuck them out.

How to Find The Best Facebook Groups?

Once you identify the Facebook groups that suit your needs, we can search for them on Facebook.

• Log into your account.
• Search the keywords that best describe the group you want to find. The keywords can be “freelance writers”, “ecomm freelance writers”, “fintech freelance writers”, etc.
• Select the group tab to make sure that you get groups in your search instead of people or events. Moreover, it would be easier to look through all the results.
• You can even make your search more specific by adding a location. As an Indian writer, you understand the Indian audience. Therefore, as a beginner, starting with Indian freelance writing jobs groups will help you create easier. 

• Look for the size of the group, if it is big or small. As discussed above, both have their advantages and knowing them will help you navigate the groups better.
• Some Facebook groups ask you a few questions. They are generally about you and why you are joining the group. It is to remove and discourage people who aren’t serious about the job opportunities.
• My advice would be to join as many Facebook groups as possible. You would have access to many groups, and you can later leave the spammy or unnecessary groups. 

You’re In Facebook Groups: What Next?

When you are in the Facebook groups, you will see many posts floating around. Some posts would be from other freelance content writers looking for jobs; others would be from businesses looking for freelance writers. The latter is your primary concern and the posts you have to pay attention to in the group. Clients mention the niche, type of content, payment, and expectations from you. It would give you a fair idea of the work and how much the client will pay you. You would also see that many freelance writers must have responded with an “interested” in the comments. Please do not do that too, it may seem that it works, but it doesn’t. Instead, follow the following steps:

Prepare a top-notch cover letter.

A cover letter is the first thing you need to prepare when applying for these gigs. But wait, what is the cover letter, and why do you need one? A cover letter is a letter that tells the clients why you are the best person for the job. Writing takes effort and skills, but you can write one with a few simple tips. If you have worked with a client before, you can tell what you did and how it helped them; you may even attach testimonials. You can even mention a particular course you took, which made you good at what you do.

But not all of us have prior writing experience. You do not have anything substantial to write in your cover letter, which may cause the client not to give you the job. What do we do then? You make the client see the cup as half-full. You propose that you have the writing skill and are willing to work for them at a discounted price. However, in exchange for the discount, they should give you a testimonial, either a video one or one on your LinkedIn. If they aren’t comfortable with either, they can send one vial email too.

The latter approach means you aren’t dropping your price to get the gig but instead for a testimonial. A testimonial will help you later secure more clients since you have worked with somebody before. Moreover, they will hire you because you offer the same service for a lower price. Many businesses that use Facebook to source clients are on a tight budget, so your offer will appeal to them too. Moreover, they just have to send a testimonial which won’t be a problem.

Once you bag a few clients, you no longer need to drop your rates and may even raise them once you have enough experience.

Send Your Best Samples

It does not matter if you are a new freelance writer or an experienced one; every client will ask for your samples. Your samples show your skills and therefore needs to be some of your best work. Ideally, your samples should be online in the form of published articles. It can also be work you did for your client, given it is under your name. Many clients come to freelance writers for ghostwriting services. It means that you can’t claim the blog as yours once the client publishes it. Refrain from sharing those and instead share the ones you can claim as yours without breaching your contract with the other client.

Beginner freelance content writers may not have published samples, which is fine. You can make your website and post your samples on the website. If you wonder how to write your samples or prepare your portfolio, you can check our blog: a complete guide to making a content writer portfolio that will blow your client’s minds.

Once you make your portfolio, send individual and relevant blog links, making it easier for your client to go through your samples.

Post valuable content on the group

As a content writer, you know how businesses use content to attract clients. Similarly, you can use content too to attract companies to work with you. Posting content in posts in a Facebook group works particularly well in niche Facebook groups. You can add value to the group by adding information about how content can help them grow their business. You may even prepare a case study of your previous client and add it to the group. Ending it with a CTA may create an influx of leads for you. Moreover, you can also add some easy tips to help them better their content. Anybody who likes your post is a potential client, and you can directly message them and ask them if they are interested. 

