Creating a smart prospecting strategy is very much like assembling a solid, diversified investment portfolio.

And just like the world of investments has countless options, there are many prospecting and self-promotional tactics available to today's freelance writer.

Too many, in fact!

But one tactic that we don't talk about enough is public speaking. And more specifically, delivering talks to groups and organizations.

In this show, I interview someone who's landed a great deal of freelance work with this idea: my colleague Steve Slaunwhite.

Steve shares what he likes best about this particular type of self-promotion, whom this strategy is best-suited for, the steps to take to make this work, and how you can get started today.

In this week's show, I'll share 3 smart ways to boost your freelance income by outsourcing tasks that others can do better, faster and more cheaply.

It may not make sense to do them all at once. It depends on where you are in your business and what kind of work you're doing. But at some point, you should seriously consider delegating some of these functions.

I'll explain what these tasks are, how I outsource this work, what companies I use and what my experience has been.

Today's show covers a topic many of you have asked me about...

Contracts.

Should you use a contract when working with a client? What should it include? And should you write it up yourself, or is it best to hire an attorney?

I'm not an attorney. And I don't even play one on TV. So I decided to bring in a lawyer to the show — someone who works with freelancers and entrepreneurs.

In this interview, attorney Mark Mauriello explains:

• The benefits of using a contract
• What your contract should include
• When to use it
• When to hire an attorney

And much more.

I occasionally hear from writers who are on the verge of giving up their freelance dream.

They've tried for months (or even years!) to make a go of it. But they haven't been able to achieve the level of success they expected. So they come to me for advice.

In this episode, I share some of my thoughts on this issue. And, no—it's not all "rainbows and sunshine" advice. In fact, some of these ideas may surprise you.