How to make money freelance writing as an independent contractor is great. It’s a super way to earn money while enjoying flexible hours.
“When your livelihood depends on self-imposed productivity, you either get good at it or you find yourself in mounds of debt.” ― Nacie Carson
Another attractive benefit of freelancing is being able to work wherever you want. Yes, whether it’s at home or at your local coffee shop.
And for a lot of people, they see freelancing as a way to break away from the rigid structure of a corporate environment.
Myself being an author of a wonderful book series to help people get the life they want, I’ll add this: In my first book of the series, The Master of Everything, I have a great deal to say about being happy and content from within yourself.
In the recent years, more and more people have jumped ship and gone over to the freelancing side.
It’s where to enjoy a better work-life balance.
After the U.S. economy took a serious hit during the recession, a lot of companies have found some things.
It was that hiring specialized workers is a better business model than employing full-time staff.
In fact, a Harvard study in 2016 shows that the number of freelance workers in North America alone has skyrocketed.
Yes, from about 15 million to almost 26 million between 2004 and 2016. As of today, this number is still growing and will continue to do so in the next decade.
With developments in technology and a rapidly expanding freelance job market, it’s become easier than ever to get a piece of the action.
Make Money Freelance Writing: Legit or not?
With freelance writing in particular, some people are worried about getting ripped off. I mean from their hard time or getting scammed by a shady employer.
But many freelancing sites have made it possible for aspiring freelance writers to get fair-paying jobs. And get compensated on time.
This video below shows you what you need to know about getting started at becoming a freelance writer today.
Furthermore, you don’t need to have an academic background in language to land your first assignment.
On the contrary, most companies are probably looking for someone who can write in a relaxed mode. I’m saying, casual tone to connect to readers.
As you’ll learn, a lot of these online writing jobs specifically avoid words and phrases that might sound too stiff. Or perhaps too formal which would alienate their target market.
So you don’t have to worry about writing like a professor just to make money freelance writing. You cab get started with your freelance career.
The best part is that there’s ALWAYS work to be done. This means you’ll have a stable cash flow even without punching a clock at the office.
If you’re ready to try this exciting, new venture to make money freelance writing, that’s a positive move.
I suggest you check out these 7 Tips Below To Becoming an Awesome Freelance Writer:
#1: Have a system in place
This is the most essential part about finding steady freelance work.
Once you’ve done your due diligence, you’ll have no trouble getting clients and keeping them.
Better yet, you’ll have the advantage of working around a schedule that works for YOU.
Like I said, it’s easy to earn from online writing for the simple reason that demand for this type of work is high.
You’ll find that just about any industry has an online presence. Likewise, that means they need someone to provide them with content to increase their market reach.
It’s likely they have a blog, a social media page and an email campaign.
It’s all of which need to be updated regularly. Some might even need freelancers to help them out with writing brochures and other marketing related materials.
That’s where you come in.
The truth is that you just need a step-by-step system for sniffing out potential customers, pitching to them and writing the content they want. After that, the rest will take care of itself.
I’ll show how to do that in a bit, but first let’s move on to the next step…
#2: Play to your strengths
Some freelance writers are better at handling large-scale assignments, like a sales report or PDF book. Others are more comfortable with an arrangement where they can quickly bang out short articles or free reports.
Obviously, the bigger jobs pay more, but require a lot of lead time. Maybe ranging from a few weeks to a few months.
Meanwhile, short articles may take anywhere from a half an hour to two hours. But you’ll get paid sooner.
In most cases, I’d suggest doing shorter assignments first to get a feel of how things go.
In the long run however, try to figure out which make money freelance writing option works better. Just so you can narrow down the niche you want to write for.
Discover more here on this simple method to make easy money in your spare time.
#3: Know thyself to make money freelance writing.
This is an important step that most freelance writers skip. I don’t recommend glossing over this one.
Experience has taught me that a little self-evaluation and soul-searching is CRUCIAL. Of course, before getting into this line of work.
This gives you a better idea of which types of clients you’re best suited for. Likewise, which content you’ll be good at writing.
A good way to do this is by having a more seasoned writer go over your sample work and give you an honest assessment.
