If you’re considering a career as a freelance writer, or if you’ve been doing it for years and want to up your game, there’s no better time than now to read this article. Read on!
Learn to hear your own work in your head.
Writers need to learn how to listen to their own writing. They should think about what their audience will like. This is the most important skill for a writer.
To develop this skill, you should write a lot and read your own work. Edit it and then edit it again. Read your writing as though you are a stranger that has just seen it for the first time. I am doing that right now.
Once you master this skill, it will be with you for the rest of your life. You’ll never be able to read bad writing the same way again. Especially when you are reading your own writing.
Be Known for Something (Anything)
The best advice to get paid for writing is to focus on one topic. You may have read, “The riches are in the niches.”
That is true. If you write about multiple topics, it will be hard for people to understand what types of articles you can produce. You need to stand out from the crowd and focus on one topic only.
No matter how many things you want to know about this particular niche, stick with it until your skills improve and then branch out into others.
You can do that too if you stick with one topic and get better at it.
Never Stop Learning New Things
The best writers are always sharpening their skills so they can improve what they write about. Here’s a secret: you don’t have to be an expert in your niche, but if you want other people to think that you are the go-to person for certain topics, then read everything that has been published on it, and then read even more.
The best writers are also the ones who love to learn new things. It’s a good idea to keep up with whatever is going on in your industry by reading articles from other sites besides yours. This will help you understand what types of information people want their readers to know about certain topics.
Everyone needs to write about things they don’t know much about because that’s how you learn new things and become an expert on a subject matter too. You can do it!
Be Open-Minded About Everything (But Do Not Copy)
In order to be successful as a freelance writer, one must have an open mind when it comes to topics and ideas. You must be willing to try different things out, even if you don’t think you will like them at first.
You should also not copy the content of other sites or writers just because it is popular right now. People can tell when someone has copied something from another site and then they won’t want to hire you for future articles.
Be original and try new things when you write, but never copy other people’s work because that will get you into trouble too!
Supplement Your Income
You can make money as a freelance writer and supplement your income. You don’t have to rely on it for all of your financial needs, but if you want an extra boost in the amount of money that is flowing into your bank account each month, then learn how to write articles about topics related to what you already know best.
There are many different websites that will pay you for writing. You can also become an expert on a topic and charge people to help them with the same things they need to be written about.
Whatever path you choose, be sure it is one where your passion and interests lie so you do not lose interest in what you are doing after just six months or less of working.
Keep Up Your Creative Interests
Creativity is important for writers. If you are not interested in what you’re writing, then your audience will sense that and be affected by it as well.
Write for yourself first. Every day, every single day.
Blogging for a client is not the same as writing a novel or screenplay. One is a trade of services for goods. The other is your craft, and it should always come first.
Writing a blog post for someone else is not going to be as challenging or rewarding as writing your own novel.
But it will pay the bills in the meantime and keep you from having writer’s block when trying to come up with new fiction ideas all of the time. You can always use these posts that you write for clients on your own site or sell to other people later on.
Don’t Outsource Your Work
This is one of the biggest mistakes that writers make when they are just starting out. They decide that outsourcing their work will save them time and money, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
When you have a deadline coming up fast, you need to know how to handle it yourself instead of having someone else do the same thing for pennies per article.
Freelance writers are never at a loss when they have to write something, but if you outsource your work then you will experience writer’s block over and over again because there is always an issue with communication or understanding what needs to be done.
Get a Workspace
Create a personal workspace for yourself and use it every day. This will help you to separate your work life from the rest of your life.
You can use this workspace for writing, editing, or whatever it is that you do with these articles. You are not going to be able to produce the best quality content if you are working on a laptop in bed at night—or even during family dinners!
Don’t take these articles lightly. They are your work, and you need to treat them as such if you want people to respect what you do for a living.
Don’t Eat While You Write
You are not going to be productive if you have food in front of you or even just close by. It is too distracting for your brain, and it will prevent you from working quickly enough to meet the deadline that is set before you.
