Freelance writing can be one of the best ways to make extra money.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons it isn’t easy to get started in freelance writing.
As someone who has hired freelance writers as well as gets paid to freelance write, I have some insight into freelance writing.
Today I want to talk specifically about how to get started in freelance writing. Hopefully by the end of this post you will have some direction as to what you need to do to land your first freelance writing job.
What I look for when hiring freelance writers
I think going through some of the things I look for when I’m hiring a freelance writer is a great way to kick off this post. After all, the goal of those looking to get started in freelance writing is to get jobs.
When I’m looking to hire someone as a freelance writer I’m looking for a few things:
- Writing Samples – This is the roadblock that many potential freelance writers can’t get over. There’s zero chance I’m going to hire someone who has no published posts somewhere on the inter. I’m not looking for writing samples sent in word docs, either, because it’s too easy to plagiarize.
In the next section I’ll give some specific tips on how to overcome this roadblock.
- Online Presence – Having a writer who has an online presence is valuable to me as an editor. I have even worked in Facebook/Twitter shares as part of my writer’s contracts because it immediately puts the post in front of people who otherwise wouldn’t see it. Twitter, Pinterest, and pretty much every other social network can also drive a lot of traffic to a site.
- Make My Life Easy – When hiring a freelance writer I’m not just looking for quality content. I’m looking for someone to make my life easier! If you have experience with WordPress and are able to make your post formatted correctly, have no spelling errors, etc. that’s some serious value for the content manager or in my case, the blog owner.
This could easily translate to other jobs. In pretty much every job I’ve had I always try to think of how I can make my manager’s life easier. Typically that involves turning in a finished product that needs little to no revision and is accurate the first time.
These are some of the things I’m looking for when I’m hiring a freelance writer. I should also mention cost per post, but that goes without saying: the cheaper the better.
Getting writing samples online
As I mentioned earlier, having samples of your work online is one of the most important assets that freelance writers can have. I personally don’t understand how anyone would get hired to freelance write unless they have published work.
But how do you get your stuff published online?
Yes I get it. It’s the same problem college grads have when they are applying to jobs and seemingly all of them say “1+ year of relevant work experience.” How do you get that initial experience?
Luckily it’s easier to get your work published than it is to get your foot in the door in finance, marketing, or some other field.
- Start a Blog – It sounds cliche to tell people to start a blog to get started in freelance writing, but it’s by far the most effective way to break into freelance writing. For the most part I won’t even consider someone for a freelance writing job unless they have their own personal blog.
I started a crappy-looking political blog in college but was able to land a freelance job at a bigger political blog solely from being “discovered” via my blog. I also was able to land a freelance marketing/SEO through my political blog. And trust me, this blog was nothing to brag about.
When you have your own blog you immediately have a huge collection of sample work for your first freelance job. You will also likely get contacted by people looking to hire you. I never even mentioned on my blog I was looking for freelance work but still landed a couple of quality freelance gigs. I said no to many more because they didn’t reach the minimum I was willing to write for.
- Network & Guest Post – Cat is a freelance writer who wrote on my blog weekly for well over a year. She initially reached out to me saying she was looking for freelance writing jobs. If I wasn’t hiring, she said she is always willing to guest post for free. I took her up on the guest post and ended up hiring her a couple months later to contribute once a week to the site. Not to get your hopes up, but she now freelance writes and coaches bloggers full-time. She also has a course for people looking to make a side- or full-time income writing for blogs.
Stefanie, another personal finance blogger, recently made a great point in the comments of one of my previous blog posts. She said she has gotten a number of freelance writing jobs from people who started as bloggers and became content managers for bigger websites. You never know how networking will pay off.
The easiest way to get started in freelance writing is to start a blog in the niche that you want to write about. For me that’s politics and personal finance. For you it may be college football, cooking, or living as a Vegan. Build a blog and online presence. If you don’t start getting offers, start doing some outreach to other website owners. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort you can become a freelance writer.
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Hopefully by reading this post you gained some useful, practical advice on how to get started in freelance writing.
It takes a lot of work initially, but if you’re anything like me it’ll be worth it. There’s something awesome about getting paid to write. I can’t think of a better side hustle.
If you have any questions about freelance writing, leave them in the comments. Also for my own enjoyment, let me know what niche you want to freelance in or what niche you already write in.
If you already are making money freelancing leave your best tip for others who want to get started in freelance writing.
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Photo by Christian Schnettelker
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This is a great resource DC!! I never even intended to freelance write; however, I found that because I had a blog, it was actually a side hustle I could pursue because all I had to do was send potential clients to my blog. It is the easiest resume you can create.
Thank you for this advice! I’d like to begin freelance writing because it feels like a natural extension of the writing I do already for my blog. I have yet to seek out clients though, that’ll be my next step (first step?).
I started off blogging and three months transitioned to becoming a freelance writer. It’s very doable but there is a lot of effort and time involved, as with anything that is being developed and established. Also I would mention that respecting deadlines, being easy to work with and always striving to submit your best work are highly desirable traits.
My #1 tip is to start a blog so people can find you. My #2 tip is to be easy to work with. I know a lot of editors who prefer to deal with me instead of other people because I respond to emails promptly and do things to make their lives easier.
I love these tips! I currently do some as needed freelance writing for a couple PF blogs. I love it! I would love to find more opportunities. I think my best advice is to just get your name out there. Don’t wait for the jobs to come to you. Go after them!
One thing I’ve learned from doing guest posts that helps make it easier for the blog owner is to type up your post in wordpress, including keywords and photo inserts and then send the html code to the blog owner with the keyword and title. Easy, peasy for them to copy and post into their blog.
