If you wish to break into freelance writing and make money working 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 artistic 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 sturdy communication abilities and a knack for writing, a contract writing profession might be an extremely rewarding solution to benefit from the freedom of a work from home life-style.
However like many new freelance writers, as I realized once I was first making an attempt to interrupt into the content material writing trade, it takes extra than simply stable writing abilities 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 every little thing I’ve realized about constructing the writing portfolio you should remodel 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 type of one who has by no means been capable of articulate my concepts nicely in a face-to-face skilled setting (and bombed loads of job interviews alongside the best way), I’ve by some means by no means had hassle placing my concepts ahead in print.
However all the A papers I made in faculty didn’t imply something when it got here time to use for writing gigs creating net 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. Regardless that I had some previous print content material from my early writing days, a lot of the firms I utilized to wished no less than three hyperlinks to printed on-line content material.
As I quickly got here to study, that’s as a result of firms wish to see not simply that writers can write. They wish to see that they’ve a powerful 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 learners discover themselves in. With out samples, I couldn’t get a job. And with out a job, I couldn’t create the printed content material I wanted to get a job.
Break into Freelance Writing
Few individuals wish 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 career 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 subjects associated to freelance writing and shortly realized one thing shocking from blogs that handled freelance writing and content material advertising: a school language arts diploma gave the impression to be just one path to a writing profession.
Time and again, I encountered self-taught writers who realized to provide the kind of writing web sites need by watching YouTube movies or taking an internet writing course (or a couple of).
Seeing how these people had been capable of transfer into profitable careers as freelancers was encouraging. That’s once I realized that if I might simply construct my experience sufficient to get a foot within the door, the writing alternatives I’d been dreaming of would comply with.
Creating Skilled Writing Samples
A sea change occurred in my line of pondering once I realized my writing samples didn’t have to have a serious on-line presence. They only wanted to be printed someplace on-line and showcase my skill to put in writing the type of content material my future potential purchasers have been in search of.
As a result of I used to be studying as I went, my path to knowledgeable writing portfolio was a bit circuitous. Nonetheless, I’ve been capable of mentor different writers utilizing what I realized, and their path to publication is normally far more streamlined. With no educational background in writing, my husband went from having no on-line presence to changing into an everyday author for SlashGear in only a matter of months.
Right here’s my finest recommendation to create a standout portfolio:
1. Take Benefit of On-line Sources
I can’t overemphasize the worth of studying primary ideas associated to on-line publishing. Precisely what a consumer is in search of can range relying on the writing area of interest. Nonetheless, presenting writing samples demonstrating your understanding of ideas like anchor textual content or the function of search engine writing isn’t just a good suggestion. It’s additionally essential to land nearly all of skilled writing gigs.
2. Polish Your Social Media Profiles
Even if you happen to’re not naturally inclined to doomscrolling, freelance writers can profit from having a presence on websites like Fb, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X). You need to try to current the picture you need potential purchasers to see. It’s additionally not a foul 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 right area to apply 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 obtained 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 a couple of writers who’ve had comparable luck visitor posting for different bloggers or self-publishing on Medium, a website that lets writers produce their very own professional-looking content material. The important thing to producing high quality samples by means of weblog writing is to seek out web sites that produce the type of content material you’re hoping to create after which try to emulate that website’s basic type, 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 put in writing enterprise blogs. Not solely is there a continuing want for enterprise weblog writing, however it’s additionally a good way to construct up these writing muscle groups and shortly create an honest assortment {of professional} writing samples you should 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 truth starting writers can use to construct a portfolio. It’s additionally a good way to shortly turn into an armchair professional in every little thing from chiropractic remedy to building work.
After mocking up a pattern, I joined each Fb group I might discover and pitched my providers for writing quick blogs of round 400 phrases for $10 every till I landed my first consumer. The pay stung, however it obtained me what I wanted to get to the place I’m immediately and taught me to just 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 Firms
I might by no means suggest writing for a corporation that merely isn’t prepared to pay writers what they deserve. However if you happen to go searching lengthy sufficient in your favourite writing subgenre, you could find some fairly improbable up-and-coming web sites that may be pleased about the assistance. Regardless that the work was unpaid, I’ll all the time be grateful for a little bit web site known as FilmFracture for giving me an area to put in writing about movie since these posts would ultimately 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 realized the tips of the commerce and constructed knowledgeable writing profile with no less than three good writing samples, getting your foot within the door with purchasers 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 purchasers.
When you have any recommendations on methods to construct your writers’ portfolio, please drop a line and let me know within the feedback. I hope to see your title in a byline!