How To Become A Full-Time Freelance Writer Without Selling Your Soul

I became a full-time freelance writer over two years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. These days I have a hard time even imagining what it was like to work for other people.

So if you’re curious about how you can make the transition from being a regular employee to working from home and getting paid real money to write stuff, here’s my advice based on experience:

How to become a freelance writer with ZERO experience

Takeaways
1. Align Your Passion: Pursue writing niches that genuinely interest you and align with your passions to maintain enthusiasm and creativity in your work.
2. Create a Solid Portfolio: Build a diverse and impressive writing portfolio to showcase your skills and attract potential clients.
3. Balance Work and Life: Set boundaries and manage your time effectively to maintain a healthy work-life balance as a full-time freelance writer.
4. Nurture Client Relationships: Cultivate strong relationships with clients through open communication, meeting deadlines, and providing exceptional service.
5. Continuously Improve: Stay updated on industry trends, enhance your writing skills, and seek feedback to grow as a freelance writer.

Make It Official

Now that you’re ready to become a full-time freelance writer, it’s time to make sure that everything is officially in order.

First, register your business name. If you have a brand or product name already (like I do), incorporate it into the name of your company by using an “Inc.” or “LLC” at the end (if applicable).

This will make it easier for people who need to hire you when they see the full name in their searches and databases.

Next, set up an email address for your business: [name]@[company].com. Don’t use personal emails like Gmail or Hotmail these can be easily accessed by anyone who gets hold of them while researching potential writers before hiring them!

Plus if someone else uses that same email address after you’ve started working on projects with clients, they might accidentally send important messages meant for you (or vice versa!).

Now set up a bank account specifically for this freelance writing business under Section 31A of Schedule C: Business Use Only on Form 1040 tax return filing (this is how freelancers pay taxes).

You’ll also need to sign up for credit cards under Section 1: Personal Use Only on Form 1040 tax return filing which means only spending personal money from those credit cards will go towards paying down debt incurred from buying things like groceries and other miscellaneous items during the year…

But don’t worry about getting into legal trouble because most banks won’t report any unauthorized charges made on these accounts as long as there aren’t any suspicious patterns emerging over time.”

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Start A Blog

You should have a blog. For real. It’s not just me, it’s what most other writers say as well. Blogging is an important part of my career as a writer and I can’t imagine life without it anymore!

So what should you write about? Anything that interests you or that seems to be missing in the online world. There are many ways to approach this:

Write about your experiences and share lessons learned – Have you overcome adversity recently? Are there certain skills or habits that helped me get through it? Maybe there’s something unique about your industry that other people might find interesting.

Maybe there are some hacks you use every day and want to share with the world! Whatever it may be, blogging is an excellent way for others to learn from your experiences so that they don’t have to make all of their mistakes on their own (and so we can all feel less alone).

Write about topics related to your skillset – Is writing one of them? If so, start by writing posts on topics related directly to what makes up being a writer whether that means freelance writing tips or various types of articles available in today’s market such as personal essays, short stories etcetera…

Develop A Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of your best work. You should include anything and everything you’ve written that shows off your skill as a writer, including articles, blog posts, fiction stories, research papers, and more.

If someone is going through the trouble of looking at your portfolio, they are interested in what they see. This means they trust (to some extent) that you know how to write well enough for them to hire you on their project.

A portfolio is also one of the best methods for getting new clients without selling out or compromising yourself as an artiste-persona-writer person!

If someone comes across your website or social media page and likes what they see there which includes clips from past projects then it’s likely that person will be willing to hire you rather than someone else because he/she believes in your style and ability as a writer.

Crafting an outstanding Upwork profile is crucial for freelance success. Discover the secrets of creating the best Upwork profiles that attract high-paying clients and open doors to thriving freelance projects.

Pay Attention To Your Prospects’ Content Needs

This is the most fundamental principle of business, and it’s one that many writers ignore. Put simply, if you don’t pay attention to your prospects’ content needs, you won’t be able to produce something that appeals to them and this makes it more difficult for them to trust you as a reliable professional.

It’s important for writers who want to establish themselves as expert freelancers in their niche fields (like content marketing) because they’re rarely selling products or services directly; rather, the majority of their work is creating content pieces that help other companies sell products and services indirectly.

