What is freelance writing? Better yet, how do you become a freelance writer? There are plenty of questions swirling the internet about how to become a freelance writer and make a decent living doing just that, and only that. Freelance writing can help you earn extra money on the side. It has even allowed some people to say goodbye to their nine-to-five jobs.
How to be a freelance writer is simple by following the steps. If you enjoy working independently, then freelance is for you. In essence, you will be a contract worker to an assortment of businesses, but will not be weighed down by one employer.
This is great news if you love variety, as you get to select the projects you want, and you determine your own work hours. There are a few things you need to consider first and foremost, that is working on your portfolio, setting up a decent website, and brushing up on your writing skills. Once you feel you are ready, you can begin reaching out to clients.
10 Steps to Getting Started
Freedom is at your fingertips! Find out how to slowly start building your freelance writing career with the following 10 steps.
Research, Research, and Research
You would not have landed on this page if you were not already browsing web pages about becoming a writer on your own terms. Learning all there is to know about freelancing is a crucial step to take. Follow other freelance writers through social media sites, read blogs, and discover their personal websites to know all you can.
You might even be inspired enough to ask them how they started and what they charge customers.
There are also a ton of websites online that are there to support freelance writers such as:
Finding Your Focus
Finding your niche isn’t as hard as it sounds. Don’t disregard the hobbies and interests you already have in your life. Often these are a decent foundation when getting started in your freelance writing career. You already love and understand these topics, so writing about them will be a breeze!
Niche writing markets include:
- Fitness
- Travel
- Food and cooking
- Finance
- Parenting
- Relationships
- Health
Hone Your Organizational Skills
The more clients and writing jobs you get, the more it pays to be organized. Not only will you have to manage your projects and due dates, but you will also be responsible for billing them.
You can save yourself time by working from an outline that you have already set up. This makes the writing process more manageable and ensures you cover all the key points. It is also recommended to pass along the outline to the customer, so they can approve it before you dive into writing an entire article or blog post for them.
Great organizational apps include:
Upskill
If you do not have a background in writing, don’t worry. You can sign yourself up for some incredible online courses or short classes. These are often available at local learning centres and colleges, as well as through online companies.
Build an Online Presence
Having an online presence is a must. It is critical because it helps the customer find you easily when they are looking for services such as content and freelance writers. It will also provide a platform to showcase samples of your work and which niches you excel in.
Building an online presence is simple. Create pages of your business on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Always have links that take the reader to your website, and make sure you include links to your social media pages via your website.
Free and very handy build-your-own websites include:
Brushing up on Blogging Skills
Understanding the formatting of a blog post is pivotal if you want to crack it at this game. Often customers want content that is used for marketing material. That means understanding how to captivate your reader through headlines, subtitles, white spaces, in-text links, bullet points, and numbered lists.
To find out how to create a super catchy blog post click here.
Businesses may also make use of lead magnets, email lists, white papers, and case studies to encourage more interest in their products or services. Understanding various marketing strategies are as important as knowing how to write content properly.
Determine Your Hourly Rate
Visit freelancer company websites to determine what they are charging. Remember, you can also find an idea of rates mentioned on freelance writer’s web pages. When determining your rate, you should consider whether you want to charge an hourly rate or a rate per ‘x’ amount of words. Never be afraid to negotiate either. It is common to ask for a 50% deposit upfront and the remaining 50% amount upon completion of the project. Lastly, always keep track of your income to see if you are reaching your financial goals and managing your time well.
Image Requests
Your clients might ask you to include images. Knowing where to look and making use of free, high-quality images will save you time and make your job much easier.
The following websites supply free images that you can incorporate into your projects if need be:
To create and edit your own images, sign up to:
Editing Apps
If you plan to make freelancing your main source of income, you will want to offer the best content possible. Consider purchasing and using editing apps, which will check your work for spelling and grammatical errors. Some even offer style suggestions depending on the type of content you’ve written. Opt for a paid-for subscription as it will guarantee that your work is seamless.
Try these to help you along:
Samples and Portfolios
Clients may want to see examples of your writing. Therefore, having a few samples of your work or a portfolio on hand is essential. Make sure that you create a copy that can be sent via email to clients as well as samples that are viewable on your website and social media pages.
