Online freelance writing is an incredible method to earn additional or full-time income, and also you don’t even need to go away your private home to do it.
There are countless opportunities on the market, you may work as little or as much as you would like and you may make in excess of £100,000 a yr if you happen to follow the precise advice and work hard.
You don’t necessarily need previous experience so long as you might have some natural writing talent. You simply must work hard, remain skilled and be willing to check yourself. There are also just a few things it is advisable know before you start.
What’s Freelance Writing?
Simply put, a contract author is someone who writes for money but isn’t tied to a single organisation. A contract author offers his or her services to anyone who needs a job done, getting paid for that job after which moving onto the subsequent one.
It’s often said that freelancers are their very own boss and that nobody dictates what they do. That is true, to an extent. But freelancers even have many various bosses. They usually need to satisfy deadlines and to work to specifications just like all other worker.
A contract author could be tasked with completing plenty of jobs. Probably the most common job is straightforward content writing. There are are over a billion web sites on the market and so they all need content. A contract author is usually the one tasked with creating that content.
Other jobs include:
- Novel Writing: Personal memoirs, fiction/non-fiction for publishers.
- Script Writing: Every thing from TV pilots and film scripts, to commercials and animations.
- Marketing: Press releases, brand stories, slogans.
- Academic Writing: Essays, academic non-fiction.
- Technical Writing: Instruction manuals, guides and how-to’s.
- Legal Writing: Terms and Conditions. Privacy Policies.
- Editing/Proofreading: Correcting all the above.
- Critiquing: Providing advice on personal projects (novels, short stories).
- Consulting: Providing guidance on publishing, writing, website positioning and more.
What Are Freelancing Platforms?
In terms of the concept of “online freelancing”, all of it revolves around something often called a “freelancing platform”. This can be a essentially service that acts as a bridge between the client and the freelancer. These sites include Upwork, Guru and Freelancer, but not all needs to be judged equally as many are a waste of time.
You need to use a freelancing platform to showcase your abilities like you’d on a CV, and it’s also possible to use them to search out and complete jobs.
Clients post job availabilities, writers apply to those, and the clients interview them. All of this is finished through the platform, including the interview itself. And when the author is hired, the platform continues to act as an intermediary.
If the freelancer and client agree a fee of $100, then the client must pay that $100 upfront. The platform will then hold that cash in an Escrow account, sitting on it until the job is finished. Upon release, the platform takes a small cut and the author gets the remaining.
What Do You Must Get Began?
There may be very little it is advisable start as a web-based author (other than talent that’s!). Principally you would like:
- Computer: You don’t need anything flash. If it connects to the web, it’s adequate.
- Word Processor: Clients will normally expect to receive work in .doc or .docx form. Nevertheless, most word processors can convert, so that you don’t need MS Word. There are free alternatives on the market.
- Planner: When the roles roll in, it’s easy to lose track. So, make sure that you stay organized.
- Bank Account/PayPal: You will want a checking account for Upwork to pay you, or sometimes a PayPal account to receive payments.
- Skype: Many purchasers will wish to connect with you via Skype or over the phone.
You’re also going to wish to enroll to Upwork. There are other freelancing platforms on the market, but that is the largest, the perfect and it’s where a lot of the work is.
What Will it Cost Me?
Upwork uses a system of ‘Connects’, which it is advisable apply for jobs. The more you charge, the harder it’s going to be to search out work and the more Connects you’ll use.
Upwork now charges a small fee of $0.15 for every Connect, so it might be vital to spend somewhat money before you secure a job. If you might have CV and offer a gorgeous service, it’s best to hopefully land a paid gig without spending greater than a dollar or two.
Upwork also takes a cut of your earnings (from each client) based on the next sliding scale.
- First $500: 20%
- $500 to $10,000: 10%
- Over $10,000: 5%
This may occasionally sound like rather a lot. But they put you in touch with the client, they make sure the working relationship is protected and so they act as a mediator if there may be a problem.
In addition they deal with the internet hosting and, as Upwork is a trusted platform, it gets lots of traffic from potential clients. So, it’s a small price to pay.
What Can I Earn?
As a contract author on Upwork, you may expect to earn a maximum of $100 an hour for contracts paid by the hour (consultants and grant writers can earn more). Nevertheless, many contracts are paid on a hard and fast price and if you happen to work quickly, this will increase to $300 an hour.
