Your No-Nonsense Guide to Landing Your First Freelance Writing Gig
By: Rebekah Dietz
Tags: Freelancing, Freelance Writing, Writing, Side Hustle, Gig Economy

Your No-Nonsense Guide to Landing Your First Freelance Writing Gig

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Freelance writing: side hustle for some, full-time job for others, and dream career for many.

But how do you get started with freelance writing? It seems so daunting, and no matter how many “Freelance Writing Tips for Beginners” articles you read, you just can’t figure out how to get your first writing job.

I’ve been where you are — frustrated, lost, and wondering what you’re doing wrong. It’s not a fun place. That’s why I’m here, laying down this step-by-step guide to jump starting your freelance writing career. And no, it doesn’t require buying a $200 course (although a less expensive course may be helpful).

Step One: Know how to write well

You’d think this is a no-brainer, but apparently it’s not. So let me put it in simple words for you: If you suck at writing, no one will hire you.

Something else you need to understand: You can be great at one form of writing and suck at another form.

Maybe you’ve been writing novels since you were a kid. You’ve learned so much about dialogue, plotting, character arcs, etc. But now you’re trying to break into freelancing. You want to make those big bucks writing for a well-known website.

Unfortunately, everything you learned about story writing doesn’t apply to the world of freelance writing. So now it’s time to do your research and make sure you know how to write great copy.

Make sure you’re well-versed in these key things:

SEO — Search engine optimization is a biggie, my friend. It’s everything from how long a user stays on a site, to how long your article is, to the keywords you use — and that’s just a shaving off the tip of the iceberg. It’s more than just keywords, although you’ll need to be good at picking the best ones and inserting them into your copy naturally. Using sites like LSIGraph, Ubersuggest, and Keyword Tool will get you a long way. If you’re struggling with learning about SEO, I’d recommend picking up this book.

— Search engine optimization is a biggie, my friend. — and that’s just a shaving off the tip of the iceberg. It’s more than just keywords, although you’ll need to be good at picking the best ones and inserting them into your copy naturally. Using sites like LSIGraph, Ubersuggest, and Keyword Tool will get you a long way. If you’re struggling with learning about SEO, I’d recommend picking up this book. Writing conversational copy — People’s attention spans, especially when reading on the internet, are tiny. You need to learn how to keep people engaged enough that they read your copy through to the end. You’ll also want to keep your voice within your client’s style. This. is. important. Learn more about conversational writing here and here.

— People’s attention spans, especially when reading on the internet, are tiny. You’ll also want to keep your voice within your client’s style. This. is. important. Learn more about conversational writing here and here. Writing copy that converts — There’s a decent chance that, as a freelance writer, you’re going to be writing for a business that sells something or uses affiliate marketing. Because of that, you need to know how to convince people to buy something (or take some kind of action) through your writing. Along with being conversational (see above). I snatched up this guide, and it’s helped me immensely.

— There’s a decent chance that, as a freelance writer, you’re going to be writing for a business that sells something or uses affiliate marketing. Along with being conversational (see above). I snatched up this guide, and it’s helped me immensely. Grammar — Please, please, PLEASE edit your work. Run it through Hemingway. Read it out loud to make sure it flows well. Be consistent with your use of commas, quotation marks, etc. If you’re not sure how to properly structure a sentence, look it up. Ask an editor or English teacher. Keep your work clean and flawless.

— Please, please, PLEASE edit your work. Run it through Hemingway. Read it out loud to make sure it flows well. Be consistent with your use of commas, quotation marks, etc. If you’re not sure how to properly structure a sentence, look it up. Ask an editor or English teacher. Make sure your writing is high quality — Write longform content that’s preferably 1,500+ words, make sure it’s easily readable/skimmable and solves a problem, and cut out the filler and fluff. Learn more about writing high-quality content here and here.

Still feel like your writing is inadequate? I’d recommend taking a course to boost your skills. I took this Udemy course, and it completely transformed the way I write. It’s expensive, but Udemy has sales often, so keep an eye on the price. If you can get it for under $30, don’t hesitate.

Step Two: Write some samples

All right. You know how to write well, so now it’s time to start typing. But what do you write about? And where do you publish your samples?

