Last week I finally started my Ways to Earn Extra Income. A lot of you have questions, and today I figured I would continue my Extra Income series with how to become a freelance writer or a staff writer. A lot of you seem very interested in this. For the sake of this post, a staff writer = freelance writer, just to make this all easy.
Before September, I never thought I would be staff writing, and I never even thought about it. But once I began, I really started to enjoy it. I really love to write (yes, I do realize that I’m not the best and I probably should proofread more, but I do like to talk), and writing for different blogs was fun for me.
And I’m not going to lie, the money is nice also. Being able to write about topics that I enjoy, from the comfort of my home is great. I try (yes, try) to throw all of my extra money towards student loans, since I do have a $38,000 student loan payoff plan that I am working on.
I believe I started freelance writing in September of 2012. I DID make mistakes though. I signed up for way too much, and as a result, my own blog suffered. I feel like the content on my blog wasn’t the greatest when I had signed up for so many staff writing assignments. Luckily, that did not last long as some of the assignments were only short-term.
Then I ended up stopping a couple of others and right now I am at my perfect amount. Taking on too many writing assignments at one time was definitely a mistake that I made.
My tips on how to become a freelance writer:
1. Start out slowly when searching for freelance writing gigs!
Don’t make the same mistake I did when looking for freelance writing gigs. I thought I could write for multiple blogs, but lets be for real, there are only so many personal finance topics that you can create in one week before you get extremely bored.
Determine how many blogs or websites that you want to write for. Start out slowly by adding assignments one at a time. Decide how many websites you want to write for, and how many times per week or per month. Get the feeling for it and be 100% positive before you start adding more assignments to your list of things to do.
I originally signed up for a ton of websites when I first started freelance writing online. I never sacrificed the quality just so that I could fit them all in, instead I started slacking on my own blog. I now write for two personal finance blogs and for one hotel in the Caribbean. I prefer this mix the best.
2. Discover your niche when learning how to start freelance writing.
There are many different blogs, websites, magazines and so on that you could possibly write for. And there are tons of topics that you can write about. What do you think you could write best about? Possible topics include: travel, fashion, home, do-it-yourself, personal finance (of course 🙂 ), pets, family, and so on.
However, not everyone can write about travel blogging, and if you never travel, then this is probably not the best bet for you. Stick to what you know when looking for freelance writing gigs and you will learn how to become a freelance writer quickly.
3. Search for staff writing assignments, freelance writing jobs, and let your services be known.
How are people supposed to know that you are looking for a freelance writing position? Over the summer, I was asked to be a staff writer for a blog. The e-mail came out of nowhere, but after I received it, I started looking into staff writing further. Having a blog (as talked about before), helped people find me and consider me for their staff writing positions.
After that initial e-mail, I then posted on Yakezie (a personal finance community with a great forum) and stated that I was searching for a staff writing position. After I made the post on the forum, I received a couple of e-mails and this is what launched my staff writing career. The power of throwing yourself out there and just asking was definitely helpful for me.
Also, there are the ProBlogger job boards, and there are a lot of staff writing positions on there. I know of a couple of people who have found their positions through that website.
If you do have a blog (see below for further information), then make sure you have a “Hire Me” tab if you are available. This will then let others know that you are looking, and also what you are available for.
Many blog owners might also be looking around, or they might make blog posts directly stating that they need staff writers. This is a GREAT way to find freelance writing jobs. Keep an eye out for this. It doesn’t hurt to just e-mail the websites directly. If you truly want to write for them, try sending them a quick e-mail, and attach some writing samples, and/or link to your blog as well.
4. Make sure your articles are always top quality to ensure that you will be hired for freelance writing gigs.
There are many reasons for making sure your articles are always top quality when searching for freelance writing jobs. Many website owners will refer your work to others, and what they think is most likely the best representation of your work.
Don’t expect to just be able to sit down, think of a topic and write it all up in 30 minutes. I keep a running notepad on my phone about my possible ideas for article topics. This is a lot easier because I tend to think of my best topics when I’m not trying to think about it.
A good post that you research, write, proofread, etc. might take around 1.5 to 2 hours. Possibly longer, all depends on the topic and how much research is needed for it. Some posts take me days to write and format, so it all really just depends.
5. Start your own blog if you are looking for freelance writing gigs.
A lot of you had the same question: How did you find your staff writing assignments? I always reply with the same answer: Someone contacted me directly. I think having a personal finance blog definitely helps because people already have an idea of how I would write for them.
This is important here! Make sure the posts on your blog are high quality, as this is how you will be judged. Having your own blog and staff writing are very similar in that you will be creating articles for both.
Starting your own blog is always a great idea if you truly want to get into freelance writing and if you are looking for freelance writing gigs. This is of course a topic that I will be writing about separately in another post (the topic of starting your own blog), so today I’ll just talk about how it pertains to helping you out with increasing your chances of landing a staff writing gig. I do have some tips listed on my Extra Income page about starting a blog, so take a look there for a start.
When you have your own blog, then a person looking for a freelance writer will already have an idea of your writing style and quality. This makes it a lot easier for someone to hire and take you onto their website.
Please read How To Start A Blog On Bluehost if you are interested in starting your own blog (which can then help you find freelance writing jobs). There is also a way to earn a free domain through that blog post and you will receive a discounted price through my tutorial! 🙂
6. Know your worth when finding freelance writing jobs.
Different niches and websites probably have different starting rates for blog writing. Determine what you want to charge, and stay at least kind of firm with that amount. You don’t want to charge less than what you truly want or deserve, and then sacrifice quality because you think you aren’t being paid enough.
Determine how much you will ask for depending on the niche, the amount of words, and the amount of research needed for the article. There are many factors to think about. Are you purely just writing about your life? Or will the article topic take hours and hours to research, and then even more hours to write?
