What is Freelance Writing, and How Do I Get Started?
If you’re looking for a career that will allow you to work from home and set your own schedule, freelance writing is a great option. With freelance writing, you can set your rates, choose what clients you want to work with and work when it best suits you.
How I Got My Start With Freelance Writing
I got my start as a freelance writer in 2016 with no degree and no professional writing experience. Before being a freelance writer, I had been a stay-at-home mom for seven years, and then I worked part-time at Starbucks.
I share this to help you understand one of the biggest benefits of freelance writing, which is that you don’t need a lot of experience to get started. In my three years of freelancing, I’ve never once had anyone ask me about a college degree.
I found my first writing jobs on Upwork, a global freelancing marketplace. I earned $500 during my first month of freelancing. Three years later, I hit the six-figure mark.
I honestly couldn’t imagine my life without freelance writing. It’s given me a chance to make an excellent income for my family while giving me the flexibility to take my kids to school and work on my own terms.
What is Freelance Writing, and How Does It Work?
Note: For the purpose of this article, I’m going to focus on writing online content. You can also write for magazines and newspapers, but I don’t have experience in either of these areas.
Freelance writers get paid to write different types of online content. Instead of being employed by one company, you’ll work remotely with multiple companies. Freelancing gives you the freedom and flexibility to set your work hours and only do the types of projects you enjoy.
You can write as much or as little as you want, and the more content you write, the more money you’ll earn. The goal of a freelance writer should be to become more efficient and to continue to increase the amount of money you make per project.
Freelance writing is a service-based business, and you market these services to potential clients. I recommend setting up an LLC and keeping your work account separate from your personal accounts.
The Main Types of Content You Can Write
If you’re interested in being a freelance writer, there are several different types of content you can write for your clients. This list isn’t all-inclusive, but here are the five types of content most clients will be looking for.
1. Blog posts
Blog posts are the most common type of online content you’ll be hired to write. There are tons of business blogs and online websites, and many of them outsource their writing work.
For blog posts, you’ll usually be paid per word or per project. I don’t recommend accepting an hourly rate because this will cause you to earn less over the long run.
2. SEO content
SEO stands for search engine optimization. When you write SEO content, you’re writing content that is designed to rank well in Google. SEO content will usually be blog posts or website pages.
The way this works is that your client will give you a target keyword, and explain what type of content they’re looking for. You’ll usually including the keyword in the title, first paragraph, in at least one of the headings, and several other places through the content.
When you’re done, your client may have you check the content using an SEO tool. The ones I am most commonly asked to use are the Yoast plugin for WordPress and Clearscope.
3. Website copy
If blog posts aren’t your thing, you can focus your efforts on copywriting. Many clients will need their website copy updated or entirely rewritten. The nice thing about writing website copy is that it tends to pay higher than other types of writing work.
4. Product reviews
The very first freelance writing job I ever did was writing a product review. Product reviews are exactly what they sound like; you’re given a product to research and review for that client’s website.
I think product reviews are great for beginners because they are easy to write. Many clients will give you an outline of the format they’re looking for, and from there, you fill in the information.
5. White papers
A white paper is an authoritative guide that helps readers better understand a complex issue. Typically, they are at least 2,500 words, and the writing style is more academic and information.
Companies often use white papers as a way to market their products or services. White papers do tend to pay well, so you can make quite a bit of money if you get good at writing them.
The Types of Clients You Can Write For
Okay, now that you understand the types of content you can write, let’s talk about the different kinds of clients who might hire you. Listed below are the three main types of writing clients you’ll find yourself working with.
Business clients
These days, most businesses have a blog on their company’s website. Having a blog is one of the best ways for businesses to improve their SEO because Google likes sites that regularly put out new content.
But most business owners are pressed for time, so they will often outsource the writing. The great thing about writing for businesses is that many of them pay well. And if you do a good job, they are likely to keep you for a long time.
