Learning how to start freelance writing begins with understanding what freelance writing really is. It is not simply writing for money. It is providing useful writing services to people, publications, companies, organizations, readers, and other clients who need professional, on-time writing.
That distinction matters because successful freelance writers are not paid only for their ability to write well. They are also paid for reliability, judgment, subject knowledge, communication, and their ability to solve a client’s problem. The writing is essential, but the business surrounding the writing is what turns occasional assignments into a career.
I began writing professionally in 1962, and over the decades I have written books, articles, manuals, consumer guides, business material, and many other forms of nonfiction and creative fiction. The markets and tools have changed enormously, but the basic principles of starting a freelance writing career have not changed nearly as much. You still need something useful to offer, people who need it, and a professional way to bring the two together.
“Freelance writing” covers a very large territory. Before looking for clients, decide what kinds of work you are willing and able to do.
Possible assignments include articles, blog posts, newsletters, website copy, reports, brochures, case studies, manuals, white papers, product descriptions, speeches, scripts, press releases, grant material, ghostwriting, editing, and many other forms of business and consumer communication. In fiction writing, you can produce short stories, novellas, chapter books, stand-alone books, series books, screenplays, and other forms of written imagination.
You do not have to choose one specialty forever. In fact, many freelancers work in several areas. But starting with a narrower definition of what you offer makes it easier to explain your value to prospective clients.
Ask yourself three questions. What do I write well? What subjects do I understand? What kinds of clients are likely to pay for that work?
Where those three answers overlap, you may have the beginnings of a useful freelance specialty.
Beginning freelancers often assume they must become experts in a new field before they can start. Usually, the fastest route is to begin with knowledge you already have.
If you have worked in construction, health care, education, manufacturing, technology, finance, government, retail, transportation, or almost any other industry, you know things an outsider does not know. That knowledge can make you more valuable than a writer who has stronger credentials but little understanding of the subject. You also can use your knowledge as interesting background for your fictional characters.
The same applies to hobbies and life experience. Woodworking, gardening, travel, parenting, small business, automobiles, cooking, crafts, sports, and countless other subjects all generate writing markets. Your fictional characters, too, often need well-rounded lives that include these skills and experiences to make them more interesting and your story more life-like.
Professional writing is partly about words, but it is also about knowing what is worth saying.
A client usually does not wake up thinking, “I need a writer.”
The client is more likely thinking, “We need a better website,” “We need to explain this product,” “We need more customers,” “We need this report finished,” or “We need somebody to turn all this information into something people can understand.” Or market research is telling you that “Readers want a suspenseful story where the protagonist must overcome specific limitations.”
That is the problem you are really being hired to solve.
This is one of the most important ideas in how to start freelance writing. Do not sell only your ability to produce words. Show how your writing helps the client accomplish something.
A restaurant owner may need menu copy that sells more profitable dishes. A consultant may need articles that demonstrate expertise. A manufacturer may need instructions customers can actually follow. A nonprofit may need donor communications that explain why its work matters. A publisher of romance novels may need stories about people who you understand.
When you understand the result the client wants, you can write more effectively and make yourself more valuable.
Prospective clients need some evidence that you can do the work.
If you already have published material, select your strongest and most relevant examples. You do not need to show everything you have ever written. A few well-chosen samples are more useful than a large collection of unrelated material.
If you do not yet have professional samples, create some.
Write a sample article for an industry you know. Rewrite a weak business webpage as an exercise. Create a short newsletter article, product description, case study, or instructional piece. Make the samples representative of the kind of work you want to be hired to do. Write a short and compelling story based on a protagonist you can relate to.
A sample need not have been purchased by a client to demonstrate your ability. Just label unpublished samples honestly.
The purpose is simple: when someone asks, “Can you do this kind of work?” you should be able to show that you can.
Writers sometimes begin by chasing the largest, most prestigious markets. There is nothing wrong with ambition, but smaller and more accessible clients can provide valuable early experience.
A practical way to learn how to start freelance writing is to begin with markets you already understand and can reach.
Look around you. Local businesses need website copy, newsletters, brochures, social content, customer emails, instructions, and other written material. Professional associations need articles and member communications. Trade publications need knowledgeable contributors. Nonprofits need fundraising and informational material. Small companies often need writing help but don’t have a writer on staff. Readers of all fiction genres need new and compelling stories.
You can also look beyond your local area. Freelance writing has long been portable work, and online communication has made geography less important for many assignments.
The important thing is to begin where your knowledge and access give you an advantage.
“I’m a freelance writer” is not a particularly strong sales message.
“I help small manufacturers create clear product instructions and customer materials” is much stronger.
So is:
“I write practical articles for woodworking and home-improvement publications.”
Or:
“I help readers enjoy a compelling story about veterinarians who travel to foreign lands for new clients and adventures.”
