Freelance content writers are people who write and get paid for it without being hired full time.
There are many Freelance writing jobs from home and all you need is a computer and an internet connection.
Since an increasingly large number of people have created blogs and websites, there are plenty of jobs for freelance content writers.
Depending on the platform, you write and get paid instantly so there`s no worrying about if you`ll get paid or not. (more on that later).
There are many freelancers who are earning the top dollar through doing such kinds of jobs.
However, there are others who are still struggling to get a footing in the industry as they are being taken advantage of by the established freelancers.
The established freelancers get work that is paid a lot of money and then outsource it for a smaller fee.
But before we move on, let`s answer some questions especially for beginners. Questions like:
- What is freelancing?
- What kind of work will you do as a freelancer?
- How do you get started with freelancing?
The first question has been answered above at the beginning of this post, so I`ll not repeat myself.
As a freelancer, you`re not limited to a specific kind of writing, but it helps to write on topics you`re knowledgeable about as it will make your writing easier.
For Example, I live in Switzerland, it will be easier for me to write an article about my country without having to do any research that may require time.
There are two ways to start writing as a freelancer:
- offer your services on your own blog.
- Join freelance services like this one and bid
What Does It Take To Become A Good Freelance Content Writer?
This is a question many newbies ask themselves and will enroll in many paid courses, read a lot of articles promising to sharpen their skills.
All this is ok, but without accepting that there are some things they have not changed that are essential and what will create success or failure as a freelance article writer.
Good freelance writers are those who write unique and original content.
Clients will want to check your work for plagiarism and if they find traces, your credibility will be in doubt.
Other things you should do
- Be keen about is delivering work within the given deadline.
- Following instructions to the letter.
- Asking questions when something is not clear.
- Proofreading your work.
- keeping communication lines open always.
Freelance content writers who keep this in mind will definitely create a long-term working relationship with a particular client which will mean access to bigger projects and better pay.
Having said that, please understand that you can not just get started and be getting clients, freelance platforms are so crowded and competition stiff.
Another thing to remember is you might be competing with people from developing countries who are glad to write a 1000 word article for $10.
Let this not put you off, most people who fire freelancers go for quality and not quantity and they are ready to pay more for that quality.
Editing Your Work
You might be a native English speaker but some little annoying mistakes like “you`re and your”, in your writing will escape your eyes from time to time.
It’s a good idea to have your work edited with the Grammarly editing app.
Advantages Of Being A Freelance Writer
The greatest advantage that freelance content writers have is that you work your own time schedule.
You set your own hours when you can do the writing and therefore, you don’t disrupt other things that are within your timetable.
We do not always get lucky in life to dictate our salary, but as a freelancer, you name your price. Who wants quality content is ready to pay hundreds for good quality work.
A good example was shared by a friend Nathaniel when he checked Upwork and he explained things in detail.
You can read Nathaniel`s post here as he`s very experienced at hiring freelancers.
These are prices these freelancers demand and as you can see, they earn some neat cash”just writing“.
As a freelance content writer, you determine your own rate of pay and this makes your financial freedom limitless. But at the same time, as a new freelance writer.
You can struggle and may have to work very cheaply to capture first clients. Just don`t listen to those trying to sell you overprized courses promising to teach you how to be a freelancer.
Anyone can be a freelance writer. You don’t need any experience or degree or some fancy whatever, if you know how to write, you can be a freelancer and make money doing it.
Another joy of being freelance content writers is the fact that they can take up assignments in accordance with their particular area of interest.
This makes writing enjoyable. Freelance content writers have the freedom to come and go in the job.
You don’t like a project, don’t know a thing about it, you don’t take it, someone else will, this is being paid to choose what work you do, how better can it get?
This makes writing enjoyable. Freelance content writers have the freedom to come and go at the job any-time they want to as it is that it’s not a full-time employee.
When just getting started, you can keep your day job and write evenings to increase your income.
Another place you could look for quick freelance jobs is Fiverr
Most Fiverr clients are not as demanding so you can write, earn some cash as you improve your writing.
Disadvantages Of Being A Freelance Writer
To be successful, freelance content writers need patience.
If you are just getting started patience has to be exercised at all times.
This is so because when first starting out, it might not be easy to land a job as easily as expected.
Competition is very high considering there might actually be better writers out there than you think you are.
Did I mention that most people who hire freelancers will want to check your rating?
As a beginner freelancer without a rating, you`ll need people to be confident enough to “try” your services. At times at a lower rate than you`d like.
It becomes stressful for content writers to explore which way to make money since there are dozens of choices.
At times, one gets impatient clients who demand the work almost immediately after giving it.
It’s discouraging for writers to go on working for them. Although some tend to overlook the issue of taking a break from the writing for such clients.
This is very important since the mind does get tired no matter how good you might be in your writing, not happy with a task? don`t take it in the first place.
Another thing I personally do not like about freelancing is that you get paid once.
The person who outsourced an article from you,(mostly bloggers) can keep generating income with that single article for years to come.
But, it`s not always that way, look at it this way, you write an article and get paid immediately.
