How to start freelance writing with no experience
Let’s get straight to the point –
It is difficult to start freelance writing no experience BUT it is possible.
So, if you are a beginner with absolutely no experience and struggling to start freelance writing, this post is for you.
Tell me if any of this sounds like you
- You want to be a writer but think that freelance writing jobs for beginners do not pay well
- You are tired of low paying freelance writing jobs that pay $20 for 1000 words (if they pay you at all, that is!).
- You have started to feel that freelance writing with no experience is all about low payments and bad clients
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Do you sometimes find yourself thinking –
Can you become a freelance writer with no experience?
How can I start freelance with no experience?
How do I start a freelance writing career?
How can I make money with no experience? etc.
Are you tired of content mill jobs?
BUT,
You just want to start working from home because it is flexible or whatever your WHY may be.
That said, you have NO idea where and how to start freelance writing with no experience and look for these “high paying clients” who are sweet to work with.
If you want to grab my secrets of building a successful freelance writing business with absolutely no experience sign up for the free course below.
You can still bag clients that pay $500 per article even if you are a beginner. In my first month of freelance writing in India, I landed a client who paid me $250 for a SINGLE post.
Sign up to find how to start a writing career from scratch
It is possible for you to replicate the same for you It is NO rocket science BUT it is hard work.
So, let’s look at how to start freelance writing with no experience.
This post may contain affiliate links to products I trust. This means if you make a purchase using the links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for the support!
Note: I HIGHLY recommend you to check out Holly’s course “Earn More Writing”. She has been able to make more than $250k+ a year as a writer and shares all her secrets in the course.
Adopt a business mindset
I struggled, but I did adopt “I am not an employee” attitude
Confession time: Being brought up in a middle-class family to working as a legal counsel, I was moulded in an “employee” mindset.
I have let clients dominate conversations, negotiate on pricing and listened to them speak without giving my views.
Oh, they are in business and they are RIGHT!
Sounds familiar?
When I started out, I didn’t see “freelance writing” as “business” and that was a HUGE mistake.
Check out this free training on getting paid to write online by a known writer.
Once I dumped the “employee” mindset, I was able to grow my business rather quickly!
I set up my own professional website (which did wonders for me!), build processes, terms and conditions, and a pricing model which showed I am not just any other desperate freelance writer but a proud business owner.
Let me tell you one secret, becoming a freelance writer with no experience wouldn’t have been possible without a professional website.
That is one and the only investments you have to make when you are starting out as a newbie freelance writer who lacks experience
Think of it this way. You are working from home and have minimum human contact. How the hell would you land clients?
Websites and blogs help you create a strong online presence. Not only do they make you look super professional, it also makes you more searchable.
Note: You can start a basic website with as little as $3.95 a month or go with the free options. However, I do not recommend using free options. You can read about other options here and here.
You can use this step by step tutorial to get your WordPress blog up and running. If you have difficulty in understanding the basics (like domain name, wordpress.org or .com, hosting etc), you can read this article on website basics.
If you do not want to invest in a website designer (which I did not, and created this website on my own), buy a theme builder like Elementor. It is super easy, is almost drag and drop and did I mention – it has a FREE version too!
As Solange said, you must first get comfortable with being uncomfortable and kicking the fear out the door.
Still, confused?
It’s a transformation from “I am working for you” to “I work with you”; “I cannot take risks” to “calculated risks is a part of the journey” and “I want to avoid failures” to “failures fuel me and teach me”
Come on –
You are adding value to the clients brand. Helping them gain authority and propel their online presence.
You are offering VALUE ADDITION.
So, get up every morning and tell yourself – I HAVE A FREELANCE WRITING BUSINESS. Promise?
Picked a profitable freelance writing niche
This is a never-ending debate.
Should you have a freelance writing niche or no-niche?
In my opinion, you should have one. It is integral to my strategy.
A few things I want to clarify –
Your niche need not ALWAYS be what you have read in college. Take some time to jot down your experience and interest.
For example, if you are a mother of two kids, you have parenting experience.
Is that something of interest to you? OR you are a stay at home wife but you love reading lifestyle magazines or you are very crafty? Well, there is your niche.
It doesn’t matter WHAT you did in college unless you want to take up academic writing.
