Begin Your Freelancing Career

Posted by Leanne Moore on May 24th, 2019

Do you wish you could quit your 9-to-5? Or do you wish there were another way to add some income to your household without having to commit to the hours of a regular part-time job? 

If that describes you, have you considered freelancing? A career or a part-time side hustle as a freelancer allows you to create your own hours and, to a certain extent, be more in charge of your hourly wage.

There are a number of ways you can freelance. Offer any kind of services you have special knowledge or skills in. For example, you could be a freelance tutor, graphic designer, house cleaner, or handyman. One area of freelancing that is taking off with opportunities, however, is freelance writing.

If you have a knack with words or the motivation to improve your writing skills, freelance writing can be the career for you. Read on for a few tips on how to get started in this exciting field.

1. To begin, identify a niche within freelance writing. There is a wide array of areas of specialization within freelance writing. What do you have knowledge in? Are you knowledgeable in business matters? In the automotive field? In parenting? In education? If so, seek out publications that focus on these topics. 

In order to get work as a freelance writer, it's much easier to specialize. You might not be able to help a publication looking for someone well-versed in the automotive field, but you can be the go-to freelance writer for publications looking for someone to write about parenting a child with autism. Be that expert, and rake in the assignments from a wide variety of parenting publications. 

2. Next, you will need samples. This can be a bit of a conundrum for the beginner freelance writer. You need samples to be hired as a writer, but how can you get samples unless someone hires you? There actually is a way. You can offer to write for a friend or acquaintance for free. You can even send an email to a publication offering to write an article for them for free. Or, you can create your own, imaginary client and write for them. It's important to include in your portfolio which samples were written as examples rather than for a real client. Still, though, that sample demonstrates what you can do. It may be just what the publisher is looking for. 

3. Finally, join social media groups for freelance writers. Consider finding a Facebook group for freelance writers. Take the opportunity as both a learning experience and a networking experience. Introduce yourself to those who are further along in the freelance writing journey. Ask questions. Learn from them. Share your own experiences. You'll be surprised by the growth opportunities that come your way as a result.

There are many, many other things to take into consideration as you get started on your freelance writing journey. If you'd like to learn what the next steps look like and where to find your first paying clients, check out my blog article discussing just that.