Looking To Start A Freelance Writing Service? Here's The Steps I Took

[RCV]

I searched to see if I could find something similar that had already been written and couldn't find anything.

I apologize if it's already been covered and I missed it.

I wanted to contribute something here that perhaps someone may have been thinking about, but needed some guidance on.

If you have been looking into starting a freelance writing service and wanted to get started within the next few days (or today, if you're really motivated), here's exactly what I did.

This can be set up at no cost, but eventually you will want your own hosting and domain name. If you are on a budget and just need to make some cash to fund your other business interests, then this is for you.

STEP 1 | SET UP SHOP​

You need some type of web presence and this can be had at no cost at Weebly. Back in the day when I set up my freelance writing service I created my site in a matter of hours.

Honestly the layout wasn't that great and the themes were limited, but fast forward to today and you'll find some pretty sweet and responsive themes.

Visit: Weebly . Com

You'll want to create the following pages:

1. Home Page - Post some general information about your service.
   
2. About Page - Let them know more about you. People buy from those they know, like and trust. Let them get to know, like and trust you through this page.
   
3. Portfolio Page - Let them see what you can do. Mix this up to showcase your writing ability. Here are some types of pieces you can write: Tips article (i.e. 7 Ways To Get More Clients), Blog Post (i.e. Did Your Site Get Slapped By The Latest Google Update?), Email Auto Responder Messages
   
4. Services Page - Let them know what writing services you offer (Blog Posts, Articles, Website Content, etc). You can also list your fees as well.
   
5. Contact Page - This is pretty straightforward. You need a way for them to contact you.

NOTE: Once you get some testimonials add those in. The best time to ask? Right after you deliver some stellar work they are raving about.

STEP 2 | GET THE WORD OUT
​

Let friends and family know about your new service. They may not necessarily need your writing services, but there's a good chance that they know someone who does.

Send an email out, post about it on your social media profiles/time lines and let people know when you see them.

Don't be pushy about it. Just ask if they know someone who may need writing and content creation services.

STEP 3 | GETTING YOUR FIRST CLIENT​

There are tons of different ways you can get your first client. The first step is to take step 2 above.

Here are some ways I have gotten clients:

Forum Posting - There are several ways to post your service in forums: Signature Links and Specific Service Related Sections. DO NOT SPAM people. Please don't SPAM people. Did I mention not SPAMming people?

Craigslist - You gotta be quick with this one as there are tons of others sending messages to posters. Be careful with the ads though. After a while you'll be able to tell the legitimate jobs from the bogus ones. There are many out there looking to pay next to nothing for lots of writing. Just be smart about it when you contact someone about an ad they posted.

Service Related Websites - There are websites online that allow you to post your service. Odesk isn't the only one out there. Warrior Forum and Konker (Formerly Source Market) are two where I have posted and gotten tons of work from, as well as regular clients.

Job Boards - These are all over the internet, but again be smart about it when you contact the company or individual.

Content Mills - I have a love/hate relationship with content mills. Back in the day I could clear several hundred in a week on these sites, but as they got saturated with more and more junk, the good gigs dried up. Associated Content, Demand Studios and Demand Media were some sites I wrote pretty regularly for. There are others, but can't recommend a specific one as its been a while since I wrote for any.

LinkedIn - Connect with people you know and those they know as well. I believe they call these 1st, 2nd and 3rd tiers. BE CAUTIOUS with how you connect to your professional networks' connections. Be up front and honest about how you found their contact information. I got a website editing job through this method. It's not my favorite way to do things, but just thought I'd share it.

STEP 4 | COLLECTING PAYMENT
​

Once you get a paying client, you'll need to collect payment. Be cautious of the ones that want the work first before paying.

I often hear people taking half up front and then the other upon completion. In all honesty, I've only done this a few times with new clients.

I send the invoice over before starting, but again this will vary from person to person.

Paypal makes it easy to collect payment. They do charge their fees, but it's much better than having to get your own merchant account. At least starting out, it's much more convenient.

You can email an invoice or send them a payment link that you set up through Paypal.

I've also put some of my clients on a subscription since they needed regular content and billed them recurring monthly or weekly, depending on their needs. So much better than hounding them for payment and it's nice to see that regular payment coming in (until they cancel the subscription, but I'll save that for another post).

STEP 5 | WRITE
​

I won't get too much into this as I don't know what your writing skills are like.

All I can say is practice, practice and practice some more.

Spend some time thinking about different angles you can take with your content.

Put yourself on the other side of reading the content. If it sucks scratch it.

Read, read and read some more. Want to get better at writing and public speaking? Read more.

Some Copywriting Books That I Recommend:

"Web Copy That Sells" by Maria Veloso

"Adweek Copywriting Handbook" by Joseph Sugarman

I love what Joe says about writing copy:

The job of the first line is to get people to read the second line.

The job of the second line is to get people to read the third line.

The job of the third line...I hope you figured it out by now.

