Here’s How You Can Really Get Started in Freelance Writing

Even with no social media following, no email subscribers, or no professional writing samples.

A colleague of mine, a very talented writer, wrote a post asking a few questions about freelance writing. She wanted to know how to actually get started when you have no previous paid experience.

When I read her post, I realized that there are so many people that have the same questions she does.

There’s tons of information about the what of freelance writing. I don’t know why the how of getting started as a freelancer seems to be such a secret.

But I’ve always been one to advocate the sharing of knowledge.

So for anyone who is brand new to freelance writing, here’s what I recommend:

How can I build a portfolio if I have no professional writing samples?

One of the things I often recommend to people who have no professional writing samples is to write several blog posts and get them out there somewhere. It can literally be anywhere on the Internet. You just need to be able to link to your samples and send those links to potential clients.

Use a free writing platform

• Write your samples and post them using your own profile on a free writing platform. Edit them thoroughly and make sure they are as close to perfect as you can get them. Have someone else edit as well if you can. This is one of the ONLY times I will advocate writing without getting paid.
• Start your own publication on the platform if that option exists. Give it a professional name related to your niche. Then post your writing in that publication. This is a great way to establish yourself as an authority on a specific topic.
• Find an existing publication that is suitable for the type of writing you want to do and submit your post for consideration. There are many publications who will accept your post quickly, within just a matter of days or slightly longer.

Start a blog on your own self-hosted website

• Make sure your website is indexed and optimized for SEO so you get traffic from search engines. Post your samples there. I highly recommend a self-hosted website where you pay for the domain name and hosting services. This requires a bigger time and money investment in most cases but will serve you better in the long run.

Submit to magazines and thought leader publications

• If none of the above appeal to you, then shoot for the stars and submit to one of those well-known publications. (Forbes, Wired, Entrepreneur, Reader’s Digest, etc.) Make sure you have read and followed their submission guidelines.
• Some markets, especially those for fiction, may require submissions to be sent through Submittable. Writers can create a free account through an organization’s page or can search for potential writing markets to submit their work. Once you create a free account, you can use that account for all submissions through Submittable.
• Find a website that is accepting paid guest posts in your niche or a related one. (Google paid guest post+your niche topic).

Once you have some samples posted on the Internet through one or more of the methods above, you can use a free portfolio service such as clippings.me or Journo Portfolio. Both of these services have premium plans you can upgrade to that offer space for unlimited clippings and connection to a branded domain name. I personally used clippings.me for many years before I had my own self-hosted website.

What if I have no social media following?

Every single person who is out there on social media today with tons of followers and a huge presence, started at ground zero. Don’t let not having any followers keep you from gaining traction.

• Find social media groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. related to your writing topic. Join those groups. Engage with people in your industry at all levels.
• Look for opportunities to share your social media profiles and request followers or otherwise engage with people.
• If you aren’t sure which of these social media platforms to focus on, identify a few companies you’d like to write for and follow their accounts.
• Do you want to write for National Geographic, Reader’s Digest, or Wired? Google the name of the publication + submission guidelines or publication name +contributor and read up on what they look for in a featured article.
• Find out who the editors are for the department or topic you want to write about. Follow those editors on social media. Look at what those editors post or share.
• Where are they getting the information they share to their social media accounts? Are they always sharing news about industry conferences, LinkedIn posts, Forbes articles, Pinterest pins, or fact-based articles from an industry organization? If so, that’s where you need to be to get in front of them.

I have zero email subscribers, how do I change that?

Email subscribers like social media followers, come a little at a time. In order to start getting subscribers, you need an email list service.

There are lots of good ones out there.

You can often start with a free service like Mailerlite for email or Substack for newsletters. These free services are more than adequate and will get you started. You can pay for additional service when needed. Work your way up to a premium email service when your business starts turning a profit.

What if I can’t rely on friends and family for freelance writing project referrals?

For many freelance writers, trying to rely on family or friends for project referrals is not the best option. It can be difficult to explain to family and friends exactly what service you are offering if they aren’t familiar with it.

And pushing friends and family to read your work or buy your writing services can feel pushy and sales-y. If you’re anything like me, you want to stay as far removed from sales tactics as possible. But as a writer you do have to market yourself. It doesn’t have to be pushy though.

Yes, you always want to make sure friends and family know that you are a writer looking for paying projects. You never know who might know someone. But once you’ve let them know, let it go.

There are lots of other ways to find freelance writing clients that don’t rely on family and friends to spread the word. And they can be very effective.

I do not have affiliate relationships with any of the sites linked in this post. I simply am sharing the tools and resources that have worked for me.

• Use the remote and contract filters on job boards like Indeed, Monster, etc. to find writing jobs.
• Sign up to get aggregated lists of writing jobs sent to your inbox. Ones I subscribe to include Freedom with Writing, Freelance Writing Jobs, and WriteJobs.
• Look for the job boards that have more writing jobs and writing related jobs such as Mediabistro, Freelance Writers Den, Pro Blogger, and All Freelance Writing. Search these regularly for writing projects that suit your niche.
• Google search “seeking writers+your niche” or “your genre submission guidelines” or “contribute to Forbes” to find possible writing projects or submission opportunities.
• Who Pays Writers is a great searchable database which you can use to check which markets are paying writers.

Ready to find more freelance writing jobs? Get my free Market Mondays newsletter every week. It’s chock full of links to writing jobs and other markets that pay writers and my best tips and tricks for freelance writers.

Meg Stewart has been freelancing for nearly two decades. She’s a multi-passionate skill hoarder and the intersection of freelance writing, technology, and teaching is her sweet spot. Freelance Filter was founded to help writers get paid and help solopreneurs do business better. Meg and her family, (along with two dogs, two cats, and two leopard geckos), live in Northeast Ohio.