Steps To Becoming A Successful Freelance Writer

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In a society where 9-5 jobs are becoming more and more volatile becoming a freelancer seems to be the only solution. While practically anyone can hang their shingle as a freelance writer, the reality of earning an income large enough to sustain your lifestyle is much more difficult than most anticipate. A freelance writer must be actively seeking new clients at all times. They must be willing to put their work out there and face rejection and harsh edits from unforgiving editors. Many people want to become independent of the typical job but they do not know how to get started and break free from the norm. There are a few must take steps in order to have success as a freelance writer.

Determine Who You Are

This sounds weird, I know. But first things first, you need to figure out what your writing style will be. Are you an author who wants to publish books or even e-books? Are you a detail-oriented person who wants to become a technical writer? Maybe you are a blogger who wants to take over social media with your enthusiasm and wit. Then again, you might just be a person with a lot of knowledge, a love for learning, or a knack for researching.

No matter what, with determination and a little leg work you should be able to create a successful client base and earn a living as a freelance writer. You do not have to be stuck in one niche of writing. Your writing capabilities may include technical writing and creative writing so do not limit yourself once you have established yourself as a freelance writer. I started as a content writer and now write short stories, blog posts, research projects, technical writing, and am a ghostwriter.

Set Up A Blog

This may sound simple enough. When you set up your initial blog, pick one niche. It is okay to have a few different blogs if you have a few interests that you want to write about and showcase your knowledge and your talent as a writer. You can even link your blogs together to give yourself more exposure. When I started out, I had a blog that covered the St. Louis Blues, one that covered arts and crafts, and another that covered Christianity and Inspiration. Obviously, these three topics did not have any common factors and I could not easily incorporate the topics together into one cohesive blog. Therefore, I set up three blogs and showcased my writing abilities on each one.

For those not familiar with blogs, you can set up a free blog at blogger.com or wordpress.com. Each site is relatively easy to use and even the novice blogger can set up a blog and start writing quickly. As you become more comfortable with that blog platform, your blog will evolve into the work of art you are envisioning. A jumbled blog will look sloppy and unprofessional.

Once your blog is generating regular traffic, start looking for advertisers or sponsors for your blog. Be selective and only choose advertisers or sponsors that are related to content on your blog. If you are creating a blog about dogs or dog training do not include ads about car care. Instead, search for advertisers such as PetSmart or Jeffers Pet. Also, choose advertisers and sponsors who offer either a percentage of each customer’s order from your blog or a flat advertiser’s fee where they pay you a flat amount to advertise on your blog. This will generate a little extra income each month.

Promote Yourself

This may sound odd since we are taught to not “blow our own horn”, but this is a necessary step to becoming a successful freelance writer. Once you have your blog set up and you have at least a few posts, start promoting yourself. Send out notices to friends, family, and colleagues to check out your blog and share. This builds your following and when you begin networking with editors and other freelance writers this will lend a bit of credit to your claim of being a serious freelance writer.

Social media and email newsletters are a great way to get the exposure you need for your blog. By having a specialized blog or a blog that covers one main topic you will have followers who are interested in the material you are presenting and they will, in turn, share some of your posts with their friends and colleagues.

Do Guest Blogging

Many bloggers network among themselves as a way to promote each other. Search for other blogs that have the same topic as yours and ask if they allow guest blog posts. Many will ask for a return link from your blog to theirs and this is another great way to grow your blog and promote yourself.

Once you have done a few guest blog posts within the topic you are most comfortable with, step out of your comfort zone, and look for other guest blogging opportunities. Choose topics that you may not be as comfortable with but still have an interest in. This will begin the process of building a more diverse portfolio and show that you can write intelligent, informative, and entertaining pieces on a variety of topics.

Remember to be courteous to the host blog and host blogger. Do not submit content that is offensive or combative toward the host blogger. Do not get upset or have your feelings hurt if the host blog asks for edits to the piece you have written. You are constantly learning and established freelance writers will help you evolve as a writer.