TIPS​

• Be careful with people who want a "sample" piece. Many just want a free article.
• Most people who contact you wont turn into paying work. Be nice and helpful, it may turn into work down the road.
• Underpromise and over deliver.
• GIVE VALUE
• When you are giving a delivery date, factor in how long it will take you and add on a day or two for buffer time in case you get behind, double book or have something come up

That's all for now.

I'll add more to this later.

Stop thinking and just do.

Good Luck!

 

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[Joe Cassandra]

You need some type of web presence and this can be had at no cost at Weebly. Back in the day when I set up my freelance writing service I created my site in a matter of hours.

Mehr...

I spent years tinkering and blogging making $0. I literally spent 5 months just tweaking some Wordpress site until it was "perfect."

From my experience now (and I write full-time for myself)...I'm pretty sure ZERO of my clients have ever looked at my website.

Everyone's different, but these tips seemed to have been pulled from some 'Top tips' blog post. Having tried most of your "tips", I'll say none of them got me a well-paying assignment.

The best thing I've found to do? Reach out to companies who already value content creation. You build a portfolio faster, learn faster...etc. Much easier than doing what I first did...try to preach to the unconverted.

 

[RCV]

I appreciate the feedback. I've been here just a few days and your post was one of the first I read here.

I aint on the way to making life changing money like you.

I'm a grinder man, that's why I'm here. To learn.

You know who I wrote this post for?

Not for you, not for someone already doing well or even okay.

I wrote it for the lost person who just needs some quick steps to get started, to gain some confidence to get a paying client.

In short, I wrote this for The 2007 version of me.

The guy looking to make a better way. To put some gas in the car or take his son to McDonald's without having to worry about it.

This wasn't pulled from a "Top Tips" blog post.

It's literally what I did to get started without knowing what the heck I was doing.

The first person I spoke to about potentially writing for asked me about a website. So guess what I did? I googled it and set it up on Weebly so he could see something.

I don't know how many have looked at my site over the years, nor do I care, as long is it turned into work.

This won't get anyone rich.

STEP 3 | GETTING YOUR FIRST CLIENT

Everyone's different, but these tips seemed to have been pulled from some 'Top tips' blog post. Having tried most of your "tips", I'll say none of them got me a well-paying assignment.

I never said it was to get a high paying client. Just to get A client.

For me that was key. Once I got one, I gained confidence that I could do this.

You're totally right about reaching out to companies who value content creation.

The best thing I've found to do? Reach out to companies who already value content creation. You build a portfolio faster, learn faster...etc. Much easier than doing what I first did...try to preach to the unconverted.

To be quite honest, at least for me back then, I didn't have that kind of confidence nor did I know who valued content.

Like I said, I've only been here a short time and looking to learn and try to help.

I apologize if this didn't seem helpful to you (mods you can delete if it's not, it won't hurt my feelings), or if you saw that somehow I was just trying to post some re-hashed rubbish I found online.

Again, please accept my humble apologies if I am out of line, but this was written for the person reading this who needs not to get rich quick, but may not have confidence and just needs some funds to keep the lights on.

Look forward to learning from your posts.

-RC

 

[Joe Cassandra]

I appreciate the feedback. I've been here just a few days and your post was one of the first I read here.

I aint on the way to making life changing money like you.

I'm a grinder man, that's why I'm here. To learn.

You know who I wrote this post for?

Not for you, not for someone already doing well or even okay.

I wrote it for the lost person who just needs some quick steps to get started, to gain some confidence to get a paying client.

In short, I wrote this for The 2007 version of me.

The guy looking to make a better way. To put some gas in the car or take his son to McDonald's without having to worry about it.

This wasn't pulled from a "Top Tips" blog post.

It's literally what I did to get started without knowing what the heck I was doing.

The first person I spoke to about potentially writing for asked me about a website. So guess what I did? I googled it and set it up on Weebly so he could see something.

I don't know how many have looked at my site over the years, nor do I care, as long is it turned into work.

This won't get anyone rich.





I never said it was to get a high paying client. Just to get A client.

For me that was key. Once I got one, I gained confidence that I could do this.

You're totally right about reaching out to companies who value content creation.



To be quite honest, at least for me back then, I didn't have that kind of confidence nor did I know who valued content.

Like I said, I've only been here a short time and looking to learn and try to help.

I apologize if this didn't seem helpful to you (mods you can delete if it's not, it won't hurt my feelings), or if you saw that somehow I was just trying to post some re-hashed rubbish I found online.

Again, please accept my humble apologies if I am out of line, but this was written for the person reading this who needs not to get rich quick, but may not have confidence and just needs some funds to keep the lights on.

Look forward to learning from your posts.

-RC

I read your intro post and it was well done. Sorry to hear about your losses in your family.

Definitely agree with what you're trying to do. Getting that first $1 can be a huge lift. Getting your first $1,000 is life-changing.

I agree with scrapping for those first dollars. But, once you do. Go after the whales because that could change everything!

Good luck

 

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[Zhukovic]

Hey there RCV, just wanted to offer some experience I have had on the topic.

Although I hesitate to do so, since Joe has had way more success than me.

