One of the most common questions I get on Instagram is, “How do I find freelance writing jobs as a beginner?”
Finding quality freelance writing work is a lot like online dating. You have to swipe and scroll through a ton of junk —and some perfectly-nice-but-not-for-you gigs, too!— before you find your dream clients.
In my 2 years of full-time freelancing and 7 years of part-time freelance work, I’ve worked with hundreds (yes, hundreds!!) of paying clients: the good, the bad, and the dreamy.
A dream client is any client who pays you what you deserve to do work you love doing. They really do exist!
Today, I have retainers with 3-5 dream clients at a time, with the flexibility to take on extra work I’m really excited about. My clients pay me $100-125 per hour, earning me an average $400 per blog post. And I found every single client using the five tips below.
Your dream clients are out there, I promise. Here’s how to find them:
1. Start with your network
You know the saying “your network is your net worth?” It’s never more true than when you’re looking for freelance work.
But you’ll never find those opportunities unless you ask.
Post an announcement on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn that you’re in business. (Don’t have accounts on all of those platforms? Open a new tab and make them right now! If you’re in news or editorial writing, you should get on Twitter, too.)
Explain your experience, what kind of services you offer, and what kind of client you’re looking for.
Maybe an ex-colleague you haven’t spoken to in years just started her own business and needs website copy.
Maybe your aunt’s boyfriend works at a tech company that’s always looking for blog writers.
You never who’s reading, and what they could have to offer you.
If you get crickets, don’t take it personally. Just because no one is hiring right this second doesn’t mean they won’t think of you later.
2. Search freelance-specific websites
There are dozens of websites out there for freelancers to find gigs.
Not all of the gigs are high quality, but you can still find some real diamonds in the rough.
Some places I’ve successfully found freelance work include:
–Fiverr
–Upwork (formerly Elance)
–Working Nomads
–WeWorkRemotely
–FlexJobs
–Creative Circle
–ProBlogger Job Board
–Craigslist’s “gigs” section (this may sound sketchy, but it’s actually common for non-tech-savvy, older business owners to use Craigslist instead of the swankier sites. I’ve found legit jobs here that weren’t advertised anywhere else!)
3. Search traditional job boards for freelance and contract roles
These websites may be geared more towards full-time career roles, but fantastic freelance and contract roles do show up there from time to time.
–LinkedIn
–Glassdoor
–Indeed
Set up alerts for your keywords, like “freelance writer” or “content writing,” and let the job openings roll in.
4. When in doubt, guest post
If you’re just starting out and don’t have clips (links to existing, published work) yet, you may have to produce a few pieces for free before you can start charging for your services. Doing work for free is obviously controversial, but hear me out!
Writing for free is not a failure — and it’s not forever.
Say it again, for the people in the back!
Writing for free is not a failure — and it’s not forever.
Imagine your roof was leaking dirty water all over your laptop while you were working. Would you pay someone who’d never fixed a roof before to fix it? Nope! You’d hire someone with at least a few roof repairs on their resumé and a few positive reviews to prove it.
Writing is the same. You wouldn’t pay someone who’d never published a blog post before to write posts for your company blog. You’d hire someone with at least a few work samples and at least a few positive reviews.
Unfortunately, the best way to get work experience without experience is to temporarily work for free. Fortunately, you should only have to write 2-3 pieces for free to show your stuff. That’s all most hiring managers have time to read, anyway!
Email a small business you love and offer to write a guest post for their site for free. Most small businesses will jump at the opportunity for free marketing work. Try targeting a small, local business with a robust web presence, ideally in a niche you’d like to keep writing in.
Or, see if your favorite blogger accepts guest posts. If so, they’ll usually have a link in their website footer or on their contact page. If you’d like to write for Bonjour Becky, check out my guest post guidelines here!
A post on your personal blog is better than nothing, but the extra validation of a published post elsewhere will make you look more professional. It should give hiring managers a sense of a writing style and prove that you can write clean, compelling copy.
5. Don’t give up
Finding quality freelance writing jobs isn’t easy, but it’s definitely possible.
The good news? It only gets easier!
The more writing you do, the easier it will be to find gigs that suit your skillset. Companies will remember you and ask you for more work, and they’ll be more likely to recommend you to their network. Keep writing, keep reminding your network what you do, and keep the faith.
I’m rooting for you!
Questions about finding freelance writing clients? What topics should I write about next?
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