Freelance Writing For Beginners: How To Get Started

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Not everybody can pen an article that captures your attention. That’s actually a really good thing if you are interested in learning about freelance writing for beginners. In this field, there is a lot of opportunities and limited competition. 

This is especially the case as we are living in the information era. Information needs to be communicated and that typically takes place in written form. Even other media uses the written word to communicate concepts that go from page to screen.

Wherever you see information of any kind, you don’t have to look hard to find a writer behind it. Whenever a concept gets sold or a company delivers great messaging, guess what? There is a writer behind that. 

Writers script videos and write instruction manuals. Writers provide their skills in a variety of contexts. You could write for a blogger or an influencer. You could be a guest writer, a ghostwriter, or a copywriter.  See what I mean about all that opportunity?

Since writing is everywhere, there are all shapes and sizes of gigs a freelance writer can take on.

Types Of Freelance Writing

If you want to write as a freelancer, the first thing to do is nail down exactly what it is you want to write. That might be one or more things right off the bat. 

You have two criteria to consider. One is opportunity, which is always essential to any kind of gig work. The other less essential criterion is what you love to write about. You could be passionate about marketing, or you might be an expert in jargon and prefer technical writing. 

The first one is a requirement for finding work, the second is a prerequisite for maintaining your own interest and keeping the job fresh and exciting. Both of these are important!

A feature writer might pick up a side gig writing copy for Ikea, but after a while becomes bored to tears. Those Swedish names lose their amusement value pretty quickly if you aren’t especially fond of less imaginative, more descriptive literature. 

But what are all these writing gigs? Feature writing, technical writing… and by the way, what on earth is brand journalism? Writing is unique because not all of it is the same. 

When you work as an accountant, it doesn’t matter that much who you work for. The job is the same at company A or for client Z. Law has different areas that an attorney may specialize in, but law is also pretty similar across the board. 

Even in medicine, where you can specialize in different parts of the body, you don’t find the same kind of breadth that the whole umbrella of freelance writing can cover.

Incidentally, each of these professions and many more may hire freelance writers to do work for them, especially if they have a blog or a presence on social media. They may even hire a ghostwriter to author a book for them. 

Here is a very brief overview of the most common types of freelance writing. Try to picture yourself doing any of these and you’ll have some idea of the kind of freelance work you want to do.

1. Copywriter

Copywriters who enjoy their work like to write pieces that are less descriptive and more sales-oriented in nature. They have more patience and tolerance for jobs that other writers might find boring. Copy is more descriptive and meant to convey information – and little more than that. Think of product descriptions or key selling points on a company web page.

2. Technical Writer

Like writing copy, technical writing is descriptive, but it’s also very jargony. If you have a talent for technical mumbo jumbo, you may be able to land a gig writing for a company that needs to produce this kind of literature.

3. Blogger

The most obvious approach to freelance writing might be to blog. However, revenues from blogging can be slow to come in, so it’s not an ideal starting point if you want to make money now with your writing. 

However, it is a good training ground for practicing your craft. When you blog, you write frequently on a given topic, often providing updates on your life. This leads to a variety of advertising opportunities that may take the form of other types of writing. 

For example, a successful blog may lead to sponsorships in the lifestyle category, or in whatever industry your writing reflects (ie. travel, food, finance, etc.). Plus, it can serve as a portfolio to showcase your work abilities to potential clients.

Obviously, I’m a fan of the blogging route, as it’s the one I took. If you want to learn more about how to start and run and successful blog, check out this post.

4. Feature Writer

One of the most well-known types of writing gigs is that of the feature writer. When you think about freelance writing, this is probably one of the first things that spring to mind. Feature writing refers to articles you might find in a magazine. 

You can get a job writing featured articles by pitching your ideas or written articles to the periodicals you want to be published in.

5. Brand Journalist

Among writer opportunities, most are straightforward. You can either write fiction or nonfiction. And it can be informative, educational, entertaining, or provocative. Brand journalism brings the potential for all of these, but it’s also a bit tricky. 

At best, it is effective marketing that pairs brands with their ideal customers. At worst, it’s noise masquerading as legitimate information. You can recognize this type of journalism when you hear or see repeated talking points that use trending buzz words.

