How to Become a Freelance Writer with No Experience?

Freelance writing has emerged as a popular option to make money online and is among the best freelancing jobs. A lot of people are taking it up even without having any prior experience. The main job of a freelance writer is to produce text content as per the requirements laid by the client. 

Since most of the work is done online, freelance writers can work from the comfort of their homes or shared office spaces.  Freelance writers can be generalists, who can write on any topic or specialists who cover only specific topics. 

This article will answer the most common queries about starting a freelance writing career including but not limited to the following:

• How do I become a freelance writer with no experience?
• Is freelance writing a good career?
• How much do beginner freelance writers make?
• Is it hard to become a freelance writer?
• How do freelance writers get work?
• How do freelance writers get paid? 
• Is freelance writing a good career?
• Can you make a living as a content writer?
• How do I start a writing career?

What you get paid for in freelance writing actually depends upon the kind of writing that you are doing. On average, a freelance writer makes $57,639 per year, with part timers making around $24,000 per year and experienced writers getting more than $100,000 per year. 

It is very important to develop confidence in the fact that you actually deserve what you are getting paid for. You should treat your writing skill as a craft rather than a commodity in order to charge premium rates from the clients. 

Nowadays there is a growing demand for content. Unlike traditional marketing techniques that require few ad copies to reach a poorly defined audience, the marketing efforts of today are more specific and targeted. 

In this age of the internet and technology, the scope of content writing is expanding to include a number of avenues including social media streams, content marketing, sharable content, email marketing, developing branding materials, and much more. 

Blogs and websites have become excellent channels to pose meaningful and relevant content. As the content available on the web is consumed widely and rapidly, it becomes essential to update it regularly and thus there is ever growing demand for freelance writers.

So, if you are enthusiastic to get into freelance writing and want to know how to become a freelance writer and start freelancing with no experience, follow the steps below. 

How to Become a Freelance Writer?

Freelance writing is probably one of the easiest careers to start for those who love to read and write. However, it requires a lot of practice and constant learning to master the art and be a leader in your niche. 

Below are the essential steps to get into freelance writing without experience and grow your career to the next level.

1- Get Education/ Training 

The most basic step to become a freelance writer is to take a good writing course. Even if you are confident about your current writing skills, a quality course in writing can do wonders for you, especially, if you do not have a Journalism or English language background. 

These courses or training do not just enhance your writing skills, but also help you grow your passion into a profitable venture, i.e. how to develop expertise in specialized areas, finding freelance writing jobs, growth prospects, and overall make you better prepared for the writing assignments.

2- Building a Portfolio

In absence of any experience, the only thing that a potential client will consider before hiring you will be your work sample. Thus, it is important to have some. You may display some PDFs on your social media accounts or get your work published on some websites and blogs. 

Having your own blog that has the portfolio of your writing across various topics looks very professional, and it is easily accessible for clients to see too. 

Publishing blogs on established websites that accept guest posts will establish your credibility and at the same time provide confidence to your potential clients. There are many quality blogs and niche websites that accept contributions and can serve as an excellent platform for you to display your work, that too, free of charge. 

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3- Create a Professional Profile

It is important to establish a professional identity in this field for clients to take you seriously. Even though you are indulging in this work as a freelancer, strict punctuality and discipline need to be maintained in order to excel. 

Creating a  LinkedIn or other professional network profile will make it easier for potential clients to contact you. You should also display your work samples or recent work in your profile for reference. A professional profile will serve as your advertisement.

How to Find & Get Freelance Writing Jobs?

Having a portfolio and a professional profile, you are all set to find freelance writing jobs, and in order to get well paying writing jobs, you will need more than just writing skills.

Let’s see what are the options; where and how to find and get freelance writing jobs. 

1- Explore Fiverr

Fiverr is one of the most popular online platforms to buy and sell digital services and a large number of clients look for quality writing services for their projects.

Sign up and create a gig that offers the best quality at the best price. Make sure to have your samples included in the gig. A video explaining your service will be a big plus. Check out the buyer requests section and apply for relevant requests and send your gig in the offer. 

Even though there is a lot of competition on this platform, if your services are unique, and you are offering high quality at the best price,  then getting work on Fiverr is not difficult.

2- Connect with Possible Clients over LinkedIn

This is another great platform that introduces you to a lot of people who are looking to connect professionally. Through professional networking websites like LinkedIn, you may be able to reach out to the right people who are looking for content writing assignments and offer your services to them.

Use LinkedIn search to find people from certain industries (Digital Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, etc.) in particular locations, Send them a connection request with a short pitch about your services.

Do not hesitate to send a welcome message to the new connections with a quick pitch about your service.

3- Explore Local job Websites

Local job websites are often the best way to look for local writing assignments. Many local and international companies post their job ads on these portals.

Look into the local section of international job sites and apply for the ads for content writing services including article marketing, product reviews, email marketing, blogging, website, etc.

4- Explore Freelancing Portals 

These portals allow freelancers as well as companies across the globe to collaborate or partner on various projects. Writing freelancers can sign up on freelancing portals like freelancer.com and Upwork, and search for work. However, these portals should not be used when you are a beginner.

The main reason for freelance portals not to be used initially is the fact that it requires a lot of effort and time to build a portfolio on these sites. Ideally, when you have a team of writers, one person should be dedicated to work on these portals and get projects.

The best part about these portals is that you can find and get high paying and long term projects from here.

How to Grow Your Freelance Writing Career

Once you have gained decent control over your writing skills and you have a smooth inflow of projects, then you should take a step forward to grow your freelance writing career to the next level.

You can either focus on certain niches and become more specialized or build a team of writers whereby you focus on getting projects, getting the work done by the writers, review their work and fix issues and deliver.   

Whichever path you choose, you must learn certain skills, i.e. the insights of Search Engine Optimization or SEO, content marketing, product marketing & management, etc. 

Clients are ready to pay for content that is not only informative and educative but also which has the right mix of keywords and results in a higher ranking on search engines.