Obviously a 500 word article would probably be worth less than a 2,000 word article. The key is to keep all of the factors in mind and know your worth!
EDIT: Read about why Jordann thinks Staff Writing is the Perfect Side Hustle.
Related tip: My friend Cat Alford started a course called Get Paid to Write for Blogs that I highly recommend. She has written for many large sites and is extremely successful. Now, she is sharing her amazing tips so that you can become a full-time writer as well. If you want to earn money as a writer, I recommend you check out her course.
Do you do any freelance writing? Do you have any tips to share on how to start freelance writing? How do you find freelance writing jobs?
Could somebody please name an actual figure – dollar amount – that you charge? Per word, or per hour, or per post? Any range in actual figures would be great. Thanks!
Scott, you ask a question that is really hard if not impossible to answer the way you have ask the question. Are you looking for the amount a new freelancer would charge or that a veteran freelancer would charge?
There are so many different writing fields and each charges differently. A grant proposal writer might charge one fee while a travel writer might charge another. Some one who writes blogs that are short (200 words or less) might charge by the word while someone who writes 1,000 word blogs would probably charge per article.
If you could restate your question with a little more info on what you type of work for what type of fees, someone would be able to provide you with the info you need.
Good luck.
Hello Michelle,
I am really pleased that I have found you.I am very interested in becoming a blogger but have no idea really.
Finding you is brilliant i feel better and now I can slowly begin to work things out. I have started a blog again still unsure on how to present but having looked at your beginners guide is I feel will be informative and helpful.
Thank you very much Michelle x
Great post! Are there any sites that you recommend for Freelancing?
Hi, how do you get work as a Freelance writer and a Staff Blog writer? My husband is an excellent writer and has a over 140 IQ and is super literate so I am have been looking for opportunities for him while he is working his day job but need help in finding jobs for him. Any suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you. 🙂
Replying to your email now 🙂
Hi Michelle. Great post!
I have a question for you. You write for three blogs presently. How many posts per week?
If you only post once every week or two for each, how do you earn enough?
Of course you have a couple blogs of your own, but I have repeatedly heard that the revenue from online ads is minute unless you’re a celebrity. Maybe what I have heard is wrong though?
The amount of posts I write varies from week to week, depending on what some of my clients need. Most of my income comes from the blogs that I own now. You can check out my latest income report for more information – https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2015/05/april-monthly-online-income-report.html
I envy you that, so much fun it makes you writing articles. I am running a blog for several months and I have to say that sometimes I have a problem to get motivated for the next entry.
Hey Michelle!
I noticed this article on Pinterest and I had to click through. I want you to come work for me! In the meantime, though, can I give you 50 bucks to include my company in this article? Feel free to check us out at Nerdygirlwriters.com. Let’s chat soon, ok? Shoot me an email if you’re interested.
Hi!! I’ve been looking at sites which are mostly about writing full-time. What if I’m just interested in a part-time writing gig? I don’t want to give up my career in IT (which I love) and most of the content I write are about travel and music.
Any tips for people like me who wants to treat writing as a hobby and at the same time, a source of income? By the way, thank you for the information you shared!
The tips in this post can be applied to a part-time writing job as well. Good luck! 🙂
The tips in your post here are bang on! People think there is so much competition out there, but it’s actually not that bad since most of the people you’re competing with for work don’t take the time or have the skills to proofread their work and put out a high-quality article.
This is great Michelle! Being a freelance writer is definitely a dream of mine, but it’s also very intimidating getting started. My blog so far has gotten a great response, but it’s hard to gauge if that will lead to paying work down the line. There’s also the self doubt that creeps in when you’re trying to do something completely different than what everyone else in your life is doing for work.
Hi Michelle,
Great post! I think it is a really great idea for someone who is great with words to start a freelance career as a content writer or use this in a way to supplement their primary income. Today, content writing is one of the top wanted jobs in the virtual space along with transcription, data entry, graphic design, translation and tutoring. So, whoever decides to do this, these are really great tips to follow.
Good tips! I actually found out about how to get into Freelancing from a LifeHack article, and since being an author wasn’t making enough I ended out giving it a shot. Now it’s my main source of income and has been for the past year and a half. I love it. More than anything it’s been a huge help to improving my work!
I have recently started ghost writing for the owner of another blog to supplement my income while I get my own blog off the ground. It is actually a lot easier than I feared!
Great article! It is inspiring to read that there are so many others who have the same motivation to write. Would love to write for a living! Language intrigues me. To bring words to life and have them form visual images for the reader makes me tingly. I have searched for a while online and have found nothing legit so far. I have been intimated by starting my own blog since I am not that versed on the online lingo or creating links and all the other technical things that would come with doing so although maybe now is the time to jump in the saddle. I am not a quitter and will continue reading, writing and researching until the opportunity for publication can no longer ignore the knock on the door.
Thanks for this, some great tips! I am just starting out and Problogger certainly seems to have some good opportunities. I have had a little interest from potential clients, now my problem is trying to give them a quote for my work… too little and I will look amateur, too high and I may look greedy. More research needed I guess!
Hi, how do you get work as a Freelance writer and a Staff Blog writer?
Michelle, I recently made the same mistake you did. I, too, work as a freelance writer and recently took on way too much. My blog suffered and I was also so desperate for work, any work, that I took assignments for topics that were a stretch for me. The amount of research I had to do to simply prepare to write the posts made my pay completely not worth the time invested. But, a great lesson learned for going forward. The Hire Me tab is a great idea, btw. I’ll have to add one. Thanks!
This is truly the unselfish motive I’ve been looking for to verify my own reasons for doing freelance writing…I love it! Thanks!
I am interested in being a freelance writer! I have no idea where to start, how to do it, and find reputable companies in need of this service. Please advise