Writeropolis Media

If you’re committed to enhancing your writing capabilities, learning about marketing, and delivering projects to clients promptly, you can achieve success as a freelance writer. Newcomers can learn and develop these crucial traits.

If you possess any level of specialized knowledge in a subject you’re passionate about, you have a valuable opportunity to write about it. Effective communication is key; if you can articulate your thoughts clearly and compellingly in writing, you will likely find an audience eager for your insights.

Whether it’s through blogs, traditionally published articles, or social media captions, there is — and always will be! — a market for humans creating art. No software will ever replace the complexities of the human mind.

Here are some key points to remember before diving into freelance writing.

1. Understanding the business side

Many people forget that freelancing is a business. To become a freelance writer, you need more than just creativity. You must also be prepared to manage a business. This step requires a good understanding of fundamental business principles and a willingness to learn as you go if you don’t know what you’re doing.

For example, effective marketing of your services is crucial. This step might involve creating a professional website, using social media platforms, networking both online and offline, and consistently submitting pitches to relevant publications.

Moreover, managing client relationships is another key aspect. Communication skills like staying responsive to client inquiries, understanding their needs, and delivering work on time fosters trust and can lead to repeat business and referrals. For instance, if a client requests revisions, it’s important to handle this promptly. Setting competitive rates requires thorough market research; you’ll need to analyze the going rates for your niche and adjust accordingly to ensure you’re both competitive and fair to yourself.

Maintaining precise financial records is indispensable for tracking income and expenses, preparing for tax obligations, and assessing your overall business health. This step might include using accounting software or hiring a professional accountant when necessary. By keeping accurate records, you can track your earnings, manage your expenses, and ensure you’re prepared for tax season.

By seamlessly blending your passion for writing with diligent business practices, you can craft a sustainable career that provides long-term stability.

2. Financial backing

Whether you write for personal projects, maintain a blog, or create print or digital books, each project requires significant time and effort into researching, writing, editing, and formatting.

As a freelance writer, it is common for payment to take several weeks or even months to arrive after completing an assignment. Finding clients, finishing projects, and submitting your work can be lengthy and almost always unpredictable.

It’s essential to have financial support during the initial stages of your freelance writing career. This support might mean relying on savings, pursuing part-time work, or leaning on support from family and friends to cover expenses during periods of irregular income.

3. Writing skills

This skill might seem fundamental, but let’s delve deeper. If you’ve ever engaged in writing, regardless of the context or level, freelancing could be a meaningful change in your professional direction. Consider your experiences: perhaps you’ve crafted professional correspondence as an administrative assistant, maintained a blog or website, or written academic papers that garnered praise from instructors. Each instance indicates you possess the foundational skills and potential to thrive as a writer.

If you’re hesitant about stepping into the freelance world, choose a specific topic or genre that piques your interest. Write a short piece reflecting that focus: a news article, a blog post, or a non-fiction essay. Once you’ve completed your draft, find a writing group online or in-person that can provide constructive feedback. A beta reader’s insights can help you gauge your strengths and identify areas for improvement.

No matter how much we want them to know about your new professional pursuit, don’t share your work with your family or friends unless it’s relevant to them; they won’t tell you the truth.

4. Educational background

Even if your writing experience primarily comes from your academic career, you can pivot to become a professional freelancer. Start by identifying the specific genre you are passionate about, whether fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or a niche like fantasy or memoir, and start writing.

While there’s a significant difference between theoretical learning and practical execution, you have the potential to bridge that gap if you’re willing to put in the work. You already have the foundational skills; now is the time to put them into practice. Set aside dedicated time each day for writing, building a sustainable routine that fosters creativity and encourages productivity.

5. Experience

Even if you don’t have extensive professional experience as a writer, you can gain valuable skills by starting a blog or a personal journal. Blogging allows you to engage with an audience. Journaling can help you reflect on your thoughts.

Both practices provide excellent opportunities to build your portfolio and establish yourself. An idea might bubble up that you can file away for later use.

6. Self-motivation

Motivating yourself can be a challenge. There might be days when you don’t feel inspired to write, but it’s crucial to push through these moments and stay committed. You need to start and finish your work tasks each day if you’re striving for consistent pay. If you have had trouble in the past about staying committed without reminders from others, think about this aspect before you begin.

One option might be leaning on friends and family for emotional support. Writing is a lonely job, so don’t forget that you have cheerleaders in your corner. If you need a coffee break, take it and go back to work. If you need to throw in a load of laundry, do it and go back to work. If you need to take the dog for a walk, do it and go back to work!

7. Time

Like every person trying to adult in this crazy world, holding down a full-time job, maintaining relationships, and being in a constant state of change means that nonessential things often get thrown to the side. I like to say “that’s for tomorrow Me.” However, it’s important to regularly set aside time for finishing your projects and marketing to attract clients.

Organizing your day is an important part of using your time wisely. Spending an hour each day can help you get started as a freelancer, but this time limit will affect the writing you can do and the amount of potential clients that you can pitch to. Maybe you’ll find that you can ramp up that schedule: one hour before your full-time job to research for your freelance project and one hour after your full-time job to pitch.

8. Confidence

Have confidence in your writing skills for the projects you want to pursue. For example, if you are writing young adult fiction as a freelancer, you don’t need to write at a PhD level; write in a way that suits your audience. Writing at about an 8th-grade level is usually enough. Don’t make your writing more complicated than necessary.

You don’t have to be perfect with grammar when writing persuasive copy for a product. Many copywriters use less-than-perfect grammar because the goal is to appeal and persuade, not to meet academic standards. Each writing genre has its own style, tone, and voice, so focus only on what you need for your niche.

9. Flexibility

Demonstrating a willingness to begin your freelance writing career at a lower level while fully aware of your potential for growth and development showcases an essential quality: flexibility. This adaptability highlights your commitment to refining your skills over time and illustrates your understanding of the industry’s competitive nature. Embracing entry-level opportunities with the mindset that each experience will contribute to your expertise and portfolio reflects a proactive approach to professional and personal development in your writing journey.

For example, you might want to write recipes for a famous chef, but the first work available might be for a less-known blogger. Take the job because it will help you develop your writing skills over time.

However, once you’ve gained the necessary experience and you’ve got a good system going of finding and creating content for your clients, don’t let yourself stay there. Push yourself to pitch bigger projects to high-profile clients. Consider a 60/40 ratio: 60% entry level gigs and 40% high-profile clients. Or find what ratio works for you. Becoming a successful freelancer is what you make of it.