Invest In Your Health
This means that you need to get enough sleep every night, exercise regularly, and eat well. You can’t produce your best work if you are not at 100%.
If you’re struggling with motivation or inspiration, then take a break for an hour or two before diving back into the writing process again. Just don’t forget about it! Come back to it later when you’re feeling more creative.
If your article is due in one hour, then take an hour to do something else that doesn’t revolve around writing or thinking about work of any kind. Then come back and get the job done!
Have Goals for Yourself
Set goals for yourself each month so you can track how much you are writing and growing as a writer.
Use these goals to motivate yourself so you can become more productive each day.
When you reach your milestones, celebrate them! Success is hard-earned in this industry, but it will be worth every minute that you spend working on improving your skills over time if you do what needs to be done right now.
Don’t Stop at the First Draft
When you’re writing your article, don’t stop until you have a good first draft finished and ready to go. You can always come back later and edit it or do more research on the subject if needed. But never give up just because something isn’t perfect from the get-go!
You can always fix it later, so don’t let your perfectionism get in the way of what you need to do. Just keep writing and editing and working hard until you have a finished product that is ready for publishing!
Use SEO Keywords
When adding keywords to your articles, make sure that they are relevant but not overused.
You want to use a balance of keywords that will be helpful for your readers and also for the search engines. When you have too many unrelated or irrelevant words, then it can hurt your site’s ranking on Google instead of helping it improve.
Write with Personality
It is always better to write from a personal point of view so you can connect with your readers and potential clients.
Don’t be afraid to show a little personality in everything that you do because it will make the difference between success and failure when trying to attract new people each day.
When writing content for others, always keep their needs and wants in mind so you know what they want or need from reading something like this!
Don’t Put Yourself In Debt To “Improve” Your Company
You need to have the right tools, but you also need to remember that your company can’t afford them. If it’s something essential for getting the job done quickly and well, then find a way around not having this tool instead of putting yourself in debt with credit cards or loans.
Don’t pay for anything until you’re making enough money to do so. You can also avoid debt by not buying anything you don’t need, even if it’s on sale or at a discount.
Don’t Ask for Help With Content Creation
It is always better to create your own content than to pay someone else with the promise of future work—no matter how good their reviews are! This will save you money in the long run.
When asking for opinions, make sure to be specific about what it is that you are looking for feedback on so people can help as much as possible. You don’t want everyone giving their opinion because then nothing will get done!
You also want to make sure that you’re not getting too many different messages or different styles that don’t go together.
If you want to improve your site, then hire a professional instead of relying on the opinions and advice from others who may not know what they’re talking about!
Save for Taxes
Put 25% of each dollar you earn into a tax-free savings account. If you can, 30%.
This suggestion should come much lower on the list because it assumes you’re already earning money. However, even if you only make ten dollars a month from writing, you should still be applying this concept.
Read a lot
This is a no-brainer. If you don’t read, then how are you going to write?
Don’t compare yourself to other writers and what they’re doing–or not doing. Do your own thing! Don’t attempt to copy them or their style of writing because it won’t work out the way that you want it to.
Don’t Overcommit Yourself
You need to be realistic and not take on more work than you can handle at once! You won’t be able to do a good job if you’re spread too thin trying to meet deadlines, so choose the projects that you want most instead of taking all things equally. This way, your writing will be better and you’ll enjoy doing it more than before!
Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
You should never promise something to a client or customer that you know won’t get done. They will lose trust in your abilities, and they may not come back for another project with you if this happens too many times.
Ignore the Naysayers
You might have some people in your life that don’t understand what it takes to be a writer. They may not support you, and they will try to turn you away from this profession as much as possible. Don’t listen!
This is the only thing that makes them feel better about their situation or how they live their lives; if we were to leave, then they would no longer have that power over us.
