How to Become a Freelance Writer and Get Paid From Home

If you are looking for a way to make money as a Stay At Home Mom, then you should consider becoming a freelance writer and get paid for it.

Freelance writing is an exciting job and a side hustle.

Not only does it make for flexible timing, but it also allows you to choose who you want to work for.

A freelancer sells its services to clients without a long-term contract. Freelance writing is getting more and more popular every day.

This job is perfect for mums who want to be stay-at-home moms and still have income.

And isn’t that fun?

Who doesn’t like being at home while making great money?

However, freelancing, just like any other career, can be a daunting task, especially if you’re starting.

There are many write-ups on freelancing, a lot of sites promising you good freelancing jobs, a lot of distractions.

Helpful article:
11 Habits of the Highly Productive Stay at Home Mum

Types of Freelance Writing

Before we go into the whole gist, there are different types of freelance writing.

This is to be expected because, duh, there are different types of writing.

They include:

Blogging
B2B writing
Technical writing
Copywriting
SEO writing

Blogging is relatively easy to understand.

There are millions of blogs on the internet, and their writing is usually informal.

There’s a post I wrote on how to start a blog as a SAHM.

You can learn everything you need to know about blogging from the article.

B2B writing, on the other hand, is more formal and is usually written for business and to businesses.

Here, you have to know the basics and even more about the company’s business and how business generally works.

No, you don’t need to study finance at uni to write this.

Thorough research will help you just fine.

Technical writing is more technical.

That is, it is usually written for research and science purposes.

This has to do with a detailed explanation of processes, systems, objectives, etc.

Copywriting is probably the second most popular type after blogging.

This is just writing adverts for companies.

There is more money here as this type of writing has to do with pitching sales and products to consumers.

To do this, you need to write convincingly and, of course, research on sale techniques.

SEO writing is a type of writing that makes whatever you write to be optimised and, therefore, ranked quickly by search engines.

If you’re a blogger or writing an article posted on the internet, you need to learn about SEO.

Skills to Have Before Becoming a Freelance Writer

You don’t just wake up and decide to be a freelance writer and then get a job immediately.

To be able to enjoy a freelance writing career, there are some skills you need to get.

1. Learn to Write Properly:

How can a doctor correctly do this if he hasn’t been doctored? Okay, that was quite deep. LOL.

But really, how can a writer write properly if he hasn’t been taught to write?

Praise God, writing is one of those things that can be self-taught.

To be a good freelance writer, you have to learn how to write.

This makes it easier to get new gigs because your work precedes you. Here are some tips to know learn how to write

Read books. Books help you learn about different forms of writing. And helps polish your way with words. Articles, magazines also fall into this category.
Practice. Practising your writing and giving it to family and friends to judge is a way to perfect your writing.

You will need to keep honing your writing skills throughout your freelance writing career.

2. Learn to Sell Yourself:

Selling yourself is an important skill to have. Of course, some people are so lucky.

They probably get their first few jobs by luck and chance.

But honestly, after the first few, they need to start selling themselves if they want more gigs.

For others, they need to sell themselves from the very beginning of their careers.

Use social media and other platforms to sell yourself.

Helpful article:
3 Easy Steps to Build a Brand as a Stay At Home Mom

3. Don’t Sell Yourself Short:

So after selling yourself, what’s next?

Many people don’t know what they’re worth.

Even big companies will pay you less if you let them.

Know how to set prices for yourself.

Please, knowing your worth doesn’t mean you should charge a billion dollars for a 20-word article.

All I’m saying is don’t go overboard.

4. Learn to Engage with People:

People skills or relational skills are a must.

Now, you know that the customer is always right.

Don’t be tempted to argue with your customer.

In the freelance world, your customer is also your employer.

And they can quickly drop you.

Be careful when interacting with them.

Secondly, word of mouth is essential in this business.

Your work isn’t the only thing that precedes you.

Your attitude does that too.

If the first employer is impressed with your work, there’s every chance that they will put in a good word for you.

At any chance, work on these skills.

This doesn’t mean that you should be a pro at these skills before starting your freelance career.

As you go on in this business, you will continue to perfect these skills.

Can I hear an Amen?

5. Learn How to Research:

When you start getting projects, you will realise just how much of your work is research.

Learn how to research correctly.

What keywords should I use?

Where can I get stats from?

What’s the latest on this topic? Etc.

Now that we’re done with that, we’re moving to the first main course of the meal. Yay!

Read this next:
How to Write a Book and Monetize it Instantly

How Can I Become a Freelance Writer?

Whew. Honestly, it’s pretty easy.

Believe it or not, even though there are many good writers, there are even more horrible writers.

And even those that are not horrible may not exceptionally be able to capture the attention of readers or write convincingly.

Some don’t have the time or can’t be bothered and will not mind paying someone for that stress.

That’s not your business, though, as long as you make your money.

1. Your Niche:

There are different niches.

While some choose to be generic, it is advisable for you, as a beginner, to be focused on one topic.

Each niche has terms that are peculiar to them.

You can’t use terms for agriculture in a finance article.

Every niche is broad, and there’s always something new to learn.

2. Create an Outstanding Portfolio:

Your portfolio is like your CV.

Potential employers would love to know what you’ve done, where you’ve worked, who you’ve worked for, etc.

If you haven’t worked for money before, you can still show past works you’ve written.

It doesn’t matter whether you wrote them for yourself or a competition.

The most important thing is that you are visible to future employers.

And of course, this means that those who will employ will pay little.

But don’t fret. Use them to grow your portfolio.

3. Join Platforms:

There are many platforms out there that allow freelance writers to showcase their work.

They connect writers with potential employers.

As you grow, you may want to leave because the websites take more money than they pay you.

Nevertheless, it is an excellent way to put yourself out there. Some of those platforms are Fiverr, UpWork, Freelance.com, etc.

4. Get Familiar with Important Writing Software:

There is some essential writing software you need to start using.

For example, I can’t write without using Grammarly to crosscheck my work. Grammarly is an editor.

Its premium even offers things like sentence checks, plagiarism testing, etc.

There are other editors out there. Work with what best suits you.

If you’re going to use images in your articles, you should consider websites like Unsplash, Burst, Pixabay, etc., because they offer free pictures.

All these and much more help your work easier, cheaper and more professional.

You can also get familiar with SEO tools.

5. Get a Blog or Website:

Not only does this bring in traffic, but it is also a form of practising your writing.

Your website will tell visitors what you do and how to contact you.

Your domain name should give people an idea of what you do.

Again, I will like to refer you to that article about how to start your own blog to get full details about this.

How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer?

There are so many ways to make money as a freelancer.

The most obvious one is getting paid upon agreement with a company or blog.

However, there are other ways to make money. Some of them include:

1. Sponsored Posts:

This is easy.

If you’re contracted by a friend, business, etc., to help sell their products or write an article about the product, you will get paid.

This is more like copywriting.

2. Affiliate Marketing:

This is acting as a middle man between companies and potential consumers.

If someone buys through your website, then you get paid a commission.

All in all, freelance writers get paid when contracted.

If you have a blog or website, you can also make money through blogging.

Conclusion

Getting your first few jobs as a freelance writer can be headache-inducing.

But as you start, you will get more comfortable with rates, pitching, etc.

All you need to do is hone your writing skills and be on the right platforms.

Your career as a freelancer won’t bloom in a day.

It takes time.

Be conscious of growing your portfolio and be updated on new things concerning freelancing.

I know you may not be worried about burnout now, but remember that you’re free to say no to some jobs you don’t want to take on.

You’re a boss of yourself, so take advantage of it.

And here’s one final piece of advice: Start!

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Viv?