100 Freelance Writing Tips After Earning $100,000+ in 2 Years

Use these strategies to start and grow your writing business

I never thought I’d get to write a post like this.

A few short years ago, I was a broke blogger making $500 per month from Google ad revenue.

To pay my bills, I was also flipping stuff on Craigslist, using 0% balance transfers on my credit card, and burning through my savings account.

But in January of 2018, I went all-in on freelance writing. That one decision changed my life and business in the best way possible.

In two years, I cracked $100,000 from writing online and working part-time.

I got paid to write about personal finance, self-improvement, digital marketing, and golf content.

While there are have been a lot of ups and downs, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved since boldly quitting my six-figure job in 2017.

Use these 100 tips to avoid my mistakes so that you can launch and scale your own freelance writing business.

1. Don’t give up — at the beginning of monetizing your writing online, it’s always tough. You just have to keep going and know that you can do it.
2. Outline your work so that you never stare at a blank piece of paper when beginning a new project.
3. Find your ideal writing time to write faster and create your highest quality of work (usually, this time is earlier in the day).
4. Block out distractions while writing to stay focused and produce your best work.
5. Use Grammarly Pro to edit your work. I once lost my highest paying client because my editing was so bad. Please don’t make this mistake.
6. Hire a coach for 1:1 or group coaching to speed up success.
7. Write in a journal on a regular basis. Use it to brain dump ideas and manifest your goals by writing them as if they were already done.
8. Always set goals no matter where you’re at in your freelance writing journey. Whether you’re making $500 per month or $5,000 per month, keep setting goals so that you always have money coming in.
9. Network with other writers to avoid loneliness and get support from other people doing what you’re doing.
10. Study SEO like your life depends on it.
11. And then study SEO some more. Seriously, if you want to make six-figures writing, you need to get your clients' content to rank high in Google so they get more leads and revenue.
12. Hone your work on Medium if you aren’t ready to start a blog or go all-in on freelance writing (yet).
13. Get in the habit of writing. While I don’t think you need to write every single day, I do think that you need to stay consistent so that you can learn how to write faster and refine your process.
14. Use Upwork to land your first client. Sure, some gigs are low paying, but it’s a good way to build momentum and get your first client.
15. Read more books about your niche and other topics that interest you to cultivate new ideas.
16. Turn off your phone and put it far away from your computer when you’re writing. This will help you avoid context switching and stay in a flow state.
17. Use a notes app on your phone to document new ideas and never lose your inspiration.
18. Get out of the house and talk to real people (even if you’re an introvert). I’ve gone days without talking to anyone except my dog and girlfriend (it’s not a good idea).
19. Never miss deadlines.
20. Plan your week on Sundays so that you have plenty of time for all of your writing.
21. Use a timer to get more done in less time. Set small windows of time to pump out content and see how quickly you can get work done!
22. Use the Pareto principle to write efficiently, and take strategic breaks during your workday.
23. Understand that writing is only about 10% of blogging. If you want to start a blog, be prepared to also learn SEO, Facebook ads, social media, Pinterest, networking with other bloggers, and hiring a team.
24. Invest in an online writing course from a successful writer to get their proven roadmap for success. This will help you save time and have a clear plan to take action on your dreams.
25. Use LinkedIn to promote your work, network with other writers, and message potential clients on LinkedIn.
26. Become an expert in your niche so that you can charge more money and scale your writing business.
27. Raise your rates sooner than you think you should. If you’re the type of person that is “worried” that you aren’t worth the new rate, you are also the type of person who can deliver. Raising your rates forces you to level up as a writer and freelancer.
28. Fire clients that pay your invoices late and always want to jump on the phone (for free). Your time is valuable, act like it!
29. Don’t neglect social media as a writer. I landed my biggest client from Instagram by posting relevant content to my niche.
30. Use Twitter to find freelance writing jobs and promote your work.
31. Add the terms “freelance writer,” “copywriter,” and “writer” to your social media profiles to help show up in search results.
32. Write in a second niche about content you’re passionate about.
33. Listen to binaural beats while writing to stay focused.
34. Use meditation and self-hypnosis regularly to reduce everyday stress, protect your mental health, and find more clarity in life.
35. Add your writing website or portfolio to your email signature.
36. Ask clients for referrals.
37. Increase your worth to clients by researching keywords, suggesting ideas, writing social media captions, or finding relevant images.
38. Learn how to use Wordpress so you can upload content for clients and provide more value to your clients.
39. Guest post for free on big publications to get your name out there at the beginning of your journey.
40. Don’t write for free forever (maybe two or three posts max for each site) before asking to make it a paid gig.
41. Use Contena.co to find jobs faster instead of searching 10 job boards every day.
42. Buy your own name as the domain for your writing website.
43. Ask clients for testimonials so you can post them on your freelance writing website and attract more clients with social proof.
44. Don’t evaluate clients on how much you get paid for each project. Instead, calculate your hourly rate. Some clients might pay more, but their work might take two to three times longer to complete. Protect your time!
45. Use CoSchedule Headline Analyzer to create epic titles.
46. Study hypnotic language and NLP so you can write more compelling content that engages readers.
47. Quit using the term broke writer. Speak your future success into existence by thinking and saying, “I am a successful and wealthy writer.”
