Freelance Writing A freelance writer works for a client as an independent contractor rather than a full-time employee. Freelancers can offer their services to different clients. They often write about any topic that a client requests. They can register for other clients, including creative writing journals, or as copywriters or content writers for clients.
There are many types of writing that a freelance writer can offer.
Online freelance writer: I write only content for the internet—nothing in print. But I am constantly learning new skills. You’ll be in high demand if you only do online content. This is just a sample of the different types of content that you can create.
Blog posts: This is what I write most often and what most businesses online require.
Magazine articles: This type of writing is more journalistic and formal.
Site content: Businesses have many pages on their websites. You might be asked to create an About page or Product page as a freelance writer. This falls under copywriting.
Email writing: Emails are short pieces of content that range from 500 to 1,000 words. Many businesses rely upon emails to increase their income.
eBooks: Many businesses use eBooks to draw people to their newsletter. Although most eBooks are ghostwritten, it is a valuable experience.
White Papers: These articles are professional lead-generating articles for small businesses.
Case studies: Like white paper writing, a case study is a highly paid service. Interview customers or clients and share the results with the client about their experiences using the product or service.
Short projects: Did you know that hundreds of writing jobs pay hundreds of thousands of dollars? These projects are quick to complete (under an hour) and pay well. A team page on a company’s website has several bios. A freelance writer can write these bios for $250 per bio.
Decide what kind of writing you want to do.
Tips for Freelance Writers
These freelance writing tips will help you understand how to make a living as an independent writer.
1. You should always be looking for freelance writing opportunities. You are responsible for finding new clients when you own a freelance writing company. It would help if you searched for freelance writing jobs to avoid downtime and continue making money. Look online for job boards. Send an email to potential clients introducing yourself as a content director. You can network with writers who can pass on work when they have more.
2. Tell your stories. You are likely to have your ideas in your head as a writer. Consider the newspapers and journals you would like to write for. Next, think about relevant story ideas and begin pitching. After you have your first approved story and your first byline, it will be easier to pitch ideas to other publications.
3. Don’t quit your day job. You can start your freelance writing career by working part-time until you have a solid foundation. You may need to wait a while before you land your first client. Once you do, you can start making money as a freelance writer. If you are still working full-time, keep your job. After you have a steady stream of writing clients and freelance jobs, it’s time to make freelancing your full-time job.
4. Make sure you submit a clean copy. Clean copy is essential for your writing. This includes proofreading as well as self-editing. Your sentences should be concise, clear, and understandable. It would help if you went through your work line by line and word by word, looking for errors in punctuation and grammar.
5. Start blogging. You can start a blog if you are passionate about something, such as cooking, parenting, skiing, or any other topic. Your blog can be a creative outlet, a way to improve your writing skills and become a better writer. You can also build your online presence by incorporating search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to help potential clients find you.
6. Learn fundamental SEO skills. Companies need more content to drive their customers. Content marketing specialists must understand the basics of SEO and how to rank their website high in search results. A freelance writer should understand search engine optimization and know where keywords can be strategically placed to drive traffic to the company’s website.
7. You can take on different assignments. You must undertake various projects and work with clients as a freelance writer. Many topics that you will write about are new to you. White papers are thought-leadership pieces that are well-researched and in-depth. One client might ask you to write social media posts on behalf of their company. You might be asked to do copywriting. Both gigs can be very different, but they offer valuable writing experience.
8. Get thicker skin. You will get feedback from your clients about the quality of your work. Sometimes you will deliver a flawless piece. Other times, you may need to do lots of editing. Negative feedback is not something you should take personally. When you write for clients, it is essential to match their brand voice and tone. As a freelance writer, you need to have thick skin. Writing success requires that you can take criticism in stride and make the necessary changes.
9. Improve your time management skills. Each writing assignment has different deadlines. One client may give you a month to complete a short article, while another might require a longer piece of 2,000 words in three days. How to budget your time Blocking out several hours each day to concentrate on your work and meet deadlines.
10. Find your writing niche. Some assignments will require you to start from scratch and write on a topic you don’t know much about. You might discover a style of writing you like and are good at as you work harder. You might find that you enjoy technical writing or medical writing. You’ll be sought-after by companies that specialize in your chosen genre.
11. Each style guide should be familiar. Whether a client requests that you follow the Chicago Manual of Style or the Associated Press Stylebook, you will generally adhere to one of the leading style guidelines. These guides dictate how you write details, such as grammar, style, and punctuation. It would be best if you had a copy of each book to write in the manner your client prefers.
12. Make sure you have your marketing materials prepared. Good writers will be available to answer any inquiries about work or availability. Many potential clients will want to see your writing samples before contacting you to inquire about freelance work. You can have all of these ready in one place, so you don’t waste time looking for past work. Client testimonials are also an excellent idea.
How do I find freelance writing jobs?
Four Steps to Become A Freelance Writer.
There are many methods to become a freelance writer. It is only my experience that I can tell you how I became a freelance writer.
1: Figure Out Your Writing Niche
- The first step is often the most difficult. While you can skip step 2, I recommend you really think about your niche in freelance writing.
- You will get paid to write about your niche.
