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3 Practical Steps to Launch Your Freelance Writing Career

Last Updated: July 23, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 26 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Check out these practical steps tol aunch your freelance writing career. This is a great list!Hey everyone! Today I have a post from a good blog friend of mine. She recently quit her job too! Enjoy!

Like Michelle, I have recently gone full-time with my freelance writing career. It’s a scary and exciting transition to say the least. As far as my self-employment income, a good portion is coming from freelance writing.

As a newbie who is seeing some serious progress in the area of freelance writing, I can attest to the fact that there are several practical tips you can implement to launch your freelance writing career. It took me awhile to get to where I am at today but there’s no doubt in my mind that if I can do it, you can do it, too.

Here are three steps you should take to get started.

# 1 – Build a Portfolio

The most important thing you can do to get freelance jobs and to be successful with your freelance writing career is prove that 1) you’re a decent writer (not great, just decent) 2) you can work well with others.

The quickest way to prove this is by guest posting. There are a lot of advantages to guest posting if you want to be a freelance writer. By guest posting you get your name out there, establish a reputation for yourself, and prove that you can adapt your writing tone to that of other blogs.

You should try to guest post on blogs/websites that are in a similar niche that you want to write for. You can then build an online portfolio (Google it. There are several free writer portfolio websites.) or list your portfolio on your current blog if you have one.

Now you’ll have a place to send potential clients.

 

# 2 – Start With What You Know

When I first started my freelance writing career I was applying to jobs in just about every niche. If it paid what I wanted, I applied. This was a huge waste of time.

I got rejected just about every single time. Clients do not want generalists to write for them – they want specialists. I quickly realized this and began applying to all the jobs I saw that were related to insurance. (My job at that time was a personal lines insurance agent and I was, indeed, a specialist in personal lines insurance.)

Through my blog I began finding jobs relating to personal finance, which is what I prefer to write about. At this point my clients are about 60 percent personal finance related and 40 percent insurance related.

Even if writing what you know isn’t fun it’s the best way for you to find jobs when you’re just getting started.

 

# 3 – Find Jobs

Once you have your portfolio up and running and have decided on your niche, it’s time to start hunting down those jobs.

I have found that there are two ways to doing this that bring the best results. The first is emailing blog owners who you want to write for, introducing yourself, and offering your service. The second best method for me has been applying to job boards. I personalize an email template that I have saved for easy access for both of these methods.

Neither one of these methods are fool-proof. The reality is you will be told no far more than you will be told yes. That’s okay, though. That’s how this whole freelance writing thing works.

 

Stick With It

You aren’t going to become an instant freelance writing success overnight. It’s just not going to happen. Even those super successful writers you see all over the internet started from the bottom. It’s going to take you time to build up your client base just like it took them. That’s why freelance writing is the perfect side hustle that you can eventually grow into a full-time job.

If you’re ready to launch your freelance writing career there’s no time like today to get started.

If you’ve been wanting to get started freelance writing what’s holding you back?

Alexa Mason is a blogger, personal finance freelance writer, and wanna be internet entrepreneur. She chronicles her journey as a single mother trying to make it big at Single Moms Income.

 

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26 Comments
Filed Under: Career, Extra Income Tagged With: Career, Extra Money

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. Teffany @ Critical Financial says

    December 13, 2013 at 5:34 am

    I started working online last 3 years ago. At first I was so down because I was always rejected and didn’t have a chance to prove myself. And luckily my very first client offered me work and I’m so happy because he taught me tips.

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 8:37 am

      It can be really hard to get started but once one person gives you a chance other people start doing the same. It’s nice to have a clients who treat you good and offer you tips. Congrats!

      Reply
  2. FI Pilgrim says

    December 13, 2013 at 5:47 am

    Thanks Alexa, and hope your freelance writing continues to grow. I’ve been reading a little of your blog lately and have enjoyed your stuff, keep it up!

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 8:38 am

      Thank you! I really appreciate it.

      Reply
  3. John S @ Frugal Rules says

    December 13, 2013 at 7:44 am

    This are all great tips Alexa! I think my wife used all of these when she started freelancing about four years ago and I’ve learned from her wisdom currently. I think #1 & #2 are huge – you need to be able to show that you have a background/experience in what you’re wanting to write on, otherwise it’ll likely take you longer to see success.

