You must have been told at some point that freelance doesn’t help you make serious money, it’s just a hobby and I’m here to finally bust that myth. I personally started my own writing business and I was making around $1,000 a month in no time. There are a couple of essentials you need to know about before you get started so that you can have a head start. I’ll share my experiences to get you started and who knows, you’ll be making your own fortune in no time!
Let’s get into it!
Get an Internet Connection
The first thing that you need to look into is the internet. You have to sign up on platforms such as Indeed, Upwork, Fiverr, etc. to look for gigs in the first place. Similarly, you also need constant coordination with your clients to keep your cash flow in check online. In my case, I found Xfinity to be pretty formidable for running an online business. In fact, I started with the basic plan in the Xfinity internet packages, got a fair deal on the internet, and upgraded when I could. Once you have found the right internet, you can proceed to the next steps.
Get Started with Your Portfolio
This is the part where you literally have to sell yourself. Here, you gather all the best work that you have done over the years in one place. This way you can show potential clients what you are made of and prove your mettle. Depending on the nature of the work that you wish to do, you need to make sure that your portfolio aligns with it as well. As much as important it is to tell someone that you can write well, it is even more important to show them that you can, and that too in the best way possible. So, you better get started on gathering all your best work now!
Choose Your Writing Expertise/Niche
The next thing you need to consider is the nature of your business. You’ll obviously need a niche to narrow down your target audience. Here are some types of niches you can look into:
- Business-to-Business (B2B): In order to make sales on a business, you need a marketing team. That content is written by writers like yourself. You can help bring in customers for other businesses in this type of writing.
- Business-to-Consumer (B2C): B2C is the kind of writing that gives you more creative liberty. This is directed towards the general public and you can grab one niche and write about it. Some of these niches include travel, fitness, cooking, finance, gaming, and anything else that you would like to write about.
Create Your Own Website or Head to a Platform
Now begins the practical part. You have to make yourself visible online. You may either create your own website or you could head to a pre-existing platform to look for clients. I would suggest that you head to a platform first and after collecting a whole base of clientele, you make your own website. To do that, you need the internet to access platforms such as Upwork, Indeed, Fiverr, etc., and begin searching for clients.
Remember, at first, it is going to be super slow and you won’t get results right away, so be patient. Once you begin getting clients, you will have to set up meetings with them to see what they are expecting and share how your process. After you make a noticeable name for yourself, you can continue with making your own website.
Keep Polishing Your SEO Skills
No matter what you write, it’s essential for you to have some basic knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This ensures that whatever you write, ranks on search engines like Google. Learning about SEO isn’t as difficult as it sounds, in fact, it’s fun. What you need to understand about SEO is the importance of keywords and how you can use them in your writing to keep people engaged.
This means that you stay updated about whatever people are searching for on the internet. Then you can use those terms in your writing so that whenever someone searches for a query, your article pops up first on their screen! Easy enough, right? Once you are done with all of these things in order, you’ll see significant growth in your writing business. Meanwhile, you need to stay patient and let things fall into place. At first, you might have a bumpy start but things will pick up gradually!
