The written word is dead. It’s too hard to make money as a writer. You’re resigning yourself to a life as a starving artist. Blah blah blah.
Okay, with that out of the way, I’m here to tell you all of the ways you can become a self-employed writer (or freelance writer–sometimes).
I’ve done it myself in many ways, and it is possible to make a living off of writing. It’s harder than it used to be, sure, but that’s just because the industry is constantly evolving. You gotta move with the waves, fellow writers. (It’s also harder now because traditional publishing platforms structure their business around sucking writers dry in new creative ways every year! 😊)
What is freelance writing?
Freelance writing is working as an independent contractor who writes content for various clients rather than being employed full-time by a single company.
You can freelance for basically any type of writing.
The main benefits are a flexible schedule, some autonomy in what projects you take on, potential for higher earnings, plus a much more favorable work-life balance than you’d find in a traditional writing position.
The drawbacks are the ones you’d expect from any freelance job–irregular income, finding your own clients, managing deadlines yourself, self-employment taxes, and paying for your own benefits (or going without).
Getting started in freelance writing usually involves building a portfolio, networking to find your clients, narrowing in on a niche or specialization to charge higher rates, and marketing your own services.
Let’s look at some specific types of freelance writing jobs.
Types of freelance writing jobs.
The most common type is content writing, and there are several options in that category.
Types of content writing.
1. Blogger!
I’m literally sitting right here in front of you, being a self-employed blogger. One option is to build or buy a blog in a niche you’re familiar with and make money through ads, affiliate links, and/or products.
I’ve created and ran 10+ blogs in my life–Not Harder included!
There’s an infinite amount of information you can find all about how to write a blog post, finding readers, and making your living as a blogger. Check out YouTube channels like Income School and Adam Enfroy to start out.
2. Website content writer
This can include writing copy for things like blurbs and homepage introductions, but for the most part, this means writing posts for other blogs. The difference between a website content writer and a “blogger” is that the content writer does not own the blog. You’re paid per piece, per word, or per hour to write for someone else’s platform.
Side note: Charge per piece, if it’s up to you. I charged per word, and that’s always more annoying because I’m a pretty concise writer and have to intentionally become longer-winded to make it worth it.
3. Social media content creator
This one’s big–it’s the most common online content writing job right now. These writers make captions and social media posts for influencers and brands.
Some are hired directly by the company and only work for them, while others work freelance and offer packages like “50 Instagram captions for $5” or something.
Social media is an area of writing where you have to be able to pick up on your client’s voice and persona, so be sure to practice that skill if you want to pursue it.
There are related skills you might want to pick up–for example, you might become a social media manager period. That would include writing engaging content, knowing how to build brand awareness, filling out a content calendar, and collaborating with the rest of the company and marketing team.
To start with no experience, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the popular social media platforms, learn about SEO, and pitch your services to a pretty small business. Like maybe so small that you’re also the marketing team…
4. Newsletter writer
What it sounds like–you write newsletters. With this and social media content, the main skill is taking on the voice of the brand or influencer. If you’re working freelance for random people, you have to be good at taking in their platform and quickly emulating the vibe.
5. SEO content specialist/editor
You can also be a content editor or consultant. With skills and knowledge (or common sense and a subscription to a good SEO tool), you can help people and companies optimize their web content.
Of the above jobs, I’ve done every single one of them. None were particularly difficult to access or learn.
Types of technical writing jobs.
Technical writing has a wide range of possibilities. You can write documents, user manuals, employee handbooks, scientific essays, grants, and more.
Technical writing basically boils down to: communicating information to someone specific for a specific reason in a specific way.
That means being familiar with the terminology, knowing how to properly punctuate and format a sentence, and keeping a professional tone.
I don’t know how many people grow up dreaming of becoming a technical writer, but, it can pay the bills.
I haven’t done much technical writing in my career, but what I have done has included writing employee handbooks, reference materials for conduct, and other documents important for an office environment or classroom.
And it’s fine? It’s not the most fun option, but it’s typically simple to do, quick to complete, and it doesn’t require much thinking (unless you’re dealing with more complex concepts). You’re not ideating or being creative–you usually have an outline given to you. Is that a plus or a minus? I don’t know! What do you think?
Types of freelance creative writing jobs.
