How To Become A Freelance Writer In 2023
Becoming a freelance writer is a fantastic way to earn money from home.
There is so much flexibility around this side hustle, as you pick and choose when and how much work you take on.
This means you can fit your freelance writing work around your kids and the school run, or seek out more clients to boost your income.
Freelance writing is one of my side hustles. I have toyed with taking it a step further and making it more of a full-time income, but that would involve stepping back from my own blogging projects.
I like to have freelance writing as a nice side earner that brings in a few hundreds pounds extra a month, but I can keep doing the work on my own blogs and social media that I really love.
For me one of the key things that has taken me from being out of work to earning a full-time income from home as my own boss is having multiple income streams. This way if one income stream ever lets me down, there are others that can pick up the slack.
You can find out more about how you could get started with blogging here plus lots of work from home job ideas for making extra cash here.
I think it’s important when you’re getting started with freelance writing to see it as a snowball rolling down a hill.
At first it may be small but as you gather pace, and clients, you can turn it into a more lucrative job if you wish.
Can you be a freelance writer with no experience?
Getting started with freelance writing may seem like a daunting prospect.
But the advantage of this work from home job is that you do not need any experience as a writer.
The things you will need are:
- A laptop. Trying to write good, clean content on a mobile phone just isn’t a good idea. You will be much more efficient and accurate if you have a computer to work from.
- A grasp of the English language. Spelling and grammar matter. They matter in any portfolio you show to prospective clients and they matter in the work you present to them. If you want one-off clients to turn into monthly clients, then you need to provide them with quality content.
- Self motivation. You really need to be willing and able to put yourself out there. Freelance writing jobs won’t come to you in the first instance, you need to get yourself seen. If you can motivate yourself to get started, to pitch to prospective clients and build up a portfolio, then you will start to see results.
It can be an advantage in the freelance writing world to have a specialism.
I used to work as a full-time journalist so I turn to my hand to a range of subjects from parenting to travel.
But if you have some kind of training in a specific topic, such as science or law, then this may put you at a great advantage for getting work in these niche areas.
If you don’t, do not panic! However it definitely helps to have a niche, such as parenting, when it comes to your freelance writing work.
Have a think about what your niche might be. What topics are you passionate about and can write with some authority on? What topics would you find it easy to write detailed and authoritative content on?
Some freelance writing niches you may consider are:
- Parenting
- Business
- Personal finance
- Working for yourself
- Travel
- Digital marketing
- Education
Getting started as a freelance writer
To become a freelance writer you need to set off with a lot of motivation and accept there may be some setbacks along the way.
Rejection is likely to happen to you several times as you pitch to potential clients, but you need to learn to shake this off and keep going.
These are the steps you need to take to get started as a freelance writer:
Build a portfolio
Securing clients will be much easier if you can show them samples of your work online that prove you can write great content. Convincing someone to take a chance on a writer with zero online presence is going to be tough.
To do this you may consider starting a blog in the writing niche that you would like to break into.
This isn’t the quickest way to get yourself out there, but I would definitely recommend getting the blog started while you do other things to get your freelance writing career started.
Other ways you could build your portfolio are through guest posting on relevant sites. Many blogs and sites will accept guest posts on topics in their niche. They may not pay you, but this is about getting your portfolio started.
Remember to try to write posts on topics that are in the niche you are interested it getting freelance writing gigs for.
Get to know the influencers who work in your niche. For example if you want to write about parenting you can provide guest posts to websites such as Scary Mommy or Swaddles N Bottles.
Then when you email prospective clients pitching for work you should include links to your published work so they can see what you’ve already done.
Start networking
You can network with fellow freelance writers, who may pass work your way, and potential clients in a variety of places.
A great, and easy, place to start is LinkedIn.
Once you have a portfolio underway then add links to your LinkedIn profile and start connecting with fellow freelance writers. You can also connect with brands and sites that you think you may like to work for.
Sign up to Facebook groups with fellow freelance writers as well as groups that cover your niche too. You never know where freelance writing work may come from, so cast your net wide as you can!
Craft the perfect pitch
Once you have some samples to show prospective clients then it’s time to craft a good pitch.
Now, you may find freelance writing jobs on websites, and we will talk about that next.
But cold pitching is definitely worth doing to get you started and help you find more clients.
Research potential websites, brands and blogs that pay for work and fit in with your skillset and niche.
Many big companies have a blog which enables them to keep refreshing the content of their site and reach new clients via search engines.
If you spot a brand that really captures your interest then see if they have a blog. Then you could check out what type of content they run on that blog, think of some ideas that may work for them and then pitch.
It’s important that you have a proper read of the type of content they already run on their site so that you can add value to it with your ideas.
