What is Freelance Copywriter?
Freelance Copywriter is the practice of writing for money while working on one’s own and not being employed by a company or organization. Freelance writers produce whatever written text is needed by their clients, either working from home or in a rented office space.
Writers can have many different clients, or one very large client with a lot of steady, ongoing work.
How to Become Freelance Writer?
1) Build a portfolio:
Small businesses hit just as many highs as they do lows in the beginning. Freelance work is no different. Focus on finding new clients and building up your portfolio. Portfolios are curated collections of “clips,” writing samples that show your strengths and range as a writer. In the beginning, every byline and project you get can and should go toward building your portfolio, but if you’ve yet to land any paying gigs, you can always write up “spec” clips for hypothetical clients, or use blog posts.
2) Start pitching:
The hardest part about freelance writing is also the most crucial: You’ve got to put yourself out there and pitch to multiple publications and websites. Always be listening for ideas or trends in your everyday life or the culture at large. Be sure to identify the right outlet and editor do enough research to make a good guess about the right person on the masthead to contact. Keep initial pitch emails brief. Be sure to include links to one or two solid clips, to give them a sense of your voice. When you do get turned down, handle rejections with grace, refine your idea, if necessary, then start again with another outlet. Once you get your foot in the door at a publication, pitching becomes easier.
3) Start your own blog:
Becoming a blogger is particularly useful if you’re just starting out and don’t have any published bylines quite yet. Many editors or potential clients will request clips or writing samples to get a sense of your voice; this way, you’ll have something to show them. Blogging is also a great way to hone a daily writing practice. Even if your mom is the only one who reads it, building those habits will make you a better writer—and someone very well might discover your work along the way.
4) Meet Other Freelance Writers:
Your existing network is a great place to start, but you’ll also benefit from meeting other freelance writers. Not only can they give you advice about the business, but they may be able to send you work that they don’t have time for.
But you have to reach out in the right way. Do not email a freelance writer asking if they can help you find work. That’s tacky. Your goal is to build a real relationship. If that eventually leads to work for you, great. But that shouldn’t be your main aim.
5) Reach Out to Your Network:
Odds are, you already know someone who can help you find your first client.
But no one can help you unless you let them know what you’re looking for. So, my first tip is to reach out to people in your network and let them know that you’re looking for freelance writing work.
Here’s a short list of people you could talk to:
- Family members
- Friends
- Family friends/your parents’ friends
- Coworkers
- Career planning (if you’re in college)
- Professors/advisors (if in college)
- Organizations you’re part of (alumni associations, honor societies, teams, etc.)
- Any other professional connections
There’s almost certainly someone on this list who either has work you could do or knows someone looking to hire a freelance writer.
How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer?
There are some steps to make money as a freelance writer:
1) Find a Profitable Niche:
If you’re wondering who will pay you to write, not every niche is a high-paying niche and not every writing service you offer is high-paying. But there are a lot of writing niches out there that pay well
For example, the parenting niche CAN pay well (even though it’s an over-saturated niche). You just need to know where to look.
From this, I can determine that this is a profitable niche.
So, when determining your niche, not only think about what you enjoy writing about or your passions or hobby, but also think about how it can be monetized so you can make money fast.
2) Treat Your Business like a Business:
Working extremely long hours every day of the week might seem exciting at first, but it always leads to burnout.
And when you’re burned out, you only have scraps of energy to offer new clients who might want to work with you at that time. You may even be so absent-minded that you forget to invoice your existing clients on time, which can be a strain on your cash flow.
3) Grow Your Social Media Presence:
I’ve been a freelance writer since 2014, and I can see how powerful it is to be on social media.
The more “you” are online, the more opportunities your future clients will see you.
They may see your social media post on Twitter or check out your LinkedIn profile.
Maybe an editor saw your Pin and wants to hire you for their content (that happened to me).
Being on social media helped me grow my freelance writing income, and I can’t say enough about being on social media.
It has resulted in many gigs where I write articles for money.
4) List Goals:
your new business-centric mindset, list out your professional goals in a document you keep handy near your workspace.
A digital file on your computer desktop works well because you can easily add to it over time. The items in the list will ideally help both you and your clients.
They’ll be especially useful when you’re faced with a tough decision or you’re procrastinating on improving a skill, such as article pitching.
5) Start a Blog:
Yes. You need a blog if you want to be a wealthy freelance writer. A blog can serve many things beside a writing portfolio to help you make money as a writer.
- A way to practice your writing
- Create a lead generation strategy (that means attracting clients to you)
- Help you earn money by monetization strategies
- Build your credibility in your niche
- Give you confidence as a writer
- Have an outlet for your creativity
A blog is perfect for anyone wanting to start a business. Whether it’s a coaching business or graphic designing or writing, a blog can serve as a platform for your business.
6) Practice like an Artist:
Your communication skills enable you to be an intelligent marketer.
When you continually sharpen your writing and editing on your own creative endeavors — such as publishing your own killer blog post ides, teaching your own online training materials, or learning how to create digital product you increase your value as a service provider.
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