Hey, buddy! If you’re reading this post, I’m guessing you want to learn how to start freelance writing. I’ve got you! Since I’m a freelance writing coach, I get questions all the time about how to get started as a freelance writer. So today, I’m going to be answering some of the most commonly asked questions, and linking you to all of my resources to help you get out there and start kicking ass as a freelance writer!

Hint: this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to launching and growing a freelance writing career. If you want to dig in and take massive action on your goals, check out my freelance writing course, The Freelance Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy!

HOW DO I START FREELANCE WRITING WITH NO EXPERIENCE?

Let me lay out for your my three-part plan that I recommend to all newbie freelance writers!

How to Start Freelance Writing Step One: Choose a Niche

First things first, you need to choose a niche and a service that you will offer. Your niche is the industry you work in, and the service is the kind of work that you do. For example, my niche is beauty, and my service is copywriting and blog writing.

No, it’s not better to be a generalist. As a generalist freelance writer, you may be able to quickly build a book of business, but you won’t be able to make good money. Being a generalist freelance writer is not a sustainable career path.

Why? Because the good clients who pay well want to pay for an expert. Narrowing down your niche and service allows you to develop expertise in this particular area, which is very attractive to high-ticket clients.

After all, if you were a skincare company, who would you rather hire? A freelance writer with samples from a variety of categories like construction, tax law, and technology, or a freelance writer with samples only in skincare? Of course, you’d hire the skincare writer!

So, how do you choose a niche? I recommend choosing a niche that combines these three qualities:

You already know about the industry, and you’re passionate about it. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your niche, so don’t choose something you hate!
You already have professional experience in the industry. It’s easier to leverage your existing professional experience to gain credibility than it is to start from scratch. For example, I leveraged my experience in beauty marketing to become a beauty copywriter. But if you hate the industry you currently work in (or you don’t have any professional experience at all), you can certainly skip this step.
You can easily think of clients in your niche. Seriously, sit down and brainstorm clients you could sell your services to. There is a big difference between a subject that you’re interested in and a money-making industry. That’s why your niche is focused towards a particular industry, not a subject. If you can’t think of clients in your niche, it’s probably a subject rather than an industry.

For more info, read How to Choose Your Freelance Writing Niche.

*Choosing a niche will position you as an expert, which allows you to make more money. Cha-ching!*

How to Start Freelance Writing Step Two: Create a Portfolio

No, you don’t need professional writing experience to become a freelance writer. All you need to know is how to write decently well in English.

If you don’t have any professional writing experience in your niche, you can create your samples on spec. On spec means that you won’t be paid for your work.

All you need to do is create three samples for potential or imaginary clients in your niche. You don’t need to have any contact with these clients (as long as you’re clear that you weren’t commissioned to create these pieces).

The only condition? These samples need to be awesome. Potential clients will be hiring you based solely on your portfolio, so make sure you take the time to create something truly impressive.

Then create PDFs of your samples and place them in a Google Drive folder. When a potential client asks to see your portfolio, send them a link to this folder.

For more info, read How to Create a Freelance Writer Portfolio (With Absolutely Zero Experience).

How to Start Freelance Writing Step Three: Start Cold Pitching

Forget freelance job boards. When you’re a beginner, it’s almost impossible to get work through freelance writing job boards because there’s so much competition! Hundreds of writers apply for each posting, and most of them are offering incredibly low rates. It’s a race to the bottom, and we’re not about that here.

That’s why I recommend cold pitching. Cold pitching is when you reach out to a potential client with whom you have no previous relationship and pitch them your services. This is a great way for new freelance writers to get their foot in the door because there’s virtually zero competition. That means you can command your rates. Plus, you can pitch clients you’re truly interested in working with, which makes working so much more fun!

And here’s the great news, buddy: I’ve already come up with a cold pitching template to get you started. So make sure you grab your cold email pitch kit!

To learn more about cold pitching, read Cold Pitching 101 for Freelance Writers.

PS: A lot of freelance writers ask me how to find potential clients. I’ve got all of that covered inside my self-guided course for launching and running a sustainable freelance business. Become a member of The Freelance Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy here!

