Four Obstacles You Must Defeat To Become a Working Freelance Writer

The good news is that these are pretty simple to overcome.

Looking into becoming a freelance writer?

I don’t blame you. For many people, it can be pretty sweet.

For those of you who are tempted to dip your toes into the serene, calm water of the freelance writing world may find some challenges early on. These obstacles need to be addressed sooner than later if you want to see any kind of success in the field.

Fortunately, these obstacles are pretty easy to get past.

Thinking you need tons of experience

When I got started, I had minimal experience as a freelance writer. I’d been working for 20-some-odd years as a freelance book designer, but not as a writer.

Then an opportunity showed up in a friend-of-a-friend Facebook post, and I took a chance. In turn, the editor gave me a chance — even though I didn’t have much in the way of past work to show.

The writing part was easy. Learning to do proper research and citing took a little longer, but I got there. Editing took some work as well.

I made a few mistakes starting out, but nothing that shut me out of the freelance writing market. I learned from my mistakes and powered through.

These days, I manage to make an okay living off writing.

So long as you are willing and able to learn as you go, you don’t need to worry about having a lot of experience to get started as a freelance writer. What matters more is how you improve and build on your newfound experiences.

Working for peanuts or, worse, for free

Sadly, there are a lot of folks out there who are all-too-willing to take advantage of your inexperience. Content mills, low-bidders on job boards, and outsource agencies generally pay insultingly low rates.

You are better than that.

I understand that going rates and costs of living vary depending on what part of the world you’re in, but if you see an offered rate for your work that you feel is not worth your time, then feel free to give it a pass. Not only are the rates bad, but you often have to spend a lot of time jumping through hoops to get any assignments, and, sadly, some are going to do everything they can not to pay you in the end.

That’s not to say all content mills and job boards are bad, but there are way too many out there eager to take advantage of you. Research before you commit. A Google search takes very little time.

And be wary of anyone who wants you to work for free either as an “audition” or “for exposure.” These clients are not worth your time. In fact, the more new freelance writers we can get to refuse these insulting job offers, the better. Maybe, in time, they’ll learn they have to pay fair rates for services rendered, and we’ll all benefit.

Don’t let desperation for assignments force you into any bad decisions. Be patient, and keep pitching and be on the lookout for better-paying opportunities. They will come.

Marketing yourself

You’ve got to get comfortable selling both yourself and your services. This not only means putting yourself out there on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter but also sending direct pitch emails to potential clients.

Will you face a fair amount of rejection?

You bet!

Will it be worth the effort?

Eventually, absolutely. If you only receive one assignment for every fifty pitches sent, you’re still doing better than if you’d not sent any pitches out at all. And once you build a client list and get referrals, you start to see the return on that investment in time grow.

Soon, you may start to see an acceptance one out of every twenty pitches. Or one out of ten.

I hear some writers hardly ever get rejected at all.

It comes with both practice and perseverance, but you have to start doing it before you can reap the benefits.

As for putting yourself out there on social media… it has its advantages. It marks you as part of the community of writers, and you can learn from other writers out there. It also allows you to come across more opportunities. I wouldn’t stress out too much over social media, but I highly recommend putting yourself out there to some degree.

Investing in yourself

A freelance writing business is like any other business. You will eventually need to invest money into it if you want to see it grow.

I’m not saying you have to pay for a fancy office or even a top-of-the-line computer. But proper website hosting? With a real domain with its own email address?

Yes.

A subscription to Grammarly? Maybe a pro subscription to Office 365 or Google Workspace?

Certainly useful.

Business cards?

Only if you expect most of your work is going to be local. Business cards are a bit 20th century, although I admit they’re nice to have at times.

The point is that if you come across a service or product that is going to make your freelance writing business perform better, then you should take some time to see if it’s worth investing in. Not all services and products will suit your individual needs, but many will.

Every tool in your toolbox should make you better at what you do. But you need the tools first.

It’s easier than you think, but it will take time

Becoming a freelance writer is pretty straightforward. Making a living at it will take some time. Despite my relative inexperience as a writer when starting out, I still had years of experience as a freelance book designer to draw from.

For you, once you get past these few obstacles, you start to notice an increase not just in the amount of work you’ll be taking in but the quality of work and client you’ll be dealing with.

There will be stumbles, sure. Be prepared for that.

But, overall, by being patient — and a little daring — you’ll go far.

Cheers!

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