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:21 pm

      Absolutely! If you start by writing what you’re experienced on you can move on to other subjects later. It’s easiest to start with what you know.

      Reply
  4. Kali @ CommonSenseMillennial says

    December 13, 2013 at 7:51 am

    Great post, Alexa! I always need reminders that getting started with freelancing full time won’t happen overnight. I’m impatient! I agree that trying to be a generalist is a waste of time and effort. You’re better served creating a niche for yourself and selling to clients within that niche. Great advice!

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:22 pm

      It definitely takes some time to get started. But the more you market yourself and go after it the faster you’ll be able to make it a full time job.

      Reply
  5. EL @ Moneywatch101 says

    December 13, 2013 at 8:04 am

    Great tips on how to begin freelance writing, I enjoyed it. I think setting up the standard email that asks for writing jobs is essential to help any novice possibly become a freelancer.

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:25 pm

      I agree. If you have an email you can tweak it makes applying to jobs faster and easier.

      Reply
  6. Connie says

    December 13, 2013 at 8:34 am

    Thanks for the tips! Becoming a freelance writer has definitely been on my mind but I’m just so scared about the instability. I’m hoping to secure enough clients and save up enough of an emergency fund that it’ll feel a little less scary!

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      I think you do get a sense of stability when you can secure several recurring jobs from several different clients. Right now I do several weekly blog posts for others so even if I lost one client it wouldn’t hurt me. You just have to diversify your client base and then you’ll feel more stable.

      Reply
  7. Dave @ The New York Budget says

    December 13, 2013 at 8:46 am

    I think this is pretty good advice no matter what type of freelance work you do (writing, graphic design, videography, etc). Thanks for the article!

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      You’re welcome 😉

      Reply
  8. Jason B says

    December 13, 2013 at 10:38 am

    Those are some good tips.

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:31 pm

      Thanks, Jason!

      Reply
  9. Josh (CNAFinance.com) says

    December 13, 2013 at 11:05 am

    Hey Alexa, great post! I think the most important part is the stick to it part. It takes a bit of effort in the beginning to get things rolling and money may not be what you thought it was in that time. But if you stick with it, you’re sure to win over time. Thanks for the great read!

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:32 pm

      I completely agree. It’s hard at first but if you stick with it long enough you’ll have people coming to you instead of you trying to find them.

      Reply
  10. Micro says

    December 13, 2013 at 11:22 am

    Great post. I think writing what you know about is key. It really doesn’t take long for a reader to see that a person is confident about their subject matter and become turned off by it. If the writer doesn’t fully believe what they are writing about, how can they expect a reader to.

    Reply
    • Alexa says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:33 pm

      For sure!! And to add to it if you don’t know what you’re writing about it it will take sooo much to longer to write. If takes you a long time to write a blog post/article then you probably won’t make too much money.

      Reply
  11. Alexa says

    December 13, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Thank you, Jennifer! I appreciate you reading 🙂

    Reply
  12. Martin says

    December 13, 2013 at 1:21 pm

    The beauty of starting your own blog is that it acts as a portfolio. I’ve found clients that just came to my site and were interested in seeing if I wanted to write for them.

    Reply
  13. adam says

    December 14, 2013 at 6:12 am

    I can’t agree more in regards to sticking with it. I’ve seen so many good freelancers come and go within a short period of time because they aren’t willing to play the marathon game. Its a shame, as many could have been very successful if they gave it a bit more time.

    Reply
  14. Tonya@Budget and the Beach says

    December 14, 2013 at 9:30 am

    Thanks for the tips. I did some freelance writing last year as part of my “side income,” but I know I could do more and make more in this area!

    Reply
  15. Michelle says

    December 14, 2013 at 8:21 pm

    Alexa, you always have such great information!! You are also a “Post Whisperer” you always manage to write stuff right when I need it! Keep the great information coming.

    Reply
  16. Amanda says

    January 12, 2014 at 5:44 am

    I love freelancing. Not only is it great bread and butter money, but it’s encouraging to see something you wrote in print in a relatively quick turn-around time. I would encourage any writer to consider freelance writing as well. Great article with very useful tips and encouragement.

    Reply

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My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.

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