How to Find Freelance Writing Clients as a New Writer

Discovering how to find freelance writing clients is the first step to freelancer freedom.

You may have tried already and not had much success? Or maybe you’ve applied to a few of the low paying content mills?

Whatever your situation, this article will guide you through promoting yourself as a writer and how to land your first high-paying freelance writing clients.

You need a proactive approach to get work in the beginning. Some may be lucky enough to have success after a month, but for many, it can take three months or more.

I’m not saying this to scare you off. I’m just sharing a big dose of reality with you.

For me, it took three months of cold emailing 50 – 100 people a day before I got a client! I was ready to give up at the time, but 7 years later and now being a full-time freelance writer, I’m glad I hung in there!

So please don’t give up if you don’t get responses right away.

The more people you reach out to, the more your chances open up. And even if you don’t get work initially, a prospective client may save your details and contact you further down the line.

This has happened to me many times.

 

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How to Find Freelance Writing Clients as a New Writer?

To build a long term writing business, it’s a good idea to build relationships with clients. Content mills are ok to get experience, but there comes a time when you’ll want to move past the $5 for 500 words stage.

Job boards are one way to go, but competition is fierce and many projects will be singular. Below I’m going to outline a different approach, that will land you long term clients and higher-paid opportunities.

1. Cold Email Digital Marketing Agencies

When starting off as a new writer, I decided to target digital marketing agencies and SEO companies as I knew they needed content writers. And I didn’t just wait around to see jobs posted, I reached out directly.

In Google, type in digital marketing agencies + your town/city. This is a good place to start, but next, you can target more towns and cities in your country and other English speaking countries.

Some of my best clients live in Australia and Thailand.

Click on each agency and reach out through the online form or grab their email.

Copy and paste the same email for each, unless you know something specific about the company. Your email should go like this:

Good morning/afternoon

My name’s (your name) and I’m reaching out to offer my services as a freelance writer. I specialise in (your speciality) and have been writing for ___ years.

You can check out my samples here: (your website/portfolio/guest post).

If you need anymore information, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m always happy to jump on a call.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

(Your name)

Reach out to as many agencies as you can in a day. Set yourself a goal that is achievable for you. I used to go for 50 – 100 a day, but if 20 works for you, that’s fine.

Once you’ve exhausted all the companies showing up from the keyword; digital marketing agencies + your town/city and different towns/cities, you’ll want to change the keyword to something like;

SEO companies + your city/town.

Many more digital marketing agencies will show up, that didn’t show with the previous keyword.

This method literally gives you hundreds of agencies to apply to each day. By reaching out before they post on a job board, you create your own opportunity instead of waiting for it.

2. Cold Email Businesses with a Lapsed Blog or No Blog

Another little known way to pick up clients is by searching through local business websites and checking out their blogs.

Some will have a blog that has not been updated since 2015 for example and some may not even have a blog. These scenarios are golden opportunities for you as a writer.

Many businesses won’t know the benefits of having an active blog to draw clients to their website. You can reach out to inform and offer to help.

Send an email saying something like this;

Good morning/afternoon!

My name’s (your name) and I’m a freelance writer specialising in blog content for the last ___ years.

I came across your website today and although it looks great, I noticed you don’t have a blog/don’t have an active blog.

Did you know;

• Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that don’t blog
• Businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than ones that don’t

So you can see how an active blog will bring you more leads and sales.

I’d like to offer my services as your blog writer. You can check my samples here: ______.

If you’d like to discuss this further, please email me back or I’m happy to jump on a Skype call.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

(your name)

In this email, you’re educating on the benefits an active blog will bring.

Here’s an example of a lapsed blog:

This is a London hen party website on the 3^rd page of Google when I typed the keyword ‘’hen parties London’’.

The blog hasn’t been updated since 2017.

If you reach out and offer to update the blog, talk about getting their website onto the first page of Google and the benefits this brings.

3. Follow and Connect with Dream Clients on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is full of CEOs, successful business owners, entrepreneurs and everyone in-between.

It’s likely your dream clients are all on LinkedIn. If you know who you want to write for, you can connect with people in your niche here.

Set up a great profile telling people what you can do for them.

Link to some samples and results.

