The Cautious Writer's Guide to Starting (and Scaling) a Freelance Writing Business
Basically, everything you need to know (the good and the bad) before fully launching a successful freelance writing career.
-
Starting a freelance writing business is scary and challenging… but not impossible.
Here is a heads up about all the challenges and obstacles you’ll likely be facing, especially in the beginning.
This article links to other writer hot topics, so happy exploring!
Want to learn new in-demand writing skills (and help your own freelance writing business grow)? Sign up to watch our free SEO writing training.
Maybe you’ve been told that you’re a really good writer. Maybe you wrote vivid short stories as a kid. Or, you’ve become the “go-to” writer or content QA specialist at work.
Or, maybe you haven’t considered yourself to be a writer yet. You’ve spent years pursuing other careers and interests, but now you’re looking for something different (better).
Now – if I’m sizing you up correctly – you’re likely a self-starter, aspirational and don’t totally hate writing.
No matter how you ended up here, you’re probably curious about starting your own freelance writing business. Cautiously optimistic. You’re wondering, “Do I truly have what it takes? Do I really want to dive into something like this? And if I fail, what’s the consequence?
In this post, I want to make you aware of some things about starting a freelance writing business. My real goal is to give you some preliminary steps and considerations before you dive in.
-
My name is Amanda. I’m an ex-healthcare clinician who basically had to drum up work for herself online in 2017. I lived in a rural area and really had no choice but to become a freelance writer.
I also needed a job that I could travel with since I was an international performer. And later on, I became a mom, so I really needed a highly flexible career.
Fast forward to now: I’ve worked as a health writer, SEO writer and copywriter for 50+ clients. And after years of content QA and reviewing more junior writers’ work, I also teach other writers.
The Apparent Challenges of Starting a Freelance Writing Business
If you’ve been Googling, you’re probably starting to build up an idea about potential challenges to starting your business.
The main ones: how to make consistent income, how to find writing work, and how to find reasonable, well-paying clients.
But here are some other challenges that you may not be aware of. And by the time I started experiencing these challenges, I was already pretty invested in starting a freelance writing career.
Freelance Writer Taxes
I am not a tax professional, and my information is not meant to serve as tax advice.
If you’ve never been a freelancer or independent contractor, it’ll be a big shock when you have to fork over taxes yourself.
There are also regulations you must follow, which may include paying taxes quarterly, estimating your tax and paying penalties when you don’t get it right.
In my first few years as a freelancer (sole proprietor), I had to do tons of research about how to pay taxes. And then the cherry on top was forking over a massive tax check four times per year – and still not having paid enough.
It is such a balancing act. Yes, you can and should be making significantly more as a freelancer than if you were on staff. But the taxes will take up a large portion of that “extra.”
All that being said, just because freelancer taxes are complicated (and can be hefty), I’m NOT telling you to give up on your dreams. I’m just making you aware that taxes should be front of mind when pricing your freelance writing services.
Low Conversion Rates for Cold Pitches
Most new freelance writers will have to cold pitch to land work. Everyone is terrified of it – but it’s a rite of passage – and it’s a pretty smart (free) way to land work.
Now, what most freelancers don’t realize is that cold pitching generally gets low conversion rates (as in, the number of people who actually become clients).
Yes, you can learn how to craft amazing pitches. In fact, we have a blog post that teaches you how to write cold pitches for your writing services.
Learning how to write a great pitch will help boost your conversion rates, but don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re getting nowhere with cold pitching.
Cold pitching has a huge learning curve and takes tons of practice. And sure, there might be people who get really high conversion rates by cold pitching, but it’s not very common.
So my advice about cold pitching?
Learn everything you can about cold pitching, practice and send out hundreds of pitches. You’ll need to send a high volume of pitches in order to get 1-4% of them to be your clients.
For example: If you send out 100 cold pitches, then (hopefully) 1-4 of them will lead to client work. But then you’ll probably need more clients as time goes on, so keep pitching. And pitch at high volumes.
If you already tried cold pitching and you haven’t reached a consistent 1-4% conversion rate, I’d strongly suggest investing in cold pitching training.
