Freelance writing is a career pursuit for some and a nice side hustle for others. While many entry-level jobs can seem less welcoming due to AI being leaned on more and more, there’s no shame in setting up your platform and having a crack at it. If you have experience in certain fields and can string a compelling sentence together, odds are that someone out there will be happy to pay you for your insights.
Without equating freelance writing to painting the Mona Lisa, there’s indeed a little more skill and focus involved than just spitting words into a text editor. This is a sole trading and personal career approach, and for that reason, it needs to be focused on diligently.
Never fear, because to unlock your writing prowess, we believe some of the following preparations can help you get started. Just make sure to learn as much as you can and to take the good clients with the bad. With polished content written from your unique perspective, the internet can become a better place:
Master Time Management
Writing can seem quite easy on the surface, but staying on task, especially if you’re easily distracted, can take some getting used to. This is where the idea of “time blocks” can be so useful. Put simply, you decide to focus for a distinct period, perhaps twenty minutes, and work with as much attention on the task as you can. Then you take a ten-minute break. Then rinse and repeat. It’s a good method of building concentration and discipline without eroding your quality standards.
Understand Your Niche
As AI tools become better and better at offering generalized, entry-level knowledge, you as a human being (hopefully) can produce thought leadership in more specialized areas. This will ultimately keep your client list evergreen. It might be that you have a history in software engineering or restaurant hosting, or perhaps you once moonlighted as a fitness instructor. Offering your unique insight, establishing where it exists in the first place, and marketing yourself to content houses, agencies, or private clients can be an excellent first step to take.
Manage Your Finances Correctly
As a freelance writer, it’s important to make sure you plan your self assessment tax return thanks to sole trading income. You can also invest in an accountant who may help you strike off expenses like the cost of outfitting your new laptop or an internet connection bill, this is part of your business, after all. It’s also important to remain clear about your invoicing – how many revisions will a given project allow? Often, as many as it takes is a good idea, but full-scale rewrites might incur an extra charge. It’s also important to work when you can, as freelance writing is not always the most predictable and stable of career paths, especially going into 2024.
With this advice, you’ll still have a blast and learn a great deal of personal autonomy by setting up as a freelance writer. We’re certain you’ll nail your approach, so good luck, and keep writing!