Has it always been your dream to work as a freelance writer? If so, you might not know where to start as far as finding—and landing!—freelance writing gigs.
When you’re first trying to get your freelance writing career off the ground, it can be challenging trying to track down freelance writing jobs. Since there are quite a few freelance writers all across the world attempting to make a living off their writing, figuring out how to get a single freelance writing gig, much less a series of gigs, can be difficult to do.
If you’re struggling to locate work as a freelance writer and looking to learn how to find freelance writing jobs, there are simple steps you can take to do it. Check out some of the ways in which you can find (and get!) freelance writing gigs below.
Make a List of Publications You Like and Pitch Story Ideas to Them
What are some of the publications that you like to read when you’re poking around online? When you’re first looking for freelance writing gigs, you should make a list of these publications and then go through the process of pitching story ideas to them.
There’s a good chance that you know what most of these publications are about, inside and out. This will allow you to come up with fun and clever ideas for them that you know will be relevant to their audience.
You can pitch your ideas to these publications by finding out who is in charge of assigning out stories and sending them pitches through email (you should also check out their websites to see if they have specific pitching practices in place!). Your pitches should be as detailed as you can make them and they should illustrate why a publication should strongly consider publishing an article from you.
Publications aren’t always going to respond with “yes!” right away when you send pitches in their direction. In fact, you might have to send a publication a dozen or more pitches before something sticks.
But pitching your ideas to different publications is an excellent way to earn freelance writing gigs. It’s also an excellent way to give yourself an opportunity to write about things that you actually care about.
Browse Through Freelance Writing Job Boards for Opportunities
As recently as just 10 years ago, there weren’t that many freelance writing jobs to go around. As a result, there wasn’t really a strong need for freelance writing job boards. People didn’t have too much trouble finding freelance writers when they needed them.
Nowadays, though, there are so many different companies with a real need for freelance writers. These companies need freelance writers to provide them with:
- Blogs
- Press releases
- Products descriptions
- Ebooks
- And more!
This had led to an influx of freelance writing job boards. Those trying to launch a freelance writing career should bookmark as many of them as they can and visit them early and often to see what writing opportunities exist.
Join Freelance Writing Groups on Social Media Sites and Look for Leads
Now that there are thousands upon thousands of freelance writers putting in work on the internet each and every day, a lot of them have started to congregate in different pockets on social media. From Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn, you’ll find freelance writing groups on just about every large social media site out there.
You should look for these freelance writing groups and try to join them if you can. When you become a part of these groups, you’ll learn:
- Tips on how to become a successful freelance writer
- Advice on where to look for freelance writing gigs online
- Information on how to pitch your ideas to online publications
You might also find some freelance writers looking for other writers to help them with assignments. If you play your cards right and network with the right people on social media, it could result in a payday for you.
Create a Website for Yourself and Advertise Your Writing Services
If you’re going to enjoy a long and lucrative freelance writing career, you’re going to have to create a website for yourself at some point. This website will, if nothing else, give you a place to post everything that you write so that you can show potential employers some of the work you’ve done over time.
You can also use your website to advertise your writing services to those who might come across it. You can let them know about the types of writing that you’re able to do and even provide them with prices for your freelance work.
With any luck, you should be able to drum up interest in your services with your website. It’ll legitimize your operation as a freelance writer and show others that you’re serious about your craft.
Offer to Write Guest Posts for Websites to Build Up a Portfolio
When you’re trying to kickstart your freelance writing career, you might have a hard time convincing companies to hire you to write for them. To get over this hump, you may want to think about penning some guest posts for websites that are always looking for contributors.
You can pick almost any subject under the sun and Google it along with the words “write for us” and you’ll find at least a few websites that are willing to publish posts from up-and-coming writers. You can use these sites to beef up your portfolio and to show other sites that you know your stuff.
Go Start Your Search for Freelance Writing Gigs Today
Do you think that you have what it takes to work as a freelance writer full-time? Prove it by finding freelance writing gigs and getting to work on them.
You can use the tips and tricks found here to locate freelance writing jobs. You can also put in an application to write for us if you’d like to start writing articles on a wide range of topics.
Fill out this form and we’ll get back to you shortly to let you know whether or not you would be a good fit for our freelance writing team.
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