One of the best work-from-home appearances is to make money as a freelance writer. With that into account, this post will show you all of the steps required to get started.
If you think the freelance writer market is oversaturated, think again. There are more than enough writing jobs for quality writers. All you need to know is how to start properly market your skills and how to build your own business as a freelance writer.
The process doesn’t look the same for every person, but there are best practices that must be followed. So, if you want to make money as a freelance writer from the comfort of your home, read on.
How To Make Money As A Freelance Writer
Research
Before you even start freelance writing, you need to do some research. Who is a successful freelance writer and how do they do it? You can easily find people who share the secrets of their success by quickly searching YouTube for “successful freelance writing” or the like.
Find out what makes these writers stand out: is it the style of writing they do? How long have you been freelance? Is that how they market their skills? Once you start freelancing, listen to their advice and modify it to work for you.
Find your starting genre
When you start out, you need to figure out what type of writing you want to do. Freelance writing is far more extensive than most people think. There are many ways to freelance writing and within those opportunities there is an extensive list of writing genres to work on. One of the best things to do at the beginning of your journey is to narrow down what type of writing you want to do.
Ask yourself what to write about, what interests you, and what to write about. If there is an industry-specific topic that you are an expert on, take advantage of that and do what you are known for.
A common mistake people make when engaging in freelance writing is to stay open to all writing projects. While this may seem like a lucrative strategy, in reality you are writing about things outside of your comfort zone, slowing down the process, and potentially lowering the quality of your work.
Find out what you are good at and stick with it until you can expand your skills and expand your offerings. Once you’ve found a topic that you enjoy writing about, you can find out what types of jobs would be best for you. But first you need to establish your brand. I’ll get into that next.
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Build your brand
As with anything in the professional world, you need to establish yourself. Freelance writing is essentially building your own business and you are the face of the brand.
Learning to market is an important component in making money, especially when starting out. This may look different depending on the type of writing you are writing and the place you are doing it. If you are working from a freelance platform, you need to make sure your profile matches your credentials and demonstrates them appropriately.
Create a profile
There are a few things to keep in mind when creating a profile. You want to present yourself as a professional, so choose a photo of yourself that gives potential customers an accurate representation. If you have a headshot, now is an excellent time to use it.
You should also make sure that the descriptions of your work and credentials are clear and free of spelling mistakes. While this may seem like obvious advice, even the slightest missed typo could mean a customer is picking another seller.
Also, you should make sure that the small letter you write accurately reflects your writing skills. Before asking about samples of your work or portfolio, this is the first impression they will get of your skills. If you can make a great first impression, you are well on your way to establishing yourself as a respected freelance writer that clients will want to work with again.
Build your portfolio
Unless you’re working on a profile-allowing site, consider ways to share examples of your work with your customers. Especially as you grow your business, you want effective ways to demonstrate your skills. This usually means creating a portfolio that is just a selection of your work that shows your style and range.
Your portfolio can look many different, but one of the most important aspects in determining the type of work you are going to share. Make sure the pieces you share cover the topics you plan to write about in the future and that they are exemplary.
Once you’ve written or selected your chosen pieces, it’s time to decide how you want to share them with potential clients. This is where you can be a bit creative and stand out from a website that has information about you and your professional background, as well as examples of your work. This is a great way to easily direct potential customers to your website so they can decide if you are a good fit for you. A website also signals your professionalism.
Join the best freelance writing platforms
Once you’ve decided on the genre of writing you want to get into and created your portfolio, that’s where you need to go. One big mistake people make is putting themselves on a single platform without looking for other ways to make financial gains through writing.
If you want to make money as a freelance writer, you need to sign up with the following writer platforms:
Each of these platforms offers different services and pricing options. Make sure you go through all of the options and pick the most lucrative ones for you and your skill level. Some offer pay per word while others pay a fixed fee.
Build relationships
Once you are ready to begin your work as a writer, another important aspect of making consistently good money will come up: your clients. One of your top priorities when getting started should be building relationships with your customers. This means delivering them high quality work, on time and with clear communication along the way.
If you can build solid professional relationships with your customers, the chances are they’ll come back to your service the next time they need a written project. By establishing yourself as a reliable source of work, you can build a steady stream of revenue.
Build your reputation
One of the most important benefits of working with people on a regular basis is that you build your reputation as a talented writer who produces great results. Your reputation is everything when you set up your own business because it is your reputation that will either get you new jobs or keep you from working on projects.
Whether it’s a review on your profile or through word of mouth, it helps to have a solid reputation.
But how do you build your online reputation? Next, I want to share with you a few things that you can do to make sure your reputation is solid.
Communicate
When a new customer or customer has placed an order with you, contact them and thank them for their order. Also, make it clear that you understand what they are looking for. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to make sure you hit the mark when you start writing.
Deliver on time
It goes without saying that on-time delivery of work is paramount when working on a project. Many projects can be time sensitive (especially with new buyers) so the lack of a deadline can adversely affect their business and then your business.
If for any reason you are behind schedule or something inevitable comes up, reach out to the customer and let them know as early as possible.
Deliver high quality service
Again, the quality of your work should go without saying, but it should be of vital importance to your reputation. Even after establishing yourself with an impeccable reputation, the quality of the work you do needs to be spot on every time.
With this in mind, you and the customer may have a slightly different vision for the project. In this case, you should offer revisions of your work. That way, the customer can review the finished product and request some changes to keep track of exactly what they’re looking for. This will go a long way as you keep building your business.
Increase your prices
Once you start freelance writing, you will likely need to have lower fees to bring in new clients, build your reputation, and get high reviews. This is part of building your business. It can be difficult to raise your prices as you grow as a writer and build your brand and business. however, it is necessary.
Make sure your pay is based on your level of experience and the quality of your work.
Some recommend waiting around three months to increase your rates until your fees match your writing level and industry standard. If you’re having trouble encountering pricing, reach out to other writers with similar testimonials and experience.
Packing
Freelance writing can be a challenge to empathize with. However, once you have established yourself, you can prepare for regular work.
An essential part of making money as a freelance writer is being consistent and not giving up on the process. It won’t happen overnight, but if you can build a career where you can be your boss, have the flexibility to set your hours and prices, and work from anywhere with a WiFi connection, it’s worth the wait.
If you want to make money as a freelance writer, you need to be patient as it takes time to build momentum. But if you do your research and do a great job, you are sure to find success as a freelancer.
