How to Start Freelance Writing as a Beginner

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Can you see yourself as a freelance writer? If you love to write, then writing as a freelancer can be an incredibly rewarding career. It allows you to work from home, earn money doing what you love, set your own hours, and even choose what projects you want to take on. But, if you have never done anything like it before, you might be wondering how to start freelance writing. 

Have you ever found yourself asking: “How do I get started?” or “Where do I find jobs to apply for?” Or are you just wondering what skills are needed? Whether you’re just starting out in the freelance writing business and looking for those first few clients or have been freelancing for a while, you’re in the right place.

Admittedly, it’s never easy to get a job without experience, but it can be done if you know where to look. It also takes time and dedication to build up a solid freelancing career.

The key is to find what you’re passionate about and discover your specific niche in the industry. Then, it’ll be easier to find freelance writing gigs, start building up your portfolio and go after it with everything you’ve got.

How to start freelance writing with no experience

You don’t necessarily need previous experience to land a freelance writing job. Your resume and cover letter will be your first chance to show off your skills. 

Make sure your CV highlights any successful freelance writing projects or work experience from a relevant previous job. It should also include anything else that might set you apart in the crowd of applicants. 

For example, if you have a passion for baking or are a hobby outdoorsman, put that on your resume. You never know when someone might need an article from an expert on these topics.

Everyone has to start somewhere and, if you make the right first impression, someone is bound to give you a chance.

How much money do beginner freelance writers make?

You may not want to hear this, but you need to know the truth. Particularly as you’re wondering how to start freelance writing. 

Being a freelancer isn’t easy. 

Especially not at the beginning. 

The harsh reality of being a beginner freelance writer is that you’re probably going to be struggling for work. You may have to lower your rates until you get more experience and, even then, it can still take some time before you find success.

Most freelancers have a range of pay rates depending on what they’re writing, the particular client, and their skillset. Freelance writers are typically paid either by the hour or by the word. 

They can earn between $15-$60 per hour or $0.02 – $1 per word. Some high-end writers with lots of experience can charge as much as $5 per word! However, typically the industry standard is $0.10 per word, meaning for a 500-word article, you’d be paid $50. 

Becoming a successful freelance writer takes time and dedication, but it can be an incredibly rewarding career choice. It’s not always an easy life, but if writing is what you love doing, there are ways to make it work.

Can you make a living off freelance writing?

You may have heard that some writers are making six figures in their first year of freelancing. Whilst this is possible, I wouldn’t say it’s the norm. The average annual income for a beginner freelance writer is $35K-$45K.

So, if you’re looking to get into freelance writing as an escape from another job or just want a little more flexibility in your schedule, it’s entirely possible to make it your full-time income.

What you need to be a freelance writer

One of the great things about freelance writing is that you don’t actually need that much equipment to get started! It’s not like a brick and mortar business where opening your doors requires a huge up-front spend and a tonne of overhead. 

To be a freelance writer you just need:

• A computer, or laptop, and a strong connection to the internet.

• Proper seating – don’t underestimate the power of a good chair. It will seriously save you back further down the line.

• Email address – if you have a blog, the most professional way to do this would be to link it to your domain, but we’ll cover that further on.

• Virtual conferencing software – many potential clients might want to meet you “face-to-face” before giving you the job. These meetings will most likely be done via Skype, Zoom, or another form of video conferencing.

• The right mindset. This is a biggie. Freelance writing is an entirely solo career. You won’t have a manager breathing down your neck, and you will have to entirely  self-motivate and put in the work. You’ll have to be disciplined, and you’ll also need to know your worth.

That’s it! It may sound too good to be true, but that is really all you need to get started as a freelance writer.

How to start freelance writing?

So, if you’re looking for advice on how to get started in freelance writing, you’re not alone. There are many ways to get started in this challenging industry and it can be a bit overwhelming.

However, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about how to start freelance writing – from what it means and how to do it, all the way down to your own personal mindset.

What is freelance writing and how does it work

So, the first thing you need to understand if you’re wondering how to start freelance writing is what actually is it? What does freelance writing involve? How does it work?

Freelance writing is the act of selling your skills as a writer to other companies and individuals on an open market. As a freelancer, you’ll probably be working for multiple employers (clients) at one time – which can vary from short-term assignments like ghostwriting or editing to long-term projects such as book publishing.

