A freelance writer is someone who works for a client as an independent contractor, rather than a full-time employee. Freelancers can offer their services to different clients. They often write about any topic that a client requests, or choose the specific nice. Still, even one niche can vary a lot. You can write business articles, provide business homework help or content for emails. They can write for different clients, including creative writing journals or as copywriters or content writers for clients.
12 Tips for Freelance Writers
These freelance writing tips will help you understand how to make a living as an independent writer.
- Always search for freelance writing positions. You are responsible for finding new clients when you own a freelance writing company. You need to search for freelance writing jobs to avoid any downtime and to continue making money. Look online for job boards. Send an email to potential clients introducing yourself as a content director. You can network with other writers that are able to pass on work when they have more.
- Tell your stories You are likely to have your own ideas as a writer. Consider the newspapers and journals you would like to write for. Next, think about relevant story ideas and begin pitching. After you have your first approved story and your first byline, it will be easier to pitch ideas to other publications.
- Don’t quit your day job. You can start your freelance writing career by working part-time until you have established your own business. You may need to wait a while before you land your first client. Once you do, you can start making a lot of money as a freelance writer. If you are still working full-time, keep your job. After you have a steady stream of writing clients and freelance jobs, it’s time to make freelancing your full-time job.
- Submit clean copy. You must submit your writing with clear copy. This includes proofreading as well as self editing. Your sentences should be concise, clear, and understandable. You should go through your work line by line and word by word, looking for errors in punctuation and grammar.
- Start blogging. You can blog about your passions, such as cooking, parenting, and skiing. Your blog can be a creative outlet, a way to improve your writing style and a way to express yourself. You can also have an online presence, and you can incorporate SEO strategies to help potential clients find you.
- Learn fundamental SEO skills. Companies need more content to drive their customers. Content marketing specialists are needed to understand the basics of SEO, and how to rank their website high in search results. A freelance writer should have an understanding of search engine optimization and know where keywords can be strategically placed to drive traffic to the company’s website.
- You can take different assignments. As a freelance writer, you should take on different assignments and work with different clients. Many topics that you will write about are new to you. White papers are thought-leadership pieces that are well-researched and in-depth. One client might ask you to write social media posts on behalf of their company. You might be also asked to do copywriting. Both gigs can be very different but they both offer valuable writing experience. You can have one place like Killer Papers as a main dource of orders and look for the rest in other place.
- Grow thick skin. You will get feedback from your clients about the quality of your work. Sometimes you will deliver a flawless piece. Other times, you may need to do lots of editing. Negative feedback is not something you should take personally. When you write for clients, it is important to match their brand voice and tone. As a freelancer writer, you need to have thick skin. Writing success requires that you are able to take criticism in stride and make the necessary changes.
- Improve your time management skills. Each writing assignment has different deadlines. One client may give you a month to complete a short article, while another client might require a longer article of 2,000 words in three days. How to budget your time Blocking out several hours each day to concentrate on your work and meet deadlines.
- Find your writing niche. Some assignments will require you to start from scratch and write on a topic that you don’t know much about. You might discover a style of writing that you like and are good at as you work harder. You might discover that you enjoy technical writing or medical writing. You’ll be sought-after by companies that specialize in your chosen genre.
- Get to know each style. Whether a client requests that you follow the Chicago Format of APA, you will generally adhere to one of the main style guidelines. These guides dictate how you write details such as grammar, style and punctuation. You should have a copy of each book in order to be able to write in the style that your client prefers.
- Make sure you have your marketing materials prepared Good writers will always be available to answer any inquiries about their availability and work. A lot of potential clients will want to see samples of your writing before they reach out to you to inquire about freelance work. You can have all of these ready in one place so that you don’t waste time looking for past work. Client testimonials are also an excellent idea.
Do you want to learn more about writing?
The Masterclass Annual Membership will help you become a better writer. Get access to video lessons from literary masters such as Neil Gaiman and David Baldacci, Joyce Carol Oates and Dan Brown, along with Margaret Atwood.
For more articles, visit OD Blog.