48. Use Fiverr to build a rate sheet for your writer website (here is an example of mine).
49. Always asks clients for feedback so you can get better and make fewer mistakes in the future.
50. Get to know your clients so you’re more than just a pen for hire — you’ll also become a business connection and friend.
51. Don’t take anything personally. Remember, you’re running a business!
52. Understand that rejection is part of the process and learn to reframe it. Each no will eventually lead to YES!
53. Film a short video about yourself and your writing business to add to your Upwork profile and website. This will help you stand out against other writers and help clients get to know, like, and trust you.
54. Use contracts for retainer clients that are over $1,000/month to protect yourself.
55. Don’t get mad, sad, or beat yourself up when a client drops you. Getting fired happens to everyone — understand that it’s part of the process. Stay positive and keep moving forward, and don’t forget that there are endless amounts of jobs online.
56. Open a Business Paypal account and use Freshbooks or Quickbooks for monthly accounting.
57. Keep receipts so you can write off business expenses.
58. Wear beta-blockers to protect your eyes.
59. Spell check after you finish writing your content. Never worry about spelling during your first draft.
60. Use Surfer SEO for keyword research to impress your clients and help improve their search rankings.
61. Buy a stand-up desk (it’s the best $100 I’ve spent as a writer).
62. Use a second monitor so you can write on one screen and have research up on the other one.
63. Always pitch at a higher rate so that you have room for negotiations. If you start low, you have no leverage to negotiate and the client is in control.
64. Attend local events to find potential clients and network with business owners.
65. Don’t be spammy in Facebook groups and DM everyone in there looking for jobs.
66. Help new writers by teaching them what you to know #karma.
67. Wear noise-canceling headphones so you can focus and write faster.
68. Focus on growing one social media platform instead of barely showing up on any of them.
69. Always follow up with clients several times after your initial pitch. Not following up is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a writer and one of the seven biggest reasons people aren’t hiring you!
70. Don’t get complacent with your clients and income. Stay hungry and don’t stop doing what worked at the beginning.
71. Write everything in Google Drive so you never lose your work.
72. Make a quotes journal or use a Google Doc so that you have plenty of quotes for your writing.
73. Have plenty of white space in your content so it’s easy to read.
74. Write at a fourth to eighth-grade level (seriously).
75. Use Readable to help with this tip ^.
76. Never charge by the hour as you limit your earning potential. Always charge per word, per project, or on a retainer basis.
77. On your writing website, make it very simple for clients to contact you by having a contact page, adding your email in the footer, and linking to your social media profiles.
78. Buy a professional email address from Google ($5/month) to look savvier and committed to your online business.
79. Understand that pitching is just a numbers game. The more people you pitch, the more likely you are to land clients.
80. Use Hunter to find client email addresses when pitching new clients.
81. Always end your content with a call-to-action.
82. Keep learning new skills so you have more to offer clients and can warrant rate increases.
83. Use Elementor Page Builder to easily create your writing website.
84. Learn how to use the Yoast SEO plugin to optimize your content so it can rank high in Google and keep clients happy.
85. Download Zoom so you can talk to clients and they can put a face to your name. Also, get familiar with Slack and Trello as well.
86. Don’t plan on making millions of dollars from publishing a book (unless you’re going on a speaking tour, landed a book deal, have a huge following, and want to do coaching).
87. Charge more for ghostwriting projects as you don’t get to show them off on your profile.
88. Take breaks to recharge and get away from your computer screen. Disconnect from your phone, exercise, and get outdoors to give your mind and eyes a rest.
89. Switch from content writing to copywriting to make more money and write fewer words.
90. Show where you have been featured on your writing website to build authority and establish credibility.
91. Download Keywords Everywhere to help your SEO game.
92. Nail your elevator pitch so that you’re more confident when talking to strangers about your writing business. Remember, you only get one first impression, and so make it count.
93. If you’re in a nine to five but want to make money writing, schedule time for your writing in the morning when you’re fresh and energized to do the writing part of it. Then, at lunch and after work, you can edit, format, and email or pitch clients as needed.
94. Save money for taxes!
95. Sip some alcohol if you’re not feeling very creative and need to get the ball rolling (but don’t write tipsy unless you can edit sober).
96. Affirm to yourself all the time that you already are a wealthy writer (not “you will be”) — the subconscious mind only knows the here and now so affirm your greatness even if it’s not here (yet).
97. Pitch your writing services to local businesses and visit them in-person to land the job and stand out among other writers.
98. Batch everything that you do (writing, outlines, editing, pitching, etc.) to save time.
99. Listen to my podcast (Inspire Your Success) to avoid common mistakes that most freelance writers make.
100. Be proud of yourself for putting yourself out there and going after your dreams!

Hopefully, you can take these tips and start or grow your freelance writing business.

If I can make over $100,000 freelance writing in two years, working part-time, I know you can too.

Remember, at the beginning of your writing journey, everything will feel like the hardest thing ever. This includes landing clients, pitching your services, learning SEO, writing, and everything else.

But once you find your groove, your hands will hit the keys like Beethoven’s on the keys of a piano.

Soon, you will be making money from home, traveling, enjoying life, and getting paid to write words online.

I believe in you — go out there and make it happen!