There are a few ways to go about setting up your freelance writing portfolio. You can either set up a website of your own, or you could go for a site that lets you post articles for free (hint: you’re on one right now).

As for what to write, that depends on what you want to get paid to write about. You don’t need to be an expert — you’ll be able to interview and research — but it does help, especially since a lot of writing jobs require expertise.

However, I’m living proof that you can make a full-time income off of freelance writing without any expertise (or a college degree)—as long as you can write well.

How did I do it?

I went for the “lifestyle” niche.

Product reviews. Home decor. Personal growth tips. Relationship advice. Being an introvert. Food. Fashion. The works. This is what’s known as B2C (Business to Consumer) writing, instead of B2B (Business to Business) writing.

Now, you can go for a niche that you’re not an expert in. Just be prepared to spend more time researching than writing. And to be honest, I don’t have the experience to guide you through, say, writing about tech when you’re not drowning in electronics already. You’re on your own for that — but the rest of this guide will still apply to you.

So here’s what you do:

Figure out what you want to write about.

Browse through some freelance writing job boards (more on those below) to make sure that type of writing is in demand.

If it’s not, try again. If it is, get writing.

Here’s the kicker: you’re going to have to write for free. Not necessarily for a client, but for yourself. You have no writing experience, so you’ve got to prove that you’re an A+ writer. That means writing without pay to get yourself started.

Here’s the good news: it’s just three articles. For one of my very first writing jobs, I went the product review route, wrote three high-quality articles about products I use, and bam! I landed a gig that pays $0.25 a word (or, $250 for 1,000 words) with as many assignments as I can handle a month. It’s not going to make me a millionaire, but it’s a heck of a lot better than where I started at, which was ghostwriting for Textbroker.

So write your three example articles, edit them, and maybe run them by a friend or family member. Ask them if they lost interest or got confused at any point in your articles. If so, fix up those areas.

Step Three: Find those jobs

You’re finally getting somewhere. Now that you know how to write great content and you have your samples, it’s time to get yourself hired.

Freelance writing job boards are your new best friend. This is how you scout out potential clients, read up on writing job requirements, and get hired as a freelancer.

Mega list of freelance writing job boards:

ProBlogger—Anyone can apply to any job. Competition is tough, but you can make it if you work for it. I got my very first writing job through this board.

Contena — This is a paid job board, but in my opinion it’s worth it. They sort through the crappy jobs, assign you a coach, and educate you on being the best freelance writer you can be. This is where I’ve had the most luck because Contena does a lot of the scouting/work for you.

Upwork — Some people love Upwork, some people hate it. If you’re new to writing, you’ll have trouble getting accepted, but keep it in mind.

Blogging Pro — Another free writing job board similar to ProBlogger.

Freelancer — A board that requires “bidding” and isn’t worth your time, in my opinion. Competition is way too high for new writers.

ClearVoice — A board that matches you and your expertise with specific clients.

Scripted — You have to take a test/submit a writing sample to be approved, and then you’re rated so clients know what they’re getting.

Mediabistro — Similar to ProBlogger, wider range of jobs than just writing gigs.

LinkedIn — While I’ve never used LinkedIn to do anything other than have an online resume of sorts to direct people to, you can job hunt on here.

Authentic Jobs — You won’t always find writing jobs here, but it’s worth checking.

#epicjobs — Same with above. There aren’t a ton of writing jobs here, but keep it in mind.

We Work Remotely — This job board is laid out weird, but hit Ctrl + F and search “copywriting” to find what you’re looking for.

Indeed — Yep! Indeed might be a traditional job listing board, but you can find writing opportunities on here as well. Some are remote, some are local.

Monster — Same with Indeed.

You can find more places to find freelance writing jobs here.

A Side Note: Writers.Work vs. Contena

There’s another paid job board out there called Writers Work. It’s similar to Contena because both sites find job listings from other job boards and post them in one place, but based off of my experience, Contena is the superior option. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Price — Writers Work has a one-time fee of $94. If you can’t afford that, you can pay $15 monthly (the fee continues even after you surpass $94). Contena has a few pricing options. If you can afford a whole year up front, their cheapest option is $42 per month (total of $504). If you can’t afford that, you can pay a monthly fee of $100.