To show off even more of your skills, you should also create a blog page on your website that you can fill with your own content.
Alternatively, there are many sites that allow writers to make guest posts. You can use the below mentioned Google search strings to help you.
Try typing the following into the Google search bar:
- “Keyword” + write for us
- “Keyword” + guest post
For example: Fishing write for us, or fishing guest post. Google should then churn out a variety of sites that allow for guest post opportunities.
If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can make use of LinkedIn Pulse. This is where you can read about professionals and influencers. It is also a platform where you can create your own writing samples and post them.
Your One-Week Plan to Becoming a Better Writer
If you are already writing bits and pieces here and there, you probably have a range of work of varying quality. I am sure you have a few pieces that made you shake your head and think, “what on earth was I thinking?” If you are new to writing (or even a seasoned writer), the following will help you to smooth out any kinks in your writing.
| Day | Exercise |
| Monday | Honesty: Read through your work out loud. Did you notice you used filler words, or does it sound jagged? Take down notes, and refer to them in the future. Perhaps you need to research your topic better or make use of more elaborate sentences. |
| Tuesday | Practice makes perfect. Write daily, if even for an hour. Pick a topic and write at least 500 words. |
| Wednesday | Visit Design Sensory to address common writing mistakes. There is even an online worksheet that you can practice on and take notes. |
| Thursday | Limit any email or social media post that you make to 140 words, using to-the-point words and without losing important information. |
| Friday | Create a 100-word blog that is informative, lists benefits, and has a call to action. |
| Saturday | Set a timer for 30 minutes and see how many words you can type. Try to improve this average on a weekly basis. |
| Sunday | Read as much as you can as it improves your overall writing skills. |
Where to Find Writing Gigs Online
Here are 10 online websites looking for freelancers today.
- Freelance Writing Gigs: Freelance writing jobs are posted weekly. Sometimes daily blog posts make mention of potential writing jobs. It is worth a look if you are on the hunt for your next project.
- BloggingPro: BloggingPro is designed to only show blogging related jobs online. If this is your niche and you have no other skills (graphic design or proofreading for example), then this would be the right place to start your job hunt.
- Media Bistro: This is a job board with the freelance writer at heart. Jobs are posted daily from various other sites. All you have to do is apply and supply the client with the perfect pitch!
- Freelance Writing Jobs: This website trolls various other job sites to provide one place whereby you can search for potential online work.
- ProBlogger: ProBlogger curates online jobs, giving you a platform whereby you can view all available jobs in your field in one convenient place. They have a selection of options to choose from, which will help you narrow down your search and find the perfect jobs to take a shot at.
- Fiverr: Fiverr is a freelancing website that allows you to create a profile of your work. They also list available work in your field to apply for. Fiverr is designed for not only writers but for all people in the creative job field, such as photographers, graphic designers, and more.
- Upwork: Upwork is similar to Fiverr in that it offers you the potential to design your own profile and pitch for work that is listed via their website. It is perfect for those who have more skills to offer other than writing, such as graphic design, photography, transcribing, and computer programming.
- The Urban Writers: The Urban Writers is a writing service company designed at supplying customers with any content they need. You are required to apply for a role as a ghostwriter first before gaining access to available work.
- Scripted: Scripted allows you to create your own profile and is a platform for potential employers to find freelance writers and copywriters.
- All Freelance Writing Job Board: This job site posts jobs listed within 30 days, making the jobs listed relevant and up to date. You can also view the category, for example, if it is for a newspaper or magazine and what the pay grade will be.
How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer
If you are hoping to make it as a freelance writer, one of the most important questions you may ask is, “how do I make money?”
There are many successful freelance writers who have made it their full-time career. So, there is hope for you! Knowing how to step away and shape your business into a profitable one is key.
For those already dabbling in the freelance market, you might be feeling stuck or are settling for low paying jobs. Don’t worry, the pointers mentioned below will help you, too!
Is Your Website Informative Enough?
- Call out potential clients by listing a hire me page. Tell them why they should choose you. Don’t be shy! Show them exactly what makes you a perfect fit.
- Always ask clients for reviews. Then, be sure to share their testimonials on your website and social media pages.
- Create an about me page that shares your professional and personal background with others. This extra touch of personalization will make you stand out.
