How To Make Money Freelance Writing | 9 Steps PLUS Highest Paying Jobs

How to make money freelance writing:

1. Choose a freelance writing industry niche
2. Select a writing medium
3. Build a writing portfolio
4. Establish a professional presence online
5. Set your freelance writing rates
6. Enable online payment gateways
7. Send pitches to potential clients
8. Build relationships with publication editors
9. Scale with multiple clients

You can really make money with freelance writing. The average freelance writer makes $61,710 per year, according to data from Glassdoor. 

Some freelance writers make much more. For example, freelance writer and YouTuber Logan Allec made $1,630 with just four hours of work. He attributes this to having the proper credentials in his industry. 

I have over a decade of online writing experience. In the following article, I discuss how to make money as a freelance writer, including the highest paying jobs. 

1. Choose a freelance writing industry niche

To start making money with freelancing writing, select a specific niche to specialize in first. You should specialize in a niche rather than be a generalist to make money as a freelance writer because it helps you stand out in a competitive market. A 2022 survey by freelance platform Upwork found that freelance writing is the most popular freelance job. 19% of Upwork freelancers are writers.

Some of the most popular niches for freelance writing include:

• Technology
• Fitness
• Business
• Education
• Personal finance
• Cryptocurrency
• Fiction
• Travel

A freelance writer on Reddit recommends going for a hyper specific niche instead of trying to target the most profitable niche. Becoming the best writer in an ultra specific niche lowers your competition. It helps you attract more opportunities long term.

2. Select a writing medium

There are many writing mediums that a freelance writer can specialize in. They each have their own intricacies and quirks. The main writing mediums that companies hire freelance writers for include:

For example, one freelance writer on Reddit mentions that they specialize in writing for the social media channel of LinkedIn. 

Freelance writers often write across multiple writing mediums. However, it's best to become highly skilled in at least one medium by focusing on it when starting out. 

3. Build a writing portfolio

A writing portfolio allows you to showcase your writing ability to potential clients. You won’t get work as a writing freelancer without a portfolio of writing samples that companies can use to verify your writing skills. Those who are looking to transition into freelance work after writing in-house may already have writing samples. You can easily link to any published work you contributed to. Those looking to make money from freelance writing without a previous writing career need to create writing samples. 

Fortunately, there are many options for creating writing samples as a beginner freelance writer. You can write for free on platforms like Medium, LinkedIn Pulse, and X (formerly Twitter). Starting a blog is another great option for building a freelance writing portfolio. This is especially true for those that want to offer freelance blog writing services. Offering free work to clients that you want to work for can be an opportunity to get freelance writing samples with real client work. It also gets your foot in the door to get hired if the company likes what they see. Just make sure you limit your free writing to only a few pieces of work. 

Some tips for building a writing portfolio are:

4. Establish a professional presence online

Make it easy for companies to find and hire you by promoting your freelance writing services around the internet. There are many platforms specifically for freelancers to offer their work. The best platforms for making money as a freelance writer are:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Freelancer
• People per hour
• Contra
• Blogging Pro

Besides creating profiles on various freelance platforms, many freelance writers create a personal website. A personal website allows you a customizable medium to introduce yourself, organize your writing portfolio, and list your services.

5. Set your freelance writing rates

Freelance writing rates vary dramatically depending on experience, niche, and the type of writing. Beginner freelance writers make $0.05 - $0.10/per word, according to Copyblogger. Intermediate writers make $0.30-$0.50, while experienced writers make $1-$1.50 or more. 

A freelance writer on Reddit that writes for the outdoor recreation industry niche notes that they struggle to charge more than $0.08 - $0.30 per word for their services. Although, they get the additional benefit of some free outdoor gear worth thousands of dollars. 

Another freelance writer on Reddit that writes blog posts mentions the going rate in their country of Australia is around AU$300 on average. 

Base your freelance writing rates on your specific situation. If you are getting too many clients with your rate, it means you should raise your rate. If you aren't getting enough clients, consider lowering your rate. 

6. Enable online payment gateways

Online payment gateways allow freelancers to receive payments securely from around the world. They also make it convenient for clients to make payments, such as by supporting credit card payments. Some of the most popular payment gateways for freelance writers include:

• Stripe
• Paypal
• Payoneer
• Worldpay 
• Square

Many freelance platforms like Upwork also provide secure payment gateways on the platform. Freelance writers that rely solely on these platforms for freelance work can avoid setting up more payment channels.