Quality of Jobs — While both sites scan a lot of the same places, Contena only posts higher-quality (and paying) jobs, and also looks in more places than Writers Work (sites that can’t be browsed through like a normal job board, like Jobvite).

Education — Writers Work offers a freelance writers University, and Contena offers an Academy. Writers Work’s University did nothing for me. Contena’s Academy is far more extensive, teaching you how to land jobs and keep them. I actually got something out of their courses. Note: neither of these really go into how to write. It’s more about the business end of things.

Coach — Contena provides you with a coach (Writers Work doesn’t) who will look over your writing and answer questions you have. You coach isn’t an accountability partner. Just someone to help you out and guide you along your writing career.

So, basically, I love Contena, and I’ve had no luck with Writers Work. But feel free to check them out for yourself. Every writer is different.

Step Four: Figure out your rate

You’ll find a lot of advice on coming up with a freelance writing rate. A lot of it’s confusing and doesn’t give you a great answer. Here are the general guidelines I suggest you follow:

The starting rate for beginner freelance writers is usually around $0.10 per word. Anything less than that is a waste of time, but if you’re desperate, you may not have a choice. But if you do end up below $0.10 a word, you shouldn’t have to stay there too long.

Anything less than that is a waste of time, but if you’re desperate, you may not have a choice. But if you do end up below $0.10 a word, you shouldn’t have to stay there too long. Some places use per-project rates or per-hour rates. Don’t agree to a project rate until you know the amount of research required and the word count requirement. As for an hourly rate , I’d say beginners normally start between $10–15 an hour. It’s all pretty subjective, though.

until you know the amount of research required and the word count requirement. As for an , I’d say beginners normally start between $10–15 an hour. It’s all pretty subjective, though. Remember to account for taxes, insurance, and all that jazz. You’ll probably send invoices instead of receiving a paycheck, so you have to remember that taxes aren’t automatically being deducted for you.

You’ll probably send invoices instead of receiving a paycheck, so you have to remember that taxes aren’t automatically being deducted for you. At the end of the day, you know what you’re worth. If you’re still learning about creating online content, don’t charge a ton of money just because you need it. That’s dishonest. But don’t sell yourself short. Ask yourself, “Could I make more money working in food service than I could at this rate?” If the answer is yes, your rates are so low that freelance writing won’t be worth your time.

If you’re still learning about creating online content, don’t charge a ton of money just because you need it. That’s dishonest. Ask yourself, “Could I make more money working in food service than I could at this rate?” If the answer is yes, your rates are so low that freelance writing won’t be worth your time. Your outside expertise counts for something. If you want to get into medical writing and you’ve worked as a medical professional, you can make more than I could in that field because I know just about nothing when it comes to medicine.

If you want to get into medical writing and you’ve worked as a medical professional, you can make more than I could in that field because I know just about nothing when it comes to medicine. Everything above is true while also possibly being false at the same time. Why? Because everything depends on the client’s viewpoint as well. Sticking with the medical writing scenario, if they see my writing experience and understand that I’m willing to interview medical professionals, that could be worth more to them than your medical expertise, because you’re a new writer. It all depends.

Step Five: Send out your pitch

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: if you can’t write a good pitch, you’re never going to get hired. You need to sell yourself.

But how? You have no experience, other than a few articles you self-published and a mind-boggling amount of time spent researching online writing skills.

Don’t worry — you’ve got this. Remember: I was once exactly where you are, and I made it to the next step. You can too.

Before you write your pitch, make sure you have a professional-looking email. Preferably yourname@provider.com, or yournamewriter@provider.com. Something like that. Please, whatever you do, don’t send these pitches from the email address you made when you were twelve.

To start, try to figure out the person’s name you’re writing the email to. If you can’t, don’t panic. A simple “Hey there,” or “Hello,” will probably suffice.

Next, introduce yourself. Give them your name. Give them your experience. If you don’t have any, mention your enthusiasm about the job you’re applying for. Tell them why you’re a great writer. If you’re great at SEO, mention it. Play to your strengths, and try to keep it relevant to the job ad.

After that, link to those (relevant) sample articles you wrote.

