How To Start Freelance Writing With Zero Experience?

Writing has always been something that I loved doing, no matter what somebody else told me. I started writing poems at 13. Somehow, that seed of writing in me got published as a co-author in several anthologies since then. 

But the passion doesn’t end there, or does it? 

I turned my part-time hobby into a full-time business, popularly known as “freelancing”. It has gotten me a lot of opportunities in the past two years and guess what? This blog exists out of passion only!

So, here I will share all the tips on how you can start a freelance writing career at an ease (all from my experience!).

Tools To Write & Edit

Before I tell you about starting a freelance writing career, you need to know the tools required. These tools will help you write, edit, and polish your document:

  1. Google Docs: Write everything on Docs.
  2. DupliChecker: Check plagiarism in your text. 
  3. Grammarly: Edit to improve clarity and avoid any grammatical errors.
  4. Hemingway Editor: Check the readability grade for your audience.

Now we can begin with the question – “How to start freelance writing?”

Polish Your Skills With Internships

I found my first internship at a mental health startup. Although it was unpaid, it was crucial to start.

So, I will always recommend a beginner to get a few months of experience as an intern. It maybe a paid, or an unpaid internship, but you should give it a try because:

  • It helps you build a portfolio to begin with.
  • Your writing skill will start to improve.
  • It’ll help you meet other freelancers and writers.

So..where to find these internships?

You can find internships at Internshala and LinkedIn.

However, be cautious because writers often get exploited with loads of work at a minimum or no pay. 

Start Being Active On LinkedIn

Once you have a decent experience of working with clients, start being active on LinkedIn. 

Create a decent profile and look at what others are posting about. Start connecting with like-minded people and reach out to them with a warm text such as, 

“Hey [Name],

I am [Your name]. I’m new to LinkedIn and have been looking at your content for a while. It’s wonderful!

I was wondering if you could help me get a writing gig. It would be really helpful to me. Thanks!”

It has helped me meet some of the best people, and also landed me some gigs!

Other Freelance Platforms To Find Work, Apart From LinkedIn

LinkedIn is great to network with fellow creators, find clients, and create a personal brand. It’s like an all-in-one tool that has become a whole business for many people.

However, several platforms are solely focused on freelance jobs. These platforms connect freelancers with clients worldwide in exchange for a small commission fee. 

Some of these platforms are:

  • Upwork
  • Freelancer.com
  • PeoplePerHour
  • Fiverr
  • Contently
  • Truelancer

While their names are so simple, these platforms aren’t that easy to monetize. Honestly speaking, I left these within a few months of trying and shifted to LinkedIn.

But yeah, people who put in a strategy to work definitely get these platforms monetized. It’s just a matter of smart work!

How To Price Your Writing?

Let’s say that you’ve finally found your first client..

But you don’t know how to price your services just yet. Let me introduce you to the 3 pricing models:

There are three ways that you can price your writing: per-word, per-hour, and per-project basis.

1. Per Word

Most of the writers use this model. Starting from 30 ppw (paisa-per-word), you can price your words even at 2 rpw (rupee-per-word) as you get experienced. 

This model works on the basis of pay-per-word. So, if you write 1,000 words at a rate of 50 ppw, you make ₹500.

2. Per Hour

Another way to get paid by the per-hour model. Here, you charge for each hour that you spend writing. 

So, if you charge $20/hour, you will make $40 in 2 hours.

3. Per Article

The per article basis gets you paid a fixed price for each article you write. It could be $50, or even $500 per piece.

5 Bonus Tips For Freelance Writers

  1. Learn cold e-mailing as you grow your freelance business.
  2. Don’t blindly follow everyone’s advice online.
  3. Grow your prices over time, as the quality of your content grows.
  4. Get a mentor. It could be anyone, but having a professional mentor helped me grow 5x faster.
  5.  Create a to-do journal to be able to meet your clients’ deadlines.

That was all about freelance writing. I hope you enjoyed reading! 

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