Tips for Brand New Freelancers

Are you ready to change your life? Freelancing and blogging have 100% changed mine, even though I do it on a part-time basis and make a part-time income. No, I’m not traveling to exotic locations every month, but my life is for-sure changed. My husband and I no longer stress at all about finances. We know if times ever got tough, we could both side hustle more and bring in more money. I sleep better at night, I’m able to spend more freely, and I’m a lot happier overall. Life is good 🙂

If you’re looking to make more money – whether a few extra hundred per month to take some stress off of your finances or an extra $10,000+ per month to be able to quit your full-time job – I’m here to tell you that I promise this is possible. But, you have to get started.

Here are my very best six tips for brand new freelancers.

6 Tips for Brand New Freelancers

Pitch three times per day minimum

Reach out to your favorite big bloggers who have writers, pitch to your favorite websites, and reach out to companies asking if you can write for their site (if they have a blog). You can tell if big bloggers have writers by looking at the authors of the posts. You can go about finding these by searching for “best food blogs,” “best personal finance blogs,” “best lifestyle blogs,” “best travel blogs,” etc. If you write on general topics like parenting, crafts, holidays, decor, relationships, careers, etc., reach out to sites like SheKnows, Lauren Conrad, Elle, etc. Again, just do a search on “best blogs for women” to get a whole bunch of ’em! You should never ever run out of sites to contact.

Have your own blog

Blogging was NOT what got me my first freelance job. However, it is what allowed me to start writing in finance, which is what I’ve always wanted to do. Blogging is also highly recommended for people who don’t have any freelancing clients. Unless you know someone who can get you a job, potential clients are going to want to see writing samples (and even if you know someone who might be able to get you a job, they still will probably want samples). Think of your blog as your portfolio – showcasing your best work and focusing on topics that you want to write about. Another benefit of blogging is that it itself can be a lucrative income stream. Keep at it!

I’ve been blogging two years now and I’ve met some really great friends through it, I’m slowly making money with it, and I’ve landed gobs of freelancing clients plus got my FT job because of my blog. You can view my latest income report here!

Do you want to start a blog but don’t know how? Follow my tutorial on starting a blog that will eventually earn a profit. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at sbrooks52111 @ yahoo (dot) com. I would love to help you out!!

And, if you start a blog through my Bluehost link you will receive my blogging ebook – The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging – for free AND receive a special discount from Bluehost on your own blog!

Be willing to write for content mills

Some writers will advise not writing for content mills. However, they do get you experience so you can see if you really, truly like writing. I worked for a content mill for more than two years. I was paid $25 per article but there were times when I could do two per hour. $50 an hour isn’t that bad, and the topics were usually pretty easy. The other nice thing about content mills is the topics are already chosen for you. You don’t have spend time thinking of pitches and can instead focus on writing and making money.

Don’t focus on rejection

As a freelancer, you’re going to get rejected. Stay confident and do NOT let that discourage you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve never heard back from a pitch or received a “thanks but no thanks” email. I read it and move on. I’ve been pitching like crazy these past few weeks in order reach my $10K in one year goal, and I’ve heard back from just a handful of people. Don’t take it personally and just KEEP TRYING!!

Search job boards

Here are my four favorite ways to find freelance jobs other than reaching out to bloggers and websites:

• jobs.problogger.net
• freelance writing gigs
• freelance writing (sign up for the daily newsletter! Jobs are sent straight to your email each morning)
• indeed (I’ve gotten a good amount of freelancing jobs here. Just do a search for freelance writing and leave the location blank)

Network!

They say it’s who you know, not what you know. This is true for freelancing (both a positive and a negative). The good thing is if you know someone who writes for a site that you want to write for, you have a good shot at getting in. The bad thing is if you don’t know any freelancers personally, you’re on your own. However, do not let that discourage you AT ALL. You can network by connecting with freelancers on LinkedIn, following your favorite writer’s Twitter accounts, “liking” your favorite blog’s Facebook pages and more. Just get yourself out there! Commenting on blogs is another good way to meet people. Also, if there’s ever a blogging conference you’re interested in attending – GO! I went to FinCon last weekend and met a bunch of writers for my FT job. I’ve hired on a ton of people that might not otherwise have gotten hired had I not met them in person and formed that relationship with them.

And one more small tip – organize your time wisely. It’s too easy to sit down with the intent of applying for jobs only to get lost in social media. What I’ve been doing lately is not allowing myself to do anything fun online until I’ve completed my daily freelancing goals (whether that’s pitching, writing a blog post, responding to comments, etc.). This encourages me to get to work so I can enjoy myself later!

So, start a blog, pitch like crazy to publications you want to write for, network and attend conferences, and search job boards daily. It takes work to be a freelancer and finding jobs is probably half the battle. View yourself as a professional from the start and take your freelancing career just as seriously as you would any career.

Bonus Tip!

If you need a little extra guidance along the way, I highly highly recommend taking a course on freelance writing. If you wanted to be a real estate agent, you’d have to take a class. If you want to be a nurse, you’ll have to go back to school. Freelance writing is no different. If you truly wish to make a full-time living off of it and enjoy the perks of being your own boss, quitting your job, setting your own hours and being in complete control of your income, Earn More Writing is the course for you.

Earn More Writing is a brand new freelance writing course developed by professional freelance writer, Holly Johnson. Holly will invoice more than $200,000 this year in freelancing alone. Let’s let that sink in for a minute. She also spends a ton of time traveling and is a mom to two little girls, just like most of us! She’s a super hard worker, but she’s also super good at what she does. She’s a pro; and her course will teach you exactly what you need to know to make it big as a freelancer.

What are your best tips for new freelancers?! Do you have any questions for me?