One key point to remember while doing this is to be mindful of the others in the group and respect the group’s ground rules. Moreover, if the client declines your service via direct messages even after you tell them how it can help them, stop engaging. Professionalism matters, and you should remember that there is only so much you can do to convince someone. If you keep pursuing the client, it may annoy them. 

Can I Make A Lot Of Money As A Freelance Writer From Facebook Groups?

It is a question that many people have when they start their journey. Why should you spend so much time and effort on Facebook groups if you can’t make a lot of money? Well, the answer is that you can make a decent start as a freelance writer via Facebook groups. However, whether you can make a lot from Facebook groups cannot be sure. Some freelance writers find long-term clients that recommend them to other businesses. It can help the writer grow faster and earn a higher income. Other writers find it difficult to find clients. 

Since earning via Facebook groups have so many variables like location, group, timing, etc., attached to earning from Facebook groups, you cannot generalise how much you can make. Moreover, Facebook groups are a way to gain experience. However, you should try moving to other platforms as you grow. You can try shifting to LinkedIn eventually; here is a guide that can help you do that: How To Polish Your LinkedIn Profile As A Freelance Content Writer.

Facebook Group Basics

Facebook is a social media platform GenZ and Millneials know well. However, you need to keep in mind specific basic rules and etiquette when joining a Facebook group. Here are a few of them:

Respect the rules set by the admin

As mentioned above, when someone makes a group, they set some ground rules like no bullying, posting offensive material, etc. Therefore, before joining and engaging with the group, read the rules and respect them. The admins make the rules for your good and restrict any troll behaviour, and if you are the one who trolls people online, please do not be that guy.

No spamming

Congratulations! You got accepted into a Facebook group with prompt managers and ample work opportunities. You now want to share your previous testimonials or wish to ask for possible gigs. Communicating on a Facebook group is alright but spamming the group every day with the same generalised message is not the way to go about it. Consider that the members are notified every time you share in the group. Therefore, if you keep sharing the same message over and over again, it will soon be seen as spamming. 

In a Facebook group with active management and administrators, you will be chucked out of the group. Therefore, keep messaging to the minimum, and if there are any rules regarding messaging on the group, follow them. For example, the group members can post on a Sunday to minimise notifications and ease communication.

Be aware that the admin is a human.

Admins are the sole reason for the smooth functioning of a Facebook group. They are the ones that facilitate the growth of the group and bring like-minded people together. Moreover, they have to post regular content, moderate comments, decide which members should be welcome in the group, etc. Many admins can execute all of these tasks, but their duties become more complex as the group grows. 

In the midst of all this, the group members expect them to be at their beck and call and may even get rude to them over direct messages. While sitting behind screens, humans often forget another person on the other end. Admins are human, too, with their carers and family life. They are not entitled to solve every problem you have, but they choose to do it. Therefore, when facing a problem, don’t go guns blazing against the admin. Be patient and kind when sorting out your problem.

Search tool = best friend

Look, you likely join a group with deep roots, aka the admin started the group a while back. Since then, there has been tons of information on it already. You can simply use the search bar to look for answers. Many Facebook group admins feel that if new users search for the information, the group will become more peaceful and productive. 

Conclusion

Let’s recap what we discussed in the blog, so you have a clear picture of how to go forward:

• We saw how Facebook groups help freelance writers not only find gigs but also find a community of freelance content writers. They also help writers stay accountable, troubleshoot problems and get creative insights.
• Next, we discussed how you could recognise the right group for you based on the type of group, size, and course associated. If you can’t find one, make your own.
• We also discussed finding the right Facebook groups for you and getting specific. Moreover, how to join Facebook groups right for you and to apply to as many groups as possible to expose yourself to as many leads as you can.
• Well, when you are in a group, what to do next? Prepare your cover letter to convince the clients that you are the perfect fit for the job. Next, you need to prepare samples to help your clients understand your style. Finally, you may even add valuable content in the group in posts to get inbound leads.
• The most common question people have is if they can make a lot of money from Facebook? The answer is a yes and a no; since so many variables are at play, nobody can answer the question objectively.
• We ended the blog by stating a few basic etiquettes you need to follow in Facebook groups. You need to respect the ground rules, avoid spamming, and use the search tool before asking questions.

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