Freelance Writing Opportunities For Beginners

Freelance writing is an excellent career choice for beginners, and it can become a lucrative longterm venture or the ultimate bridge business. Finding freelance work, though, requires resourcefulness and persistence.

Start by assessing your skills and interests. Figure out how your life experiences can help you find writing projects.

Start with a Writing Portfolio

One of the most important things beginners can do is to put together a writing portfolio. A good writing portfolio showcases your work in a special way that makes clients take you seriously as a professional writer. Plus, it shows your ability to deliver high-quality content.

Your portfolio should include samples of your best work. Ideally, you should have a mix of different types of pieces so that you can show potential clients that you are versatile and can handle a variety of writing projects. It’s also helpful to have a few pieces that are oriented toward your target audience. For example, if you want to do freelance copywriting, you should have a few pieces that demonstrate your ability to write compelling, persuasive copy.

In addition to your sample pieces, you should also have a section of your portfolio that outlines your process. This will help prospective clients see that you are organized and have a system for managing your workflow. It will also give them a sense of confidence that you can get the job done on time and within budget.

Another way to build your writing portfolio is to reach out to marketing agencies in your area and offer to do some free writing gigs. Agencies often have a variety of writing projects that need to be completed, such as writing content for an email newsletter or optimizing product descriptions for an eCommerce website.

Get a Website

A website is the backbone of your freelance writing business. It lets clients find you, get a feel for your writing style and voice, and see examples of your work. Plus, it gives you a place to send clients for quotes, send contracts and invoices, and host blog posts and other marketing materials.

Getting your own website can be time-consuming, but it’s worth it for the flexibility it provides. And you can use a website builder like WordPress to save yourself some of the technical hassle.

You can also look for freelance writing gigs on sites like iWriter and UpWork, which often accept writers of all experience levels. But be careful about the rate you’re willing to take. If you’re just starting out, you may need to be okay with a lower rate in order to land enough jobs to build up your portfolio.

Another great way to find freelance writing gigs is by joining freelance, entrepreneurship, and blogging groups on Facebook. Show up regularly, and offer to help others in the group — but don’t be pushy or ask them for work. Over time, you’ll build a reputation as a helpful, friendly person who is ready to lend a hand. That will open up opportunities to pitch your writing services in the future.

Market Yourself

For starters, you should market yourself to potential clients by posting content on your writing website. This will help establish you as an expert in your niche and show that you can write well enough to do a freelance writing job for clients. It also gives clients a sample of your work to base their hiring decision on.

Another way to attract clients is by networking with other writers. This will give you a network of people to turn to when you get stuck on a project or need some advice. You can also join groups on Facebook or other social media platforms where you can connect with fellow writers and share opportunities for writing gigs.

If you are new to freelance writing, it is important to start out by taking on smaller, low-paying jobs in order to build up your portfolio and gain experience. This may take a while, but it is a necessary part of the process. Eventually, you can move on to more lucrative and higher-paying gigs.

In addition to networking and job boards, you should consider approaching marketing agencies directly. Many of them hire freelance writers to help with their content marketing efforts, so this can be a great opportunity for beginners. You can find agencies by using a search engine like Google or Bing and typing in “content marketing agency.” Once you have found an agency that interests you, check out their websites to see what kind of work they are looking for.

Get Clients

One of the biggest challenges for freelance writers is finding clients and keeping a steady flow of work. Fortunately, there are many tried-and-true marketing tips that can help you find new clients and get more consistent work as a freelance writer.

Start by promoting your services on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, where potential clients might already be looking for a writer. You can also create a website that showcases your writing skills. While this can take a bit of time to build and set up, it’s a great way to brand yourself as a writer. Plus, it can be super simple these days to make a beautiful-looking, tech-free site using sites like WordPress or Carrd.

Another place to find clients is on online freelance writing marketplaces, such as Upwork, Freelance Writer’s Den and Contena. These sites can help you find a variety of freelance writing jobs for beginners and allow you to apply for projects at your skill level.

When you’re applying for freelance writing jobs, make sure you customize your pitches to the specific needs of each client. For example, if you’re applying for a content writing gig, include the types of articles you’ve written before, and emphasize your experience with creating SEO-friendly copy. It’s also important to read through your clients’ tone packages or portfolios, which will give you an idea of what type of voice they’re looking for.