I’ve been working as a freelance writer since 2014. During that time, I’ve had several people ask me how I got into the field.
They expect a story about how I unexpectedly met someone at the local grocery store who owned a blog that needed a writer. Or how I attempted to get into freelance writing for years before I succeeded.
While I did spend several years working on building my reputation and skills as a writer once in the field, the story of how I got into freelance writing is mundane.
I was a college student studying for my bachelor’s degrees in criminology and psychology. It was my senior year, and I needed a job so I wouldn’t be yet another college graduate who moved back home. This resulted in me going to roughly a billion group interviews and applying to hundreds of jobs, whether I was fully qualified or not.
Nothing I did led to me finding a job. It was my second semester now and I was getting pretty desperate. So, I did what every normal person does: I searched for work on Craigslist.
There were obviously a lot of fake job postings, but there was one seeking a native English speaker to write professional biographies and articles. The ad led me to Upwork (where I started and spent most of my freelance career) and had me apply through there. I made an account, applied, did the interview and test biography, and got my first freelance writing contract.
And there you have it: the super exciting story of how I got into freelance writing.
But things didn’t stop there. I developed my writing and freelancing skills along the way; something that grew my online career and kept it going long-term.
So, what’d I do?
A Lot of Writing
Developing writing skills comes with time and varies depending on the type of writing you want. If you plan on focusing on blog posts, for example, you’ll have a different writing style than someone focused on doing factual tutorials.
Not to mention, there are some things that require different writing tones. Going back to the blog posts example, you may prefer a conversational tone and keep your writing revolved around that. Or you’ll favor a professional tone and focus more on presenting the facts.
For me, I did a lot of different things because I really had no idea what type of writing I enjoyed at the time. I wrote professional short-form blog posts, did some conversational long-form posts, have written website content, done newsletter writing, and even tried my hand at case study writing.
Before I started freelance writing, I did plenty of creative writing. I still have a love for creative writing. I have ideas for kids books, young adult novels, and older reader books; all of which I’ve started writing out, and even queried book agents for.
There’s a benefit, in my opinion, to doing a lot of different writing. It highlights your strengths and introduces you to different types of writing that you never considered before. I would have never tried blog posts or professional biographies if it wasn’t for work. I was solely a creative writer and had visions of being a famous author.
I haven’t dropped that vision, but I’ve found my stride with conversational blog posts, website content, and professional biographies. And I actually enjoy these styles of writing, too! That’s something I never would have known had I not been open to trying different writing styles.
Stayed Honest
While trying different writing styles is beneficial, the process does little to show your own strengths and weaknesses if you aren’t honest. By this, I mean be honest with both yourself and with your clients.
As you try out different writing styles, think long and hard about which ones you find more challenging than others. You won’t excel in every type of writing. I know I certainly didn’t.
There is nothing wrong with struggling with certain types of writing. Just because you struggle with one style, doesn’t mean you are a bad writer. Take ownership of what you are good with and don’t feel bad about the stuff that you aren’t.
This brings me to being honest with clients.
Certain jobs will request types of writing that you are not strong with. Don’t go after these jobs in the name of trying a bit of everything. Let’s say a job asks for website content. This isn’t one of your strengths. You know it’ll take you roughly two times as long to write website content than it would when writing the same length blog post.
Focusing on other jobs and forgoing this particular position is not shameful. If a prospective client approaches you, asking if you’re capable of writing a particular type of post, don’t say you can when you know you can’t. Be honest with them about your capabilities.
Didn’t Fear Failure
Part of gaining experience involves staying open to trying new things. A part of that means you aren’t scared of failure.
This isn’t to say you should be dishonest with clients and say that you are familiar with certain writing styles when you aren’t. Rather, be honest about your lack of experience. At the same time, express your willingness in trying the new style.
Don’t be scared of failing in new writing styles. That’s how you learn!
Trying my hand at new writing types helped me immensely. It gave me experience with writing, while also showing me the types of writing I preferred. Not everything came easily to me, and there was nothing wrong with that. I learned what I was best at and focused on that.
With all this said, don’t force yourself into writing something that you truly have no interest in. Recognize when you are scared or nervous versus when you legitimately lack the passion. If you’re nervous about a new writing style, embrace that and just write it anyway. If you don’t care, then continue staying away.
Networked
Now, can you freelance write without networking?
Yes.
Does it aid in the establishment of your freelancing career?
Definitely yes.
Networking is not, in my opinion, a requirement. You can build a relatively successful freelance career without it. I know that because I did it.
The issue here is that without networking, you’ll only get so far. For me, it was writing for a content mill five days a week, eight hours a day. This let me cover my expenses where I lived, but with almost nothing extra.
I wanted to get bigger. Have more lucrative contracts, add some variety to the writing I was doing. And maybe not write every single day.
Without networking, I was stuck. No bigger, better contracts were coming my way. I could apply to new freelance writing jobs, but those weren’t a guarantee.
A friend of mine, who is a business owner, went to a local networking event every month. The event was for women business owners and she invited me along. I went and tried it out. Admittedly, I was not social and let my shyness get the better of me. The next time I went, I spoke more to people and had cards for people with my contact information (this was before my website).
I had several people there ask me about the type of work I do. And one person actually exchanged contact information for a new contract.
When you network, make sure you play an active role, as well. Don’t just go to networking events and keep to yourself. This doesn’t do you any favors. Speak up and communicate with people.
Researched – A Lot
I was not born with a magical knowledge of blogging and freelance writing that put me in a better position than others. No one has that knowledge. Everything that I know (or that anyone knows) about freelance writing came from somewhere else.
Over the years, I did a ton of research into freelance writing.
I looked into building a freelance career and how it’s done.
I read about writing styles and things that improve SEO.
I learned about ad revenue and networking and almost everything.
About all I had going for me at the time when I started freelancing was the interest in writing and some good skills in writing and researching quickly. The rest, I learned, mostly via research and some from hands-on experience.
As you get into freelancing, don’t go into it believing you know all there is. Take stock of your own weaknesses. And to fill out your skills, research what you can, take courses, or talk to other experts.
Recognizing that someone else has the information you need is a blessing. Don’t squander it by having too much pride.
Own up to what you can do well, but also own up to what you can’t.
That’s My Story – What’s Yours?
And there you have it, an overview of my freelance writing journey.
When I got into freelance writing, I admittedly did much of it blindly. I liked writing, but I didn’t know anything about the online world. It took a little while before I got serious about growing my freelance career. That’s when I started all my research and networking and other efforts.
It definitely took time.
Plus, it took longer because I spent a few years overlooking the viability of this particular career.
You’re researching and finding out what others did that worked for them. And that’s great! You’re putting in the work you need.
Keep powering forward.
Let me know where you are on your journey. And where you hope to go one day. I always enjoy connecting with other freelance writers; whether you’ve been doing it for years or are just getting started!