After listing your samples, you’re almost done. All you have to do is give a call to action (CTA) saying something like, “I’d love to chat about what I can do for you!”

There are a few optional things you could add, like suggesting a trial period, or mentioning your rate (although I’d suggest leaving that one until after they express interest so you don’t scare them away). That’s up to you.

After that, sign your name, link to your website/portfolio underneath, and hit send (after proofreading, of course).

Now, while I’ve used this pitch and it works great, keep in mind that some job ads will ask for a resume, and others will ask you to fill out a form. Maybe one potential client will ask for two samples and another will ask for five. You’ll have to be flexible here.

Things to keep in mind while writing your pitch:

You’re selling your writing skills, so write your pitch well. Show some personality but remember to keep it professional. A dry, boring pitch won’t get you hired. Neither will one that gives your entire life’s story when you only need to give your experience.

Show some personality but remember to keep it professional. A dry, boring pitch won’t get you hired. Neither will one that gives your entire life’s story when you only need to give your experience. Follow instructions — This is HUGE. So many job ads give specific instructions, right down to the subject line of the email you’re sending. Follow. these. instructions. perfectly. (This should go without saying, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t follow this simple rule.)

— This is HUGE. So many job ads give specific instructions, right down to the subject line of the email you’re sending. Follow. these. instructions. perfectly. (This should go without saying, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t follow this simple rule.) Sound confident in yourself — If an editor gets even a whiff that you don’t think you can handle the job you’re applying for, your pitch will get ignored. Never refer to yourself as a beginner, and never say that you’ll “probably” be able to do this job, or that you “should be able to” get assignments in on time. Remember: you’re selling yourself. Do it well!

Step Six: Get hired as a freelance writer

You send out your pitches, and you get a few responses back. Congrats! People are interested in your writing skills.

Depending on the client, things could go slowly or quickly. They may have a set rate decided, or there may be negotiations. If a potential client isn’t a fan of your rates, offer them a small amount of articles at a discounted price so they can get a taste of how you’ll benefit them.

If you’re working with a bigger company, chances are they’ve already got a contract drafted and ready to go. But smaller companies might not. There’s no rule saying you have to have a contract, but it’ll help protect you in case a client decides they don’t feel like paying you.

Honestly, everything from here on out is a little like the Wild West. You could write a blog post in Google Docs, hand it over, send out a Paypal invoice, and get paid all in the same day. Or it could take a few rounds of editing and a monthly payment process. I’ve experienced both. It all depends. What you need to remember is to always produce quality content, no matter what.

Step Seven: When you aren’t getting hired

So what happens when you don’t get hired? You troubleshoot.

As an inexperienced writer, there could be any number of reasons why you didn’t get hired. Here are a few to watch out for:

You didn’t follow the instructions in the job ad — Some will ask you to do strange things like put your favorite ice cream at the bottom of the email. Read through the entire ad and make sure you’re paying attention!

— Some will ask you to do strange things like put your favorite ice cream at the bottom of the email. Read through the entire ad and make sure you’re paying attention! Your writing isn’t ready — If you’re brand new at this, you’re going to need to practice. Becoming a skilled writer doesn’t happen overnight! Make sure you’ve educated yourself on what makes an article great.

— If you’re brand new at this, you’re going to need to practice. Becoming a skilled writer doesn’t happen overnight! Make sure you’ve educated yourself on what makes an article great. Your pitch was off — Assuming you followed the job ad’s instructions, were your samples relevant? Was your pitch so long that the recipient lost interest? Was your subject line concise and eye-catching? If you’re cold pitching instead of chasing after job ads, consider reading this post.

— Assuming you followed the job ad’s instructions, were your samples relevant? Was your pitch so long that the recipient lost interest? Was your subject line concise and eye-catching? If you’re cold pitching instead of chasing after job ads, consider reading this post. You didn’t follow up — Some ads ask that you don’t follow up, and some remain silent on the subject. For the ones that remain silent (or for cold pitches), sending another email isn’t a bad idea, as long as it’s done right. If you don’t get a response within two or three weeks, try offering a trial period, a discounted price, or a simple reminder. Maybe you found an article with some information your potential client might find valuable. Send it on over and ask for an update!