These types of pieces can include blog posts with valuable information about a particular topic related to the prospect’s business; emails with helpful tips about how readers can improve customer service;

Newsletters featuring useful tips on using social media effectively; case studies highlighting successful campaigns by other companies using similar strategies; white papers detailing how specific services would benefit businesses’ bottom lines you get the idea!

Identify How You Provide Value To Clients

Now that you have a better understanding of the various types of freelance writing, it’s time to figure out what type of writer you want to be.

The first step is identifying how you provide value to clients. This is important because if you can identify what makes your services different from others, then it will be easier for you to market yourself effectively and win more clients.

You also need to identify how your writing provides benefit or value for either:

Your audience (the people who read your work)
Your subscribers (the people who subscribe via email or other methods)
The website owners that host your articles or other content created by writers like yourself

Create A Niche

Before you can start brainstorming ideas for articles, you need to define what your goal as a writer is. If no problem needs solving, then how are readers going to benefit?

Defining your niche or market will help narrow down the scope of topics that would be relevant and interesting. For example, if someone wants to write about fitness they could choose from any number of broad categories: weight loss and nutrition; strength training; endurance athletics (marathon training and triathlons); or sports-specific training (like basketball or soccer).

Remember not to get too specific with a niche you don’t want to limit yourself too much. A good rule of thumb is that if there’s enough material for several articles within each category without overlapping too much, then it’s probably safe enough for now!

Once you have an idea of what type of writing you want to focus on, it’s time to set some goals! This applies both personally and professionally: What do YOU want outta life? What kind of person do YOU want people to see when they look at YOU?

These questions lead us into self-reflection mode where we begin questioning our motivations behind wanting certain things in life (money) vs others (health). Once again I’ll refer back to my earlier point about being ambitious but realistic we all know money isn’t everything!

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Imagine What It’d Be Like For Clients To Work With You

The first step to becoming a freelance writer is imagining what it’d be like for clients to work with you. The more clearly you can envision what the experience would be like, the better able you’ll be to know what needs to change for it to become reality.

Once you’ve taken a moment to imagine yourself as a client and the kind of service someone would provide, ask yourself:

What do I expect from my freelancer?
What am I willing to pay for?

Build An Email List As Soon As Possible

Building an email list is one of the most important things you can do for your freelance writing business. The reason is simple: email marketing is one of the best and most direct ways to promote yourself as a writer, reach new potential clients and build a professional brand as well as get people interested in what you’re selling.

The good news is that building an email list doesn’t have to be difficult or scary. It’s pretty straightforward once you understand why it’s important and how to get people on board with receiving your emails.

Here are some tips for building up your subscriber base:

Send Newsletters Consistently Every Week Or Two

You don’t want to get caught in the same trap I did. You should have a newsletter, but you don’t want to be sending out newsletters for years without any results because your list is made up of people who never open your emails or read what you write.

The best way to stay on top of this is by having an email list that only includes people who sign up for it because they want what you have to offer them.

Your subject line should be short and sweet, but also descriptive enough that they know what they are going to get if they open the email. For example: “Free Writing Tips For Freelancers” would be a great subject line as opposed to something like “My Newsletter Is Here!”

The template should be simple and easy to read while still containing all the information they need at first glance (and second glance).

The most important thing about the template is making sure it looks good on mobile devices since those are now more prevalent than desktop computers! If someone opens up their Gmail app on their phone and sees your newsletter full screen in all its glory…well…you know where we’re going with this one.

Use Social Media Strategically

Social media is an important part of the freelance writer’s business. A great way to build your brand and get your name out there is by setting up a blog, or website. This can also be an effective way to find new clients, as people will see what you have written and contact you via email or phone call.

Another way to use social media is through networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook groups that are related to writers’ skillsets (e.g., copywriting), or on Twitter hashtags related to writing gigs (e.g., #freelancejobs).

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Use Facebook Ads To Promote Your Services And Your Subscriber Opt-Ins

Facebook ads are an incredibly powerful tool that can be used to promote both your services and your subscriber opt-ins. They’re one of the most affordable and effective ways to get traffic to a website or landing page.

Facebook ads are also easy to set up, allowing you to target specific demographics based on age, location, gender, interests, and more. You can even create specific marketing campaigns for each product or service you offer to increase conversion rates by targeting the right people with the right message at the right time.