Creative writing was my bag. I wrote and published through my own indie publishing company under multiple pen names in several genres. I took a break from writing fiction–kinda burnt out on it–but I have a lot of experience under my belt in novels, novellas, short stories, poetry–I’ve even written a few pieces for stage and screen!
And? I’m over it! For now, at least. But it was a fun and engaging career for many years.
How can you get into creative writing as a brand new freelance writer? There are a few in’s I’d suggest checking out.
First, the low-hanging fruit is going to be ghostwriting. You can set up a LinkedIn, Fiverr, or upwork account for this. The jobs come easy, and the pay is…fine. You’ll typically get character sheets and a rough outline from the client, and they expect something around 50,000 words for “easy genres”. It’s a lot of romance, for the most part.
Ghostwriting is a good option if you can write fiction fast. You can’t care too much about it, which is pretty easy to manage, as you haven’t created the characters or story, and your name is not attached to it–you’re just filling in the blanks of an outline with prose.
The next option is self-publishing. And again, to make a living here, you have to be pretty quick with it and strategic in genre. Very few people can just write whatever they want, publish it, and it sells on its own. It requires some business savvy and marketing know-how, but there are plenty of free resources on this. Here’s a good guide on publishing books on the cheap:
The most lucrative self-publishing genres will be self-help (if you have killer niche content), romance, erotica, and fantasy. I have the most experience in romance and erotica, because those stories came (lol) easy for me.
What are you very good at writing? What’s easy? What genres do you love?
If you don’t LOVE–or at least enjoy–what you’re writing, it’s not going to work. So hopefully you absolutely adore one of the easier genres to get your foot in! (You can enjoy it ironically, if that helps. I coasted in weird genres just on making myself giggle.)
Any other paid freelance creative writing job will be more difficult to come by. You’ll likely need a lot of experience, a distinct brand or niche, and probably to know-a-guy. Not to discourage you–I just don’t want to pretend like this route is easy.
It could be a good idea to do self-publishing or ghostwriting in the meantime, while you apply for other writing jobs, search for an agent, or take whatever road will lead to your dream job. You’ll be able to pay the bills (hopefully) and gain a lot of writing experience on the way!
Tip: Don’t quit your day job until you can reliable replace your income! Success in this field is NOT guaranteed.
Business-related writing jobs.
Business writing can be a good option for a new freelance writer. This can include creating marketing copy, business plans, resumes, cover letters, proposals, or website copy.
A little expertise in the field would help majorly, whether that’s marketing, advertising, running your own business, or studying a related topic in college.
Personally, I’ve written a lot of marketing copy, resumes, and cover letters. I started by contacting folks I knew–in college, most graduates needed a new resume, so I’d reach out to my classmates and let them know I offered resume services. Usually, they’d reach back out a couple months later to buy a few cover letters, too.
Then friends of friends started hiring me. I create a portfolio site with a sign-up form, and it all rolled from there.
Networking really is THAT GIRL when it comes to spinning up your own business. Don’t be afraid to ask your people to spread the word!
Journalism writing jobs.
Getting into journalism can be a bit trickier than other types of writing jobs. You’ll usually need a lot of expertise in the field or, again, to know-a-guy. Really just go out of your way to know a-guys (gender neutral) in your industry wherever possible.
You could become a freelance journalist, submitting article ideas to various news outposts, and/or running your own blog on the subject.
And that’s where my advice ends! I’ve never worked for a non-fiction publication in any substantial capacity. My best guess would be that you start with an internship.
Specialized writing.
Specialized writing goes very well with the blogger career–travel writer, food critic, sports reporter, financial writer, legal writer–whatever your area of interest or expertise is, you can just…write it.
Posting on Substack, Medium, or your own blog is a great way to build up a portfolio (and hopefully some readers!) that could help you snatch a job for a bigger publication in the future.
Or you could just keep doing your own thing, if you find a way to monetize it!
Educational or academic writing positions.
Have you gone to grad school? Or wanted to, but got rejected by all of the ones you applied for? No judgement, shoot your shot.
I ask because a Venn diagram of people who are interested in going to grad school and people who wouldn’t mind writing a textbook is nearly a circle.