Freelance Platform Fees
It can be confusing for a new freelance writer. Some people encourage you to use freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr – and other people tell you to steer clear of them.
I’ve been a long-time member of the Upwork community. However, I’ve now developed a love-hate relationship with it – especially since they’ve significantly revised their fee structures so that everyone is paying more.
When I started on Upwork in 2017, everyone paid service fees that came out of what clients were paying you. Now, Upwork has monthly memberships, limited free plans and you have to sometimes pay to send a proposal, even if it doesn't land you work.
Freelance platform fees initially seem all bad. However, I’ve had some great (big) clients from the platform, so I do appreciate that. And I still continue to use Upwork today.
However, if you’re just starting out in your writing business, keep an eye on how much you’re spending on freelancer platforms. I’d give yourself about 3 months and then reassess if what you’re spending is worth the income you’re making.
Upfront Costs of a Freelance Writing Business
Luckily – compared to opening up a coffee shop or launching a T-shirt business – starting your freelance writing business is actually pretty cheap.
First, you don’t have to hire anyone else initially because you can do all of the work yourself. Second, you don’t have any physical inventory to take care of. And third, it’s all work-from-anywhere.
That being said, I want to give you an overview of potential startup costs. I would consider most of these as requirements, even before you get your first paying client.
Startup Costs for a Freelance Writing Business:
Website: This includes yearly and monthly fees. And no: Your free Upwork profile, LinkedIn profile or just sharing a Google Drive folder will not cut it. Even the “free” website hosts are probably not going to cut it since your site will be laden with ads. You need your own standalone, professional website – that you will need to pay for.
Courses: In order to get someone to pay you to do something, you’ll need to make sure you are a professional. I consider writing courses to be essential expenses for your freelance writing business. Not to mention, courses can expedite success compared to DIY “free” training.
Business Email: Another thing that tells people you’re serious about your writing business is a branded email address. For example: Our emails end with @ambitiouswritersociety.com. Many writers will try to “get by” with a free Gmail or Outlook account, but it screams amateur. Luckily, branded emails are very cheap (mine is ~$7.50 per month).
Computer: This is your biggest upfront cost, but it’s obviously essential. My advice is to splurge on a computer in order to get the features you want, such as faster memory and more storage. You’ll be using it daily, so you want it to perform well for you. Could you get by with just your phone? Barely.
Internet: Whether you have your own internet, phone hotspot or you want to go to a coffee shop every day, you’ll need the internet for most of your work, particularly when communicating with clients.
And remember when we talked about freelancer taxes? You may be able to claim these expenses as write offs, but consult a tax professional.
Learning Curve for… Everything!
Embarking on a freelance writing career will obviously come with a ton of learning – and mistakes. But that is okay!
Just a heads up: Here are things you’ll have to learn (either on your own, or with some help):
The Ins and Outs of Starting a Website: Not only will you have to design your own website, but you’ll have to learn some techy things to make it work. Luckily, there are plenty of web hosts that make it easy to set up. A lot of these hosts do all the complex stuff for you.
How to Make Your Writer Website Grow: Since you need clients to see your website, you’ll have to learn how to optimize it for SEO. Otherwise, you risk low or incorrect traffic to your site, or having to rely on paid ads to get in front of people.
How to Properly Register Your Business: Every country, state and county is different, but paperwork is in your future. If you remain a sole proprietor, there are less hoops to jump through. However, if you plan to do business under a name different from your own, you may need to do some more paperwork.
The Client Process: You have a lot of flexibility here, but pitching clients, getting on a discovery call, sending a quote, kicking off a project and then getting paid is still a process to learn and perfect. Luckily there are free invoicing tools, free meeting tools and more that are great for new writers.
I know this all seems like a lot.
Starting a new freelance writing business can be scary and challenging. However, I’m not telling you that you should avoid it. I’ve been a freelance writer since 2017, and I’m still really loving it.
A Writer’s Guide to Starting (and Scaling) Your Freelance Writing Business
Taking the leap into freelance writing is an exciting endeavor, but it's essential to approach it with careful consideration.
Now that I’ve “warned” you about the potential challenges of starting a freelance writing business, let’s work on some action steps that will empower you!
