It all started in 2011. I was at work and I saw an article on how to become a Freelance writer and make money online, specifically on Freelancer.com in a Newspaper. Of course, I did not believe it is possible to make money writing online. But I read it anyway.
The next day, I became a lil bit excited and gave it a try. After all, I can start for free and I don’t have to pay money to start. So, I have nothing much to lose except my time.
I went online and registered on Freelancer.com. I placed bids on writing jobs and I made money. A few years later, I left the platform to start my writing business. Today, I am an established freelance content writer.
It will interest you to know that I had no prior experience in article writing. Although I read Mass communication in school and I know how to write.
So, if you are a novice, you don’t know where to start and you have no experience on how to make money writing online; I write this content for you.
So, you want to know how to become a freelance content writer in one week?
Let’s get started.
How to become a freelance writer online
The freelance writing career is a noble profession with lots of opportunities to make money online. Actually, it is not as difficult as you think, provided you are serious and ready to learn. Let’s explore the ways you can learn how to write first before we discuss how to get jobs and make money.
How to become a freelance writer: Learn content writing
Content writing is not rocket science. At least, it’s not as hard as Engineering. That I know for sure. All you need is the ability to write. Did you write letters while you were in school? Did you write essays in your English class while in school? If your answer is yes, then welcome to the world of writing.
a. Search for a free writing course online
The first thing you want to do is get acquainted with how to write online content. This is because it is not the same way you write essays in school. It is a different ball of the game entirely, but you can handle it. So, go to Google and search for a free writing course. Most freelance content course teaches how to write articles for free.
I have a free freelance writing course you can use for this purpose. I also have a free e-book on how to write articles. This shouldn’t take you over two days to master.
b. Take HubSpot Inbound marketing course
Second, take the HubSpot inbound marketing course. It is a great course for you to know how content writing works online. It will open your eyes to how content works for businesses online. There is no specific duration for the course. You can take it under two days.
Armed with the knowledge you acquired from the free course and the free HubSpot inbound marketing course, it is time to search for Freelance Writing Jobs for beginners.
Freelance writing jobs for beginners
Sure you are excited, ready to become a freelance writer and earn. But the question is, how do you get clients as a new freelance writer?
There are several businesses that need writers for their websites and blogs. They search for writers in different places. Let’s look at them below.
a. Content Mills
The first option you have to write and make money online is – Freelancer.com. Although many writers kick against using content mills like freelancer and Fiverr, I recommend it to new freelance writers with no experience. These platforms will teach you how to write and work for clients. This is because the content quality requirement is usually low and cheap. You can use these platforms to learn. Work there for about a month and quit to look for better jobs.
So, where do you go from content mills?
b. Go Job hunting
By now, you must have gathered enough experience to work with bigger clients in the industry. Start with Problogger jobs. It is a blog with a job board for writers. The writing jobs on the platform are great. You can get a better job or even clinch a regular client that needs quality content continuously.
c. Use LinkedIn
The second marketplace you can check for jobs is on LinkedIn. I have tested it and it worked perfectly for me. You can read the post I made on it here. LinkedIn is great because most employers use it to find candidates for jobs. Positioning yourself correctly on the platform can help you land your dream freelancing writing jobs.
d. Use Twitter
Twitter is another great place to search for Freelance writing jobs for beginners. I have a lengthy article on how you can get writing jobs on Twitter. Check it out here.
e. Write cold emails
This is another way you can get freelance writing jobs as a beginner. It is tedious, but it yields great results. All you need to do is to search for companies on Google. For instance, if you want to write for the weight loss industry. Search for companies in that niche, get their email address and send a mail to them. Introduce yourself as a content writer looking for freelance writing jobs. I have tried it and it works.
Can you get freelance writing jobs from home?
Of course, you can get freelance writing jobs from home. You need not go out and look for freelance writing jobs. You can search for jobs right in the comfort of your home as I explained above. That is one thing I love about freelance writing. I am an introvert and I don’t enjoy going out in search of jobs. Freelance writing makes it easy for me to use my computer and internet connection in the comfort of my home and search for freelance writing jobs from home. Isn’t it wonderful?
How to start freelance writing
Once you get freelance writing jobs from home, you can start freelance writing. It is that easy. You don’t need office space. Find a comfortable place in your home and use it as an office. When you get jobs, you will need the followings:
- A freelance contract agreement – This is a document you create for you and the client to sign. This ensures that everything is written in black and white.
- A grammar checker: No matter how good you are with the English language, you still need a software that can help you check your grammar and spellings. For this, I use the free Grammarly software; it is great. I also use Prowriting software, it is a paid tool, but affordable but freelance writers. Check it out.
The next thing you will need is a payment processor. We will discuss it in the next topic below.
How do freelance writers get paid?
Most writers wonder how it is possible to get paid as a freelance writer because the transaction takes place online. I remembered when I got my first earning; it was a surprise. I used my domiciliary account. If you are from the third world country like mine, you may not be allowed to use PayPal. There are a few options you can use as a freelance writer to get paid. Let’s look at them below.
- PayPal: This is the first and popular method of getting paid as a freelance writer. Almost all the clients I have come across use PayPal. It is easy and fast. The transaction fees are also affordable. But the issue I have with PayPal is that it is not available in all countries. For example, I live and work in Ghana, West Africa, but I can’t use PayPal because they do not allow it. This led me to the second option–Payoneer.
- Payoneer: Payoneer is the first option for people that cannot use Paypal. That is what I used majorly now. It helped me to collect my earnings from clients all over the world. Recently, I received an anniversary letter from them reminding me it’s been 7 years working together.
You can use it on several platforms online such as Freelancer.com, Upwork and Fiverr to receive your earnings as a writer.
If you don’t want to use Payoneer, there is still another option for you.
- Bank payment: The third option you can use to as a freelance writer to get paid online is your bank account. Preferably, a domiciliary or dollar account. Although it takes a longer time to process the payment—usually between 3-5 days, bank payment is also good. If you have no option, you can easily use this method.
Conclusion
In this article, you have learned how to become a freelance writer. It is not easy, but it is worth it. You get to work at any time of the day and you control your time and income. Contact me if you have any question.
Now is the time to get started. What are you waiting for?
The post How to become a freelance writer in one week (with no experience) is a post from Content Creation & Marketing for Businesses.