Spend time daily following your dream clients and interacting with their posts. This gets you noticed and also shows you’re supporting what they do.

After a short time, get the conversation going by reaching out and pitching your services. If the company is large, you can also find other employees and make a connection there.

If you get ignored, don’t get disheartened. Remember; business owners are busy and probably get lots of emails.

Move on and brainstorm how you can get noticed with the next person you reach out to.

4. Reach Out to Other Freelancers About Working Together

Do you know any freelance web designers, SEO experts, graphic designers, proofreaders, web developers, social media marketers or project managers? These people work closely with businesses and may be able to suggest you as a writer.

Having freelancer friends allows you to recommend each other for projects. Everyone loves a recommendation and prefers using someone they know is good.

If you don’t have freelancer friends yet, start to network. Your network is your net worth as the saying goes.

Search for writing and freelancer groups on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Reach out to people and make a connection, don’t just ask them to help you straight away.

Make a true friend and they’ll help you for life.

5. Search for Opportunities on Facebook and Twitter

Just like on LinkedIn, businesses have a presence on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. Follow the ones you want to work for, support their posts and strike up conversations.

Join blogging and freelancer groups and network with similar people. You may get talking to a blogger who needs help building their blog content.

Using Twitter chats is another way to network and find potential clients. These chats are recurring, scheduled chats, hosted by niche accounts.

Each chat has its own hashtag and usually features a specific topic. Have a search for blogging or freelancer chats and delve into discussions that could potentially lead to paid work.

6. Speak to Business Owners and Offer to Write for Free

Writing for free won’t pay the bills, but it’s a way to get a foot in the door and potentially get regular paid work.

This particularly works well if you’re completely new and don’t have a large portfolio to show off. You may find it hard to get well-paid work, before people trust you as a writer.

You can turn this around by reaching out to dream customers and offering to write for free, for an agreed amount of time or a certain amount of articles.

If you produce great content and show how nice you are to work with, at the end of your trial period, you may get offered a paid position.

If not, you can at least ask for testimonials and use these to build up your portfolio.

How to Find Freelance Writing Clients – FAQs

What if I still can’t find freelance writing clients?

Make sure you are giving the above methods enough time. Like I mentioned – it took me three months of emailing every day before I got a client then more came more quickly. Many new writers give up after a few weeks of outreaching. The ones who persevere, generally become long-time, well-paid freelance writers.

Will I always have to pitch to get new clients?

This depends on you. If you build up a good reputation of producing top work and being easy to work with, you should get referrals from clients. Ask for testimonials and have a strong presence on social. Potential clients will check you out so it needs to be good to get people coming to you.

Can I really make a full-time living from freelance writing?

Yes, you can! Getting clients by cold emailing is really a numbers game. You will eventually get replies if your email outreach is persistent enough. The more you send, the better you’ll get at it. Work hard to find consistent gigs, that my pay a little less but these will pay the bills.

 

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What kind of writing can I do?

The beauty of freelance writing is there is so much opportunity! There are multiple categories for you to write in including;

• Copywriting (landing pages and pages for websites)
• Content writing (SEO articles, blog posts, newsletters)
• Social media writing (writing posts for brand engagement)
• Resume writing
• Email marketing
• Sales writing (leading a reader to buy)
• Ad writing (Facebook, Google or Instagram ad copy)

How do I find good freelance writing jobs?

You can follow the information in this article to cold email businesses and digital marketing agencies. Other ways include: applying for jobs on writing boards and setting up profiles on freelancer platforms such as Fiverr, Upwork and PeoplePerHour.

 

Related read: 11 Best Freelance Writing Gigs For New Writers

 

How can I improve my freelance writing skills?

It’s definitely worth sharpening your writing skills as a new writer. The easiest way to get better is to write every day! Start your own blog or write on free content platforms like Medium and Blog Lovin. Also, consider taking freelance writing courses to learn from experts. Sign up for 14-days free of writing courses on Skillshare here.

 

Related reads:

• Best Free Online Courses For New Writers
• 5 Best Courses in Udemy For Aspiring Writers

 

Is freelance writing an oversaturated profession?