They can tell you what you’re good at and what you can improve about your craft.
Also, try looking up examples of what constitutes as good writing in your intended niche.
It’s as easy as looking at a potential client’s website and quickly browse their content. This will give you a better idea of what they want in a writer.
Remember, knowledge is power, so doing this will help you step up your game.
(In this other related article I discuss, you, perhaps, pondering the idea of writing and becoming an author, but need to learn how to start writing a book?)
#4: Hammer out the details.
Now that you’ve done some of the general groundwork, it’s time to get into the specifics.
As you learned, your clients will want a particular kind of content you want to do.
I mentioned some earlier, but here are the other possible types of content you could see yourself writing:
– Annual sales reports
– Slide presentations (like PowerPoint or Keynote)
– Free reports (usually in PDF format and less than a hundred pages to promote a certain product)
– Full-length ebooks
– Newsletters (often sent through email)
– Sales copy (which may include a detailed product description, its benefits, testimonials, pricing, etc.)
– Blog posts (anywhere between 500-1500 words)
– Articles (could be 500-3000 words depending on the purpose of the content)
Aside from this, it helps to check out the particular industry you want to write for.
As I pointed out, sites like Upwork and Elance are great places where you can search for jobs under specific categories.
This will help you find out which ones in your chosen industry are in demand for writers. Just as well, what kind of content they require.
Get this FREE Report: How much can you make as a freelancer?
#5: Find the right price
Of course, the idea is to sustain yourself with a healthy income stream. That’s so you need to approach this the right way.
Basically, you’ll want to work for lower-paying jobs in the beginning until you can build up your game. Then increase your fees later on.
You’ll probably bill your first few clients a little less than you’d like.But charge this to experience and get the job done anyway.
In the bigger picture, it’s better to be classy about it and act professional.
So as you go along with this type of work from home opportunities, you’ll get a better idea on matters. I mean like of the standard rate in your chosen niche.
In particular, you’ll learn how much other writers in your industry are charging on average. Depending on how long you’ve been in the game, you can decide if you should charge higher or lower than that.
As you start growing your client portfolio and get referrals. You’ll have more leverage to charge more for your writing services.
#6: Establish a routine
Whether you make money freelance writing as a freelancer or not, it’s always important to have a solid work ethic no matter what.
Find a rhythm you’re comfortable with, and stick with it. Figure out early on how you’d like to tackle a writing task.
You might want to do a little homework before getting down to it. Or maybe you’d prefer going straight into writing then adding the missing gaps later on.
Whatever approach you choose, you need to cultivate the discipline to efficiently work. I’m saying on writing jobs and submitting them on time.
I n book 3 of my ever-developing series titled, And Then I knew My Abundance, I add thoughts about developing a deep work habit.
I mean operating from within one’s heart and telling a story or making a point from there.
#7: To make money freelance writing educate yourself
Since you’re reading this now, you’re well aware that you can’t do it alone.
As talented or driven as you are when it comes to writing, it will never hurt to learn as much as you can. That goes for BOTH newbies and veterans who make money freelance writing.
Remember, to make money freelance writing is always transforming. Thereby, you’d best keep up with the times and adapt.
So if you’re just starting out on this journey, I don’t recommend taking the self-taught route.
It’s better to take advantage of the many resources out there so you can hit the ground running. Yes, and not make the typical “rookie mistakes” that a lot of newcomers make.
Average freelance writer salary in lots of cases can be well into 6 figures and beyond per year.
Yes, it’s possible. You can go from one-off assignments to big-time gigs in the neighborhood of a few thousand dollars.
Like I said in the beginning, all it takes is a system to help you find employers on a regular basis. After that, you’ll be rolling in the dough from your hard work.
Enjoy the freedom of being your own boss while earning more than you ever dreamed of – CLICK HERE.
I probably made every mistake possible when I started out. But thanks to my experience, I finally cut the umbilical and left the 8-to-5 grind for good.
It took over a year to finally refine my system. But now it’s like I’m earning on auto-pilot.
(I also suggest another related article on: if wanting to be a writer or perhaps, are an author now, but having trouble getting published?)
To success as a writer,
James Nussbaumer
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