Step 1: Assess Your Readiness
Before diving in headfirst, let's assess your readiness for this new chapter.
Your Financial Preparedness
Do you need a lot of money to start your freelance writing business? Do you need investors?
Luckily, no! Compared to other types of businesses or getting a college degree, starting a writing business requires minimal overhead. And there are a lot of ways to save on costs too!
Plus, you don’t have to completely drop your other jobs right away. You can start freelancing on a small scale and then increase your freelancing work over time.
However, before you make a full transition into freelance writing, evaluate these aspects of your financial situation:
Savings: Do you have sufficient savings to cover your living expenses for a reasonable period while you establish your client base? My financial advisor always tells me to keep 6 months of expenses on hand in my savings account, but consult your own advisor.
Emergency Fund: An emergency fund can provide a safety net during unexpected financial challenges. It will also help you feel more secure.
Income Projections: You’ll want to create realistic income projections based on your target hourly rate and anticipated workload.
Your Skills (Writing and Non-Writing)
It’s okay if you're not a complete expert in whatever writing specialty you choose. However, you should be more proficient and effective than if your clients did it on their own.
And, if you want to land more clients more often, there are also other skills you should learn.
Here is a list of key skills every writer needs to master in order to launch a successful freelance writing business:
Your Chosen Writing Specialty: Whether you are technically trained, earned a college degree or have previous writing experience in your personal or professional life, you obviously need a small amount of writing skills. However, writing skills can always be learned, so don’t worry if you feel like a beginner or imposter! You should also enjoy writing – or at least – tolerate it.
Written Communication Skills: If you’re not great at messaging or emailing, get good at it. Being a writer, your potential clients will be scrutinizing your emails and how you communicate. So make sure all your written communication is error-free! I would also suggest practicing timely communication as well, since that’s just good business practice.
Interpersonal Skills (Live Interactions): This is where most writers fall short. They may be amazing writers, but when it comes to talking to potential clients on a live call – and landing work – they can’t seem to ever get the gig. It doesn’t matter how great of a writer you are and if you have amazing samples to share: If you can’t seal the deal on a live call – and make a potential client comfortable hiring you – you will not get the job.
Business Acumen: Even if your writing business is very small, it’s still a business. So it’s wise to have some knowledge of basic business terms and how things work, like invoicing, marketing, contracts, taxes and more. And, you may have to learn how to be more decisive!
Marketing and Self-Promotion Skills: This can be another challenge for writers. If you have a marketing background, you may fare better, but it still doesn’t mean you will be successful attracting your audience 100% of the time. Learn new skills about written marketing, video marketing and in-person networking and self-promotion.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Skills: In the most basic sense, SEO is how your website gets seen by more people online. And you want that – especially if you want clients to come to you automatically (without you having to pitch them or contact them first). So every writer needs SEO skills to ensure their website attracts clients. And guess what? We have a free video workshop that’s all about SEO writing, so check it out!
Your Niche (or Not?)
We’ve got an entire article about whether new writers should niche or not. However, for the purposes of this article, let’s highlight a few key points pertaining to market research.
Now, you definitely don’t need to do extensive research or run complex reports about the demand for your services, pricing, etc. Your freelance writing business can be way more casual and laid back than that.
However, what I do suggest that you do at the outset of your business is the following:
Niche Selection (But Loose): If you have a set niche you want to write in, great. However, you can also choose your writing niche based on your interests, expertise and potential demand. But what if you have no idea what you want to write about? No worries! Start by identifying which niches you might enjoy. From there, you can start building up your portfolio and pursuing clients in that industry. Worse case scenario: You change up your niche over time. Despite what people tell you, changing your niche is not a big deal. And not having any niche is also a non-issue (I don’t have a set niche anymore).
Target Audience Identification: When you search for clients, you’ll quickly realize that you could probably work for anyone. That’s great, but it’s actually very limiting. Start nailing down a few key points about your ideal clients. Are they solopreneurs? Are they the head of content at a major brand? Even just a few characteristics will help you determine where you should send pitches. We actually talk about finding low competition work in our free SEO writing training, so sign up to watch!
Wow! That was a lot about assessing your readiness!