SO, educational writing can cover some classic media, like textbooks, essays, developing curriculum, writing or assisting with writing research papers. Educational and academic content writing involves more complex topics than you’d find in blogging or fiction. The way to get into these is by having a different job and moving into a writer role at that company eventually, going to grad school, or knowing a guy, for the most part.
Then we’ve got a new kid on the scene, relatively speaking, that can be much more accessible: Educational content creator.
I’ve done that one!
To be an educational content creator, you have to develop and maintain an online platform, ideate and produce the content, market yourself, monetize it, and all of that jazz. This, of course, requires you to have a comprehensive grasp and some original ideas about the subject in question.
OR you can create content for other people as a freelance writer–that one’s way easier to monetize.
Editing freelance.
Many writers are also editors! If you have multiple skills, there’s no reason not to pitch package deals to clients. For example, if you kill the SEO game, you might offer a package where you optimize their existing articles, and then write some of your own with strategic topics to drive traffic to their site.
How much money do freelance writers make?
That’s gonna depend! As you get more experience, you’ll be worth more as a writer, and you’ll be able to write faster, which is essential. When I started out with freelance writing, I took two or three days to write one post, and they…weren’t very good!
Now I can write two 2,000 word articles a day, and they usually rank on Google within the week. It’s all about practice!
At the per word rate I used to work for, the first timeline example would make me $100/day, and the second example would make me $600/day. At the same rate. Output speed is essential to write content for a living.
So, how much you make depends on:
- your expertise in the area
- your writing experience
- your writing speed
- how much YOU think you’re worth, and how much you tell people you’re worth
Tip: Raise your prices between every few clients (probably one cent per word at a time, or $10 more per piece). When you get to a point that people aren’t willing to pay it, hover there for a while or decrease slightly.
No one is going to voluntarily pay you more. As freelance writers, we HAVE to advocate for ourselves and get paid what we’re worth. It’s just hard to determine what we’re worth, so it’s really trial and error sometimes .
How to become a freelance writer.
There are many avenues to becoming a freelance writer, and I’m going to tell you everything I know.
1. Make an assessment.
First things first: Where are we starting?
Let’s do a brainstorming session. Get a piece of paper and something to write with, then set a one-minute timer and write As Many things as you can for one (or more, or all) of these prompts. Work your way through the list.
- What are my skills?
- What industry or industries do I want to focus on?
- What experience do I have?
- What are my interests? What am I truly passionate about?
- Who do I know that could help me? That friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend counts. So do other freelance writers.
- Who is my target audience?
Brainstorming on the above questions should point you in a particular direction you can feel pretty confident in pursuing.
2. Where to start.
If you want to be a freelance writer who creates content for other people, here are some places you might start:
- Let your network know. The friends, family, and local community that you already have are a huge asset. Tell them you’re looking for a particular type of work! Then you turn two eyes into a thousand eyes looking for jobs for you.
- Put yourself around that niche. This could be places like an academic space, a local newspaper, or online spaces. It really depends on the niche, but get involved in non-writing ways to make connections and get yourself out there.
- Freelance websites. More on those in the next section.
- Build a portfolio. You can keep a portfolio on your own site, LinkedIn, or even just a list of links to your high ranking articles (keep notes on the ones that rank in the top 3 at any point).
- Create social media content. You can create content around the niche. Say you want to write food reviews–you can run an Instagram account where you do food reviews! Take aesthetic pics, go out on foodie adventures, and figure out how to use Instagram Reels.
3. Freelance writing platforms to choose from.
I think every freelance writer will end up on one of the Classic Freelancing Sites at some point, especially when you’re just starting out. Here are the top freelance writing platforms, listed in order of effectiveness (in my opinion–let me know if you disagree!).
LinkedIn is a social platform for making professional connections, housing a detailed resume and portfolio, and cheating on your wife. I’m not suggesting you use it to cheat on your wife–just feels like I should give you a heads up about what the DM situation might be like.
If you have another job but want freelance writing to be your full-time gig, just put “freelance writer” as your job title. This will help you show up in search engines when people are looking for writers.
Upwork
Upwork is a site specifically for freelancers. Potential clients will search the service they’re looking for and choose from the top results–so get yourself in the top results.