Freelance writing is considered a great job for people who want to work on their own time, in the comfort of their home office – or wherever they choose. This gives you more control over when and where you work as opposed to being required to go into an office every day. It’s an ideal career path for digital nomads and travellers because, as long as there’s internet access, freelance writers can do their job from anywhere. 

Most freelancers are hired remotely through websites like Upwork or Fiverr. But many companies will also hire writers directly by looking at their portfolio, resume, or blog.

The benefits of freelance writing

Becoming a freelance writer has many benefits.

• You set your own hours – Freelance writers don’t typically have set working hours because they work from all over the world in many different timezones. As a freelance writer, it’s possible to make your hours work for you instead of the other way around. So long as you get the work done, you can work any time.

• Work from home or work from anywhere – You can work from anywhere in the world. You won’t be tied down to an office location and you can give up the daily commute. Work from the home office, the comfort of your sofa or even from a poolside villa in Thailand!

• Start your own business – You’re not limited by anyone but yourself when it comes to starting a freelance writing business. You can decide how much you charge and when you’re available to work, and you can build a business around your success.

• You can write about whatever you want – There are hundreds of different niches and writing topics out there for freelancers. You’d be able to write about what you know and what you’re passionate about – no more writing on something just because it pays the bills.

The downsides to freelance writing

However, freelance writing isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There are also some downsides.

There’s a lot of financial insecurity – especially in the early days. Clients can be unreliable and one minute you have lots of work coming in and the next minute your inbox is empty. 

So, until you’ve built up a reliable client base, it’s better to stick with your current job and build your freelance career alongside it. But, the other side of this is that balancing two jobs can literally be working twice as hard. It can be tiring, draining, and hard to stay motivated.

But, working for yourself might means there isn’t anyone else holding you accountable. So, what happens if you don’t earn enough to pay the bills? If anything goes wrong financially, only you can fix this.

There are also no paid holidays, or any employment benefits at all. This means no insurance, no pension, and no sick days. It could also mean you working around the clock leading up to any time off to ensure you don’t fall behind. And working lots of overtime makes it difficult to balance work and personal life.

However, these downsides are closely tied with being self-employed rather than directly freelance writing. Any freelance or self-employment position would have the same issues. So, if running a business doesn’t sound like something you’d want then perhaps freelancing isn’t right for you after all.

How to attract potential clients

But, if freelancing does sound like it’s for you, then you’ll need to attract the right clients. If you’re wondering how to start freelance writing, then know that you’ll need plenty of enthusiasm and perseverance. 

It might take time before you find any work at all let alone work that pays well enough for you to consider yourself successful. Plus, work you do find might fall through or only end up being a short-term project.

So, to find something that sticks, you need to make yourself as attractive as possible to potential clients. There are several ways to do this.

Step one – Decide your niche

The first thing you need to ask yourself is what are you good at? 

What areas are you knowledgeable and confident with? 

What topics do you enjoy discussing or researching that people will be willing to pay for content on?

If you don’t know what niche is best for you, it’s not uncommon to start by writing in a general niche, like lifestyle, and then refine it from there.

Step two – Start blogging

Once you’ve decided what topics you’d like to write about, you need to have some existing samples of writing to show potential clients. This is where blogging comes in.

Starting your own blog is a great way to market your talent because you’ll always have samples of your work on hand. Additionally, if you’ve been blogging consistently and building a following, you can turn your blog into a business alongside your freelance career. This makes it easier to earn money at the same time as gaining exposure for yourself.

Your blog can also be a great tool for advertising and you can include a ‘Hire Me’ page where people can hire you to write for them.

You don’t need any fancy equipment to start a blog – all it takes is WordPress (or another free platform), a hosting service like Bluehost, and time.

Step three – Start guest blogging

Guest blogging is where you write articles for other people’s blogs or websites for free. Now, you may be wondering how writing for free is going to help you get started with freelancing.

Well, although it’s unpaid, guest blogging is a great way of getting your writing on the internet. Writing for someone else will expose you to a brand new audience, will help you to build a portfolio of writing samples, and the person you guest blog for might even be looking to hire a freelancer.

You can find guest blogging opportunities simply by doing a Google search for ‘*your niche* write for us’. Alternately, check out a few of the blogs in your niche and see if they mention whether or not they accept guest bloggers.

