Freelance writing allows you to express yourself creatively and fulfil your passion, writing about … [+]
So you’ve decided that you want to get into freelance writing…But you don’t know where to begin. After all, how can you make money from writing if you’re an industry “nobody” and no one even knows who you are? How will you ensure that your voice matters online and in print?
Everyone wants to make money from home, and writing about what you love, what you’re passionate about, is a relatively easy way to make money while working remotely as a freelancer.
But it’s not always easy to get your foot in the door, especially if you don’t have the advantage of previous writing, communications, or media relations experience to give you that extra edge.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to find freelance writing jobs and make significant money through this venture:
1. Educate Yourself
If you have zero experience as a writer and you’re struggling to express your thoughts in a succinct and easy to read manner, it would be worth undertaking a certification or short online training to get your skills up to speed, so you can write with clarity and have more confidence in your work. You should consider getting appropriate training depending on the type of freelance writing you are pursuing. For example, if you are focused on SEO, completing an SEO certification or training course on HubSpot might be a viable solution, adding a layer of credibility to your work and building trust with clients.
The Content Marketing Institute offers a plethora of advice and handy training and information for aspiring content writers.
2. Create A Portfolio
As you acquire writing skills, you can start thinking about practicing these skills through writing and sharing your own content. Build a portfolio of your work, which you can showcase to potential clients to evidence the topics you write on, your writing style, and the formats you can do. A personal website that showcases your portfolio, services, and client testimonials makes it easy for potential clients to find and reach out to you.
You can also write and create content on Medium or LinkedIn Pulse, which are excellent places to build a loyal following and showcase your breadth of expertise.
3. Guest-Blog
To get your name out there initially, you might want to link up with industry influencers and write for them as a guest blogger or contributor. Writing for popular blogs adds to your portfolio, brings your writing to a wider audience in a relatively faster time period, and leads to paid freelance writing opportunities.
4. Cold-Pitch
As a freelancer, you will need to get proactive and step outside of your comfort zone. Activities such as cold-pitching may not come naturally to you and you may cringe at the idea, but they are necessary to maintain a steady stream of clients, income, and growth.
When it comes to freelance writing, you should research the companies and publications you’d like to write for, that align with your writing niche; identify their specific guidelines for pitching; review the type of content they have published previously and familiarize yourself with their writing style; and finally, ensure you create and send personalized pitches to editors and content managers.
5. Use Freelance Job Boards
Finally, you can find freelance writing opportunities through freelance or gig platforms that regularly advertise such jobs. For example you could try Contently, a content marketing agency, or FlexJobs, Fiverr, or Upwork.
You can even scour regular job boards for remote freelance writing jobs, by searching “freelance writer,” “freelance technical writer,” or similar relevant title, in the search function of job boards such as Indeed and LinkedIn Jobs.
Use Medium and your own website—even LinkedIn Pulse, to share your written content and create a … [+]
Using a combination of these methods is most effective in securing a consistent stream of freelance writing gigs, and sets you up to be an in-demand freelance writer, making money while fulfilling your creative passion.