A career as a freelancer writer might be right for you if you love writing.
Before you get started
To become a freelancer writer, you don’t need to have formal training. You only need to have a solid grasp of grammar, spelling, and language. However, this does not mean that you must be fluent in English. It is possible to become a freelancer writer in any language known to mankind. You must be very precise with your grammar and spelling in any language that you choose.
A writer should have the ability to tell stories and share information. While you don’t have to be a novelist, or wish to write great fiction, the core of writing is the ability tell a story well.
What does it mean to be a freelance writer?
What is a freelancer writer? A freelance writer could be any author you see. You don’t work for one company as a freelancer. Writing is not the same as being published in magazines or trying to be the next George R. Martin.
Even the words that describe products on an internet site can have been written by freelance writers. These are just a few examples of content that you could create as a freelance writer:
Content marketingProduct captionsSocial media captionsBlogsArticles/featuresSEOLong-form sales copyEDMs (email)Sales funnel/drip campaignsReal estate listingsWeb copy/landing page copyAd copyCase studies/white papersInterviewsGhostwritingB2BTechNovelsMagazinesEditingPress releasesAdvertisements
Six steps to becoming a freelance writer
Select a niche
It could be niche content or a topic. You can do both. We have spoken many times about the importance of choosing a niche. You will not get more work if you try to reach a wider audience. Many people who claim to be experts in multiple fields are often disingenuous.
However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to have some areas of expertise and a few styles that you excel at. Different types of writing require different skills. Writing compelling and persuasive long-form sales copy, for example, is very different from crafting 25 characters of Facebook text or a headline for a video ad to get customers to click through. Although similar techniques can be used, email marketing campaigns for beauty products are very different from those for tech companies.
Start a blog or a website
Unless your writing career spans decades, it is important to be online. No matter how you feel about social media or search engines, if you want to be a successful freelance writer, they must be able find you. They will search for you online, even if they don’t happen to stumble upon your business card.
This is why a blog or website is the best option.
The URL should be as short as possible to ensure that you are able to appear in the first search engine results page (SERP). If you are trading as your own name, simply ‘www.YourNameFreelanceWriter.com’ would be best, if available.
Your skills and services can be sold on your website. You don’t have to list your rates. However, it is possible. Describe your passion for the niche you are in and give contact information.
Your website can also be used to display your past work.
Create a portfolio or writing samples
Each writer must be able show new clients his or her style. Your writing style may not suit everyone, but that is a good thing. It allows you to do the best work for those who like it. A portfolio of examples of your writing will help you quickly identify potential clients who are not the right fit. This saves everyone time.
A portfolio saves you time and allows you to quickly compile your past work for when someone requests examples. You have everything you need and it’s presented in an easy way. Potential clients want a professional and prompt response.
It’s okay to be a beginner in this field, but not have any published work. Writing samples are still possible. These are examples of work that show your skills and your writing style. These are not work samples for brands.
If you have writing samples that you can submit to a company, but not published, you might be able to reach out and pitch your ideas or content.
Start pitching
When you are a freelance writer, the pitching doesn’t stop. This is where clients can reach you to express interest in your work or to demonstrate how your work could be of benefit to them.
If you pitch cold, i.e. If you are pitching cold, i.e., you don’t know how to work with the company. Your core message should be what you can do and not what they can do. You must show them that you are familiar with their business and their target audience. It may not go down well if you just highlight the problems you see in a company. Positive attitude is the best way to lead.
You can also post your resume on job boards. This will allow you to explain your passions and skills as a form of broad pitching.
Job boards
A job board is a great place to make yourself known to potential clients. These boards act as a virtual agency for freelancers looking for work, and also provide a platform to connect freelancers with companies seeking freelancers.
It is important to find professional job boards. Although the market may appear saturated with popular job boards, there are still opportunities for all. There are many job boards that are not professional and will exploit your information in different ways, but they won’t actually provide any work.
Another area to be cautious about is “content mills”. These sites appear to offer work, but their goal is to produce high volumes of content at low cost. This not only deprives writers of opportunities but also undermines the industry. This creates low-quality writing for clients at low wages and pollutes online with white noise.
Be sure to create high-quality writing that is valuable and follows industry standards in pricing.
Testimonials
Happy clients will be your greatest advocates. If you are working with someone who is passionate about what you have created, do not hesitate to ask for a testimonial. Place testimonials on your website, preferably on the homepage, and on any social media channels to show potential clients that you are a talented writer.
People are more inclined to listen to the opinions of others than they are to their own. This is true especially if they have a connection with them. Make this work for you and your testimonials will become word-of mouth marketing.
