How to Become a Freelance Writer Online [2023 Beginners Guide]

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It is truly an exciting matter when you can get paid for the thing that you do best.

If you have a niche for writing and are really passionate about it, then you can very well earn money from it.

This is not just a dream but something that is very real.

Freelance writing has many new opportunities that help you earn money by writing different kinds of articles, blogs, and other things.

You can start freelance writing as a passion and finally pursue it as a career opportunity.

Here I will talk about the different opportunities that freelance writing brings with it and how it can benefit beginners.

how to become freelance writer step by step guide

What Is Freelance Writing [For Beginners]?

Freelance writing is writing a piece of information for a client or a third party for which you are paid.

Freelance writing in current times mostly involves writing blogs or articles for online websites.

The client reaches the writer with their requirement and in turn, the writer writes the required information in the format that the client wants them to.

The best thing about being a freelance writer is that you can work for many people at the same time.

You would not have a fixed employer and you can choose projects according to the comfort zone you have.

There are different companies who can hire you for your writing expertise and you would have to write blogs or articles for their websites.

There are many other jobs that a freelance writer can do such as writing for social media sites, classifieds, and other places.

If you are a beginner then you can explore a lot of different zones before you decide on the kind of writing that you are comfortable with.

However, being a freelance writer you would have to be open to new ideas and jobs so that you can expand your horizon in the writing field.

There are many sites which are perfect for beginner freelance writers to begin their journey.

You can sign up your account in these sites and welcome new jobs which will give you a hang of what the work actually demands.

The payment is done based on the work and the quality of the articles.

As a beginner, it is advisable to take up a moderate amount of work so that you understand the procedure of writing and how to meet with the deadlines.

The most important thing about freelance writing is that you have to finish within the client given deadline.

How to Start Freelance Writing?

There are many steps by following which you can start your freelance writing journey.

It may seem like quite an easy job, and it is if you get the hang of it.

But there are certain important things that you need to follow so that you can get started.

Follow these steps if you are a beginner freelance writer.

These steps need to be followed properly so that you can begin a comfortable journey in the writing field.

Mentioned below are the important steps for becoming a freelance writer.

Step 1: Creating Your Portfolio

The first thing to do is to create your own portfolio.

For a freelance writer, the portfolio is a very important thing.

Without a portfolio, you would not be able to get jobs.

The portfolio would contain different articles and blogs that you have written.

Even if you are a beginner, you need to have samples of your work so that the client understands the kind of work that you do.

Without proper samples, you would not get any work since the client would not just trust your word.

They would need to see the samples.

Even if you have your own blog, it could act as a very good sample portfolio.

Here’s the list of profitable Freelance Niche that you can try in 2019.

Step 2: Creating a Profile in Freelance Websites

The next thing would create a profile on different freelance websites.

This is another very important thing since freelance websites have an accumulation of different clients.

Many freelance websites demand a small fee to make sure that you are an authentic writer.

However, there are many free sites as well.

Creating a profile on these sites would ensure that you can start getting work.

Your profile should have your complete details along with links or attachments of your work so that the client can see them when they view your profile.

A more detailed profile would have more chances of getting work.

Step 3: Bid For Different Projects

Once you have created the profile on the websites, you will see the requirement for writers for different works.

You would need to bid on these jobs along with many other writers.

The key here is not to underbid or overbid.

By underbidding you would not only create undervalue for yourself but for other writers as well.

Try to bid the perfect amount even if you are a beginner.

Having a strong profile along with the correct bid would help you in landing the job.

You might not be able to get the first few jobs but do not be disheartened.

Step 4: Increase Your Credibility

As you start applying for more jobs you would have to build your credibility.

There are many freelance writers in current times and you would have to outshine yourself to get hired by the clients.

The easiest way to do that is to know in detail about the needs and requirements of the client.

There are many online SEO courses that would help to increase your credibility and incur the client’s trust in you and your work.

Moreover, you could also keep writing your own blogs and articles and try to generate traffic and views in them so that the client knows that you have people who follow and like your work.

Step 5: Have Your Own Blog

This may not seem like something important but it is a very major reason for getting selected by clients.

Having your own blog will be helpful in attracting different kinds of clients as well.

There are people who will visit your blog and would like your work.

Some of these people may also be your potential clients.

Moreover, having a blog is also another way of making money.

You can follow a theme in your blog and keep writing on that.

You can explore a different interesting topic that will be able to attract more crowd who will read your blogs.

