Freelance writing is arguably the most widely discussed work-for-yourself profession. Whether you're on the hustle bro side of TikTok or Googling "best ways to make money online," it's impossible to miss.
There's a reason it's at the top of everyone's list: It's a great gig.
A lot of freelance writers really do earn $10,000+ per month writing anytime, from anywhere.
You can't think of $10k/month at square one. In this article, I'll show you exactly how to land freelance writing jobs with no experience (and start building momentum).
Trust me — as soon as you hop on Upwork and see clients offering $20 per 1,000-word article, you'll realize you're fighting an uphill battle.
Spoiler alert: Freelance writing is difficult in the beginning. And you won't make a whole lot right away.
But anyone can do it. And that six-figure income you want is a lot more attainable than you think.
If you're a new freelance writer with no experience, these eight steps will take you to your first dollar.
Even if you think you have writing skills, you probably don't. Copywriting is a lot different from writing an essay for your English class.
The goal of copywriting is to get people to act. It's the art of talking to thousands of people, but making each one feel as though you're talking to just them.
Depending on the exact type of writing you do, here are a few concepts you'll have to understand as a freelance writer:
Over time, you'll learn the nuances. As a novice, start by watching YouTube videos, reading blogs, following copywriters on LinkedIn/Twitter, and investing in a freelance writing course.
If your goal is to become a freelance writer as quickly as possible, don't study without practicing.
Most successful freelancers combine steps one and two. It's better to learn on the fly.
A few ideas:
As you practice, collect feedback from friends in marketing, social media, forums, and copywriting groups.
If you can afford to, subscribe to software you'll end up using (e.g., an AI writing tool, A/B testing, marketing automation). Learn the basic features and spend a few dollars to test your copy.
In the context of freelance writing, niche means two things: the type of freelance writing business you start and the type of companies you serve.
You'll want to pick a niche where there are tons of freelance writing jobs and some freelance writers are already finding success.
Here are 15 of the most profitable niches:
Truth is, content niches develop semi-organically. Start with an open mind. Eventually, you'll hit a point where you either double down or keep things open.
Suppose you have four clients. Two of them are FinTech companies, and you're absolutely crushing it for them. All of a sudden, they refer you to two more FinTech companies.
Next thing you know, two-thirds of your clients are in FinTech. You're writing a FinTech blog post every day.
At that point, the universe could be telling you to accelerate the already-spinning wheel.
The only exception to this rule is if you're coming from a highly specialized field like medical, legal, or engineering. In that case, your clients are paying top dollar for a subject matter expert, not someone who also writes about travel and home decor.
The right mentor will 10x your growth in half the time. Ideally, it should be someone who's done what you want to do and made the mistakes you want to avoid.
If you don't have a successful freelance writer in your immediate network, use the following steps:
Keep in mind having a mentor only helps if you're actively trying to improve. If you haven't been taking active steps toward your freelance writing career, you're wasting your time and theirs.
With the right mentor, finding freelance writing jobs is a lot easier. If they run an agency, chances are they'll eventually send you work left and right.
Regardless, building your writing experience is important.
There are a few ways you can find your first project:
Getting your first clients as a freelance writer is a numbers game. Keep your outreach simple, refine it over time, and don't be discouraged when nobody bites for the first couple of days.
For a freelance writer, the meaning of "results" is twofold:
In both senses if the word, results equal momentum.
You can easily turn successful freelance writing clients into case studies. They might even send you video testimonials. Best case scenario, they refer you to their friends who need freelance writers.
Running your business efficiently also pays off. Efficiency is what makes you more money — a $1,000 blog is worth more when you can write it in five hours instead of 10. And after you've repeatedly achieved measurable results, you can put together an offer.
All of a sudden, you're selling freelance writing services on a per-project basis. You're putting clients on monthly retainers.
You’re creating real value.
With results, a tangible offer, and real freelance writing experience behind you, you can find more clients. It goes down in the DMs.
As a freelance writer, the good news is cold outreach is fairly easy. Your first step is finding the right target (usually a content marketing manager, agency owner, or business owner).
Then, grab their email using Hunter or Apollo.
When it's time to craft your message, less is more. The key is not to overcomplicate things.
Here's a look at a few examples of solid cold outreach for freelance writing work:
In this example, Ryan showed clear interest and engagement. They didn't pitch the recipient or make the message about themselves.
Instead, they briefly highlighted their experience and ended with an open-ended question.
For the same reason, Annie also has success finding potential clients.
Through her cold outreach, she underscores her bubbly personality and establishes common ground outside of their professional lives (cavalier ownership).
Clearly, cold outreach varies wildly (and it should, you need to have some personality). But the common thread is it's not about you.
Every cold DM/email should contain the following elements:
If you have writing samples or a personal blog, it sometimes helps to link to it. Others, it's advantageous to get the response first. That way, they can ask for it.
When you're just getting started freelance writing, you can't expect too many inbound leads. But once you've achieved some momentum, they're your greatest ally.
As a freelance writer, inbound leads come from a few places:
Referrals are the most common. You'll almost certainly get a few after doing a stellar job for a few clients. After working with someone for a few months, don't be afraid to ask.
But referrals equate, at best, to haphazard growth. The real money is in your personal brand.
To join the ranks of the established freelance writers, post on LinkedIn, repurpose it for Twitter threads, and engage with others.
Make your content insanely useful. And design it well.
Gradually build an audience, take a few simple branding steps, and watch your social media profiles convert like they're landing pages.
The earnings potential of a freelance writer is shrouded in ambiguity. On Upwork, there's no shortage of clients offering $0.01 per word. TikTok microinfluencers publicly share $50k+ monthly earnings.
In reality, how much you can make depends on a few essential factors:
Suppose you're running a Twitter account for the CEO of a scaling B2B SaaS brand. Between thought leadership, the occasional 6-figure deal, and future fundraising opportunities, a rock-solid Twitter presence pays handsomely. But they're a busy CEO, not a Twitter nerd.
$4,000 to retain you for the month?
Duh. No-brainer. Even if you can bust that month’s content out in a few short hours.
If you're writing ChatGPT garbage for a content mill? Not so much.
With that in mind, you’re only 3-4 clients away from $10,000+ in monthly income. It's not easy, but it's perfectly reachable in 6 months.
One of the beauties of running a freelance writing business is there are a million ways to make it work.
But we all know the Paradox of Choice. For someone with no previous professional writing experience, deciding where to start is borderline paralyzing.
For me, Twitter ticked all the boxes — high-ticket potential, straightforward enough to standardize, and shockingly undersaturated.
I built a Twitter ghostwriting agency and helped countless founders and CEOs grow on the platform. My peak month netted me $50,000.
Now, I've helped 117+ others do the same (several of whom are earning more than me).
For the aspiring freelancer who's ready to make something of their writing skills, now's your chance.
Click here to apply.
I show you how to build a high-paying creative business without doing work you hate.