Recommendations for freelance writers:
As a freelance writer, there are many platforms that you should be aware of. These platforms are useful for keeping you up to date with industry news and developments. Some are useful for finding work and understanding the needs of your industry.
BloggingPro – News and tips on blogging software. There is also a jobboard that keeps the job board up to date with new jobs.The Writer Finder – Search for SEO-focused content marketing agencies. The Writers Den Community that hosts tutorials, blog posts, and courses for freelance writers.The Write Life : Practical advice and tips about freelance writing from successful freelancers.Textbroker – A job board that accepts 10,000 submissions per month. Freelance Writing — Job board, writing resources and writing contests that will help you to boost your writing. The current rates that publications pay for content to help them understand industry standards. Social media – There are many options to find work via social media. This does not mean that you should only post to your personal profile. However, if you have a strong network this could work. You can create professional profiles and use the platforms that might appeal to you. You can become an Instagram caption writer by creating a professional Instagram account that showcases your talents.
These are just a few of the many platforms that you can use to get started. Pay attention to low rates and make sure you value your time, yourself and your work.
IWriterFiverrUpWorkContentFly
Recommendations for freelance writers
Editing – Grammarly or HemingwayCopyright-free image sourcing – Unsplash or PexelsImage editing tools – Lightroom or Pixlr XLearn SEO – Moz or Neil PatelCommunications – Slack or Microsoft TeamsTask management – ClickUp, Asana or TrelloGetting paid by overseas clients – TransferWise borderless accountMulti-user document editing – Google DocsUnderstanding Facebook and Instagram advertising – Facebook Blueprint
The final tips for becoming a freelance writer
Set goals
Writing can be difficult because it is hard to set goals. Both small and large-scale goals are essential to create the writing path that you want. To be able to write for Vogue one day, you need to start from the goal.
Others may find it difficult to write one blog post per week in order to create a consistent stream of content. To find regular, paid clients. It doesn’t matter what it is, it’s crucial to write them down and set a time frame. This transforms ambitions into real goals.
Establish a routine
It can be difficult to establish a routine when you are new to freelance work. It is important to have a routine. Otherwise, it may be easy for your free time to distract from deadlines. If you don’t like the routine, it doesn’t have to be a 9-5 work schedule. Knowing what you need and when to do it will help reduce stress.
To help you stay on track, it’s smart to use one of the many project management tools available. These are some useful tools that beginners can use:
TrelloAsanaClickUpMonday.com
Determine what you are willing to work for
All freelance writers have to deal with this issue. There are many ways to get paid. You can be paid per project, per word or per hour. Or you can choose to pay per content type. It is important to choose a rate that you feel comfortable with giving to clients and sticking to.
It can be difficult to find the “sweet spot”. However, if you set your price too high, you will quickly burn out. You may not win as many projects if you set your price too high.
Research industry standards and the experiences of others in your field. Pay rates can vary widely from one country to another and depending on your level of experience.
Track your time
It’s easy to lose time as a writer. A time tracking app is a great way to find ways to improve efficiency. It could be that you take longer to complete 2000 words than you originally estimated.
Many project management tools allow you to track time. You can also use additional services like Clockify and Harvest if it’s not built into the program.
Continue pitching
It’s easy for you to lose track of your goals and stop pitching ideas when your plate is full. You’re already very busy. But, unless you have ongoing monthly contracts that fill your time, all of the projects you are working on will end and you’ll be scrambling.
Instead, make time in your schedule to brainstorm ideas and proactively search for new clients. This will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and on a constant work-life balance.
Do your research
It is great that you are a skilled writer. Although storytelling is an essential skill, freelance writers need to back it up with thorough research.
You should research your clients and get to know their voice and tone. Then, you should do extensive research on the topic that you will be writing about. Always link to the source if you are stating facts. Fact check all sources and compare them with other research. Don’t be a distraction in a sea of misinformation. This will make you a great writer for your clients.
Continue to improve your writing skills
No matter how skilled you may be, there are always ways to improve. Shakespeare could have used some tips. Learn new skills beyond your client work. You can take a lot of courses and read many books, but the best way to learn is to study the work of others.
Look for people in the same field as you to help you achieve your goals, whether it’s publishing, dream clients or a writing style that you admire. You will quickly learn their characteristics by reading as much as possible.
Conclusion
If you love words, freelance writing can be a rewarding career. You have many options to make this a successful career.
It can be difficult to start a freelance business. There is so much freedom, and many people may feel overwhelmed. Freelance writing can be very rewarding if you have the right tools.
Step-by-step guide on how to become a freelancer writer