The blogger has to wait(sometimes) months to sell a product through that article you wrote.
I know from experience(I have never been a freelancer as my English is terrible, my writing even worse).
I`ve outsourced articles that never made me any money, some articles have made me money months later and some articles I`ve ended up not using.
Advantages For The Client, Why You Should Outsource
The good thing about hiring freelance content writers is that their time schedule benefits you as well as them.
For instance, you can outsource an assignment at night when you have closed up your work for the day and the freelancer submits it by morning.
It’s as if you were working the whole night yourself.
Freelance content writers also help cut down on costs such as traveling expenses as they work from their homes and email the work to you in your location.
Another benefit of hiring freelance content writers, the assignments you give out are submitted back to you on time as the freelancers know what they are expected to do and do it effectively.
Other than that, the trickling fresh ideas from the freelancers happen to benefit you as a client.
Most website owners do not have time to produce top quality all the time, and they need freelance writers to keep fresh content coming. Click here to join where l learned to write content
Where To Find Freelance Content Writers
delivers premium articles written by native English speakers at very fair prices.
But, if you are looking for a single article, sites like this one have freelancers for this.
Just be sure to choose who you hire, there is some very low-quality work out there.
Interview the person you want to hire to make sure they understand exactly what you want.
Do not feel under pressure to hire anyone unless you are satisfied. You can read my post on the Fiverr complaint here.
Just remember the cheaper you pay the less quality you will get, but there are still good freelancers out there, keep searching.
Read this post that Steve from ivetriedthat.com tips to outsourcing.
Disadvantages For The Client, Why You Should Not Outsource
Because the freelance content writers work from their homes, how they do their work cannot be supervised. This proves to be tough at times especially for clients.
- Freelance content writers are at liberty to quit the job at any time, unlike full-time employed personnel. They also choose who to work for in accordance with who pays the highest.
- You might have a freelance worker today and they decide to quit tomorrow without notice.
- Some freelance writers will write poor quality content that you are forced to correct once they deliver. This ends up costing you more time than if you had written the content originally.
If you have reliable and efficient writers, you may forget how to write good content.
If you hire writers due to lack of time and you need content that`s ok.
But if you`re hiring freelance writers because you are insecure about your ability to write, my advice will be to start writing. You will improve the more you write.
Upwork Research:
Upwork, a well-known freelancing site recently released their 2020 report about freelancing. Check the facts
- More than 44% of people between the ages of 18-38 do freelance work at one time or another.
- 36% of freelancers are doing it full time
- More than a third of the American workforce freelances.
Worth Mentioning Freelance Writing Jobs
These jobs come in different names, I know it`s simple for some but for those getting started, even simple things look confusing so Freelance writing jobs from home might be titled
- content writing jobs
- blogging jobs
- copywriting jobs
Go ahead and apply, it`s the same thing.
Conclusion On Freelance Writing Jobs From Home
Being a good freelance content writer entails so much more than just writing. The secret is passion and gaining more experience. Most of all, be sensible.
There are enough freelance writing jobs from home out there, you just have to find them and always keep learning and improving.
Sources: Upwork.com Freelance Forward 2020.
Md. Zahidul Islam says
It is really very painful to hire a content writer. On Fiverr, I have been trying to discuss my project with people. The only one line of conversation can happen “I can do it for you”. They do not even interest to discuss my project background my expectation.
At some point, I asked them to do a google search but might be they felt bored. They cannot say anything about my project. they are crazy about hiring. They are not ready to do 5-minute research before hiring. Ok, I hired a person, he did not even discuss anything. He did not expect any instruction from me. overnight he delivered his project without having any conversation with me.
I would love to give 2/10 points considering the quality of the content he delivered. When I asked for a review and rewrite he said he is busy with some other client and the budget was not enough to do that. Hahaha, fortunately, he killed my time and his time also.
sarganser says
I think the biggest problem on Fiverr is the low prices, with prices so low, the quality of any work is always a problem but,I think we don`t have to use Fiverr, there are enough freelancing sites out there to check out.
But,there is also quality on Fiverr if you`re willing to pay for a “fair price” because, I don`t see how anyone will pay $5 and expect to have any quality article written.
Larry says
Roamy, this is a good summary of what to expect in the world of freelance content writing – from every perspective. As a writer of my own web content, and as a technical writer for hire, I totally agree with your take on the industry. Do you have any feel for how online copywriters (rather than content writers) do? That’s an area I would like to get better at too. Thanks for this!
Larry says
Roamy, this is a good summary of what to expect in the world of freelance content writing – from every perspective. As a writer of my own web content, and as a technical writer for hire, I totally agree with your take on the industry. Do you have any feel for how online copywriters (rather than content writers) do? That’s an area I would like to get better at too. Thanks for this!
admin says
Hello Larry,
When saying “how they do” you mean the financial side of things? I`d want to believe if a freelancer is good,they can do real well, I have ca 400 articles spread across my 3 sites,from time to time I hire freelancers, now imagine if only 50% of my articles are outsourced,now there are I dont know how many website owners who outsource articles out there.
So in my opinion,you can make good income as a freelance content writer.