If you wish to break into freelance writing and earn a living from home, listed here are some real-life tips about the best way to get began and construct your portfolio from a profitable freelance author.
Freeelance writing work is a inventive profession that affords writers the chance to craft significant content material they honestly take pleasure in and construct their lives round a versatile, deadline-oriented work schedule. For people with robust communication expertise and a knack for writing, a contract writing profession may be an extremely rewarding strategy to benefit from the freedom of a work from home life-style.
However like many new freelance writers, as I discovered once I was first attempting to interrupt into the content material writing business, it takes extra than simply strong writing expertise to get established within the freelance writing enterprise. As a result of I firmly imagine in holding the door open behind me, I’m sharing all the pieces I’ve discovered about constructing the writing portfolio you could rework your love of writing right into a full-time job as a profitable freelance author.
The Catch-22 of Writing Samples
Like many writers, writing has all the time come naturally to me. Regardless of being the sort of one that has by no means been capable of articulate my concepts effectively in a face-to-face skilled atmosphere (and bombed loads of job interviews alongside the way in which), I’ve in some way by no means had bother placing my concepts ahead in print.
However all the A papers I made in school didn’t imply something when it got here time to use for writing gigs creating internet content material. Irrespective of what number of job boards I utilized to or chilly emails I despatched, no one would rent me with out printed writing samples demonstrating my proficiency in dealing with associated content material. Though I had some outdated print content material from my early writing days, a lot of the corporations I utilized to wished not less than three hyperlinks to printed on-line content material.
As I quickly got here to study, that’s as a result of corporations need to see not simply that writers can write. They need to see that they’ve a robust understanding of on-line content material writing ideas like SEO (search engine marketing) and the distinction between high-quality content material and the kind of low-effort textual content produced by content material mills.
And so I discovered myself within the catch-22 that many freelance writing novices discover themselves in. With out samples, I couldn’t get a job. And with no job, I couldn’t create the printed content material I wanted to get a job.
Break into Freelance Writing
Few folks prefer to work at no cost. However there got here some extent in my life the place I spotted I merely wasn’t going to maneuver ahead within the occupation I’d all the time wished to be in — working as a full-time freelance author — with out doing no matter it took to get the samples I wanted to land freelance writing jobs.
I started researching web matters associated to freelance writing and shortly discovered one thing shocking from blogs that handled freelance writing and content material advertising: a university language arts diploma gave the impression to be just one path to a writing profession.
Again and again, I encountered self-taught writers who discovered to supply the kind of writing web sites need by watching YouTube movies or taking an internet writing course (or just a few).
Seeing how these of us had been capable of transfer into profitable careers as freelancers was encouraging. That’s once I realized that if I may simply construct my experience sufficient to get a foot within the door, the writing alternatives I’d been dreaming of would observe.
Creating Skilled Writing Samples
A sea change occurred in my line of pondering once I realized my writing samples didn’t must have a significant on-line presence. They only wanted to be printed someplace on-line and showcase my skill to write down the sort of content material my future potential shoppers have been on the lookout for.
As a result of I used to be studying as I went, my path to knowledgeable writing portfolio was a bit circuitous. Nevertheless, I’ve been capable of mentor different writers utilizing what I discovered, and their path to publication is often far more streamlined. With no tutorial background in writing, my husband went from having no on-line presence to turning into an everyday author for SlashGear in only a matter of months.
Right here’s my greatest recommendation to create a standout portfolio:
1. Take Benefit of On-line Sources
I can’t overemphasize the worth of studying fundamental ideas associated to on-line publishing. Precisely what a consumer is on the lookout for can fluctuate relying on the writing area of interest. Nevertheless, presenting writing samples demonstrating your understanding of ideas like anchor textual content or the function of search engine writing is not only a good suggestion. It’s additionally essential to land the vast majority of skilled writing gigs.
2. Polish Your Social Media Profiles
Even in case you’re not naturally inclined to doomscrolling, freelance writers can profit from having a presence on websites like Fb, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X). It is best to try to current the picture you need potential shoppers to see. It’s additionally not a nasty thought to audit your social media profiles for any unprofessional or controversial content material that might make a consumer assume twice about hiring you.
3. Begin a Weblog
Weblog posts can present the proper house to observe the ideas you find out about search engine marketing and on-line writing. I had been publishing my very own “only for enjoyable” weblog for some time once I bought extra severe about researching content material writing. I used the content material from my very own weblog to land a job as an everyday blogger for TulsaKids Journal, the place I used to be capable of work on making a extra skilled writing portfolio.
I do know just a few writers who’ve had related luck visitor posting for different bloggers or self-publishing on Medium, a web site that lets writers produce their very own professional-looking content material. The important thing to producing high quality samples via weblog writing is to seek out web sites that produce the sort of content material you’re hoping to create after which try to emulate that web site’s normal model, size, and tone in your weblog.
4. Write Enterprise Weblog Posts
A part of how I saved the lights on whereas I used to be working towards getting on with web sites like Looper and Soaps.com was studying to write down enterprise blogs. Not solely is there a continuing want for enterprise weblog writing, nevertheless it’s additionally an effective way to construct up these writing muscular tissues and shortly create an honest assortment {of professional} writing samples you need to use to land future jobs.
Skilled enterprise weblog writers can cost a fairly penny for high quality weblog content material, however there’ll all the time be a necessity for fast and low cost posts — a reality starting writers can use to construct a portfolio. It’s additionally an effective way to shortly change into an armchair knowledgeable in all the pieces from chiropractic therapy to development work.
After mocking up a pattern, I joined each Fb group I may discover and pitched my providers for writing brief blogs of round 400 phrases for $10 every till I landed my first consumer. The pay stung, nevertheless it bought me what I wanted to get to the place I’m right this moment and taught me to simply accept editorial suggestions with out taking it personally. And importantly, I solely needed to do it lengthy sufficient to construct up my writing samples.
5. Pitch to Rising Corporations
I’d by no means advocate writing for a corporation that merely isn’t keen to pay writers what they deserve. However in case you go searching lengthy sufficient in your favourite writing subgenre, you could find some fairly unbelievable up-and-coming web sites that might be thankful for the assistance. Though the work was unpaid, I’ll all the time be glad about a bit of web site referred to as FilmFracture for giving me an area to write down about movie since these posts would finally result in my hiring at Looper as a horror and sci-fi TV and movie author.
Getting Employed is the Subsequent Step
When you’ve discovered the tips of the commerce and constructed knowledgeable writing profile with not less than three good writing samples, getting your foot within the door with shoppers is straightforward. To get the phrase out, share all of your writing samples on social media websites like LinkedIn and Fb, and pitch your freelance writing providers to shoppers.
You probably have any ideas on methods to construct your writers’ portfolio, please drop a line and let me know within the feedback. I hope to see your identify in a byline!
