This is a post by Lorraine Reguly of Wording Well.  Hi. I’m Lorraine. I used to be a freelance writer. I still am… but I rarely write for others now. I mainly edit and help others become authors. I also give presentations to other entrepreneurs. There are other ways I earn money online, too. I am sharing my journey as a freelancer with you so you can expand your horizons as well as learn of other career opportunities. Why I Stopped Freelance Writing I quit freelance writing (mostly) because I hated looking for jobs. I also hated spending my time reading through job board ads that weren’t ..read more

  I want to share a quick story about a coaching call I had with a freelance writer about reaching out and following up with clients. Here’s (roughly) how our conversation went: Me: So what happened to that company that you pitched last week? Writer: Oh, they never responded, so I guess they’re not looking for a writer right now. Me: Did you follow up with them? Writer: No…. Me: *Deep breath* Me: *Launches into a lecture about the importance of following up* Writer: Ok, ok! I follow up. What’s the lesson we can glean from this story? If you answered “I need to follow up or else Francesca ..read more

When talking about the pros and cons of freelance life, a disadvantage that often comes up is lack of stability. Not having a predictable paycheck can be daunting and can give people the idea that freelancing isn’t a very reliable source of income. It’s a fair point, but it isn’t always the case for many freelancers — including our interviewee in today’s post. Meet Laura Heller, one of the most prolific journalists in the retail industry. Laura is an editor for RetailDive and a contributor to Forbes and Yahoo! Shopping. She’s also an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago. I caught up w ..read more

Today I was digging through my content archives, and I found some old articles that triggered a lot of memories from my early days as a freelancer. See, I didn’t start off charging $500 bucks a post. I wrote a lot of content for free and I even joined a (*cringe*) content mill — the now defunct Examiner.com. Oh boy. If I had a time machine, I’d go back a few years and tell my past self to stop undervaluing my work and start taking steps towards a more profitable freelance writing business. But time travel isn’t a thing yet, so I thought I’d just share those lessons with you. Here are some of t ..read more

A lot of writers believe that you need to have real world writing experience to land clients. And I have to admit, I used to be one of them. (I never had much luck using my school-related writing to land clients). But a few months ago, my position has changed. I came across Ashley Hawley, a freelancer who managed to make a living writing straight out of college. I was so impressed that I didn’t mind being proven wrong at all. I decided to interview Ashley to dig into how she built her freelance writing business. Have a look at our conversation below: A quick intro to Ashley and her work Ashle ..read more

In this video, I discuss that ways that you can find high-paying clients. Remember, your time is limited. Don’t waste it by going after companies who don’t have the budget to pay for your services. Instead, focus your efforts on finding clients who are more than happy to pay you what you deserve. So, how do you find them? Three words: follow the money. Businesses that are spending a lot of money — specifically in advertising and marketing — are more likely to pay top dollar for freelance writing services. Find those companies by: 1. Looking into industry events Pick an industry that you want ..read more

If you’re looking for another way to land gigs, Skyword might be a good option. In case you haven’t of the company, Skyword is a content creation and marketing platform that helps brands tell their story and take their content strategy to the next level. Skyword connects content creators (such as writers) with its clients, so contributors get access to paid gigs while brands get quality content for their marketing campaigns. I’m a Skyword contributor myself, and I’m quite happy with the company. The editors — at least the ones I’ve worked with — are incredibly helpful, and the assignments they ..read more

“How much should I charge for my freelance writing services?” I wish there was a definitive answer to this question. But the fact is, a freelancer’s rates will depend on several of factors, including your living/working expenses, your experience, and the type of content you’re producing, among other things. It can be tricky to figure out how much to charge, but with a bit of introspection and research, you should be able to determine the best prices for your services. In this post, we’ll discuss the steps you should take when determining your rates, as well as the tools you can use for the tas ..read more

When you’re a new or aspiring freelance writer, you’re probably asking yourself, “How do I start freelance writing if I have no experience?” or “I don’t have samples or anything relevant to put in my portfolio. Where do I start?” I deeply understand these questions, not just because I hear them all the time, but because I know exactly what it feels like to come up with writing samples from scratch. When I first started freelance writing, I compiled all the articles I wrote for my college’s newspaper. Back then I thought that my samples would help get me through the door. I was wrong. No one g ..read more

When Nigerian writer and blogger Bamidele Onibalusi started his online business in 2009, he had limited funds and no access to electricity, let alone an Internet connection. Throw in the fact that he’s from Nigeria, a country known for Internet scams, and most would agree he was fighting an uphill battle. But Bamidele didn’t let any of that stop him from venturing into freelance writing and blogging. He found a way around his money and electricity issues by partnering with a local café owner to get access to a computer and a web connection. And when people doubted his credibility because he w ..read more