Ed note: Do what you love, and make money doing it, may sound too cliché to be true. However, for some writers, the freelance market means they can pen posts about subjects they’re passionate about and be paid a nice price. The trick just might be getting started.
The Internet as we know it today is driven by content. Videos, lists, photos and blog posts provide readers with actionable information that can be shared through social streams and ultimately serve an end goal. The average reader may rarely think, “Hey… who writes this stuff anyway?”
Well, I do write this stuff, and there’s money to be made doing it. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, writers pulled in a median hourly rate of nearly $28 in 2013, and that figure is only going up. I’ve worked my way up from the bottom, and you can too. Here’s how to start:
1. Find Your Niche
You can only write about what you know. People will want to pay you to create content that provides genuine insight on a subject. That’s not to say you can’t learn new things on the fly when required for a given assignment. But it’s wise to focus on topics you’re comfortable writing about. Keep in mind when choosing a focus that people have hobbies, passions and interests that they want to read about and ultimately spend money on.
2. Write For Free
Why work for free? You may think you’re a great writer, but why would any random editor trust you purely on word? I had this mentality starting off, and it undoubtedly held me back. Once you’ve found your niche, reach out to some mid-level blogs (ideally ones you’ve consistently read yourself), pitch some ideas and offer to write for free if they’ll let you leave a by-line at the end of the article with contact information. This way, when you ultimately pitch for professional jobs, the hiring manager will have active references available to gauge your quality of work. Then you get paid!
3. Build Contacts
There is no substitute for building a good network. When you write and communicate well, people remember you. This generally leads to rehiring, ongoing projects or being recommended to others for outside freelance jobs. You’d be surprised how quickly editors within blogging communities recognize high quality material. Before you know it, you’ll actually be turning down work. To jumpstart your network, I’d recommend these resources.
http://www.reddit.com/r/forhire
This is a bare bones reddit community dedicated to hiring mostly freelance workers. Although you’ll find a mix of programming, web development, and graphic design work, there are lots of writing jobs to be had here too.
Contently is a free writing portfolio management site that connects professional writers with companies/ publications looking for new content. It will typically dish out jobs to more seasoned writers, but not always. Within two months of consistently posting my work on the site, I received a fairly lucrative offer to write for a credit union network. There’s nothing to lose here.
Help a reporter out (or HARO) is a networking tool that brings together reporters writing articles and potential resources. This is a good way to get quoted in legitimate publications, build your personal brand, and connect with other writers.
Breaking into the world of freelance writing is by no means an easy task. As goes with anything worthwhile, it takes time, effort, persistence and probably a little luck. But if you produce consistent, value-conveying content, the money will follow.
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