Freelance writers are in abundance and also in high demand.

Different employers are continuously searching for writers who can write content for their websites.

In Short…

This is why even beginners can get various opportunities and projects if they are able to follow these five simple steps mentioned above.

Having a strong work portfolio would help the workers to a great extent and could make sure that they get numerous jobs.

There is a huge scope of earning if the writer is able to seriously get into the market.

If the writer is able to maintain their standard of writing then they could slowly increase their pay and make a permanent earning out of the work.

Skills Required As a Freelance Writer

There are many skills that a freelance writer needs to have.

Without these skills, it would be impossible to get your place in this highly competitive field.

Writing should always be your strong forte when you are trying to become a freelance writer but there are some other important skills that will help you grow.

Mentioned below are certain skills that you should have as a freelance writer.

1. Should Be Organized

The most important thing about being a freelance writer is that you have to be extremely organized.

Without proper routine and dedication, you would not be able to gain success in this field.

This is because when you are a freelance writer you will have to take in many different kinds of projects from different clients.

You would also have to manage the timeline and deadline for these projects according to the requirement of the client.

Moreover, if you have a blog if your own then you would have to manage it as well.

Any mistake in this part could be a huge deal.

2. Should Know Proper Blogging

Not every writer knows how to blog and this is a very important skill for a freelance writer.

You should have proper blogging skills so that you know how to attract readers.

Blogging is necessary since in writing you would have to make sure that the audience will connect with what you have written.

The content that you write should be quite interesting and able to meet the needs of the client.

When a reader sees the blog, he or she should get an initials idea just by having a look at it.

Make the blog in bullets or numbers so that the main points are highlighted.

3. Should be Very Confident

Confidence is the key to success.

You should be confident about yourself and your work to make sure that it shows in your work.

When you have confidence in your skills it will automatically be displayed on the work that you do.

Moreover, you might be rejected a lot of times when you start working.

This should not upset you in any way since you would have to face the rejections with confidence as well.

These skills are very important in a freelance writer as without these skills you would not be able to understand the trade.

Tools Required for Becoming a Freelance Writer

Along with skills, there are also certain tools that you would need for your freelance writing.

These tools are as follows;

You should have a laptop which you can carry with you to different places. This would help you to write even if you are not at home and are frequently traveling. Having a desktop is also fine if you are working from the comfort of your home.
You should have a comfortable seating arrangement. This is because writing would take up a major part of your time and not having a comfortable posture could be bad for your body.
Make a work email address where your clients can interact with you without mixing up your emails.
A PayPal or Stripe account is also mandatory so that your clients can send you your payment.

How to Become a Freelance Writer with No Experience

Sometimes you might have the characteristics of a freelance writer, but you may not have had any professional experience.

In such cases, you would need to show that you are a freelance writer indeed even if you have no experience.

If this is the case with you, then here are some easy steps that can help you get started as a freelance writer.

Start Blogging on Your Own

You would need to start somewhere if you want to enter the market for freelance writing.

The best way to do this would be to start blogging.

You could create your own blogs and start writing on any topic that you feel comfortable with.

This is a way of showing your writing skills which otherwise was unexplored.

It would also not cost you much since you can start in low budget blogs.

Start Writing For Guest Posts

Guest posts are those where you write for a third party and they use your content.

You can get paid well in guest posts.

You can search in Google to find different guest posts availability and it would not take up much of your time.

Finding guest post requirements are very easy.

Set Up A Profile In Freelancing Website

This is needed even if you have experience.

You can open your profile in Contently which is a blog for content marketing and create your portfolio here.

You can upload all your samples here and then make sure that the portfolio is attractive enough to get clients to
hire you.

Create A Social Media Page

Social media is on the rise and creating a page on Facebook can help you to get noticed.

You can fill the page with your own work so that it could get the attention of different clients.

Make sure that your page is attractive to get more members.

You would also have to follow a well-known brand and companies who might be your future clients.

They would be able to view your work and hire you if they like it.

Make sure to continuously update your page so that it remains active.

Here’s the post you should read: How to use social media as a writer?

List of Freelance Writing Websites You Can Try

Mentioned below are some of the names of freelancing websites where you could create your profile:

There are many other websites as well which can be found through extensive research.

No matter where you register to try to match the requirements of the client to make sure that you have a good reputation for your work.

This would help you in getting future works as well as you can have good feedback from your earlier clients.

Follow the deadlines and the needs of the clients to remain in their good books.