The Fastest and Easiest Way to Break Into Freelance Writing

Freelance writing – to me – is one of the best jobs out there. Many of my friends are making six figures a year as freelance writers. They’ve quit their full-time jobs, their husbands have possibly quit their full-time jobs, and they’re able to work on their own terms and set their own schedule. Need to take kids to the doctor? Have a sick baby? Need to help with homework and cook dinner? Done, done and done; all without having to ask your boss for PTO.

I have been freelance writing for over four years, though I’ll admit I don’t do a ton of it anymore. In fact, the only jobs I take on now are ones that pay $300+ per article. While I do get a few that come my way, the income isn’t consistent. Reason being is I do have a full-time job that I enjoy and I just had my third little baby girl 🙂 I’m also focusing more on increasing my blogging income for the time being.

You can read my latest income report where I show you how I made over $1,700 blogging here! >>

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to get freelance jobs 🙂 Back in the day, I was making a consistent $2,000-$3,000/month with two little toddlers at home. I would estimate I worked about 15 hours per week to make that. Here, I’m sharing the fastest and easiest way to break into freelance writing.

The Fastest and Easiest Way to Break Into Freelance Writing

When I started freelancing, it wasn’t nearly as competitive as it is now. Now, if you don’t have writing experience, it can be tough to get your first job. Companies and individuals want writers with resumes and published writing samples.

So, what do you do if you don’t have that? Luckily, the answer is simple.

Start a Blog in Your Desired Writing Field

I wanted to be a personal finance freelance writer. This was after I’d already “established” myself as a lifestyle writer. I wasn’t quite sure how to make the switch, so I decided to start this blog. Within a month of posting consistently, I had a resume, published writing samples via my blog, and a few job offers.

If you want to be a tech writer, start a blog surrounding that and publish a few posts before applying for jobs. The same goes for parenting writers, business writers, lifestyle writers, finance writers and more. Your blog will serve as your portfolio and your resume for landing jobs.

You can easily start a blog using my tutorial. Bluehost is offering a special discount to my readers only, and I’ll give you a copy of my book – The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging – for free! Just send me an email or leave a comment saying you made a purchase through my link!

How to Get Freelance Writing Jobs

Ok, so you’ve started a blog and have made a decent amount of posts in your desired niche. Now what? Well, it’s time to find some jobs! Below are the best ways to find freelance writing jobs:

Morning Coffee Newsletter: I absolutely LOVE this newsletter. Each morning, I get an email listing out new freelance writing jobs available. I quickly browse through them and if something catches my eye, I apply. You can sign up here.

Problogger Jobs: This is another site I check about 1-2 times per week. Here you’ll find writing and editing positions in all sorts of fields, all remote/freelanced. Check it out here.

Indeed: We all know Indeed is great for finding full-time jobs, but it’s also a fantastic resource for finding freelance jobs, too. I’ve landed a few freelancing jobs through Indeed and highly recommend browsing the site regularly. I leave the location portion blank and just search “freelance writing,” “freelance editing,” “finance freelance writer,” etc.

Contena: Contena is probably the best website out there for finding freelance jobs. There’s a free version and a paid version. With the paid version, you’ll have access to every single job posting that they list. Most of the jobs are NOT ones that you’ll find on the above-mentioned sites, so if you really are serious about becoming a freelancer, I think the price for the Contena membership is worth it.

Need Extra Help?

And finally, you can always choose to take a course on freelance writing if you’re at a loss on where to begin, need extra guidance OR are looking to increase your income/rates. Just as you would take a class to learn how to paint or do photography, freelance writing is no different. You’ll be more successful and have an easier time getting your foot in the door if you take a course from an expert.

The course that I recommend is by Holly Johnson, a freelance writer and mom of two who will invoice more than $200,000 in freelance writing this year. She quit her job to freelance and her husband was also able to quit his. Imagine a life where you get to work from home and set your own schedule, see your husband and kids all the time, and make basically enough money to purchase anything your heart desires and give back to your community. Holly is an expert in freelancing and, lucky for us, she has created a course to teach us her ways.

Holly’s course – Earn More Writing – will help you not only get your foot in the door but will also help you make more money as a freelance writer. She’ll teach you how to find jobs, how to pitch potential clients, how to ask for a raise, how to best manage your time as a freelancer, and more! She also offers a few bonuses, including a 30-minute coaching session by Holly herself (this is with the Pro package), a list of 250 businesses with blogs that you could reach out to for work, a free Facebook group, and more!

Plus, the course is completely self-paced, meaning you can work through it as quickly or as slowly as you’d like. You’ll also have access to the course forever, so you can refer back to it as often as you need to.

And there you have it! My best tips for breaking into freelance writing as a newbie. What questions do you have for me? Is there any way that I can help you?