One roadblock you may run into–on any freelancing site–is that people in countries with more favorable currencies will be able to offer MUCH cheaper services. To combat this, you need your work to be impressive and worth the “extra” money.
Fiverr
Fiverr and Upwork have been going head-to-head for years. Many freelancers use both. I would recommend you start with one and get it built up and looking nice before you move to another.
PeoplePerHour
PPH is a similar platform–keep an eye out if you try to use this one. It has lots of positive reviews and happy users, but some freelancers complain about their payments not processing, or them not being able to withdraw their funds after completing a job.
When choosing your platform, check the fine print. They will all take different percentages of your earnings, some platforms are more favorable for certain industries than others, some might be fully saturated with writers–do some research and read the contract before you sign up for anything.
Except for LinkedIn–fire at will.
Keep in mind that your strongest marketing tool will ALWAYS be word of mouth. Let people know your offerings, tell them you’re looking for work, do great work, and give clients referral information after a job well done.
4. Writing skills to practice.
You want to practice an engaging writing style. Make your reader feel like you’re having a conversation–make them interested in what you have to say next.
Writing faster.
Training yourself to write faster can majorly increase your paycheck. The more words per minute, the more projects per day, the more money in your pocket.
Practice fast writing with writing sprints, optimize your keyboard and desk, limit distractions to increase focus, and find an outlining method that works for you.
Developing your own voice.
A strong writer voice is particularly important in fiction, but it can be important in other types of writing as well. If your plan is to have front-facing original work (meaning it’s not something you’re writing under someone else’s name), don’t be afraid to inject some personality. People scroll past hundreds of posts a day–how can you make yours stand out?
Adopting other people’s voices.
For my ghosts and content writers–you have the opposite job. Develop the ability to notice quirks in other people’s writing. Practice emulating their voice. Picking up various writing styles is an amazing skill to have in copywriting and brand work. Especially if you get quick at it.
Niche down.
Get really familiar with whatever subjects you decide to specialize in. You’ll have a narrower field of potential clients (and they have a narrower field of potential writers), and you can charge more because specialists don’t come cheap.
Develop a deep understanding of SEO.
Being good at optimizing content for search engines is nearly as important as writing skill, when it comes to writing online content. SEO might seem like this amorphous, nonsensical thing–and that’s because it is!
But you can learn the basics. Start with this channel, if you’d like a good resource:
How to grow your client base in freelance writing.
It can be SO hard to get those first few clients. It will take persistence and patience, but you’ll get there. Here are some tips for getting freelance clients.
1. Network.
Don’t roll your eyes! I hate this word, too! But it doesn’t have to mean the stuffy, fake kind of interactions you might be picturing. Networking can be quite simple. Here are some options:
- Work out of a co-working space–let the other professionals know what you do.
- Tell friends and family that you’re looking for work. Word-of-mouth is the easiest way to snatch a job.
- Think through your current social network–who could possibly use your services? Do you know any businesses, influencers, or individuals that could benefit from your expertise? Reach out! You might even toss a few specific things you’d like to do to/for their platform as proof that you’d be helpful. (But keep it vague–don’t give out the goods for free.)
2. Start cheap.
In the beginning, you’re probably going to offer lower prices. There are two reasons for this:
- You lack experience.
- You lack proof.
So work on getting jobs done–even if they have to be the less than ideal jobs–and encourage clients to leave reviews, write testimonials, and tell their friends about you.
After you have some proof (a portfolio and testimonials), you can inch your price up a little at a time until you find that sweet spot.
3. Do a great job.
Like, duh, but it’s MUCH easier to retain a client than it is to find a new one. Do a stellar job, stay in contact, and upsell when relevant. Work the client base you have for repeat jobs, referrals, and testimonials. Don’t be an irritating dick about it, but intentional marketing is necessary for success in professional writing, particularly freelance writing.
Do you still want to be a freelance writer?
If all of that sounds like too much work, disinteresting, boring, too hard, not sexy, or other complaints, it’s best to know sooner rather than later! With something like writing, it’s REALLY hard to force yourself to do it if it’s not fun for you.
So really dig down and get a deep understanding of yourself and your relationship with writing.
If you read this post and are still excited to start writing as a self-employed person or freelancer, here’s your next step:
How To Be More Productive as a Freelancer
Good luck! You’ve got this.
