Do you want to become a freelance writer? Whether you are looking to supplement your income with a side gig or make this a full-time role and enjoy a more flexible working schedule, freelance writing can be a great way to do this and bring many benefits to your career and life. While it certainly does have its benefits, freelance writing is also competitive and challenging and not a way of earning money that suits everyone. It will involve much more than a way with words, and many people struggle initially. With this in mind, here are a few tips which will hopefully help you to find some success.
Create A Professional Website
You need to make sure that you have a professional website for your freelance writing business as you can use this to promote your services and convince potential clients. This website needs to be professionally designed and easy-to-use with sections including:
- Background
- Experience
- Skillset
- Education
- Portfolio
- Customer reviews
- Contact details
Increase Visibility With SEO
You will then want to make this website as visible as possible online to attract potential clients and to boost your reputation and awareness. Managed SEO from an experienced digital agency will be the best way to do this, which will also free up time for you to focus on other essential aspects of your freelance writing business.
Gain As Much Experience As Possible
To secure ongoing work with clients, you will need to have a portfolio that contains a body of your work. Obviously, this is challenging when first starting out, which is why you need to gain as much experience as possible. You can find single writing gigs on many popular online job boards which can be a good entry point, and it is also worth writing your own blog so that you can demonstrate to people that you possess writing skills and can write for online audiences.
Actively Search For Clients
It is rare for a client to fall in your lap, especially when you are first starting out. This is why you need to actively search for clients, and there are a few good ways that you can do this, such as:
- Networking online
- Job boards
- Speculative applications
- Attending industry events
- Networking in person
Create A Routine
One of the benefits of freelance work is that it can provide great flexibility, but it is also essential that you create a routine so that you can be productive, get enough work done each day and so that clients know when they can contact you. Creating a routine can also help to separate your personal and professional life if working from home (something that many struggle with).
Hopefully, these tips will help an aspiring freelance writer to get started and overcome the common challenges that typically arise at the beginning. Becoming a freelance can be a great way to make money, but there are also unique challenges, and it is difficult when first starting out to secure work and get noticed.