I started a freelance writing business 3 months ago, I had no connections, no social media, a complete hermit besides close family, college dropout, $6,000 credit card debt, and no experience. I should also mention I'm only doing blog, article, and news writing for now. Mainly because blogging is a consistent revenue source, and each client tends to be quite long term, rather than just a one off project. Although I do want to move into copy writing in the future as their is more money in there.

This month I will clear around $4,000/month.

Not amazing, but fairly decent for such a short time.

That income is distributed between 4 clients.

Client one- Problogger job board, they wanted a temp writer for a small conservative news site, paid me for a few pieces, liked it so much they asked to be a regular Mon-Fri writer, 9am-1pm, working 20 hours a week for $2,000/month. Easy writing. Helps that I know my stuff pretty well on conservative politics.

Client Two - Relative who needed blog posts for his small business. Only $200 a month.

Client Three - A craigslist ad for a small mens fashion/improvement/publication startup that was first unpaid (I took it as a chance to publish some of my work as examples for portfolio), but liked my work enough that they started to pay a small fee, $400/month for now, and after their first product launch will increase to around $800/month.

Client Four - A company I applied on Angel.co for. They publish a variety of articles and they need consistent writers to write 4-8 articles a day for them, Mon-Fri. They liked my short 350 word sample I sent them, and I was one of 8 writer that got the position out of a few dozen. Income depends on how much I want to write a day, but its $20 per article. Total monthly income is around $1,400.

I work around 30-35 hours a week writing.

My current income follows the Pareto Principle, around 85% of my income comes from 50% of my clients. Also, my two biggest clients I only got recently, as in within 4 weeks, so getting results tends to follow a more exponential curve, very little in beginning, and then your income jumps.

The common thread seems to be that clients like my writing, so I would say from my extremely limited experience, success comes to having good writing/impressing clients, being a good researcher (I can google anything I don't already know), and luck.

I recommend checking out Angel.co, it's a job board of sorts for start-ups around the world, and they have a good number of companies that need content writers. So if blog/article writing is your thing, that's a good way to get some clients. It isn't super crowded yet, but it is start-ups, so don't go expecting a fortune there.

Getting that first $1 can be a huge lift. Getting your first $1,000 is life-changing.

When I found I was going to make $2,000 from one client for part time work, I started to cry!

 

[RCV]

Thanks so much for the contribution of information. Awesome stuff.

Mainly because blogging is a consistent revenue source, and each client tends to be quite long term, rather than just a one off project.

I enjoy writing blog posts most of all as some clients tend to let you decide on the topic if you've worked with them for a while. A web design company I worked with allowed me to choose topics for them.

I'd love to do more of these types of pieces, but one of the things that I've found is that once they get what they feel is sufficient content they ask for a break. It wasn't that they didn't like the content, they just didn't think they needed more. Of course, I would explain the reasons and value behind regular posting, but some would feel it wasn't necessary and would contact me several months later to start up again.

At least that's been my experience.

Would love to hear anyone else's experience, thoughts and tips on this (Joe?).

Client Four - A company I applied on Angel.co for. They publish a variety of articles and they need consistent writers to write 4-8 articles a day for them, Mon-Fri. They liked my short 350 word sample I sent them, and I was one of 8 writer that got the position out of a few dozen. Income depends on how much I want to write a day, but its $20 per article. Total monthly income is around $1,400.

Thanks for this tip. Hadn't seen this site. Going to check it out today.

 

[RCV]

My current income follows the Pareto Principle, around 85% of my income comes from 50% of my clients.

Not trying to be a jerk, but I've often heard the Pareto Principle as 80/20

Please correct me if I'm incorrect.

Pareto principle - Wikipedia

 

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[Sean Kaye]

When I started my content creation service back in 2011, the smartest move I made was setting up a recurring model for customers.

Something like 4 blog posts per month, auto-billed and it required them to give us topics in advance. We did one post per week and each post had to have the topic seven days before it was due.

If they didn't provide the topics, they didn't get their articles and didn't get a refund.

It added an element of arbitrage into the business that's contributed to profitability but also it kept clients accountable for more than just paying.

 

[RCV]

When I started my content creation service back in 2011, the smartest move I made was setting up a recurring model for customers.

Thanks for the response Sean.

Are you still utilizing this model in your content business?

 

[Sean Kaye]

Thanks for the response Sean.

Are you still utilizing this model in your content business?

Yeah, we still use it a fair bit, 100% of the clients in that business are by referral now - we went higher price, lower volume to get out of the business of my wife (she runs that business day-to-day) having to manage hordes of sub-contractors because she dislikes other people. LOL.

 

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[garyfritz]

Sorry for the threadcromancy...

I've done a fair amount of technical writing. Technical courses, equipment validation pieces, things like that. That tends to pay pretty well - 5 years ago I was charging $80/hr - but the trick is finding the work. I got most of my tech writing work from my contacts with my previous employer, but things changed and I haven't had much action there for 5 years. I should start connecting with other tech firms and see what's out there.

Any insights on that?