Starting Out As A Freelance Writer

Once you set your mind on something, the passion that'll drive you will lead you down an unexpected path. What you can achieve in just a short amount of time is incredible. 

Recently, the words “freelance writer” and “copywriter” started showing up on my social media. I had always known I wanted to write for a living. I started off writing books in middle school and fully intend to publish a book one day. When I graduated high school and began college, the only path that seemed to make writers any money was the author route, and I knew that it did not guarantee stable income. My future depended on the opinions of others. If my work was not well received, or didn’t stand out in a market with thousands of other books, then I would fail.

Now, only a few months away from graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I have learned that there is more to writing than just books. 

What Is A Freelance Writer?

Freelance writers, or copywriters, are self-employed and usually work for multiple clients at a time. They write copy for businesses and individuals alike. They write website content, blogs, articles, case studies, brochures, product reviews, product descriptions, eBooks, and more. The best place to start learning about copywriting is on platforms like YouTube. Hearing from copywriters will give you a greater understanding of what this profession entails and if it is for you. If this is something you are serious about, investing in books or courses is a great way to get your foot through the door and begin deepening your knowledge. 

There is a lot more that goes into being a freelance writer than just writing words. You are your own business, which means you need to keep track of all your legal documents and income so that, when tax season comes around, you don’t owe the IRS money. Setting aside money in a separate bank account is recommended.

Writers Work is a great platform for creating a portfolio, finding jobs specific to copywriting, and getting up to speed. It comes with a book and a three module course that explains all the best practices and tools that freelance writers use. Writers Work is $15 a month, or you can purchase the lifetime plan for $94 (sometimes it is on sale for $47, so keep an eye out for that!). Remember, whatever you use for freelancing can be deducted from your income tax to reduce the amount you owe, so keep track of everything and hold onto receipts, physical or electronic. 

You will see “SEO” in a lot of required skills for copywriting jobs. For most beginners, this is a foreign term. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and, in a nutshell, it's basically the most commonly searched keywords weaved into written content to increase the website or blog’s rank of Google, which means more people will see it. It is a great skill to pick up, since a lot of employers are looking for it, and you can get certified through courses online. LinkedIn Learning offers a one month free trial that you can take advantage of. You can get certified in a variety of areas, including SEO, and, if you are still a student, you can use it for free through your student account.

Creating a Portfolio

Having a portfolio is vital for landing jobs and clients. They make you look professional and give credit to the services you are offering. There are a lot of scammers online, so both clients and freelancers are wary of them. You can create a portfolio on Writers Work, but it is recommended to make your own website- which is a lot easier than it sounds!

There are a lot of website templates out there, like Wix.com. I used Copyfol.io to create my website. It has a variety of templates and color pallets, it's super simple, and attractive. To have your own domain name, plus some other features, it is $14.99 a month.

If you don’t have any work to showcase just yet, then start writing! Creating unique pieces of work is the best part. 

How To Get Seen By Others

As you write, whether it’s short stories, reviews, or blogs, start posting them for the world to see. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t take off as fast as you want. Building your brand and reputation takes time. Post blogs on your website, and also share them to Medium- one of the most popular online publishing platforms. Joining groups on Facebook will also help you find other freelancers and potential work. Share your work on social media for your friends, family, and complete strangers to see. 

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is: Share your process. There are other people out there, just like you and me, who are starting out and feel a bit lost. Sharing what you’ve learned through success and failure will not only bring people to you, but also help those like you. 

Defining You Niche

A niche is something you specialize in that you can write about for hours. It can be a hobby or something you sought out through higher education. For example, I have been playing video games since I was a kid, and I went to college for game design. I consider video games and their design to be my niche since I have a plethora of knowledge at my beck and call. Maybe you went to school for marketing or worked at a coffee shop. The knowledge you gained from that can be considered a niche as well. 

Where To Start Freelancing

There are plenty of platforms out there to start freelancing on. The two I recommend, and use personally, are Fiverr and Upwork. Although they both are great for freelancers, they have two very different approaches. Fiverr is more “clients come to you”, while Upwork is the opposite. For both, you fill out a W9 for tax purposes and all payments and communication are to be kept on the platform, although Upwork's rules are a bit looser than Fiverr's. 

It is easier to find work on Upwork, since you use connects to apply to jobs and are more likely to hear back from clients. Applying to jobs costs “connects” and you start off with 50 free connects. You can purchase more or sign up for Upwork’s membership and get 80 connects every month, for $14.99 a month.

On Fiverr, you create an account and, essentially, wait for a customer to come to you. There’s a chance you’ll be waiting for a pretty long time. 

For both platforms, keep an eye out for scammers. When I started on Fiverr, 90% of the messages I got were scammers, but reporting them is easy. On Upwork, you usually don’t know who a scammer is until you’ve already applied. But, if they ask you to communicate, go through the interview process, or do payments outside of the platform, say no! You can only share contact information after you have been hired. And on Fiverr, you cannot share contact information at all. It goes against their terms of service and you can get flagged or banned. All of this is to ensure you, as the freelancer, do not get scammed. 

If you have someone reach out to you through social media, you can direct them to your account on any freelancing website or create a contract with them and communicate through email. I use Bonsai, which creates contracts that you can customize per client. You can send it to your client for them to sign, and it will also send them invoices as well. The client may need you to fill out a W4 or a W9 if they plan on claiming you as a worker. Always confirm whether they are or not. If they don’t claim you then you don’t have to claim the income on your tax returns. 

Believe In Yourself

Most freelancers, when they start out, are not being pushed by an outside force. There is no professor or boss telling you what to do and when to do it. It is up to you to learn, to create, and to keep going. You’ll have moments where your passion and drive is so high, you feel like you’re on cloud 9. But, when you come down from that high, you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom and all motivation to keep going dissipates. Don’t give up and keep believing in yourself! This field rewards those who continue to put in the effort.

I started researching freelancing in December of 2022, created my Fiverr account in February of 2023, created my Upwork account in March of 2023, and started applying to jobs on Upwork two days ago. Although I have not found any clients on Fiverr, I have already heard back from multiple people on Upwork and have an editing job lined up and, through social media, I now have a ghostwriting project. It seems like a slow, agonizing uphill climb but, if you keep at it and start now, you’ll be seeing results in no time. It doesn’t matter if you’re still in school (like me) or working a full-time job. All that matters is that you have the drive and that you don’t stop believing in yourself.