What to do if you still can’t land a freelance writing job

First of all, don’t worry. There are tons of ways to make money writing. In this guide, I’ve laid out one way to get a writing job online. One. There are plenty of other methods, tools, and resources:

Take a course — As I said above, you need to know how to write well. Some people can learn that on their own. But if you’re the type of person who needs someone to walk you through every little detail of creating copy that sells, I’d recommend investing in some knowledge. This course (which I’ve taken) will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to succeed in copywriting.

— As I said above, you need to know how to write well. Some people can learn that on their own. But if you’re the type of person who needs someone to walk you through every little detail of creating copy that sells, I’d recommend investing in some knowledge. This course (which I’ve taken) will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to succeed in copywriting. Start local — Every city has their fair share of small businesses. Find one with an abandoned blog or an outdated website and offer your services. Try writing their monthly newsletter or taking over their social media posts.

— Every city has their fair share of small businesses. Find one with an abandoned blog or an outdated website and offer your services. Try writing their monthly newsletter or taking over their social media posts. Try a content mill — However much I hate to say it, this is how I got started. I got accepted into Textbroker, ghostwrote for a whole bunch of businesses, and made a little bit of money at the same time. When I started pitching, I was then able to say that I had “helped x amount of websites/businesses to strengthen their websites.” I couldn’t use any of my work as an example (it would’ve violated my contract), but it was still true.

— However much I hate to say it, this is how I got started. I got accepted into Textbroker, ghostwrote for a whole bunch of businesses, and made a little bit of money at the same time. When I started pitching, I was then able to say that I had “helped x amount of websites/businesses to strengthen their websites.” I couldn’t use any of my work as an example (it would’ve violated my contract), but it was still true. Try writing for free — In my personal opinion, this should be your last resort. As long as you have some well-written examples and enough knowledge, you should be set. But if you’re struggling, this could get your name attached to a published piece.

— In my personal opinion, this should be your last resort. As long as you have some well-written examples and enough knowledge, you should be set. But if you’re struggling, this could get your name attached to a published piece. Submit to lifestyle sites — The Mighty accepts submissions on mental health. Sure, they don’t usually pay, but you’d have a byline on a quality site. Introvert, Dear accepts submissions on introversion and highly sensitive people. They pay $40 an article. If you have a favorite site like one of those, search around in their navigation. They might just have a “Write for Us” page that’ll get you started.

— The Mighty accepts submissions on mental health. Sure, they don’t usually pay, but you’d have a byline on a quality site. Introvert, Dear accepts submissions on introversion and highly sensitive people. They pay $40 an article. If you have a favorite site like one of those, search around in their navigation. They might just have a “Write for Us” page that’ll get you started. Keep track of those pitches — This is how I got my first freelancing job. I responded to a job ad on ProBlogger only to get crickets. But I kept an eye on the client’s site, and I noticed that even after a few months, they still hadn’t hired a writer. So I pitched them again — months later. Guess who ended up getting her first freelance writing job because of that? This girl.

— This is how I got my first freelancing job. I responded to a job ad on ProBlogger only to get crickets. But I kept an eye on the client’s site, and I noticed that even after a few months, they still hadn’t hired a writer. So I pitched them again — months later. Guess who ended up getting her first freelance writing job because of that? This girl. Try a different niche — It could just be that the niche you chose isn’t looking for writers. Maybe you’re cold pitching the wrong crowd. Check out this post on profitable freelance writing niches.

Recap: How to get started freelance writing

Step One: Know how to write well, even if it means taking a course to make sure you really know your stuff.

Step Two: Write some samples so you can show that you’re a great writer.

Step Three: Look through job boards to find writing jobs. Consider paying for a job board like Contena to save time.

Step Four: Figure out your rate, keeping it high enough that you don’t waste your time.

Step Five: Write a killer pitch and send it out to potential clients. Remember to follow instructions in job ads.

Step Six: Consider using a contract and write great content for your clients.

Step Seven: Rework your plan if you aren’t getting hired.

If you’re still looking for your first freelance writing job, what are you struggling with? And if you’re a seasoned freelancer, what’s your best advice to newbies?