Don’t Stop Writing Until the Deadline Is Reached
This is one of those “easier said than done” situations. But if you want to be paid for your work and not get fired from any jobs in the future, don’t stop writing until it’s too late to make any changes.
You should always proofread your work before submitting it to anyone, no matter how long or short the piece is! You don’t want others seeing mistakes or worse yet, typos! in your writing because this will give them a bad impression of you as a professional writer. This could lead to projects being turned down, as well as losing future clients and customers.
Don’t Burn Out
You must take a break every now and then! If you don’t, you’ll have to quit your job or project because of health issues that arise from being overworked. Don’t let this happen to yourself—take a few days off for rest if you need to.
Don’t Obsess Over Stats
This is very common among writers who are just starting out—they see that their stats dropped, no matter how small or large the change was! They then become obsessed with trying to figure out why this happened and what they can do about it moving forward because of these numbers which don’t mean much in the long run.
Treat Writing Like a Do-It-Yourself Job
This is not something that you can simply “wing” or hope will work out. It takes a lot of hard work, research, and dedication to be completely successful at anything in life! So write like you’re working with your hands and the right tools.
Don’t Wait for Your Creative Juices to Flow Before You Write
Just write even if you don’t feel creative or inspired at all! It doesn’t matter how good of a writer you are—or think that you are–you still need to pen out what’s expected in the assigned article or blog post.
Building a Website But Don’t Wait for it to be Perfect
You need a blog to showcase your work and give people reasons why they should hire you. Keep building it even if there’s no traffic or content yet because the whole point of this is for other people to see what you can do!
Build A Portfolio
You should have a portfolio of your work to show people, even if it’s only on a blog or social media site. There will be times where you need proof that you are the writer you say you are, so make sure to have something ready!
Don’t Ignore Your Email Inbox
If you want to be successful as a freelance writer, then don’t ignore the emails and messages that come through. You need to show people why they should hire YOU instead of someone else who’s offering their services for cheaper or at no cost! Reply back quickly so that others know you’re interested in working with them.
Don’t Sell Yourself Short
If someone is willing to pay your asking rate then take it. You can always try negotiating but if they’re not budging then just accept that price with a smile and be glad that they like what you do enough to want you for their project.
Don’t Be Afraid to Work with Friends or Family
It may be a little awkward at first, but you never know when these people will come back and ask for your help again! It’s a great way of building up a clientele while giving you some more money on the side so that later down the road you can afford to take a few more risks.
Don’t Forget To Look Local When Looking for Clients
Try and sell your writing services in your local community. You might not get rich quickly, but you will be able to establish a good reputation for yourself and get more work in the future.
Don’t Quit Your Day Job Yet
This is no reason to quit your day job until you’re making enough money from writing that it can support itself and continue funding for a while! When this happens, then go ahead and leave if you want but only do so when there’s no turning back.
Don’t Forget To Have Fun!
Once your business is up and running it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the stress of deadlines and thinking about profits. Try relaxing once in a while by going on a hike or taking an hour out of the day to watch your favorite TV show.
Doing the same thing every day gets tiring, but it’s also how you are going to find success as a freelance writer!
Keep it Simple
As a writer, you don’t need to have the most complicated words or phrases when it comes to getting your point across. Keep things simple and avoid using big words if possible so that people can understand what you’re trying to say much easier!
Role of Knowledge
Keep in mind that your writing services are a relatively minor expense for most businesses. The work you’re doing is most likely only makes up to 20% or 50% of their overall marketing plan.
In the end, they will look for more competitive prices and someone who is a better fit since you are just one of many writers out there.
Request Occasional Phone/Zoom Calls
Remember that, like any other kind of business, freelance writing is all about relationships. It’s your responsibility to develop them.
Another approach is to schedule a Zoom call or contact. If at all possible, try to limit your client-only communications to email. Check in with them every three to six months and inquire about their needs.
Never Write For Free
Never write for free. Even if you’re writing a blog post or guest article, always ask to be paid in some way–even if it’s just with social media shares!
