Freelance writing sure has attractive benefits. As a freelance writer you’ve got flexible working hours, location freedom, and the ability to earn a living doing something you are passionate about.

In this article I would be schooling you on necessary insights as regards becoming a successful Freelance writer.

First of all, let’s tackle these questions:
How does one become a Freelance writer?

What steps are to be taken in order to avoid common pitfalls as you build your writing business?

And how does one set his/herself apart from other writers in a market place saturated with writers, many of whom are willing to work at nominal rates?

For many aspiring writers these questions and fears can be overpowering. That’s why I’ve decided to share with y’all important lessons I’ve learned from 25 top freelance writing experts and put together a guide that will see you through the process of becoming a succesful freelance writer.

This guide will take you from frightened and confused about how to charge for your writing to feeling confident in your ability to find clients and then deliver great writing to them.

1. Choose a freelance writing niche: There are a variety of freelance writing opportunities out there. Step One to building your freelance writing business is deciding which of these opportunities you are going to pursue:

Copywriting — Copywriters create content intended to produce a specific action from the reader: make a purchase, book a consultation, opt-in to a mailing list, etc. These writing gigs can include sales pages, email marketing, landing pages, white papers, and more.

Content Writing — Content writers produce content meant to share valuable, relevant, and/or entertaining information in order to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience.

Professional Blogger — Professional bloggers make a living writing for their own website and then either selling something to the audience they’ve built via their blog or selling access to that audience via advertising or affiliate offers.

Ghostwriting — Ghostwriting is produced by one writer, but published under someone else’s by-line. This can include blog posts, articles, books, and more.

Journalism — Journalists write about news or other current events information. This type of writing traditionally includes newspaper articles, editorials, magazine articles, and interviews.

2. Don’t expect success to come overnight:
Building a successful freelance writing business that supports you full-time is absolutely possible, but it isn’t going to happen overnight. Building a business takes time and you need to go in understanding that fact.

“I freelanced in one capacity or another for over five years before I quit my day job. I had a respectable amount of money socked away when I finally resigned, but was unprepared for how long I’d have to wait between freelance checks sometimes. Even though I thought I’d responsibly prepared for whatever financial setbacks came my way, I wasn’t ready for how quickly my reserve would drain while I frantically re-invoiced clients.” ~ Lauren Hoffman

3. Create a blog that matters:
If you’re building a business, you need a website. And if you are building a writing-based business, you absolutely must have a blog.

In her Problogger article, Have You Got What it Takes to Become a Highly Paid Freelance Blogger? , freelance writer Marya Jan notes, “You need to have a successful blog. This one seems like stating the obvious, doesn’t it? If you don’t have a blog, how do you even know if you’d enjoy blogging for pay?”

In addition to being a source of content marketing for your business, building a successful blog is also an excellent opportunity to practice your craft. “If you want to become a writer, you need to get used to writing for others. You need to practice taking feedback and dealing with rejection. You also need to start earning some fans. You do this by publishing, publishing small and regularly,” notes Joe Bunting . Your blog is the perfect place to do just that. Just last year alone my blog fetched me several job offers. I only had to choose the most convenient job. As easy as that.

4. Build your portfolio:
While your blog will serve as one sample of your writing and will help to grow your audience, you’ll also want to begin to build a portfolio of pieces written for larger websites, publication, and early clients.
Guest blogging for high authority websites can be an excellent way to get your foot in the door and build your portfolio of articles.

5. Identify your ideal clients:
You’ll likely start off taking any work you can get, but, like all freelancers, you’ll soon realize not all clients are created equal. You’re going to want to identify your ideal clients, and focus your marketing efforts on them.

6. Get networking:
Wondering where to find your first few clients? Look no further than your existing network. “Social media continues to become a more and more important marketing channel, but the most effective marketing strategies for service-based businesses, including freelance writers, will always be networking and referrals.”

7. Learn to sell:
The ability to write is one skill, but the ability to sell yourself as a writer is something else entirely. If you are going to make a living in the highly competitive world of freelance writing, you must learn the art of sales.

“In the new digital arena, the ability to sell is a premium skill. “It is a skill you can’t do without to thrive. You should cultivate the ability to sell or you’ll not be able to acquire clients.”

8. Set value-based rates: Deciding what to charge can be one of the most intimidating decisions for new freelancers , so it’s important to familiarize yourself with industry standards and then determine where you are going to position yourself within them. As a freelance writer, you will NOT want to charge an hourly rate. Why not?

As Ed Gandia, host of the High-Income Business Writing podcast, explains “When you price by the hour, you make LESS money the faster/better you get. When you price by project, you make MORE money the faster/better you get.”

9. Provide massive value:
We’ve already discussed benefits-based selling and value-based rates. Now it’s time for you to prove that you are worth the money you’re charging. Producing high-quality contents for your clients isn’t just a goal you’ll strive for; it’s the entry level ticket into the game. If you can’t produce great work in a professional manner, all the marketing in the world won’t save you.

CONCLUSION:
Becoming a valued Freelance writer ain’t easy but if there are people who’ve achieved that status you too can. Just stick to the 9-step path outlined here, heed the advice and tips shared by other experts, and you’ll be well on your way to a successful career as a paid writer.

Source:
http://colouredscribes.com/tips-on-how-to-become-a-valued-freelance-writer

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This topic really saved my life! I followed all the steps and found a freelance job at https://freelancewriting.biz/for-college-students/. God bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ. My life is so much better now because of it!

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