Specific offers are easier for prospective clients to understand and remember.
You can broaden your services later. At the beginning, clarity is more useful than trying to appear capable of writing anything for anybody.
Freelance writing becomes a business when finding work becomes a regular activity instead of something you do only when you have no assignments. In my book-writing career, I often spent about 25% of my time in developing and marketing new projects.
Build a list of prospects. These might include businesses, publishers, agencies, associations, nonprofit organizations, consultants, or other people who regularly need the kind of writing you provide.
Then contact them professionally.
Your message does not need to be elaborate. Introduce yourself, explain briefly what you do, mention why you think your services might be relevant, and provide a simple next step. Include or link to appropriate samples if useful.
Do not expect every prospect to respond. Most will not. That is normal.
Freelancing is partly a numbers business. A small percentage of well-chosen prospects can produce enough work to make the effort worthwhile.
Many fiction and nonfiction writers hire literary agents for marketing help. However, you must first learn to market for yourself before you can earn an agent’s interest. (More info on getting an agent is in my book, Working Writer Secrets.)
Your first few assignments matter because they can lead to referrals, repeat work, and better samples.
Confirm what the client wants before you begin. Understand the deadline, approximate length, intended audience, format, revisions, and payment terms. Ask questions when something is unclear.
Then do what you said you would do. Meet the deadline. Follow instructions. Check facts. Deliver clean copy. Respond to reasonable questions. Make agreed revisions promptly.
A surprising amount of freelance success comes from being dependable.
Clients may admire brilliant writing, but they also remember the writer who made their job easier.
If you are learning how to start freelance writing, concentrate first on getting one useful assignment and doing it well.
New freelancers often underprice themselves because they think they are being paid only for typing.
You are also being paid for research, planning, interviews, organization, revisions, communication, judgment, experience, and the time required to understand the assignment.
Some projects are best priced by the hour, some by the word, and many by the project. The right method depends on the work.
At the beginning, you may accept lower-paying assignments because they provide experience, samples, or useful contacts. That can be reasonable. Just do not confuse an introductory rate with your permanent value.
As you gain experience, you should become better at estimating the real amount of work an assignment requires and pricing accordingly.
Finding a new client usually takes more effort than doing another assignment for a satisfied existing client.
That makes repeat business extremely valuable.
When you complete an assignment, stay in touch appropriately. Ask whether the client has upcoming projects. Suggest related work when you see a genuine need. If you wrote a website page, the client may also need an email series. If you wrote an article, perhaps there is a logical follow-up article. Your short story may become a novel — or even a series of novels.
Do not become a nuisance. Simply make it easy for a satisfied publisher or client to hire you again. Over time, a small group of repeat clients can provide a much more stable freelance business than constantly searching for one-time assignments.
Freelance writers have two jobs.
The first is writing.
The second is operating a writing business.
Improving your craft helps you produce better work. Improving your business skills helps you find clients, price assignments, manage deadlines, keep records, collect payments, and build income.
Neglect either side and progress becomes harder. The strongest freelancers are not necessarily the most literary writers. They are writers who consistently produce useful work, understand clients, communicate clearly, and operate professionally.
Personally, I am a skilled writer with well-developed research and marketing abilities. Those skills have given me a meaningful career and the opportunity to entertain, inform, and help hundreds of thousands of people on subjects that matter to them.
Finding clients is only the beginning. Once freelance writing begins producing income, you also have to make decisions about pricing, expenses, marketing, cash flow, recordkeeping, taxes, and how to develop several dependable sources of income.
Those are the subjects I cover in greater depth in Working Writer Profits: How to Write for Money, my practical guide to the business side of professional writing. It is intended for fiction and nonfiction writers who want not merely to sell an occasional assignment, but to build writing into a profitable and sustainable business.
Here’s my takeaway: If you want to begin, do not wait until everything is perfect. Start with a manageable sequence.
You do not need a large website, expensive equipment, complicated marketing system, or impressive title to begin. You need useful writing ability, a clear offer, some evidence that you can deliver, and the willingness to approach people who may need what you provide.
The first assignment is often the hardest to get because you have no track record yet. The second project usually becomes easier. Each successful project gives you another sample, another contact, another lesson, and perhaps another referral.
That is how freelance writing careers are built: one useful assignment at a time.
Want to take the next step? If you’re beginning your freelance writing career, download my free ebook, Working Writer Tips: How to Write Anything Better, Faster, Easier, and receive my weekly Advanced Writing Tips newsletter. And check out my other free Writing Guides!
If you’re ready to concentrate on the business side—finding profitable work, setting prices, managing money, marketing your services, and developing multiple income streams—learn more about Working Writer Profits: How to Write for Money.
–Dan Ramsey, Working Writer