The rates vary quite widely on Upwork, so take a take a look at what others are charging and set your price on the lower end as you start. As you begin writing on more complex topics and get a feel for the market, you may adjust your rates accordingly.
Remember it is sensible to base your price on the competition, not in your speed.
If you happen to’re a mediocre author but you’re also very slow, that doesn’t mean it’s best to charge 3x the going rate simply to make an honest hourly wage.
As with anything, it’s best to soon speed up as you get used to the work, and may resolve after just a few jobs if that is something you need to seriously pursue.
Getting Began on Upwork
There are a lot of freelancing platforms on the market, but none come near Upwork. It’s larger (which implies more projects), it’s easier to make use of and there are more advantages for each the client and the freelancer.
It also has its flaws, however it used to have many more and so they are steadily being ironed out.
There are hundreds of thousands of clients on Upwork posting a whole lot of jobs each day. After all, there are also hundreds of thousands of freelancers competing for a similar job as you. Any given project could have in excess of 20 applications and a few have over 100.
But with profile, work ethic, some proven credentials and somewhat talent, you may go a good distance.
The flexibility to work hard counts for rather a lot on this site. If you happen to can repeatedly meet deadlines, at all times hit targets and reply to client messages inside 24 hours, then you definitely’re already performing a step above a lot of the other freelancers on the positioning.
An excellent tip is to go browsing during normal business hours and bid on essentially the most recent job postings. Jobs on the second page likely have already got many bidders, so the possibility of landing the gig is lower the older it’s.
If you happen to’re something of an evening owl, it’s also possible to go browsing during US business hours (Recent York is five hours behind the UK, Los Angeles eight hours). Many purchasers on Upwork are based in America, so you could find numerous recent jobs appearing from around 5pm or later within the UK.
Establishing Your Profile
The very first thing it is advisable do is setup your profile. Use an image that shows your face, and make sure that it’s skilled.
Create a profile description of between 2 and 4 paragraphs and make sure that it’s flawless. You can be expected to edit your personal work, so any mistakes here will put a client off. Ideally, have a trusted friend give it a once over for any remaining errors!
You’ll wish to fill every section of the profile, but must focus more on some than others. In your work history, omit anything that’s irrelevant (whether it’s a GCSE in geography or a managerial role at McDonald’s) and focus purely on creative endeavours.
If you happen to lack experience, spice things up, be vague, but tell the reality. If you might have self-published an eBook, written an article for a print magazine and achieved a level, then your experience can include:
- Published Creator
- Worked for a serious national news outlet
- Achieved a level in my chosen field
It doesn’t matter if that book failed, that magazine “article” was actually a reader’s letter and that degree was in Sports Science. What matters is that you might have something that catches the attention.
Portfolio
Your portfolio must be visual. You’ll be prompted to upload documents and writing samples, but nobody pays attention to those. Actually, if a client desires to read a sample they may expect you to send them one in the course of the interview.
As a substitute, post images that represent your work. They could be covers of books, comics or anthologies you wrote/edited, stills of videos that you just scripted; marketing posters you helped to compose; and even screenshots of internet sites you wrote for.
It’s best to also include a single document of your best written work. Use samples from fiction, non-fiction, scripts, website content and marketing. Paste all of them right into a single document and use headers to explain each of them (for instance, “a marketing piece written for a number one UK beverage company”).
Most clients assume that writers can only write in certain genres or niches. This fashion you may prove otherwise.
Also, see our article on the best way to generate profits writing short stories here
Finding Jobs
On this industry you reside or die based in your previous success. Your references may not count for much in an office job, but as a freelancer they’re what separates those that scrape by on minimum wage from those that earn a six-figure salary.
At first, a single piece of bad feedback could end you, so it is advisable make sure that you simply work with clients who’ve a track record of leaving good feedback.
Using the choices on the left of the Upwork search, narrow the outcomes right down to include the next:
- Experience Level: Expert—At “Intermediate”, clients will expect to pay not more than $20 an hour; at “Entry Level” you’ll be lucky if you happen to make $5.
- Client History: 10+ Hires—Nine out of ten clients posting a job for the primary time will disappear before hiring anyone. And even when they continue to be, they don’t have enough of a history so that you can trust them.
- Client Info: Payment Verified—Only those with a track record of paying freelancers can be shown.
- Budget Price: $100 to $100k—This helps to weed out the clients who expect the earth for $0.50 an hour.