*Cold pitching is the best way to find freelance clients as a beginner.*

WHAT DOES A FREELANCE WRITER DO?

Freelance writers do a lot of things, including:

Write articles on media websites
Write blog posts for businesses
Offer copywriting services for businesses, including branding, website copy, email copy, sales pages, and more
Provide ghostwriting services for authors and memoirists

As a freelance writer, your days will include client work as well as lots of time working on your business. Tasks included in working on your business include bookkeeping, organizing projects, answering emails, pitching to potential clients, and marketing yourself.

In my freelance writing course, I do a deep dive into what all of these terms mean and how to do them. Plus, I show you how to stay on task and manage all your work. Most aspiring freelance writers are adept at writing, but it’s the business end of freelancing that gets them all muddled up. So I show you how to show up, get organized, and get stuff done so you can grow your business and live the life you want.

To learn more, read What Does a Copywriter Do?

DOES FREELANCE WRITING PAY WELL?

Freelance writing can pay very well! If you have the skills, work hard, and you play your cards right, you can make upwards of $10k per month as a freelance writer. As a freelance writer, I charge $150 per hour for my work. This allows me to make enough money to live comfortably while only working 15 to 20 hours per week.

*Freelance writers provide a vast array of services. You have a ton of possibilities, buddy!*

IS THERE A DEMAND FOR WRITERS?

There is an ENORMOUS demand for writers, especially good writers. The internet is growing at an exponential rate, and brands are investing in their content marketing in order to keep up.

Most marketing departments do not have writers on staff, which is why they hire freelance writers to work on their content. And you can be one of those freelance writers!

WHAT IS THE BEST FREELANCE WEBSITE FOR BEGINNERS?

The best freelance website for beginners is actually no website at all! I recommend that beginners start with cold pitching only. Once you’ve built up a little experience through cold pitching, you can expand to Upwork or freelance writing job boards.

Read this post to learn more about Upwork freelance writing.

Read this post to learn more about how to get a writing job.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I CHARGE FOR A 500-WORD ARTICLE?

How much you should charge for a 500-word article depends on how much you want to make. You can figure out how much you should charge by downloading my freelance rate calculator. Enter your monthly expenses and how much you want to work, and this calculator will do the rest (including figuring out how much you should put away for taxes!).

When you are a brand new writer, you might not be able to charge your ideal freelance rate…yet. But once you get a couple clients under your belt, you can go ahead and raise your rates.

When I started as a freelance writer, I charged $40 for a 500-word article. Now I charge $250 or more depending on the project.

Not sure how to raise your rates with your current clients? My freelance writing course explains the right way to raise your rates and what to do if you experience price resistance.

To learn more, read Freelance Writer Rates: How Much to Charge (+ FREE Calculator!).

My freelance writing course helps you decide your niche, set your rates, and run a freelance business from scratch! — My freelance writing course *helps you decide your niche, set your rates, and run a freelance business from scratch!*

HOW DO I BECOME A WRITER WITHOUT A DEGREE?

To become a writer without a degree, just follow the same steps I mentioned above. Seriously! You do not need an English degree – or any kind of degree at all – in order to become a freelance writer.

The majority of clients will never ask to see your resumé. The only thing that matters to them is that you can do a good job on the project, and you’ll demonstrate with your freelance writing portfolio. So, all you need to be a freelance writer is good writing skills, decent business acumen, and the desire to work hard.

IS FREELANCE WRITING LEGIT?

Yes, freelance writing is legit. I know it’s legit, because my mortgage lender considers it to be a legitimate income source. If a bank allowed me, a single woman, to buy a house with money exclusively from her freelance writing business, you can bet your boots it’s legit!

HOW TO START FREELANCE WRITING: RESOURCES

Ready to learn how to start freelance writing? These are my top 10 blog posts on how to start freelance writing:

Have a read! If you want to learn more – or if you want a step-by-step action plan on how to launch and grow your business – make sure you check out my freelance writing course. I’ll be walking you through the entire process of how to start freelance writing, from creating your first portfolio to quitting your 9-to-5.

If you have any other questions that I didn’t answer here, leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram!

How to Start Freelance Writing: The Ultimate Guide