Once you jot down all your interests and experience, rank them on the basis of profitability (for example, medical writing is extremely high paying).
Note: I highly recommend you to check out this list of 200+ freelance writing niches
Once you have ranked the niches, research on the top 3 online and find the possible client base you can have in that niche.
I also do not want you to spend a tonne of time doing this exercise. You can have a niche BUT it does not mean you cannot work outside of it.
I take on work from other industries (if it interests me) but I market myself as a tech/marketing writer because that’s what I love to write about.
Again, it is not necessary to have a niche, but it has its own set of advantages in the beginning.
- You have a clear picture of your target client. This makes it easier to find the best paying freelance writing jobs that matches your skill.
- Your research time is reduced CONSIDERABLY because you don’t have to learn basics.
- You have RELEVANT samples.
Build a freelance writer website that SELLS
When was the last time you bought something without spending time (buying, researching or exploring options) online?
We (even) buy groceries online nowadays!
You HAVE to take advantage of this. Build a website and make yourself “searchable” and “buyable” at the same time.
Ensure that
- You have a website, but don’t sell your soul over it. Get a basic website which states what you can do for your clients and what have you done (if any).
Do I sense worry? You aren’t comfortable with tech stuff?
This guide can help you launch your WordPress blog with Bluehost or check out this one to set it up with Hostgator. - All the content on your website needs to be RELEVANT. Keep it simple.
- Your contact details should be an easy find.
Note: You can start a basic website with as little as $3.95 a month or go with the free options. However, I do not recommend using free options. You can read about other options here and here.
You can use this step by step tutorial to get your WordPress blog up and running. If you have difficulty in understanding the basics (like domain name, wordpress.org or .com, hosting etc), you can read this article on website basics.
If you do not want to invest in a website designer (which I did not, and created this website on my own), buy a theme builder like Elementor. It is super easy, is almost drag and drop and did I mention – it has a FREE version too!
Build a professional freelance writing portfolio
You cannot be a writer without writing samples.
If your client asks you for writing samples or portfolio, you better have one (and, a good one)
When I started out as a freelance writer, I had no experience. That means, I had no samples.
So, I started writing some. I wrote a few samples on IT/marketing related topics and converted it into a fancy portfolio document.
You can also create a portfolio by guest posting on sites – here are two relevant posts to help you out
Write and get paid instantly: 25 websites to get paid to write online
Get paid to write: 21 blogging sites that pay $150+
Check out this free training on getting paid to write online by a known writer.
Started networking
Networking is the foundation of building a profitable freelance writing business without any experience.
Start by claiming all your social media accounts and optimise them. Make sure you mention you work as a freelance writer and are available for hire.
And hey, don’t get onto every platform. Focus on 1-2 which are relevant and work the best for your niche.
For example, if you are into fashion, Instagram can work wonders but maybe not LinkedIn.
Add a bunch of your ideal clients and start making conversations.
You are basically warming up the leads, so you can send in an email marketing your services, at a later point in time.
But this can take time.
So, I also want to start research your target clients and learn how to pitch them directly. This is one of the best ways to land clients constantly as a beginner writer.
I highly recommend you read this post on 10 ways to find freelance writing clients and how to use Facebook to land freelancing clients
Besides social media, you should also look for freelance writing job boards for beginners to land quick clients. Job boards are a great way to land entry level jobs for writers
Said NO to below LOC rates
I know it is tough to hold your ground initially. If the client is negotiating, you tend to cave in
You don’t have to.
If you think the payment is fair, go right ahead BUT never feel exploited while accept any freelance writing gig.
You need to know what you are worth and set standards (for example, I will not accept any work which is below $ X per word or $ XXX per post.
I know freelance writing with no experience can be tough, with all the clients wanting to pay pennies for Neil Patel like posts.
But, do you have to accept less? No!
Do not accept anything which falls below the LOC, line of caution. Bad clients are expensive to work with.
They destroy your confidence, reduce your time to engage with potential clients, pay you peanuts and badly impact your freelance writing career.
A lot of freelance writing clients will also ask you for free samples and disappear without paying a penny.
Read this post to know how to deal with free samples in your writing business
There you go.
If you follow these steps and tips, you can most certainly build a profitable freelance writing career.
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