Don’t write test articles for the sake of it. All the freelance writer job sites will have opportunities like this. Don’t try any of these jobs. I get what you’re trying to say regarding the job interview, but unpaid trials are unjust to writers in my opinion.
You should be paid for your efforts, especially if they’re likely to be published. It’s better for both parties to have some skin in the game.
Say Yes To Everything (at First)
Here’s what I mean by this: take on every opportunity that comes your way. Even if it sounds like something you’re not interested in, give it a shot and see how well you can do!
It was once said to me “if they don”t pay at first there will be another one down the line.” Maybe it was true, but I still think it’s important to be paid for your work.
Don’t Burn Bridges
If you’re going to take on a new opportunity or client that means you need to drop something else from your schedule. Always make sure this isn’t going to harm one of your ongoing relationships either by giving them less time or providing lower quality work.
Don’t Rush Your Writing Processes
Writers are often told to get their articles out as soon as possible, but this is actually one of the worst things you can do! Rushing your processes will lead to mistakes and missed deadlines which aren’t good for clients or your business in general.
Don’t Mix Copywriting and Content Writing
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is when they try to mix content writing and copywriting. These two types of services are actually very different from each other, so there’s no reason why you should be trying to do both at once!
Save Your Pennies
Take advantage of any tax-advantaged opportunities you can. Set aside money for retirement, investing, and your family. Keep track of how much money you make so you can save as much as possible! Self-employment is a roller coaster ride. You must learn to cope with the ups and downs.
Have a Brand/Organize Your Documents
Do not work from your inbox. Get organized and create a brand for yourself, especially if you’re going to be working with the same clients or writing in the same niche.
You’ll be shocked at how many poor writers manage to earn money freelancing. Being organized is a simple approach to distinguish yourself from others and perhaps even plagiarize their work.
Proofread Your Work
Always proofread your work. Even if you’re a better writer than the next guy, it’s always good to have a second pair of eyes check out what you’ve done before you publish or send off an email!
The other important thing is that people will notice and appreciate this attention to detail as well. This can be really helpful down the line when you’re trying to work toward a promotion at your job or find new clients!
Don’t Be Arrogant
Admit when you don’t know something and ask for help!
This is also a sign of insecurity on your part, so try to get rid of that feeling right away by learning what it is that makes you insecure or asking someone else about the topic in question. It will make your life much easier in the long run.
Be Realistic With Your Timescales
Remember that it took you a bit to get used to your new life as a freelancer, but now things should be going much more smoothly! Don’t set deadlines for yourself and ask other people to do things by them unless they’re very important or urgent. It’s better to be flexible rather than rushing everything and risking your deadlines.
Don’t Get Too Comfortable
Once you find yourself getting used to the lifestyle of a freelancer, it’s time to start looking for new opportunities or even taking on more clients! You won’t get far by just sitting around doing nothing so try not to fall into that trap.
Don’t Forget to Market Yourself
You should always be promoting yourself in some way or another. This can come from sending out emails for new projects, dropping links on social media, etc. Just make sure you’re never letting your name slip when it comes to marketing!
Using a few of these strategies will help anyone living the freelancing life to make a little extra money or maybe even start their own business!
Find a Mentor Or Guide
Finding a mentor or guide will help you immensely as a freelance writer! You’ll learn the ropes and get the necessary tips and tricks to start freelancing. This is a huge opportunity that you need to take advantage of!
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Conclusion:
Freelancing can be a rewarding lifestyle, but it does involve some initial sacrifices. Depending on your personality type and skill set, you may need to invest in yourself or take care of certain professional obligations before jumping into the world of freelance writing.
However, once these tasks are completed and you’ve found your footing as an independent writer, freelancing can provide great opportunities for success and financial stability with endless possibilities for future growth!
Are there any other suggestions for prospective freelance writers in the comments below, and please share this article with your friends who could benefit from it?
