I became a paid freelance writing a little over a year ago and I’ve loved the creative outlet, flexibility and extra income it provides.
That being said, landing paid freelance writing gigs didn’t happen overnight. It definitely took some work and was overwhelming at times to start.
Today I will share what I learned and show you how to become a paid freelance writer. Let’s dive in!
Choose Your Niche
There are usually two types of writers that clients are searching for: a general writer and/or someone in a specific niche. You’ll hear from some bloggers that it’s best to start out being general. That way, you won’t close yourself off to any opportunities.
The problem with this advice is that it makes it incredibly difficult to market yourself to potential clients. Especially when it comes to building your portfolio through your blog (more on that next).
Having a niche or specific area of focus will help you narrow in on potential clients to target, and will help you build up subject-matter expertise. Spreading yourself too thin across multiple genres may mean that you won’t be able to show potential clients much breadth of knowledge.
When it comes to choosing a niche, take David, the founder of Young Adult Money’s advice:
When it comes to choosing a niche my advice is simple: pick something you actually enjoy. Ideally you will already have some background in the niche so that you can save yourself some research time. Establishing yourself in a niche will take a long time and you will end up writing hundreds of blog posts in the niche, so pick something you enjoy.
Establish yourself in one niche before looking for a second – becoming well-established in one niche before moving into another one helps writers avoid burnout and being stretched too thin.
You’ll want to be a subject matter expert in one area before venturing into something totally different. This is especially true for people who are only looking to write “on the side” and do not have plans of making a career out of it.
Start Your Own Blog
The most critical piece of advice for those looking to become paid freelance writers is that you need a place to showcase your writing. These days it’s so easy to start a blog and use it to create a portfolio of content that you are unlikely to find a client who will take you up if you do not have a blog.
Starting a blog is absolutely necessary if your goal is to become a paid freelance writer. Not only does your blog showcase your personality and expertise, but it can show editors that you know what it takes to manage a blog (yours)! There’s a lot that goes into blogging and no client is going to want to spend time training you on how to use WordPress or on how blogs should be structured. By having a blog with published content you show that you have spent the time getting up to speed on WordPress and what goes into a blog post.
I won’t go into too much detail here about how to start a blog. You can find a great overview to starting a blog here. However, I will give you the nuts and bolts. Essentially you’ll want to purchase a domain, get a hosting provider, and use WordPress.
Many bloggers (including David and many of my blogger friends) swear by using BlueHost to host their sites. If you’re looking for a good deal on hosting, Young Adult Money actually has the cheapest possible price on BlueHost hosting plans, something Dave actually negotiated with BlueHost to get for our readers. Follow this link to get the special Young Adult Money pricing. You’ll even get a free domain name out of it!
One additional benefit of having a blog is that it can become an extra income stream in itself even if your primary goal is to become a paid freelancer writer. Here’s 12 income streams you can make through blogging.
Beef Up Your Social Presence
Before you decide to send your farewell tweet, you may want to know that many prospective clients and bloggers may vet your social media presence before deciding to hire you. Not only are they looking to see if you can talk the talk, but if you have a decent social following it’s built-in amplification for their brand when you share things you’ve written for them.
Social media can also be an invaluable tool for connecting with other bloggers, freelancers and publishers. In fact, I started writing for Young Adult Money because we followed each other on twitter and shared each other’s content. Finally, I worked up the nerve to DM David to see if he was interested in hiring additional contributors and if I could send him some pitches.
And well, here I am! You never know when a social connection may become your next client. Just start by following and engaging with content from publishers you want to write for. Which brings me to my next step..
Create List of Editors and Contact Info
Do you have a favorite personal finance site you love to read? Contact the editor and ask if they are looking for new writers. List your qualifications, experience, blog URL (remember having a blog is essential to becoming a paid freelance writer), pitch ideas and give an exact time frame as to when you could have the articles completed by.
I actually created a spreadsheet of finance writers and bloggers and their contact info, niche, how to submit posts, and rates. As I went down the list, and contacted editors, I could tailor my pitches, and document the responses I was getting.
P.S. Don’t get disheartened if you never hear back or you get turned down. You have to have thick skin if you want to be a paid freelance writer. Not only because you will face rejection (guaranteed), but you’ll need to be able to handle criticism and edits to your work and not take it personally.
Research Rates
You’ll want to do some research on writing rates before you start reaching out to editors. Do a quick Google search for a rough idea of what to charge, and ask other freelancers in your area.
Also, if you’re just starting out and trying to build your portfolio – write for a low rate! Nothing beats experience at the beginning, and having additional samples and clients to add to your portfolio will make you that much more marketable in the future. You can always raise your rates down the road.
Check Job Boards
Be on the lookout for new opportunities. Besides social media, you can check job sites daily for new postings, like freelance writing gigs and Problogger.
You can join freelancing groups, check job search engines and other sites specifically geared towards freelancing. With freelancing, jobs come and go, so it’s important to always be on the lookout for more work.
Keep Writing!
Even if work doesn’t come flooding in at first (which it probably won’t, just being honest), keep writing. The more you practice writing, the faster you’ll get and the better you’ll be at finding your voice. The more content you have out there, the more opportunities you will create for yourself.
Don’t give up on searching for writing opportunities if it’s something you’re passionate about. I’m a strong believer that if you put enough time and dedication towards something, you will eventually see something amazing happen!
Want to become a paid freelancer writer? Take the first step by following this guide to starting a blog in as little as ten minutes!
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Very well written! I have recently started being serious about writing regularly, on a fixed schedule. I write mostly about finance and living a good life. I am aiming to write one or two non-fiction novels over the next 2-3 years. I know it’s a lofty goal but I am working on it seriously. Freelance writing had always seemed intimidating to me but reading this post, I guess I should not disregard it. It seems like a great way to polish up on your writing, get noticed, and earn some bucks! Thanks for the tips and advice, maybe I will be able to incorporate some of these for myself. Cheers!
Very well written! I have recently started being serious about writing regularly, on a fixed schedule. I write mostly about finance and living a good life. I am aiming to write one or two non-fiction books over the next 2-3 years. I know it’s a lofty goal but I am working on it seriously. Freelance writing had always seemed intimidating to me but reading this post, I guess I should not disregard it. It seems like a great way to polish up on your writing, get noticed, and earn some bucks! Thanks for the tips and advice, maybe I will be able to incorporate some of these for myself. Cheers!
Really interesting thanks for sharing!!!