Good brand journalists can meet the needs of their clients and create responsible messaging that creates solutions for potential customers by driving them to the brand’s products or services. 

Very often the goal of brand journalism is to “create awareness.” This type of writing is very common, potentially very rewarding, but also ethically challenging.

6. Ghostwriter

Ghostwriting is when you write as somebody else and let them put their name on your work. It’s a fairly common practice and a legitimate field. Also, it can pay very well. 

When you ghostwrite, you stick to the shadows and you don’t get to build a name for yourself. But, you can get steady work if you are good. Ghostwriting may include more legal arrangements by nature of the transaction and therefore may result in higher than usual compensation. 

You can ghostwrite anything from blog posts to songs, to novels, and even autobiographies.

Where To Start Freelance Writing For Beginners

We’ve just scratched the surface of the diverse world of freelance writing, but freelancing work is not for every writer. On one hand, you can make good money on talent alone. On the other hand, you can struggle from job to job. If you don’t have a regular paycheck to fall back on there is no security at all. 

If you want to skip the guesswork and connect with mentors who can help you get your writing business off the ground fast, I highly recommend The Freelance Writer’s Academy. It’s a course started by three of the most successful freelance writers I know. One of them was my mentor and helped me get some of my best writing jobs.

I would have KILLED for something like their Accelerator Bundle when I was starting out. It would’ve helped me avoid low-paying clients and value my work more. So if freelance writing is something you just want to do as a side hustle you may not need it but if you want to replace your income and make six-figures freelance writing, I highly, highly recommend enrolling in The Freelance Writer’s Academy.

To make a solid transition from a steady paycheck into the world of freelancing, you should put in extra work around the clock to start finding and securing gigs. That may mean a reduction in hours at your regular job, but you should not quit your job until freelancing proves viable. 

You should think of the decision to move onto full-time freelancing as growth by necessity. If you don’t already have a steady paycheck, your financial demands may dictate how aggressively you can approach looking for freelance work.

Pricing Your Work

Another thing that affects freelance writing for beginners is pricing. There are two factors in pricing that determine every transaction. You need to make x amount. The client wants to pay x amount. If you are just starting, you may be willing to take less money as you build your portfolio and credibility. 

How you price your work is essential. Before you look for gigs, have your price. As you work, you should continue to hammer down how you price your work and how much you charge. For example, you may charge per word or per hour. Each pricing structure should play into your strengths and leverage your value.

Where To Find Writing Opportunities

The challenge of freelance writing for beginners is finding writing gigs. There is some competition out there, so you need to know where to look as well as how to throw your hat into the ring. It’s helpful to know how to pitch and it’s also helpful to have some examples of your work that you can point to. 

You can write articles and then sell them, or you can take an assignment. If you write first, you will need to reach out to editors and pitch your piece. Otherwise, if you are looking for something to write, you can join Facebook groups that match writers to clients looking for work.

Become A Virtual Assistant

One way to get started is to become a Virtual Assistant. As a VA, you can dabble in various types of freelance writing until you find your niche. You can work as a full-time VA for one client, or have several clients depending on how demanding the gigs are.

Fiverr

Another source of freelance writing for beginners is platforms such as Fiverr. These allow you to create a profile and display your credentials and pricing concisely and appealingly. This allows potential clients to find you. You can leverage an impressive portfolio or your pricing to sell yourself to a client until you find the sweet spot that yields the best results.

Ask for Leads

Finally, pounding the pavement is the tried and true method of finding work. Don’t wait for gigs to trickle in on their own. Get the word out. Talk to potential clients either virtually or in person. Send inquiries to publications you would like to work for. You can knock on doors virtually using social media like Facebook, or even Linked-In.

Final Thoughts on Freelance Writing for Beginners

With a little hustle and a lot of skill, you can break into the freelance writing market! Even if you pursue it as a side gig to help pay off debt or build an emergency fund it makes for fun and potentially lucrative work.

And again, if you start this work and find you enjoy it and want to do it full time, check out The Freelance Writer’s Academy. It’ll answer questions about this business you don’t even know you have right now!