5 Steps to Start Writing Online For Money
*Full disclosure: I am not a freelance writing coach. I am simply a working freelance writer who has spent the last year and a half learning all I can and implementing what I’ve learned. I’ve gained clients and experience and I continue to deep dive into the world of freelance writing. I’m sharing what I know, what I’ve learned and how to take that first step. xoxo – Katie
So, you want to get paid to be a writer? Cool, you’re in a good starting place.
The world of freelancing has taken off in the post-pandemic world! Companies are now, and more than ever, in need of high quality, professional, reliable writers to drive online sales, brand awareness and important content creation.
Here are 5 things you can do now that will set you on the path to being a paid writer.
1. Tell everyone
Growing your network is an important piece of the freelance journey so take every opportunity to talk about what you’re doing!
Tell friends, family, the person who cuts your hair, the Ubereats driver, anyone who is willing to listen – let them know that you’re writing online content. You truly never know who they know!
Some of my best clients and most rewarding projects have come from just telling the people I know that I’m taking on freelance work. Let your network help you do your best work!
2. Create some good writing samples
In order to show prospective clients what you can do as a freelance writer, you’re going to need some strong writing samples.
The first step here is to decide what kind of writing you want to do; blog articles, sales pages, email sequences, Facebook ads, social media captions, website copy – just to name a few.
From there, mock-up some samples that showcase your abilities.
You can go about this in a few ways:
- If you have a topic or niche you’re interested in/have experience on, do some keyword research on a site like Ubersuggest and use that to drive your writing samples.
- Using yourself and your budding business as the “client”, write the content and copy that promotes, builds awareness and informs your audience on what you do.
- Find a job posting for a project that interests you and write the content it’s looking for. (Also, go ahead and submit that for the project)
There’s a lot of ways to build your portfolio, even if you haven’t yet had a paying freelance gig. Just remember you’re showcasing your skills as a writer. Prospective clients want to see the quality of the content you can produce, so show them!
3. Choose a few freelancing job boards to follow
For new and emerging writers, job boards can be a great starting point and excellent practice in pitching your work. There are lots to choose from and not all of them have the most quality jobs. These are a few of my preferred ones:
Problogger – Problogger has a lot to offer – jobs, resources, courses and more.
Flexjobs – Flexjobs focuses on remote work in all its forms, including freelance writing.
Upwork – Upwork is one of the larger online job marketplaces and offers a wide range of freelance jobs.
Take some time to really learn how each site works, how to create a killer profile and what best practices each site recommends when applying for gigs. Set yourself up well and prospective clients will notice.
4. Learn to cold pitch
There are many well-honed skills a good freelance writer needs in their toolbox. One of the most important is knowing how to cold pitch well!
Cold pitching is simply reaching out to a company, brand or business that you would like to write for and giving them relevant, solid ideas for content you can produce for them.
I’ll be really honest, I’m still learning this part myself. I’ve written dozens of cold pitches at this point – most have gone unanswered, some have led to follow-up conversations and a few have landed me some work.
But I know I’m still honing my skills in this area and that’s totally ok…no one comes into the world of freelance writing being an expert at all of it!
In this area I have found a few fellow freelancers who do the cold pitch things really well – Eva Gutierrez and Bree Weber have great wisdom and happen to be master cold pitchers!
5. Keep At It & Keep Learning
Overnight freelance success is possible but the name of the game when it comes to freelance writing is persistence, patience and lots of practice. Treat your writing, cold pitching and business building like you would marathon training – sure you can run a few miles but can you run 26.2?
Work the steps and build stamina before you hit that course.
Write every chance you get, write when you only have 10 minutes, write when you don’t really “feel” like writing. It’s that commitment and practice that is what is going to build your stamina and improve your skills.
Freelance writing also requires a writer to be a student of the written word. Any freelance writer worth their word count will always be learning, refining, and looking critically at their craft.
The lucky part for us is that educational, inspiring, and helpful content about the freelance writing world is almost endless. You can truly teach yourself just about anything these days.
From books to podcasts to Facebook groups and coaching programs – you will find all the information you need to build a thriving freelance business just about everywhere.
Here are a few of my personal favorites!
Books for Freelance Writers:
The 50 Laws of Freelancing – Stefan Palios
The Copywriter’s Handbook – Robert W. Bly
The Essential Guide To Freelance Writing – Zachary Petit
Podcasts for Freelance Writer:
The Writing Coach with Rebecca L. Weber
Copy Chatter with Ashely Gainer
One of the most beautiful things about freelance writing, in my humble opinion, is the freedom it grants you. There is work to be had, money to be made, and infinite flexibility in this space!
If you’ve asked the question, “How do I get paid to be a writer?”, you’re ready to take the next steps in creating a career on your own terms! Woohoo!!
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