7. Send pitches to potential clients

Unless you’re an already established freelance writer, you’ll need to actively reach out to potential clients. You can't expect clients to find you. 

You can find freelance writing opportunities on:

• Freelancing platforms, like Upwork and Fiverr
• Online job boards, like Indeed and LinkedIn
• Jobs section of a company website

Many freelance writers take a proactive approach to reaching clients they want to work with by cold pitching them. They send them a message outlining their desire to work together, even if the client isn’t actively recruiting. You can send this message by email, direct message on social media, or by completing the contact form on the company's website. You can also try reaching your target client through phone or visiting the business in-person. 

A freelance writer with cold email experience on Reddit notes that you need to send a large volume of emails. They recommend hundreds of emails per week. Besides volume, the tone of voice in these emails should avoid sounding like a sales pitch. 

8. Build relationships with publication editors

Establish a solid relationship with the editor to secure long-term writing engagements. Editors want to work with freelancers that provide them with high-quality work on time. Always complete and submit assignments prior to the deadline. Take any feedback the editor provides and apply it to future assignments. This makes their job easier and increases the chances they will want to continue working with you. Actively reply to any communication you receive from the editor, especially for writing requests.

9. Scale with multiple clients

You can scale your freelance writing income to 6 figures by providing writing services to multiple clients. There are some freelancers that can only manage one client, while others have no problem writing for upwards of 20 clients. However, the sentiment seems to be that around 3-5 clients is a suitable number of clients for the average freelance writer.

You can manage multiple clients as a freelance writer by:

1. Using a project management tool like Asana to track project progress
2. Maintaining a detailed calendar of upcoming deadlines
3. Setting clear expectations with clients
4. Implementing automation tools like Zapier to improve workflows 
5. Establishing a concrete routine to accomplish focused work

8 Highest paying freelance writing jobs

1. Technical writer - $104,140 per year, according to Glassdoor
2. Financial writer - $78,212 per year, according to Glassdoor
3. Copywriter - $73,967 per year, according to Glassdoor
4. Legal writer - $73,167 per year, according to Glassdoor
5. Medical writer - $71,238 per year, according to Doctor Marketing MD
6. Creative writer - $62,185 per year, according to Zip Recruiter
7. SEO content writer - $60,202 per year, according to Glassdoor
8. Ghostwriter - $55,000 per year, according to Zip Recruiter

3 Income boosting tips for making money as a freelance writer

1. Choose a niche with high income potential, like finance
2. Develop your skills by obtaining writing knowledge and practicing to offer a superior service
3. Leverage different digital channels to funnel traffic to your services, such as by using SEO on your blog

These are some of the best strategies for making more money as a freelance writer. 

Can you be a freelance writer with no experience?

You can be a freelance writer with no experience. The key is to gain the relevant experience and writing samples to make clients want to hire you. Typically, this is through free personal projects or accepting freelance writing contracts well below market rate. 

How to become a freelance writer with no experience?

1. Conduct market research on the freelance writing industry to determine where you can gain a competitive advantage
2. Enroll in a freelance writing course, like Hubspot’s Content Marketing Certification
3. Study successful writers in your chosen field, such as by reading The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman if you want to be a copywriter
4. Obtain freelance writing skills through real world implementation of writing learnings to build a portfolio of work and improve over time

These are the basic steps on how to become a freelance writer with no experience. 

Conclusion: Is freelance writing a good idea?

Freelance writing can be a good idea for those who enjoy writing and want to earn income online. It’s a career with more flexibility than most that allows for solid earnings potential for efficient writers. However, freelance writers often feel like puppets on a string. They are pulled in many directions. You work towards deadlines while adhering to multiple client requirements. A writing freelancer also only makes money after submitting work that is approved by the client.

A freelance writer can earn passive income online with local lead generation. Local lead generation entails setting up websites that attract customers for business owners. The business model works by getting a website to rank on the first page of Google. Then, renting the site out to a business owner where the website is ranking for $500 - $3,000 per month. Once you get it ranked and rented, you can earn passive income online. You do the hard work of ranking the website first and then just automate the forwarding of leads to the client. With the extra time, you can scale up your earnings by setting up a portfolio of these websites across different cities and industries. 

Local lead generation is also a good way to build a freelance writing portfolio for those who want a career in freelance writing. Websites require content to rank on Google. As such, you can use your local lead generation websites as your freelance writing portfolio.You also allow yourself the opportunity to start earning income by renting the sites to real business owners. You don’t need to wait to get hired as a freelancer to start making money from your writing.