Once you discover a job that suits, it is advisable check the feedback of every client before you apply. The trick just isn’t to take a look at the feedback that others have left them, but on the feedback that they’ve left others.
You don’t care if freelancers think they’re somewhat slow, incomprehensible or annoying, just that they tend to go away 5-star feedback.
Do what you may to maintain your average rating high and be prepared to present a refund if you happen to receive poor feedback (a refund will delete the feedback). This could hopefully be very minimal, but will protect your high feedback rating.
Discover the best way to generate profits copywriting here
Staying Employed
Freelancing will open lots of doors. It would introduce you to publishers, publicists, web-masters and business owners. If you happen to stay connected to all of those, using social media to maintain them close, then a straightforward job may lead to something massive.
Work will dry up now and again, but the great thing is that this rarely happens once you might have a longtime profile. Until you get to that time, here’s what you may do to maintain the work coming:
- Ask: If a client promised more work that they didn’t deliver on, just ask them about it. If a client who gave you lots of work previously suddenly stops messaging you, email them. I like to present them a friendly nudge in the shape of a catch-up message, following it up with a straightforward, “If you happen to need anything done, you realize where to search out me”. You’d be surprised at how often this works.
- Concentrate on one Site: It seems counterintuitive, but if you happen to concentrate on one platform you’ll have more work. The hassle you place right into a single platform shows, and that is what prospective clients wish to see. If it isn’t working, don’t go elsewhere, just double your efforts where you’re.
- Keep Applying: It doesn’t matter what number of projects you might have without delay, it’s best to at all times find time to send more proposals, apply for more jobs and sit through more interviews. You is perhaps busy now, but soon you’ll meet those deadlines and collect your money, and then you definitely’ll realize you might have nothing else to do.
- Get Rated: Do what you may to turn out to be an element of the Top Rated and Pro programs on Upwork. These will boost your invites significantly and typically, you simply need just a few good marks in your profile to affix.
- Lower Your Rates: If you happen to’re struggling to search out work, reduce your rates barely to get the ball rolling again. It’s higher for work at a reduced rate than to not work in any respect. You possibly can at all times kick that project to the curb when a greater one comes along (just make sure that you finish it first).
Long-Term Clients and Long Term Success
Not only will client proceed to offer, but they’ll introduce you to other clients and open many doors.
Whether you’re employed on a platform like Upwork, otherwise you do all the legwork yourself, keep the next in mind:
- All the time exit of your way for a client you respect. Never take liberties and apologize profusely if you happen to make a mistake.
- All the time be prepared to strike a deal. Offer cheaper rates for bulk jobs within the hope they may increase your workload.
- If you happen to haven’t heard anything for just a few weeks, send a message to investigate in the event that they have anything available. In a competitive marketplace, freelancers could be forgotten.
- Give them advice. You’re the expert here, so if you happen to notice an area of their site that may very well be improved or added to, tell them. They’ll appreciate it and also you’ll get more work.
Alternative Income Streams
The work isn’t at all times going to be there. It’s essential to maintain trying, since it’ll get easier. But there are also other ways you may generate profits.
So, if you might have the time but you don’t have the roles, and if you happen to’ve done all you may by way of applying and being interviewed, you may try a few of the following:
- Search “write for us”: Increasingly web-masters are turning to sites like Upwork to source content, but there are still sites that wait for the content to return to them. These sites typically pay well, and if you happen to Google the phrase “Write for Us”, you shouldn’t have a problem finding them.
- Web sites/Blogs: If you happen to don’t know anything about website positioning now, you’ll after just a few months. You need to use this information to ascertain your personal content web sites and earn ad income on the side.
- Flipping Sites: Flippa is essentially eBay for web sites. You possibly can buy and sell all types of blogs, high-profile domains and established online businesses. You possibly can buy poor-quality sites, rewrite the content, do some more and sell them on. It’s similar to Homes Under The Hammer—if you might have the capital and you may cut costs by doing the work yourself, you’ll turn a profit.
- Contribute: Contributors to sites like Huff Post don’t receives a commission. Nevertheless, they’re allowed to put in writing what they need (inside reason) which supplies them a possibility to embed links of their articles. There are countless clients on Upwork looking for freelancers who can get a single link on Huff Post. If you happen to’re a contributor to this site, you may get anywhere from $200 to $500 for that link, and also you only need to put in writing a brief article with a view to post it. Forbes pays much more and works in much the identical way.
See how you may make quick money and win prizes by writing letters to magazines here