12 Tips for New Freelance Writers

Kickstart your freelance business today

Are you struggling to start your freelance writing business?

Are you finding it difficult to identify a starting point?

You are not alone.

When I started my business, I was unsure of where to go or who to approach. I did a lot of research, reading and asking around when I first started out and as my business has grown I have come up with these tips that will help to kick-start your career.

1: Have a current website.

When you are first starting out as a freelance writer, you generally won’t have a portfolio or many samples of your writing to showcase. You can create samples and put them on your website. Potential clients can view your website and see the style of your writing, or they can even potentially find you through your website and contact you directly for work.

Not only is having your own business website a great way to showcase your writing, but it also helps to improve your writing. I read back through some of my old posts and shake my head. The noticeable improvement from my first post to my current post is huge. It is true that writing every day really does improve your skills.

2: Develop a Marketing Plan

I know I reference Elna Cain a lot, but she is great at what she does! Not only is she a work-from-home mother, but she also has 4 different blogs and runs a successful freelance writing business. In one of her posts, she talks about the importance of having a solid marketing plan, which we all know is essential to staying in business. And it is something Elna Cain seems to do incredibly well.

To maintain and solidify your freelance writing business you need to attract clients, and the way to do this is by developing your reputation by marketing yourself. Some tips I have picked up along the way (and yes, I also found great tips on Elna Cain’s website) to market yourself include:

• Regularly guest post. This helps you create an author bio and establishes your reputation. It is also a great way to develop strong links to the writing community and form a network of contacts.
• Develop your social media profiles, and update them regularly. Whatever mediums you choose to use (I currently have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram) ensure you reach out to other writers in your community so you grow your network. They are also an easy and effective way to grow your online presence so people can find you easier.
• Develop your own writer website, update it and blog consistently. As mentioned above, it is a fantastic way to showcase your writing, as well as forming another point of contact for people to find you.
• Comment on blogs, posts and websites you wish to write for, or where you know your name will be seen. This may take some time to notice the impact you are having, however, it is a great way to establish a name for yourself.

3: Pitch, Pitch, And Pitch!

So you have established your website, printed business cards, perfected your email signature and created your online social media profiles.

What now?

The clients won't suddenly start knocking at your door. You are a faceless writer in a sea of writers at the moment. You need to establish your reputation and hustle up some clients.

So as a new freelance writer it is your prerogative to find clients and to start pitching to them. I found the best way is to set a goal and stick to it.

For example, pitch to new clients 10 times a week.

You can find these clients in many places, such as job boards, newspaper advertisements, magazines or word of mouth.

For a while there I was a member of freelancer.com, although I would not recommend it. I found that other freelancers significantly undercut prices on here, so you were hard pushed to make an income that reflected the time and effort you would put into that particular writing project. I am no longer a member as I found the effort didn’t pay off and there was no way I would be able to earn enough to live off. But it did provide a starting point at a time where I was trying to find my feet.

You can also undertake what is known as a “cold pitch”. This is where you find a company, business or person who is not actively looking for a freelance writer however you believe you can assist them with their writing needs. You then develop a pitch towards their business stating how you can help them, and why.

https://r-m-writing.medium.com/do-you-need-to-hire-a-freelance-writer-23496bc70554

Hopefully, once you have established your business then prospective clients will begin to approach you and you will find you won't need to spend as much time and effort pitching.

Elna Cain wrote a fantastic post on her first successful pitch and how to write a great pitch.

4: Network with other freelance writers

There are many online groups of writers, freelancers, and small business owners that are an invaluable resource for information, advice or even jobs. I have joined a few online groups and have found them incredibly helpful when establishing my writing business.

You will find there is always someone on there who can help answer your questions, such as how much to charge for a certain project, what should you include in your writing contract, or even where to go for more help.

Other writer’s websites and blogs are also a valuable source of information. They may have answers to your questions, or posts that inspire your blogs and writing projects. When I am stuck for ideas for my next blog, I search other writer’s websites and skim through them for ideas.

5: The importance of a thorough brief

When you are discussing the project with your client, ensure you take a thorough creative brief. Ask all of your questions and ensure you completely understand the scope of the project before you develop a quote.

You don’t want to take on the project only to find out after you have both agreed upon a costing for the project that it would require twice the amount of work you originally thought.

If your client has already developed a brief for you, then ensure you read it word for word. You need to understand exactly what your client expects from you before you accept the project.

6: Don’t write about a subject you don’t understand

It is best to be honest with your client, and admit that you do not understand the topic. If it is something that may be easily researched and you are confident you can write an article, blog or whatever form the project is, that is well-written and high quality then for sure take on the project.

However, if you still have absolutely no idea then do not accept the work.

The simple fact is, if you do not understand the topic it will come across in your writing.

How can you expect your intended audience to understand the topic, if you don’t understand it yourself? It is best to be honest than to take on work willy-nilly and hope for the best.

7. Invoices

The polite thing to do is to wait until your work has final approval before you send your invoice. However, you need to send it through as quickly as possible after your work has been approved. It is not professional, or logical, to wait months or even a few weeks before sending your invoice through.

For new clients make sure you ask for a deposit! This is essential. It will also help scare off any of those nasty people who want to use you for free labour.

8: Familiarise yourself with the website/publication

When writing for a website or publication it is helpful to read some of their articles and copy them before starting your own project for them.

It helps you to gain a feel for the writing style that suits their publication and increases your chances of producing a project in keeping with this style. In addition, most websites or publications will generally have editorial guidelines that you must follow. Ensure you read them thoroughly as they will help form the creative brief, the importance of which we have already touched upon.

9: Communication

The importance of communication can never be understated.

It is an invaluable tool for all business owners, which you now are. Touch base with your client on a regular basis to let them know that you are on track, or to flag potential problems with the project. This is especially important if it is a large project you have been hired for.

Clear communication is essential between you and your client. You do not want to be confused about what the project entails, what your client expects from you and deadlines.

It works both ways. You do not want your client to be confused about what you are doing for them.

10: Deliver on time

This should really go without saying. If you have been given a deadline, then you should deliver on time. There is no quicker way to ruin your reputation and lose clients than to be unreliable with deadlines.

Most clients will be reasonable if there is a good excuse for why you will miss a deadline, as long as you give them as much notice as possible. However, it is best not to make a habit of it.

11: Review and Edit thoroughly

Worse than tardiness with your deadlines, is submitting poorly edited work. You absolutely do not want a reputation for poor quality work; it is a sure-fire way to run your business into the ground before it is even up and running.

Always run a spell check on your completed work as well as checking through manually. If it is a relatively big project I always ask a friend or family member to read over it too, to pick out any mistakes I may have missed. I find that most of my time is spent on reviewing and editing my work to ensure I deliver high quality and readable writing.

My top tools for reviewing and editing:

• Grammarly
• Hemmingway App
• Yoast SEO (is you are hired for SEO projects)
• Reading out loud.
• Family/friends/colleagues.

12: Invest in a Course

Whilst it is not essential to complete a writing course, I have found short courses have been very useful. Australian Writers Centre has some fantastic short courses on freelance writing, the business side of things and copywriting.

There are many others out there too if you are willing to do a little bit of research to find a course that will help you.

I hope these tips help you to build upon or start your own freelance writing business.

Rachel Maree is a writer, mum and registered nurse. Bringing you the real truth to parenting, nursing and writing (even when it is downright ugly). You can read more articles or hire her to write amazing content for you — Rachel Maree.

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