The downside is that smaller businesses may not have an established content marketing system in place. So you’ll need to be very proactive about asking for new work, and your expectations regarding payment.
Well-known blogs or publications
Once bloggers become very well-known, they often start outsourcing the majority of their content to other writers. Or you could get hired to write for a well-known publication in your niche.
The great thing about these types of jobs is that they always need new content. So if you find the right client, you could end up with tons of new work. And most of these sites will give you a byline, which can help build your portfolio.
The downside is that some of them don’t pay as well, and many will have very stringent writing and fact-checking guidelines. And since a lot of people want to write for them, they don’t have to compromise on price.
Marketing agencies
Marketing agencies can be an excellent source of ongoing work. Marketing agencies have their own clients that they provide content marketing services for, they usually outsource the majority of the writing work.
The benefit of working with a marketing agency is that they always have tons of new work. So you can make a lot of money if you get in with the right client.
However, they will often be less flexible on price because they need to ensure it’s profitable for their company. But some do pay very well; I have one marketing agency that pays me $400 per blog post.
How Do I Get Paid?
Every client will have their own system for how they pay freelance writers. Some companies have very specific invoicing guidelines you need to follow. They may take 30 days or longer to pay your invoice, and only send paper checks or make ACH deposits.
Other clients are very flexible about their invoicing requirements. You can invoice them through PayPal, and they’ll pay you the next day.
Personally, unless a client specifies that they have a specific way they pay freelancers, I always invoice through PayPal and set the due date at Net 30. And I recommend invoicing all your clients once at the end of the month. If you send invoices more often than that, it can become very overwhelming for your clients.
Plus, it will be tough for you to keep track of all those invoices once you’re working with lots of different clients. I work with 15 different clients, so I can’t imagine how time-consuming it would be if I sent multiple invoices every week.
3 Steps to Becoming a Freelance Writer
Now it’s time for the good part! You’re ready to start looking for work and finding clients. Here are three steps you can take to become a freelance writer.
Step 1: Gather a few professional writing samples
In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t send any writing samples when I got hired for my first freelance writing job. However, I do recommend you come up with a few professional samples.
One way to do this is by offering to guest post on other websites. Websites need tons of content and are looking for people who can submit high-quality work. I know the idea of writing a free article may sound unappealing, but you’re not going to do this for long.
You may not be sure of your niche just yet, which is fine. It took me two and a half years to choose a niche! Just look for a couple of different websites you’re interested in writing for. And make sure you follow their submission guidelines.
Step 2: Start sending proposals every day
Once you have a couple of published samples you can show clients, you need to start actively looking for work. Start sending proposals every day. I recommend sending a minimum of three, but the more, the better.
Here are a few different places you can start looking for work:
Upwork: Upwork is where I got my start, and I recommend it for new freelancers because of the high volume of jobs that are always being posted. However, you will need to get your account approved before you can start looking for work.
Other job boards: There are several other job boards I like, and none of them require creating an account to look for work. Some of my favorites include ProBlogger, BloggingPro, All Freelance Writing, JournalismJobs, and Freelance Writing Gigs.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is currently one of my favorite ways to look for new work. All of the clients I’ve found on LinkedIn have turned into long-term work, and they’re all great to work with. You can search the job board, or search the hashtag “freelance writer” to see if anyone if posting that they’re looking for someone.
Step 3: Adjust your strategy as needed
One of the things I talk about in my freelance writing course is that all I can do is tell you what’s worked for me. At the end of the day, you’re just going to have to try some things out, see how they work, and readjust your strategy as needed.
Every successful freelance writer used a slightly different approach to get to where they are today. The point is to be consistent, stay focused on your goal, and don’t give up.
Final Thoughts
If you’re new to the world of freelance writing, I hope this blog post was helpful to you. If there’s anything you’re wondering about that I didn’t go over, please let me know!
Feel free to email me at jamiejokcmo@gmail.com and let me know what questions you have. I’m rooting for your freelance writing success!