No! It definitely is not in my opinion. With rapid advancements in technology and the rise of businesses being online, freelance writers are more in demand than ever. Business owners don’t have time to write on their blogs, create emails, produce website copy and keep their customers engaged on social media. You can help with that.

What are some tips to market my freelance writing services?

As a new freelance writer, you should build a writing portfolio to show prospective clients. Once you have samples, you need to show them off and build credibility. Do this by building up your social media accounts and posting any content you produce.

Start a simple blog that shows you’re credible and serious about what you do. Set up profiles on freelancer platforms and reach out to prospective clients on LinkedIn. The more places your writing services are visible, the more eyes you get on your services.

How else can I make money online apart from freelance writing?

Freelance writing is a lucrative profession, but it’s smart to add new side hustles to your repertoire and expand your income. There are many ways to make money online including;

• Reading audiobooks
• Writing niche eBooks for money
• Selling digital courses online
• Pinterest affiliate marketing
• Twitter affiliate marketing
• Make money flipping websites
• Become a virtual assistant
• Proofreading for businesses and bloggers

How to Find Freelance Writing Clients – Conclusion

Now you know how to find freelance writing clients as a new writer.

The freelancer life is a great one, but you do have to put in the work to find high paying clients.

Set yourself a goal of how many emails you want to send a day and stick to it.

Work on improving your writing skills and building your portfolio. Once you have these nailed down, you’ll be credible when reaching out to people.

If you persevere, I have no doubt you’ll have a steady stream of writing clients in no time.

Have I missed any methods of finding new writing clients?

Let me know in the comments below…

 

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The post How to Find Freelance Writing Clients as a New Writer appeared first on Remote Work Rebels.

* This article was originally published here

How to Build a Writing Portfolio with No Experience

How to build a writing portfolio with no experience?

As an aspiring freelance writer, it can seem a daunting task to get your first paying clients. But before you even think about going for the paid gigs, you should create a writing portfolio to show prospective clients.

Think about it – say you apply for a freelance writing job and 10 other people have applied. 5 out of the 10 have a writing portfolio full of their best work.

If you have nothing to show, you won’t even be considered as a candidate and you will be out the door immediately.

Building a writing portfolio shows proof you have what it takes. And the extra practice writing goes a long way if you are a beginner with little experience.

 

Related reads:

• 11 Best Freelance Writing Gigs for Newbie Writers
• 5 Best Courses In Udemy for Aspiring Writers

 

Decide What Type of Writing You Want to Do

The first step is to decide what type of writing you want to do.

If you don’t know this yet, don’t worry. You might need to try out a few different styles of writing to see which suits you.

I wasn’t sure when I started, what type of writing I would do yet. I ended up taking guidance from my then mentor and tried out many different projects.

Some types of writing you can get into include; copywriting, SEO article writing, blog writing, sales writing, email writing, resume writing, social media writing, product descriptions and niche-specific like technical, medical or travel writing for example.

Think about what skills and passions you have.

If you’ve worked in the medical field before, you can use this to your advantage and become a medical writer. Being specialised allows you to demand more per project as certain topics can’t be covered convincingly by everyone.

Or maybe your passion lies in health and fitness? Use this and set yourself up as a health and fitness copywriter or blogger.

But remember, in the beginning, it’s a good idea to take on a variety of projects to gain experience and fill out your portfolio.

What is a Writing Portfolio?

A writing portfolio is like a CV for your writing.

It’s a place to show off your best work, what type of writing you excel with and it shows off any places your work has been published.

Your writing portfolio can be housed on a simple website, on other content platforms or a social site like LinkedIn articles.

 

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How to Build a Writing Portfolio with No Experience?

Now we’re going to look at how to build a writing portfolio with no experience. This will take some work. And you’ll have to work for free for a while. But the gains are well worth it for your future career. Here are the best ways to build your writing portfolio.

Guest Post On Blogs

Guest posting is one of the things I wish I’d started doing earlier. I can’t stress enough how much this will help you as a writer.

A guest post is an article you write for someone else’s blog or website, usually in return for a link to your social media accounts or blog, plus a bio at the end of the article.

While you might think ‘’why would I write for free’’, it’s a golden opportunity to market yourself and get your writing onto a popular publication.