Step four  – Create writing samples

This is more of an optional step when it comes to how to start freelance writing. If you don’t have examples of your writing from your blog or guest posting, then you may need to create a couple of samples that you can use when pitching. This is particularly useful when you have experience in multiple topics.

For example, perhaps your blog is on travel and exploring the world, but you are also an expert in online marketing or a pretty good cook. You might want to create some writing samples in the cooking or marketing niches to show off your expertise and skills in that area.

The key is to create a small sample that shows off your writing skills and highlights the niche you are an expert in. You can save these as PDFs and then use them when you are pitching to clients.

Step five – Network with other writers or bloggers

The process of becoming a successful freelance writer relies heavily on networking with other professionals in similar fields. Freelance work is often obtained through referrals and word-of-mouth, so building valuable connections and networking with other writers or bloggers can often seriously pay off. 

Most freelancers need several different skill sets, and it’s important to network with others who might have these skills too. For example, someone may be looking for an editor but also needs help writing email campaigns or ghostwriting blog posts. You may see someone who runs a travel and lifestyle blog and needs two writers, one for the travel articles and another for the lifestyle sections.

You can use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook Groups to network. Interacting with other people’s content, sharing things, re-tweeting, and leaving helpful comments, can all get you noticed by others. 

It doesn’t hurt to simply reach out tpo businesses or people and ask if they’re looking for freelancers either. Just make sure you’re not spammy and people are generally moer reciprocal if you’ve provided initial value first (like sharing helpful content). You can also network by joining networking sites and attending conferences and events related to your niche. 

If you want better paying freelance jobs in the future then you networking can be incredibly important because, similar to a regular job, referrals and references can be vital for freelancers.

Where can I find freelance writing opportunities?

Now that you’ve gone through all that effort to make yourself look as attractive as possible, how do you find reliable and well-paying clients?

Freelance writing is a competitive industry, and it can be tough to find clients if you don’t have any experience. So, where do you find jobs?

Freelance job boards

My favourite way to find freelance writing jobs is to browse freelance job boards. These sites have hundreds of jobs in a variety of industries, and they’re a great place to find all sorts of gigs.

The only downside is that you need to set up an account on the site before you can apply for any positions – sometimes it’s hard to get noticed amongst so many other applicants.

There are many different freelance job boards out there. Some are free to join and others require a paid subscription. Some of the best freelance writing job boards are:

• ProBlogger – My personal favourite website for finding freelance writing gigs.
• Blogging Pro – Blogging Pro is a site that has lots of different types of freelance writing jobs. You can find blogging, copywriting and article assignments here.
• Contena – Contena is a particularly good site for finding work in the tech industry.
• Canadian Freelance Writing – You don’t need to be Canadian to use this one.
• Freelance Writing job board
• All Indie Writers
• SolidGigs – A paid subscription but has some freelance writing gems.
• Upwork.com – One of the largest freelance job boards in the world but can be unreliable and gigs are often low paid.

Use your blog

When it comes to how to start freelance writing, a great place to start is your own blog. Once your website has gained a bit of authority, you can use it to get more work. Your blog is where you can showcase yourself and put a bit of personality into your writing. If people like what they see here then chances are they will enjoy your work.

Here are a few tips to make your blog even more appealing to potential clients:

• Use a good quality, mobile-friendly theme. It does not need to be expensive or flashy, but it needs to look professional and represent your voice.

• Optimize the blog for search engine optimization (SEO). This will allow more people to find you through an organic Google Search.

• Write high-quality, original content often about topics relevant to freelancers such as finding new ways to make money online, interviewing other successful entrepreneurs, etc.

• Make sure to add social media icons on your website so it is easy for readers to connect with you online.

• Make it clear that you’re available for hire. Either with a ‘Hire Me’ page or you could even have a separate website just for hiring freelance clients and link it back to your main blog.

• Add a link to your social profiles or bio on the site. People are interested in people. Make sure you add a little bit of personality to your blog.

• Make an easy way for people to contact you. An easy to find ‘Contact’ page does this.

• Include a variety of blog posts about different topics. This way, people will be able to see that you shine in more than just one area. Of course, if you’re only trying to appeal to one niche, then don’t follow this step. 

• Remember not to sell yourself too hard – people like authenticity.

Networking

We’ve already covered networking a little bit, but this can seriously lead to some well-paid freelance writing jobs. If you’re wondering how to start freelance writing, networking is key.

