Have you considered quitting your full-time job in favor of working as a freelance writer? Or are you just looking to pick up a few things to do on the side? Freelancing and working from home have gotten more and more popular lately. Many different fields are getting into freelancing, from SEO services to medical transcriptionists, and writing like a natural freelancing job. Still, it can be intimidating to give up a steady, traditional job. If you’re looking to become an accomplished freelance writer, like with any job, you’ll want to take all the necessary steps to become successful.
Here are a few things you can do to have a successful career as a freelance writer.
Identify a niche
Finding an area that you’re already an expert in or you’d like to be can make your freelance writing career much easier. Having something you’re interested in and is currently in demand can help you get more clients looking for writers like you. While you can get a writing job that just calls for anyone who can research the topic, you could get better paying jobs if you’re an expert at the subject.
Build an online portfolio
Before you get any writing jobs, you’ll have to be able to show that you’re a good writer. If you want people to be able to see your work, you’ll have to make sure that it’s visible online. Creating a website or a blog with examples can make it easy for you to showcase your writing skills to potential employers. This can make it easy for you to send out links of your work for employers to see.
Look at writing job boards
You might be able to land some writing jobs or regular job boards, but you’ll most likely have better luck looking on writing specific boards. When you’re just starting out, jobs on websites like ProBlogger, Freelance Writing, and Writers Weekly can all help you get a jump on your career.
Network
Having a strong network can help you reach other writers and new clients. You can find online boards and groups with other freelance writers on Facebook and LinkedIn. Having good connections in the freelance writing world can be the perfect foundation to build the rest of your career off of. Getting more followers on social media and the potential to write guest posts for other blogs can all increase your chances of being seen.
Get into a routine
It takes a lot of personal drive to become a successful freelance writer. Setting your own work schedule can make it easy to put things off. As you get into your freelance writing career, get set a routine from the start so that you have less of a chance to fall out of it. Discipline is important to make sure you’re getting all of your tasks done on time.
