I never wanted to be a full-time freelance writer. The truth is, I hadn’t planned on leaving my job as a copywriter at a Minneapolis ad agency.
But after 17 years of working for various agencies, the stars aligned, and there I was. Stepping out and determined to make it on my own (and hearing my dad’s disappointed sighs in the back of my head).
Spoiler alert: it’s been 15 years since I became my own boss. Seems like it’s working out.
If you’ve been weighing the pros and cons of starting your side hustle, let me dish out some hard truths with these ten ways to get started as a freelance writer.
1. Know how to write
Yes, I said it. Please don’t market yourself as a freelance writer if you can’t form a complete sentence or spot the difference between ‘their’ and ‘there.’ Grammar mistakes happen, but if language and spelling are particularly tricky for you, this isn’t your calling. You may want to explore other side hustle options.
2. Know what you can write
The market for professional writers is vast. Know your strengths, and you’re one step closer to identifying your potential customers. Here are just a few types of writing to consider:
- Copywriting: advertising campaigns, email marketing, video scripts, and websites
- Technical writing: user manuals, software documentation, research papers
- Grants and proposals: new business presentations, government contracts, and grant applications
- Creative fiction: short stories and books
- Lifestyle: topics like travel, health, wellness, product reviews, and more
Trending now: Is Temu legit? Stacy spent a couple hundred dollars on purchases to find out. Check out what she bought and her Temu review!
3. Know who you want to work for
As a freelance writer, you get to choose your customers. And since it’s up to you, you can focus on a specific group or market your services to all.
- Small businesses: usually privately owned and lacking in-house writers and marketers
- Corporations: larger companies with structured processes and different departments that all need writing
- Marketing and advertising agencies: privately or publicly owned, serving multiple clients in a variety of industries
- Publishers and media outlets: online magazines, blogs, and traditional news sites and print publications
- Individuals: They’re out there. The eccentric millionaire who wants you to write their life story. The hobbyist who wants to start a blog. The executive who doesn’t know how to write a cover letter. You’d be surprised how many people need freelance writing help and are willing to pay for it.
4. Know how you want to work
Oh yes, another critical detail. The people who hire you and the writing you provide are also intricately connected to how you end up working:
- On-site vs. remote: While it’s not as common – or even required — for freelancers, some clients may want you to be part of a team and attend in-person meetings. If that’s not your style, you need to make it clear right away. If you’re only interested in remote work, you need to be upfront about that as well.
- Part of a team or pure solo: Do you do your best work when someone else manages the timeline and deliverables? Or are you better as a lone wolf, setting your pace and terms?
Note: One of the draws to freelancing is having the right to control how you work. (See: Independent contractor defined by the IRS.) However, your clients will still have preferences about how they work with you, and it’s your job to find that common ground.
5. Know where to find work
It’s time to get scrappy, social, and resourceful. The work is out there; you just have to know where to find it:
- Networking: The online and in-person kind—from professional events and referrals to LinkedIn.
- Freelance marketplaces: platforms that connect freelancers with clients. Popular ones include Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.
- Niche-specific platforms: Industry-focused writing. Includes Behance for creatives and Problogger for blog and article writers.
- Begging: Just wanted to see if you’re still reading. But seriously, one day you might feel like calling a former boss or colleague and saying, “PLEASE, YOU MUST HAVE SOMETHING I CAN WRITE FOR YOU.” (If you do this, it’s totally ok.)
6. Learn how to market your business
This isn’t the Field of Dreams. “If you build it, they will come”, doesn’t apply. Once you know what you can write, who you want to work for, how you’re going to work, and where to find it, it’s time to market your business:
- Get online: Build your website, optimize your LinkedIn profile, and create social media accounts for your professional brand
- Get friendly: don’t just attend the networking event; get off your hind end and talk to people. Introduce your business and ask other people about theirs. (People think you’re more interesting when you let them talk.)
- Get personal: research the companies you’re interested in working with, learn about their market and opportunities, and initiate an authentic discussion about their needs.
7. Know your brand
You can’t differentiate yourself if you don’t know what you stand for. When you start pitching your services to potential customers, make sure you know:
- What differentiates you: Is it your writing style, your versatility, your extraordinary timeliness, or something else that makes people remember your work long after it’s done?
- How you’ll solve their problems: What’s the point of hiring you? How will you make their job easier? How will your writing help their company reach its objectives?
- Your visual identity: Does your company have a logo, tagline, color theme, and fonts? Make sure you use them consistently everywhere your brand lives.
- Your brand story: Sooner or later, someone will ask why you’re a freelance writer. If you don’t have something better than, “I thought it sounded fun,” the person you’re speaking with won’t care. And I’m going to pretend we never met.
8. Be a grown-up about it
If you’ve gotten this far on the list and you’re still committed to this path, it’s time to put on your big girl pants and do all the things, starting with these:
- Choose your business structure: Common ones include sole proprietorships, single-member limited liability companies, and corporations. Know the differences.
- Register your business and get your tax ID. Because guess what? You’re going to be paying quarterly taxes. Yippee.
- Open a business bank account. Business banking isn’t just for funsies; it’s for keeping business money matters separate from personal money matters.
9. Get organized
Disorder isn’t cute or charming; it’s a timewaster and a money suck. Keep your act together with tools for:
- Time tracking and invoicing: Apps like Freshbooks sync desktop and mobile time
- Cloud storage: work smarter with data backups and remote access to your work (see: Google Cloud, Dropbox, and Zoho)
- Writing support: I use Grammarly for backup to catch typos and Hemingway for readability.
10. Find your support system
Don’t listen to the haters. Do find people who believe in you. Parents and best friends are great for the occasional pick-me-up. But make sure your support system also includes these straight-talkers:
- A business attorney: The worst time to look for one is when you need one. Ask around, find one you trust, and get to know them.
- Professional connections: former colleagues, bosses, and clients who can advise you on decisions and provide references and referrals.
- Business mentors and coaches: Take advantage of free small business mentoring from Score or scheduled paid, personalized sessions with The Gigmother.
Freelance writing is rewarding, adventurous work. As a full-time job, it can also be demanding, terrifying, and unpredictable.
If you’re the breadwinner for your family like me, you’ll need to fund your healthcare and retirement (for starters). If you have young kids, you’ll juggle project deadlines and tax payments with summer camps and back-to-school shopping.
I’ve been at it for 15 years. Have I ever wanted to chew off my arm in frustration? Of course. Have I ever regretted taking on this maddening yet spectacular career? Not for a moment.
Now get on out there and fly little birdie.
1 comment