Skills and Experience Required
Many people get hung up on thinking they need to have certain qualifications to become a freelance writer. Maybe you think you need a journalism degree… or a master’s in creative writing. While some magazines, blogs, and other sources of writing jobs may include a list of required qualifications to apply, the reality is if you can tell a story in a way that the reader can easily understand, you are probably qualified to be a freelance writer.
You will need basic writing skills, such as the ability to spell correctly or use an effective spell-checking tool; basic grammar knowledge; and the ability to proofread your work to find and fix as many errors as possible. But more importantly, successful freelance writing involves learning how to think like a business owner. You need the skills to market yourself to find clients, manage your expenses, pay taxes on income earned, invoice your clients, collect payments for outstanding invoices, and manage deadlines. These skills are as important, if not more important, than your actual writing experience.
How Much Can You Earn?
Rates for freelance writing gigs vary greatly. You could get paid $1 or $2 to write short product descriptions, receive $5 for a short article, or earn $200 for the same short article for a higher-paying website! When deciding what pay range you should accept, consider how long it takes you to research and write an article and what hourly rate you feel is fair for your efforts. You may decide to accept lower-paying writing jobs when you’re first getting started to build a portfolio of examples to use when applying for higher-paying writing gigs later on – or you may decide to hold out for higher pay right from the start. It all depends on how quickly you want to start earning money.
Where to Find Online Writing Work
There are many job boards available online that connect writers with buyers. It’s a great way to find people and companies hiring writers. Competition for writing gigs on job boards can be tough, but it’s a numbers game. The best thing you can do is apply to as many writing jobs as you can every day, and eventually you will start getting responses. The key to getting noticed when these writing jobs are receiving thousands of submissions is to be one of the first people to respond and to have a memorable cover letter (email) and resume.
Job boards that frequently list remote or contract writing jobs:
Problogger
Freelance Writing Gigs
Freelance Writing Jobs
Craigslist
When applying for writing gigs, make sure to carefully read the description of the position and tailor your email (or cover letter) to each job. You want to show you have the skills, experience, knowledge, and ability to do the job they’re describing, so spend some time creating a cover letter that shows them you have what it takes. For example, if you’re applying to write articles for a parenting magazine, share something in your cover letter about your children and parenting skills, and why you would be perfect for writing their parenting articles.
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