When you send your pitch remember to add links to your published writing and add any additional skills or qualifications you have that make you well suited for writing for them.
Your pitch should be:
- Short and sweet. Don’t write hundreds and hundreds of words. Many website editors do not have time to trawl through lengthy emails.
- Friendly and polite.
- Explain why you are the right person to write for this brand. Include reference to articles that are similar to the type of work you would do for this client.
- Include a link to your website if you have one.
When you’re getting started I don’t think there’s any such thing as sending too many pitch emails. Some won’t reply at all, some will be a “no” and hopefully amongst those setbacks you will have one or two that bite.
How to find freelance writer jobs UK
There are lots of websites where you can find freelance writer jobs in the UK.
Some will pay pretty poorly, however it can be a good idea to take on the lower paid jobs to start with in order to build up a portfolio, as well as get a handle on your particular niche
Sites that advertise freelance writer jobs include:
You can also find freelance writer jobs on social media! Try researching hashtags within your niche or follow recruitment companies for freelance writers so that you stay on top of the latest writing gigs.
One fantastic place to find freelance writing jobs in the UK is through the weekly jobs roundup email from Sian Meades Williams – a freelance journalist who sends out flexible and freelance pitching opportunities.
It’s totally free to sign up and the emails come every week! Sign up here.
How much do freelance writers make UK
I charge £100 for a 1,000 article. This takes me around 90 minutes to two hours to write.
Some freelance wiring jobs will pay more than others while some may offer absolute peanuts.
It’s important, even when you’re starting out, to make sure that you set your limits for payment. Receiving £10 for an article that took you three hours to write just isn’t worth your time and effort.
While it may take you a little longer to secure legitimate, paid work when you’re starting out, it’s definitely worth hanging in there to find those jobs that will pay you properly for your time.
The website Indeed says the average freelance writer salary in the UK is £87.88 per day, which sounds about right to me. Remember some who have full-time clients will make much more than this, while others are doing this as a side hustle.
Glass door says the average freelance writer salary is £24,954.
The salary you make from freelance writing will really depend on what you set your rates at and how much work you get, either from one client or several clients.
8 tips for landing your first freelance writing job UK
1. Start a blog
This will be a great place to showcase your writing and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
I’ve received freelance writing work via people who knew me from my blog, so it’s definitely worth doing.
2. Get social
Follow hashtags and accounts that share freelance writing opportunities on Twitter and Facebook.
It’s well worth finding freelance groups on Facebook. Some may be for freelance writers, who could refer you work that they don’t have time to take on, or if you find entrepreneur groups you may find people who are looking for writers.
3. Write brilliant content
Once you start to get clients then you have the opportunity for word of mouth to start gaining you more.
You are much more likely to get good referrals and feedback if you focus on creating concise, accurate and quality content for your clients.
4. Accept you may have to work for free at first
When you’re building up a portfolio from scratch you may need to do some guest posts that are unpaid to get yourself published.
Websites such as Medium accept articles from freelance writers.
5. Figure out your rate
Your ideal rate needs to be a balance between how much you want to make per hour and realistically how much you can command per hour if you have little experience.
Some companies will try to pay an absolute pittance for your time. When you’re starting out you may be happy to take a small amount of pay to get your portfolio built up.
But remember that if you want this to be a money-making gig then it has to actually be worth your time.
Keep looking for writing gigs that will pay you properly, they are out there.
6. Learn to accept rejection
In any career that involves working for yourself and pitching your clients there is going to be a degree of rejection.
Remind yourself not to take this personally and keep plugging away at seeking out new freelance writing jobs.
7. Remember that everyone had to start somewhere
Comparison syndrome is real and it can paralyse you.
Remember that the work is out there and everyone had to get started somewhere.
Landing your very first freelance writing gig may take you a few weeks or months. But from there things could really start to snowball.
The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. So get started right now!
8. Find a mentor
If all of this sounds overwhelming then that is totally normal!
Find a mentor who can coach you to push yourself and give you the best tips.
Better yet find a whole tribe of people who can offer you encouragement.
In terms of a mentor I really recommend you sign up to Elna Cain’s freelance writing beginner’s course, which is an email course and is totally free when you sign up to her mailing list. She also runs paid courses too which you may wish to consider if you want to hit the ground running.
Join Facebook groups for freelance writers and chat with people in there about how they got started.
Check out freelance writers on social media and their own websites. See what tips they have to offer.
Final thoughts on becoming a freelance writer
So there you have it, this should set you on the path to becoming a freelance writer.
As with any work from home job it’s important that you motivate yourself, because you will only get back what you put in.
There are tons of freelance writing opportunities out there, so get started with your portfolio and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