- These are some expert tips for determining your lucrative freelance writing niche.
- Please look at successful freelance writers to see which niche they are in.
- Leverage your current job
- Go to freelance Market Places such as, Fiverr, Upwork, guru, etc…
- You can use your past experiences and hobbies to help you (e.g., you might enjoy traveling, like the newborn stage, or be interested in the Keto Diet).
- Take a look at large brands. They most likely have the resources to hire freelance writers. You can think of pet food, clothing, and even feminine products! You could go on.
- Select a niche from our top places.
- Choose a few niches you want to explore
- My favorite way to look at your niche is to ask: What do I enjoy writing about, have experienced in, or want to learn more about?
- Your niche idea is what’s in between.
- However, once you have found a niche or a few niches, I would like you to take an extra step than most freelance writers.
- Researching your niche in freelance writing is critical.
- Search for businesses within your niche by using Google. Here’s an example: This blog post lists the top-selling baby products. Look for those products, then search again for their owner.
2: Create samples to build your portfolio of freelance writing
- Without seeing the …..writing, businesses won’t hire them!!
- Your portfolio of freelance writing is the best way to demonstrate this.
- These are your best writing samples. How do you obtain these samples? These are the top three methods:
- Guest posting
- Create a blog
- Make them yours
- You know you need samples to get a job as a freelance writer. You know how to make them. But what should your selection say?
- If you don’t know what your service is, I recommend you write a blog article to showcase your writing.
- If you are sure that you want to write press releases, don’t use a blog post as a sample. Make a mock press release.
- For many of us, however, we don’t know what to do or how to make it as freelance writers. So, make it simple and write a blog post of 700 words.
- Your chosen general niche should determine the topic of your blog post. Here’s a secret:
- When I got my first job, I didn’t have any examples in the field I was applying for.
- I was offered a job in the automotive section of a newspaper. My samples included cleaning, learning, and mental health.
- Getting a gig with any sample writing topic is possible. However, it is easier to have a sample within your niche.
- You can check my video for writing samples. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to see more videos!
- There are many options for choosing the perfect topic for your blog post, as you can see.
3: Get an online presence
- Many people are interested in freelance writing. This is the hard part!!
- You like showing your face on social media.
- Many people find the idea of being out there too daunting (can you hug me?) Could I hold your hand? I’m here to help – You can do it!
- To get online, I recommend signing up for Twitter or LinkedIn.
- These social media platforms have given me thousands of dollars in freelance writing.
- You can also start your online business by creating a service-based blog.
- You can use a blog to look for high-paying jobs rather than chasing them.
- It is a place where you can store your portfolio and promote your services. This is my freelance writer’s website.
- You know what else?
- A website that showcases your work and services will make it a million times easier to get a freelance writing job.
4: Start Pitching
- Everything is ready for you:
- One niche or several niche ideas
- Samples in your niche(s)
- If you don’t have a website, a place to store your portfolio.
- You can now start pitching.
- Your pitch is an opportunity to describe who you are, your skills, and how you can help someone.
- Your pitch should be concise and only contain the essential information.
- Spending time on your pitch and how it should sound to businesses is essential.
- For freelance writing jobs, click here. Pitching to job boards is the best and easiest way to get started as a writer.
- Search your topic to find out what jobs are available. I would research to find out what kind of client the company is.
- There are not all freelance writing jobs that are the same. So do your homework before you pitch.
- The final suggestion I have is to create a pitching procedure.
- You don’t want five pitches. You must hustle every day and work hard.
- Freelance writing has many benefits.
- It sounds like a great career option for freelance writing. These are the top benefits.
- You have the option to choose with whom you want to work.
- Freelancing allows you to choose who you work with and what you don’t. This is unlike a 9-to-5 job, where you are forced to work for one employer. You also don’t have the option to choose your coworkers.
- Although freelance writers don’t have any coworkers, they can choose who they work for. You can turn down clients that don’t have the budget or aren’t interested. This is not possible when you have a full-time job.
- You can be flexible in your routine.
- Ask freelance writers why they decided to quit their job and become freelance writers; flexibility will likely be on the top of their list.
- Freelance writers have complete control over who they work for, so they’re a flexible schedule. They don’t get paid daily to sit at their desks from 9 am to 5 pm. Clients pay half an hour for dinner.
- Clients pay freelancers for the final product. This means that freelancers have the freedom to work from home and can make up any time they wish.
- This is why freelance writing is such a great career choice. Let’s face the facts: explaining to your boss why you must take the morning off to go to a doctor’s appointment can be awkward.
- The client doesn’t care if the work was done on time and of high quality.
- There are many ways to make a lot of money.
Everyone wants to make more money. Writing articles is an excellent way to achieve this. This industry is highly lucrative. Get in touch with the ideal customers, and you will be able to out-earn your day job.
To give you some context, when I quit my copywriting job, I made less than PS20k per year. Three years later, after freelance writing full-time for three years, I am now over the six-figure mark.
It’s important to remember that freelance writers make a living from their work, but not all the money is taken home. You must pay for a computer, tax, and insurance expenses. Working as a freelance writer can still make more than what you earn in a full-time position.
