Freelance Writing

My husband got laid off back in September. He is having surgery in just a couple of weeks. We were lucky to have gotten a pretty decent severance package that should have lasted us through his recovery time. Unfortunately, life happened and we had some unexpected expenses that ate that money up faster than we wanted.

I have been a stay-at-home mom, with some super part-time work, for almost 14 years. I am the only one who drives. My kids have a lot of extracurricular activities. All that to say I would have a very difficult time having a traditional job. So, I have been looking at alternatives. Something I can do during those down times, and at night, once we’re all home for the night. One of the options I found was freelance writing. I thought I’d share what I found with y’all incase someone else is in my similar shoes.

What does a freelance writer do?

A freelance writer is hired by companies to create content for them. Content can be social media posts, blog entries, websites, ads and even copy. In case you’re as curios about what copy(writing) is as I was, here is the answer I got – Copywriting is the art and science of crafting persuasive and compelling written content, often with the goal of promoting or selling a product, service, idea, or brand. The primary purpose of copywriting is to influence the reader or audience to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or clicking on a link.

Other things a freelance writer has to do

• Communicate with clients
• Send (and chase) invoices
• Network
• Research content
• Pitch prospective clients

Thinking about becoming a freelance writer?

It might seem like the freelance writing business is easy to get into. In some ways, you would be right. There are tons of websites and companies out there to help you find work, like the one above. There are a lot more steps needed, however, before you can really start making money.

Choosing a niche

Colleen Welsch suggests using these points to help you figure out your niche:

• You already know about the industry, and you’re passionate about it. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your niche, so don’t choose something you hate!
• You already have professional experience in the industry. It’s easier to leverage your existing professional experience to gain credibility than it is to start from scratch. For example, I leveraged my experience in beauty marketing to become a beauty copywriter. But if you hate the industry you currently work in (or you don’t have any professional experience at all), you can certainly skip this step.
• You can easily think of clients in your niche. Seriously, sit down and brainstorm clients you could sell your services to. There is a big difference between a subject that you’re interested in and a money-making industry. That’s why your niche is focused towards a particular industry, not a subject. If you can’t think of clients in your niche, it’s probably a subject rather than an industry.

Creating a portfolio

If you work as a copywriter or something similar for a bigger company, you will have examples of your work. However, if you’re beginning a freelance writing business without previous experience, you will need to write up some on-spec writing. You won’t get paid for this, but it will give some examples of your work for potential clients. You might do this with potential client requests, or make-up a fictional client that matches your niche. 

Building a website

Now you need a website to send potential clients to, and to use in your marketing. Your website doesn’t need to be intricate, but it does need to include the information your clients are looking for. Your website should have:

• An easy to spell domain (and hopefully an easy to remember one)
• A homepage that explains what who you are and what you do (your niche and your experience for example)
• A way to contact you (probably email)

Setting your prices

This can be the hardest part of the process. As someone new to the world of freelancing you don’t want to sell yourself short, but you also don’t want to overcharge yourself out of the job. If you’re entering this world with no previous experience, you’ll have to set your prices lower to start with. As you gain experience, after a year or so, you can start charging more. To come up with a number you can live with, you will have to do some math. How much do you want to make a week/month? Now, how many assignments can you take in that time frame? Can you make those numbers match up? If not, you may need to raise your prices a little so that you can take on fewer assignments to hit that income number. Remember that not delivering because you over-committed yourself will look bad on you and hurt your business. And don’t forget those pesky taxes that you’ll be responsible for, you’ll want to factor that in too. I suggest researching what other freelancers are charging within your niche.

Finding clients

There are different ways to find clients. You can use companies like Writers Work that help you with the ins and outs of the business, including potential job listings. There are also freelance writing job boards you can search through. These will be harder to get jobs from if you’re just starting out since the competition in these places is high. Joining local networking groups, including ones that are specifically for freelancers will let you meet with people face to face and build a relationship. Then, the one most people don’t want to do, but as a newbie might work best – cold pitching. Cold pitching is reaching out to a potential client without any previous relationship and pitch them your services. This works for the newbies because there is zero competition for the job.

Jump or not jump, that is the question

I jumped. I jumped in with both feet. I have a new professional email. I joined a company to help me out. I watched a couple of videos on getting started. Now, I just need to do the rest of it. I am a bit overwhelmed at the thought of all the work just to get set up. However, if I can keep us afloat for the next couple of months, it will be worth it. And, who knows, maybe this will become a passion that I can’t live without. We all know I like to write! Wish me luck!