If you’re looking for more ways on how you can use Facebook’s advertising platform effectively as part of your business strategy then be sure to check out this article from Business2Community which outlines five different strategies for using Facebook Ads To Grow Your Business!

Look For More Ways To Monetize Your Content

In addition to selling your writing, there are other ways you can monetize content. You might be surprised at how many people are willing to pay for information that used to be free. Here are some ideas:

Offer a paid course. This is one of the most popular ways freelancers make money on their websites these days, and if you’ve got some expertise in writing or blogging, it’s worth considering as an option.

Offer a paid membership site where members get exclusive access to special articles and downloads (plus they pay monthly fees).

Offer a paid newsletter where subscribers get weekly tips in their inboxes (and pay monthly subscriptions).

Consulting with businesses who are looking for help building their brands through online marketing tactics like search engine optimization or social media management can also be done remotely so long as there is clear communication between both parties about expectations and goals from each consultation session before any work begins!

Deliver Great Gig Extras When You Offer Them

This is the most important part of the process and something that isn’t often talked about. You can have a great reputation for delivering valuable extras on your gigs, but if you don’t deliver those extras when someone buys from you then it won’t matter.

Here are some things I’ve done as gig extras:

Provided a sample of my work (a blog post or ebook) that I knew would be valuable to them and gave it away for free upon request within 24 hours of purchase.

Provided a discount on future work (50% off one piece or 25% off all pieces). This is handy when someone wants more than one piece written by you!

Offered a free consultation (usually with an outside expert like an SEO guru or attorney). This helps me build relationships with people who might want to hire me again in the future and also get paid for my time outside of writing when necessary!

If someone has purchased something from you, then they know how much they value what they got from working with you. Don’t waste this opportunity to sell them something else!

Here’s How To Become A Freelance Writer For Free

You’re a freelance writer now, but that doesn’t mean you need to sell your soul.

You won’t find work as a freelancer by selling yourself out. You want to be hired for the quality of your writing, not because you’ve given up your time and expertise for peanuts to make ends meet.

Some people may say that there’s no harm in doing whatever it takes if it gets them the job done but I disagree with this mindset entirely. If you compromise on quality or ethics just so that someone will hire you, then what are they getting out of the deal?

In most cases, nothing more than mediocre content is delivered by someone who has sacrificed their standards just to earn a paycheck (or so they think).

Let’s face it: when people try too hard at something they end up making mistakes along the way and those mistakes can cost money, waste time and resources, and all the while their reputation suffers as well!

This is why I strongly believe that taking shortcuts rarely gets us where we want to go; instead, we should focus on honing our skills over time until they become second nature so we don’t have any leftovers from our journey along life’s path anymore but instead only positive results from every decision made throughout our lives thus far.”

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Conclusion

If you’re serious about earning money by writing, you can do it. But like anything else worthwhile, it takes time and effort. For a lot of writers, especially those who are just starting out or only doing it part-time, the process can seem overwhelming. Building an email list and using social media to promote your services take a lot of effort and who has time for that?

And what about all those other expenses like Facebook ads or getting new equipment or software? You can start with as little as $20 to get your name out there on Fiverr, but how long will that last if you don’t have any other income coming in from clients?

Luckily for writers everywhere, there are many ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality service. Using free resources like Google Docs instead of paying monthly subscription fees is one way; setting up your website instead of paying someone else to do it is another.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is A Full-Time Freelance Writer?

A full-time freelance writer is someone who makes a living writing for clients regularly. Most people who write for clients do so part-time, but some writers have enough work to make it their primary source of income.

How Do I Become One?

You can become a full-time freelance writer by getting enough clients and building up your portfolio. It’s not easy to get started, but if you’re passionate about writing and committed to learning the business, you’ll find success in no time!

How Much Money Do I Need To Start?

You don’t need much money at all just an email address and internet access! You might also want to invest in some business cards and other branding materials, but those are optional too.

If you’re worried about costs, start by writing for free until you have some experience under your belt (and can show off your portfolio).

Do I Need Any Special Skills Or Training?

Not at all! All that matters is that you love writing and are willing to work hard at it every day (or night).

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.