Networking Is Key

Companies, whether they are large or small, are always looking for new and inventive ways to promote themselves in the business world. Take a page out of their book and do the same. Print up some business cards and take every opportunity to hand them out, you never know who will pass it along to a company in need of a writer. Let friends and family know you are stepping out into the freelance world. They may come across someone looking for a writer and they can recommend you for the project.

Social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are excellent ways to network with other freelance writers. Listen to your peers and follow any leads that they post. The lead may not pan out, but it could present an opportunity to get your name and portfolio out there for others to view.

Once you have accumulated enough work to build a solid portfolio, you will want to create an online resume along with links to your work or samples of your work. If your portfolio includes samples of your writing, include the link if it is still active or the original published location. For example, if you have an article published on a blog that is no longer active you will put “originally published on (name of blog here)”.

Finding a Paying Freelance Writing Job

For most freelance writers this is the reason they are here, to figure out how to make money sharing their written work. There are a few writers who are absolutely blessed and jobs just fall from the heavens and right into their laps. For the majority of us, this is just not the case! Therefore, we have to be out hitting the pavement, chasing down leads, and praying that a client base can be built to make us able to say farewell to the drudgery of a full-time job.

Sign up for job lists from reputable freelance websites. Many send out weekly lists of new writing opportunities. Freedom With Writing (www.freedomwithwriting.com) offers a weekly list of freelance jobs available. Sign up is free and there are some great offers that come through there. Freelance Writing Jobs (www.freelancewritinggigs.com) is another great resource to sign up for, it is also free. UpWork (www.upwork.com) is free to join and you can search for clients there. Never pay for access to job listings! If someone is requesting that you pay money and they will unlock the “secret” to success, chances are great that this is a scam!

Avoid content mill type websites. These sites have thousands of “freelance writers” from all around the world willing to write 500+ word pieces for pennies. If you get caught up in one of these sites, step back and regroup. There is more to freelance writing than churning out content that is not well thought out or well written.

Content writing is not the same as writing for a content mill. Content writing is simply creating web content, generally wording for web pages or entire web sites. Content writing can be steady work depending on which company you are hired to write for and can be a decent paying job.

Despite its less than stellar reputation, Craigslist can be a good source for finding clients. Just remember to take many of the posts with a grain of salt. You will learn quickly how to spot a scam, a content mill, or a legitimate writing lead. Do not be afraid to ask questions about the company or the writing assignment being offered.

Building A Client Base

This may sound daunting, but to be a successful freelance writer you will need to build a solid client base that you can count on getting a paycheck from week after week. These clients will become your bread and butter, the ones that give you steady work that enables you to pay your bills.

Your client list will constantly change and you must be diligent in seeking new clients. As projects end or editors become uncooperative or pay cuts happen, you need to have the ability to continue to earn an income. By always being on the lookout for new clients, you are actively taking control of your earning potential. The writers who sit back and wait for the clients or projects to come to them will not be successful.

Anyone can say that they are freelance writers. To be successful and earn an income as a freelance writer you have to get out there and find the best clients for you and promote yourself. Most of the well-paying clients expect to see a solid portfolio that shows off a writer’s personality and diversity.

 Do not be afraid to be a ghostwriter for a client, even though your name is not on the written piece; you can include ghostwriting on your resume. I make about half of my income ghostwriting for 5 different clients.

And Finally…

There will be set-backs and you will no doubt become frustrated when starting out as a freelance writer. Stick it out and keep beating the bushes for those clients that will fit your style and your needs. Remember, your online presence is how many clients will determine if you are the right writer for them. Whether on Facebook or on your personal blog keep things professional and remember this is your “interview” and you must present an image of professionalism and competency.

A freelance writer who presents an unprofessional online presence will have a much more difficult time securing a paying client base. Just like a brick and mortar business, you are selling yourself to potential clients and they will comb through your online content and presence before deciding to hire you for their project.

I wish the best of luck to those branching out into the world of freelance. It can be scary at first, but in the long run, it is very rewarding!