The global freelance market is worth approximately $1.5 trillion and has an expected growth rate of about 15% per year. Of that $1.5 trillion the freelance writing can earn you approximately $42,000 a year. So if you’re looking to start your career as a writer there has never been a better time than right now.
You might be thinking Ok but how do I make money writing online? Well, get comfy because there’s a lot to unpack here, but ill cover the basics on how to get started.
Starting Your Freelance Writing Journey
First of all, congratulations! The fact that you’ve made it here, to this blog, means you’ve already taken the first step, doing your research! After all, research is a skill you’re definitely going to need in this field.
However, let’s just address the elephant in the room. If you think you’re going to just start writing and immediately start making money, I’ve got bad news for you. You’re not.
Freelancing is not a get-rich-quick scheme like some affiliate marketing influencers would have you believe. It will take some work and dedication but it will pay off in the long run. Especially, if you know how to stand out to potential clients (which I’ll show you).
Now that’s out of the way. Let’s get started, shall we?
Types of Freelance Writing Jobs
There is a whole world of writing out there to explore. Each field takes different skills and writing styles. There’s something out there for every skill level and every type of writer.
By far one of the most talked about ways to make money writing is through copywriting. So let’s talk about it first.
Copywriting
Copy is the type of text used in marketing materials. This could be writing case studies, sales pages, ads, direct mail, etc. The main goal of this type of writing is to get a customer to buy a product or service and to keep them coming back for more.
If you have a background in marketing or sales, this could be the perfect option for you to start your writing career. This is also one of the best-paying writing jobs out there. Not to mention, these skills can really help with marketing yourself to potential clients.
However, if you’re looking at how to be a copywriter with no prior experience. Take a little time to learn some of the basics. For example, do you know what these terms mean?
- B2B
- B2C
- SEO
- SMM
- SERP
- SEM
If not, you need to do a few crash courses before attempting to land a gig copywriting. I don’t say this to discourage you, copywriting is a very competitive field, and you’re not likely to find any clients willing to take on an entry-level writer. Getting the basics down puts you on an even playing field with other copywriters.
Content Writing
Content writing is meant to get a reader to take a certain action. This action could be to make a purchase, but it could also be to share an article on social media, subscribe to an email list, or calling for more information. Unlike copywriting, content writing is usually in the form of blog posts, social media posts, podcasts, etc.
This blog post is an example of content writing. What am I trying to get you to do? Well besides hopefully convincing you to follow my content, I’m trying to get you comfortable enough to start your writing career.
Ready to learn one of those terms from copywriting? SEO, or search engine optimization, is important in content writing as well as copywriting. SEO is how search engines find your content and how it ranks it in result pages.
Without SEO, it doesn’t matter how good your content is no one will ever see it. In turn, your potential clients will never see it either, and they will be less likely to hire you without any published works that are driving traffic.
It’s important to mention that a lot of content writing jobs will be ghostwriting for your clients. This means that your name will not be published on the clients’ page. Many clients will also request you sign contracts stating you will not share that content with anyone else, and that once you submit it they have sole rights to it.
Grant Writing
This type of writing is mostly working for nonprofits, charitable organizations, museums, and schools. However, it is not limited to these types of organizations. Grant writing involves researching grants the client may be eligible for, writing the application, and submitting it to the proper authority.
This is a somewhat complex field of writing and does take some technical knowledge to get used to. Many clients that are seeking grant writers will want to see that you have successfully secured funds from grant proposals you’ve written. So it can be difficult to start out if you have no prior experience.
In order to get a portfolio started you may consider offering your service pro bono to some of your local nonprofit organizations like churches, schools, animal shelters, the library, etc. Not only does this help you get a grant writing portfolio started it also helps you stand out in your own community.
Technical Writing
Are you one of the thousands of tech workers that’s been laid off in the past few months? Technical writing could be a great way to make up for some of those lost funds.
Technical writing usually consists of creating diagrams or flow charts to help users use a product. They also write user manuals, how-to guides, and other material to help convey complex and confusing information in a simple, easy-to-digest way.
Researching the Freelance Writing Industry
Research is a recurring theme in freelance writing, and it’s something all of your clients are going to list in their expectations of a freelancer. By far research is one of the most important skills you can have as a writer.
So what better way to practice this skill than by using it to learn more about the freelance writing field? To start your research look at some freelance writers (insert shameless self-promotion here). Read their blog, portfolios, about me pages, etc. Get a feeling for how they write and how they address their audience.
Websites like Medium, Quora, and Reddit can be really helpful sites to glean information on the writing field. Personally, I like using Medium both for reading articles to gain insight from other writers and for building links back to my blog.
If you’re stuck try browsing some freelance job board sites like Fivver, Upwork, and Freelancer. This can give you an idea of what clients are looking for in a writer and what jobs are available. Once you get a good idea of what to expect and what skills you’re going to need, it’s time to start putting together a business plan.
Planning for Your Freelance Writing Business
Freelance writing is a business, so it makes sense to create a business plan. Ask yourself questions like “Why do I want to be a writer?” and “How much do I charge for my services?”. IF you’re feeling stuck on creating your business plan I can help. I have a free business planner that’s perfect for first-time entrepreneurs. It’s a guided planner that’s formatted to be used digitally or printed out.
Be sure to set goals for yourself to help stay motivated. Make sure these goals are attainable and measurable so you can keep track of how far you’ve come. You’ll also need to set up a financial plan to help keep track of your income and measure your financial goals.
Staying In the Loop
Freelancing is a great opportunity to create a fulfilling career and work for yourself. But staying up to date on the changes in the field is key to keeping your freelancing business going strong. You’re not just a writer, you’re a lifelong learner, teacher, influencer, and leader.
So when you’ve established yourself as a freelance writer it’s important to remember there’s always more to learn. A great way to do that is by remaining an active member of the writer community and learning from others.
Be sure to follow me over on Medium to stay up to date on all things freelance. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the blog and share this on social media with your friends too!
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