You can start simple, with your friends and family, colleagues or former colleagues. Then, you could try businesses you admire, social media connections, or other sources that might need a freelance writer. When they need to hire, the might remember you and contact you first.

You can also reach out to people in the industry you’re interested in freelancing for. Ask them how they found their current clients if they would be willing to introduce you.

Social media

Social media is a great tool for freelance writers. It can be used to find new clients and advertise your services. You can Tweet about what you’re working on or post links to some of the articles you’ve written. You can also include relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience.

There are plenty of opportunities on social media to find work. Twitter has pages dedicated to freelance gigs and some Facebook groups are full of freelance writing opportunities.

Pitch your services

Ah, the dreaded pitch! Most people aren’t a huge fan of putting yourself out there and cold pitching to potential clients, but this can seriously be a goldmine if done correctly. Here are a few tips on pitching to freelance clients:

• Research your client. Do they have specific needs or a niche that you can write confidently in? If not, how would you meet their criteria? Use this information to tailor the pitch specifically for them and show how your service will help them achieve goals.

• Showcase previous work samples. This shows potential clients what they’ll be getting from you in terms of quality. Clients are more likely to trust someone who has already done good work instead of taking a chance on new talent without experience.

• Be confident. You won’t get anywhere by being shy about pitching yourself and your services, so don’t give off any signs of insecurity when doing so. Confidence goes a long way with freelance pitches because it shows that you’re confident in your abilities.

• Where are they located? Be sure to find out where the potential clients are and what time zone they reside in. This will help tailor both the pitch and work schedule so it’s perfect for them. It will also help you to understand their schedule – because if they need something done right away while you’re sleeping, then it’s going to be tough.

The pitch is the first thing that a potential client would read about you. You have to make it good or they will just move on to the next applicant. One of the most important things is that it has to be personalized for each client, so this means doing research on them and not using a template pitch. Clients usually see through templates anyway.

Common mistakes new writers make and how to avoid them

When it comes to how to start freelance writing, there are a few common mistakes that newbies make. These are things that you should be aware of before starting your freelance writing career.

The first is not understanding the industry they’re getting into. 

You need to know what type of work freelance writing will entail and how much commitment is needed to maintain a successful business. This also includes knowing a few specific skills that are required to do well as a writer in this field. This includes marketing, SEOs,and, of course, knowing how to write a high-quality article.

Another mistake people make when they want to start freelance writing is jumping in the deep end, quitting their jobs and not having enough savings set aside for financial emergencies. Without some safety net funds, your financial situation can become difficult quickly. 

This means you might end up taking just anything instead of selective opportunities that are the best match for your skillset. Freelance writing isn’t an overnight goldmine and it will take time to build up your reputation and clientele.

Lastly, try to not apply for the wrong type of jobs. If you have a background in marketing, and do a little bit of baking on the side, that doesn’t make you a catering expert. And vicea-versa.

There is also a chance you will be let go from that position if you don’t meet expectations. This could derail your plans to start freelance writing and kill your motivation, when it’s not the carreer path that was wrong, it was that one job.

so, to have a successful start to freelance writing:

• Do research on what type of freelancing jobs are available.

• Choose one or two fields where you think your skillsets would benefit them the most.

• Find out how much those jobs pay so you can figure out whether they’ll be profitable enough for success with a quality website, portfolio, and relevant content to pitch to clients.

• Apply to appropriate positions and try not to get discouraged by rejection early on. They may tell more than just “no thanks”, so it’s a good idea to take that feedback on board and ask for further feedback so that you can improve your craft.

• Network, talk to others, and build connections.

• Take a course in copywriting and try to refine your craft as much as possible.

• Don’t quit your job until you have enough money saved and enough RELIABLE  income coming in to support yourself.

Overall

Writing is one of the most fulfilling careers you can have. If you’re wondering how to start freelance writing, then know that there are many perks too, and seeing your hard work on top publications will be an amazing feeling. But there are also downsides and many things that might trip you up along the way (I know from personal experience!).

That said, if you stay focused, do what works best for YOU, and seek opportunities that best suit your skillset (not just pay well), you have a good shot at finding success.

Disclosure: Some of the links above may be affiliate links that earn me a commission at no extra cost to you. If you purchase through my links – thank you so much! I only recommend products and companies that I use and love.