The one thing that I haven’t figured out and maybe you can advise on. I can load the pictures on my site and include them on my draft post and when I send the html code for my guest post it will work and link back to my site, but I don’t know if this is considered acceptable for SEO purposes. It’s not that I want the backlink for the photos (I have a backlink in the text), but if it makes it easier for the blog owner it seems like it might be a helpful thing to do. This way they don’t have to manually load up the photos on their site and put in the right spots. However, I have no idea if it has any impact on blog loading speed. Would really love to get feedback on this from you or your commenters, DC.
I totally agree about the blog thing. Back in the “old days” getting your work out there to the masses would have been so difficult, but now it’s so easy and not only with writing but with video, music, etc.
I am not actively looking for writing jobs at the moment, but I would take one if the opportunity was right. It would be fun to do something other than personal finance, maybe travel or something related to health care.
blonde_finance Thanks Shannon! I agree with you about a blog being the best resume. It’s worth so much more than writing samples in a word doc, in my opinion. People hiring you know what they are getting.
Mrs. Frugalwoods Seems like a logical place to start. You already have a ton of “writing samples” because of your blog, and I’m sure there are many companies that would love to have you on their team.
Kassandra @ More Than Just Money I think there is a big difference between getting an assignment done for the sake of finishing an assignment and submitting your best work. If you strive to submit your best work your articles/posts will stand out.
Holly at ClubThrifty Great advice, Holly. I think having a blog is a bigger advantage than most people think. I’m not sure I would hire a freelancer who doesn’t have one.
bustedbudget Going after work is an important point. While having a blog alone will get you a number of inquiries, you will get more jobs faster if you pursue them.
debt debs Great question. On the sites I freelance for I actually load the image to Y.A.M. because the permissions they give me don’t allow me to upload photos. It’s kind of strange how it’s set up, but the website owners do not care. I’m not sure how much it helps SEO, but it can’t hurt – at least that’s what I’m assuming.
Beachbudget Good point, Tonya. The internet has created a lot more competition imo, but there’s also more opportunity than ever before.
Eyesonthedollar That’s the mindset I was in for the past two or three years, and it’s definitely why I do not personally have a ton of freelance clients. I also can relate to wanting to write about something other than personal finance. That’s why I started writing about Daily Fantasy Sports. It’s a fun break but it’s still productive.
Thanks for the mention DC – so kind of you! Freelancing is a long road and it takes years to build up a list of clients but it’s a great way to make a decent hourly rate for some extra cash —- far better than working at the Gap for the holiday season for example. :)
BudgetBlonde I agree! As you pointed out, though, it does take time to get momentum and to find solid clients and work. I think it’s worth it, though, and definitely advocate others pursue it if they are ambitious and want to make some money on top of their full-time job. I’ll leave you to give advice about doing it full-time, though.
I’m not sure I want the freelance writing gig, in a perfect world I’d rather have Even Steven Money just blow up and turn down money left and right, the JD Roth model;)
Those are some great tips. Guest posting is something that I plan to start doing in 2015.
Very insightful here DC, freelancing is a great and interesting way to make some extra $$ and you’re right about having that online presence!
Thoughts of making this one into a series :)? Not going to be running around the house this time with my comment haha
EvenStevenMoney Oh trust me I agree. In the perfect world Young Adult Money would just blow up too and I’d be able to sell it for over a million dollars. Unfortunately I don’t see this happening. I think freelance writing can be good consistent income, though, and it’s a great side hustle imo.
Jason @ The Butler Journal Thanks! Guest posting is a good way to get started. It’s how I found almost all my writers.
mycareercrusade LOL! Hmmm I might make it into a series down the road, but probably not until I’ve secured a few more freelance writing gigs myself. Then I should have even more insights to share.
I think guest posting is the single best thing someone can do, besides having their own blog. While that’s great, guest posting shows you can work with others, and that fellow bloggers respect your work enough to publish it on their own site. It also has the potential to lead to gigs down the road if someone happens to like the post enough.
Erin @ Journey to Saving Great explanation, Erin. I have only guest posted a couple times but I definitely would reach out to more bloggers if I was looking to gain a few more freelance writing jobs. Definitely worth the time!
Guest posting is certainly one of the best things you can do. I’ve been building up clients for the past year and the majority have found me via guest posts I have done elsewhere.
I always wondered why people were writing posts on other peoples’ blogs. This is a whole new world for me and I must say, I’m enjoying the stuffing out of it! :)
Great tips! I’d also add in, be active in the community you want to write in. Comment on posts, share things on Twitter, respond to other people’s work. I had a client who was impressed with a comment I left on another writer’s blog post, followed it back to my site, and ended up hiring me to help rewrite a few pages of their website.
Plus, sharing other people’s good work = good internet karma!
kay at frugalvoices Yes, that’s why! It’s also to get backlinks to their websites, but honestly it’s the best way to get introduced to a blog owner. Heck, I’ve hired two people who offered guest posting. It clearly works sometimes!
OhNoItsBex Thanks for sharing! That’s great news and definitely is encouraging for people who are going the guest posting route.
These are good tips, thanks! As long as you love what craft you’ve started until you succeed, there is no problem and worry to think about. Ive been into the situation too where I am about to give up but i did my best to be the best in writing, and works as a freelance writer. It made me satisfied as a person.
miamordorothy Good to hear! I’m glad it worked out for you. I think it has a lot to do with how much you care about what you are pursuing. If you truly care about what you are going for there is nothing that will stand in your way of success.