How to Get Started as a Freelance Writer

As you may or may not know, I am a freelance writer. I decided that this would be a way to allow me to be location independent, have a decent income, and do something I enjoy.
However, when I first started, I wasn’t really sure how to go about starting a freelance writing business. I ended up doing a lot of research to figure it out. In the end, these are the steps that I took to get started as a freelance writer.

 

Find your Niche

A niche, or target market, is a subset of the population that you want to write for. It could be a certain industry or a certain type of business. For instance, you could write for software companies or for restaurants.
Choosing a niche allows you to have a set group for which you can create a strategy to find clients. Essentially, you can better focus your marketing efforts on this group. Eventually, you may also become known among that industry as a useful partner.
Finding your niche might be a bit scary. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to focus on. However, the good thing is, you can always change it. Pick one you’re interested in and maybe have some experience with. If it doesn’t work out, it’s okay. You can pick a new one and try that one out. It isn’t uncommon for a writer to change their niche 3-5 times over the course of their career.

 

What makes you special?

The next part you’ll want to figure out is what makes you special. Maybe you have a special skill or experience in a certain industry. It can all be relevant. Think about the top two or three things that could make you stand out to a client. This will become your “why me” positioning statement when you talk with potential clients.

 

What will you offer?

Freelance writers have a lot of options in what they can offer. It can range from blog posts and web copy to whitepapers and ghostwritten books. It’s up to whatever you are interested in and think your target market will need.
You don’t have to have experience writing everything you are offering. If you think you’d like creating blog posts, that’s great. Put it on your list. A client might ask you to do that and you can see if it’s something you want to continue offering.

 

Samples

You’ll want to have 2-5 samples to put on your website. These will help show potential clients how you write and if you’ll be a good fit for them.
But what if you don’t have any samples? It’s quite common. I didn’t really have any samples to use for my portfolio. So, I created some. There’s no rule saying you can’t do this.
Write a few samples of different types: blog posts, press releases, etc. These should align with what you want to offer while still showing a little breadth of style. Make them as good quality as you can and somewhat aligned with the possible types of writing a client might want to see.

 

Create a Website

You need a website. It doesn’t have to be very intense or of the greatest design. But you need to create it. You’ll want to use your business name as your domain. This could be as simple as being yourname.com or lastnamewriting.com. If you want to create an actual business name, go ahead and do that though.
I recommend using a simple WordPress website and hosting it on Bluehost. It is a fairly easy to use option that doesn’t cost a lot.
Your website will include all of the information that you just figured out. I recommend creating the following pages: Home, Why Me, Services, Hire Me, and samples. On each of these, add the appropriate information and remember, you should have the same information on multiple pages. Your Hire me page should include an email and if you’re comfortable, a phone number. You can add a contact form if you want as well.

 

Update LinkedIn/Social Media

You’ll also want to update your LinkedIn and other social media with your new career. On LinkedIn, be sure to include your niche in your headline: for example, Software Copywriter. Potential clients could find you through these sites or your own contacts could refer you to others.
If you are in the process of transitioning from another career, it might not be possible or wise to update your social media quite yet. Take stock of your situation and decide if this is possible. If not, you can always do it when you are more established.

 

Tap Your Network

The first place that you’ll probably find clients is your own network. If you tell others that you are starting to write, they may know others who could use your services. Having a contact refer you to another is the easiest and most reliable way to land clients in the first few weeks. So let those you can know what you are doing and see if they have anyone they could put you in contact with.

 

Cold Emailing

In addition, to your network, you’ll need to find other places to find prospective clients. One of the best ways to do this is by cold emailing.
You’ll want to research people or businesses in your target market that could use your services. Find out who a good contact would be, perhaps a marketing director. Then, send an email to that person. You’ll want to introduce yourself and what you do. Be sure to include your positioning statement in this email. This is your way to let them know how and why you can help them. If possible, personalize the email based on what you see on their website.
Cold emailing may sound a bit scary-and it can be at first. Chances are, you may get quite a few nos. However, eventually, someone will say yes to you. As you develop your business more and more people will begin to say yes.

 

Content Mills

Content mills are not the best place for an aspiring freelance writer to be hanging around. They massively underpay you and can leave you feeling undervalued.
However, at the beginning, you may not get a ton of clients. You might get worried and frustrated about how it’s all going. So, at the beginning, it is not as horrible to use content mills. You will get paid something, while also gaining experience writing. In the end, you may feel more confident writing more and making a bit of an income. I did this at the beginning. I wrote for TextBroker for a few weeks to supplement everything.
Just as a word of caution, you should not rely on content mills as you continue to develop your business. You will have much better clients and more success if you focus on other methods of finding work.