I write guest posts now to get a backlink back to my blog which helps to build authority. Having your writing on a popular blog gives you credibility when applying for work.

So, how do you find guest post opportunities?

The easiest way is to do a simple Google search: your niche + write for us/guest post or similar words.

You might see blog articles pop up that list all the websites offering guest post opportunities. This is great, as you’ll have a list immediately in front of you to start applying to.

Otherwise, Google will show you many websites that accept guest posts which you can go through.

Here’s an example in the fitness niche.

Set Up a Simple Website

One of the first things I did as a new writer was to set up a simple website with samples on it. It’s relatively affordable with web hosting and a domain name only costing a few dollars a month.

Or you can use a free website builder like Wix or Weebly.

Create a homepage telling potential customers how you can benefit them, create an about page talking about your experience and training, have a rates page and a sample page. Link each page to the next so readers can easily scroll through.

Once you start writing some guest posts, you can link out to these on your samples page.

You can also create a blog section which is an easy way to show off your writing.

Write on Content Platforms

Medium is one of the most popular free content publishing platforms.

Anyone can set up a profile and start writing articles, which potentially g seen by millions. Once you build up some followers, you can join the Medium Partner Program where you get paid depending on the number of claps you receive on each post.

And it’s also a great place to store your articles, building a portfolio you can link to in job applications. Other free content platforms you can post your articles for free include;

• EzineArticles
• Scoop.It
• Article Alley

Write on LinkedIn

One of the best things you can do as a new writer is to set up a profile on LinkedIn.

Anyone who has a business is in business or who wants a job is on this platform. It’s a great place to network and even pick up clients.

Firstly, create a great bio telling people what you can do for them.  Something along the lines of;

‘’I help businesses get more leads and sales through engaging, informative blog content’’.

Next, list any qualifications and experience you have, link to any website or work you’ve completed and write a short description detailing why you are the best writer for the job.

Now you’re all set up, you can hit the ‘write article’ tab at the top of the homepage and start publishing articles in your niche.

Aim to post 1-2 articles a week and engage with businesses and people you’d like to work for. Once you start supporting their posts and they see your work, this could be the beginning of a great paid writing gig.

Offer to Write for Free or a Low Rate

 

Many new writers start on the low paid ‘content mills’ which can pay as low as $5 per article.

While this is a terrible rate, if you have no professional writing experience this is a good way to produce samples. And some content mills give you the chance to work your way up in the pay scale.

A few content mills to apply for include; Textbroker, CrowdContent and WritersAccess.

Know that you don’t have to work for these low rates forever. Use these content mills just to get real-world practice.

Another way to get ‘on the job experience’ is to cold email your dream customers on LinkedIn or through their website.

Offer your services for free for a limited amount of time.

Many writers say NEVER to write for free. But think about it. Say your dream customer responds and says ‘yes’ to you writing for them for one month free.

You do great work. You build up a good relationship. You show how reliable you are.

And at the end of the month, you may get offered a paid position.

The worst-case scenario is you can ask for a testimonial and you’ll have content to use in your portfolio.

Create Multiple Writing Portfolios

Now you know how to build a writing portfolio with no experience.

Aim to diversify your portfolio and be in more than one place online. As a beginner, I created my simple website but I also started writing on Medium and set up a profile on LinkedIn.

And even if you don’t feel confident enough to post your articles anywhere yet – still write regularly. You can keep your finished articles in a digital folder to share with prospective clients.

To become a great writer, you need to practice your craft and this takes time and effort. Set a goal like writing 2 – 4 articles a week.

You can even set yourself a challenge of writing 30 articles in 30 days!

 

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How to Build a Writing Portfolio with No Experience – Final Thoughts

Now you can see; building a writing portfolio as a beginner is pretty simple.

Don’t feel because you are a newbie, that you can’t have a professional writing portfolio. You’d be mad not to create one and limit your chances of success if you don’t have one.

Take the time to write and make connections in the writing industry. Writing guest posts for free may even lead on to paid work in the future.

Now, it’s over to you.

Do you have a writing portfolio?

Let me know in the comments…

 

The post How to Build a Writing Portfolio with No Experience appeared first on Remote Work Rebels.

* This article was originally published here