- Investigate what affiliate marketing is and see if you can include it in your personal website’s blog. Try to include a tutorial-based blog post that mentions your affiliate link. This has a bigger conversion rate.
Try Medium
Medium allows you to post blogs onto their site for free—and they pay you for it! Rates vary; some freelancers may only make a few dollars, whereas others could make hundreds. It also helps to build your portfolio and create samples.
Work on Your Brand Identity
Your brand identity shapes the type of writer you are, and it gives clients something to associate with. Brand identity makes use of unique colors, wording, images, and logos that allow a business to stand out from the rest.
Follow the Professionals
Now that you have yourself set up on social media platforms, the idea is to follow people within your industry and interact with their content. Make a comment on their post and then share it. You may get a referral or somebody who is in need of a content writer and comes across your post.
Diversify Your Earnings
- You may want to include a new service such as social media management or graphic design.
- Try affiliate marketing, as mentioned.
- Write your own eBooks.
- Create bundles or specials that you can offer to customers (15% off your first purchase).
Create the Perfect Pitch
Here professional freelance writer Elna Cain shows you how to create the perfect pitch to land you freelance writing jobs. Knowing how to pitch properly will guarantee that the customer selects you as the writer for their new project.
The ideal pitch will consist of references to your niche market and an explanation of why you are a suitable candidate. It should contain links to your work, websites, and social media pages.
More importantly, it should list in very simple terms as to how you can make the post as attention-grabbing and appealing to readers.
For example, you could mention in the body of the email or application that you will:
- Encourage readers through call-to-action prompts.
- Write a catchy introduction.
- Provide stats and examples.
- Add images.
- Provide eye-catching headlines and subheadings.
Common Freelance Writing Mistakes
Here are seven ways that freelance writers make mistakes (apart from spelling and grammatical errors).
- Bad structuring: You should use anchoring features that include images, videos, links, headings, subheadings, and lists. Often writers overlook this. It is important because it holds the reader’s attention and makes the information interesting.
- Spacing: Writers can tend to create long stretches of text without adequate spacing between paragraphs. Always space out your content in a fluid manner. If you are working directly into WordPress, then switch to preview mode to see if your spacing looks neat and tidy.
- Tone: You would not believe me if I told you that the biggest online marketers use a 4th-grade level writing. Use simple words and a conversational tone, unless the client has specified otherwise.
- Include examples: Writers overlook the value in adding examples to work. If, for example, you mentioned in your article that a person should drink more water, consider listing a few benefits as to why. It makes it more interesting for the reader and it helps them to understand the point you are trying to make.
- Hustling when the work is slow: After a while as a freelance writer, you may only feel the need to pick up projects when you notice that business is slowing down. With freelance writing, you never want to get too comfortable with your workload. You should always maintain the momentum and keep searching for new work.
- Wrap it up: Often, blog posts are not concluded very well. This is a common mistake, but careful attention should be made in providing a well-rounded paragraph at the end of your post that serves as a conclusion. Subheadings work well and signify that it is the end of the post. Use subheadings such as conclusion, that’s it, that’s a wrap, or the end.
- Not planning for the future: When you are first starting out, you may not be thinking about your long-term goals. Well, here is the catch, you should be! It is important to set goals for yourself and your business. Do you only want to write, or do you want to upskill and offer more services to clients? Is it only going to be a side gig or do you want to write full time? All of these answers will impact the way in which you move forward.
FAQ
- Can you make a living being a freelance writer?
You can make a few dollars, or you can make more than what your current job pays you per month. Growing your business, honing your skills, and knowing where to look for work will better your chances of making more money.
- How do freelancers get paid?
That will depend on the freelancer. If their work is based locally, then cash or an electronic transfer may be an option. PayPal is also popular as well as tools such as Bonsai, Sage Pay, or Freshbooks.
Thoughts
The best thing that you can do to become a professional and successful freelance writer is to continue to learn all there is about the business of writing. Apart from that, perfecting your skills is as important. Don’t forget to keep reading up on niche markets that appeal to you to stay ahead of the times!
Strive to deliver an end product that both you and the client will be thrilled about. If you do, you’ll see new business come flooding in. Hard work and determination are the keys to success. The effort you put in will pay off in the end. Soon you’ll become your own boss and kiss the nine-to-five rat race goodbye!