By carefully considering these factors, you'll be better equipped to make informed decisions about your freelance writing journey. Remember, it's okay to start small and gradually increase your workload as you build your business.
Step 2: Build Your Business Framework
You have to start somewhere, right?
Next, we’ll cover the basic and essential components of your writing business. Most of these things need to get done before you start looking for clients (and before you start making money), so keep that in mind.
-
I totally get it. There are certain points in your business where you have to take a leap of faith because you are jumping into the unknown. And unfortunately, one of those times is right at the outset of your business.
It’s sort of a catch-22. You need a basic business framework in place in order to get clients. But of course, you’d rather use client money to pay for these things.
What “things” am I referring to?
Tax Classifications: Ugh, we’re talking about taxes again! In most cases, you won’t have to do much. But I want to bring this up again so you can prepare for next tax day. It would be really unfortunate if you spent all your freelance writing money and then couldn’t pay your taxes. Determine what type of business you want to have, and read up on the tax laws. Hint: Many freelance writers start out as sole proprietors.
Contracts: Some of your clients may have contracts. But as a business owner, you’ll have to make those decisions too. Even today, many of my freelance clients confirm project scope and pricing via email – nothing too complicated. It wasn’t until I expanded my business where I had to hire a lawyer to write my policies.
Your Brand: A brand can change over time if you’re not happy with it, but certain things like your business name, website and business email address need to be established at the outset. You’ll also most likely need to set up some business social media accounts to get your name out there.
Short and Long-Term Goals: These are also malleable, so don’t be afraid to dream big! Consider your income goals, clients and brands you want to work with, how you want to work (say, work from home or on a beach). Or, maybe you establish more personal goals like, “I want my freelance income to pay for my kids’ hobbies and sports.”
Pricing: Again, this can change over time. It can even change with every new project. However, you don’t want to look like a deer in headlights when a client asks about your pricing – especially on a live call. Get more details about pricing freelance writing projects.
Step 3: Find Your First Writing Clients!
Client finding is one of the biggest concerns for new writers (and experienced ones who are in a dry spell).
Learn about our 14-Day Client Finder Challenge in our free SEO writing video.
But, let’s get into some quick tips about landing your first job as a new business owner.
Networking and Interacting with People: Did you think you could be a total recluse and still make money as a writer? Think again! (The recluse part comes after you’ve landed the work.) This is where your interpersonal and self-promotion skills come in.
Online Freelance Platforms and Job Boards: You can definitely find work on these platforms, but just make sure you really weigh the cost versus the benefit. And periodically come back to reassess as your business grows.
Cold Pitching: Read this blog post about how to craft better cold pitches. Remember that cold pitching is all about sending a hefty number of pitches so you can pile in the work. And it’s going to be tedious, tiring and uncomfortable until it’s not. But you’re doing the “good work” in building your business.
Client Vetting: In the beginning, you may be tempted to take on any work that comes your way. But before you do, make sure to read our blog post about client red flags you can’t ignore. It will save you money, energy and heartache!
Step 4: Managing Your Business for the Long Haul
I know you might be worried about the ongoing management involved in running a thriving freelance writing business. Here are some things to keep in mind over the course of the next several months and years.
Ongoing Time Management: There will be ebbs and flows in your business. Sometimes you will be slammed with work, and you’ll want to reduce the risk of burnout (from both your professional and personal life). Other times will be slower or more manageable. Develop ways to stay organized and prioritize tasks.
Continuous Financial Management: There are lots of free and paid business tools that can help you automate and track which clients were billed, who paid and what taxes you need to send out. However, many writers are surprised about how much administrative work they have to do for their own business.
Client Management: You are partners in your clients’ success. And in order to keep them coming back to you for work, nurture these relationships as much as possible. When you get new clients, make sure they fully understand your process and feel comfortable. Handling problematic clients is another task as a business owner.
Continuous Learning and Skill Development: As time goes on, learn new skills and improve existing ones. As a professional writer, you should also stay updated on industry trends in writing, AI and whatever else is relevant to your clients’ industries.
Rejections and Setbacks: Rejection comes during all parts of your business. You may get rejected in your cold pitches, or an existing client might want you to revise most of your work. The only advice I can give you is to roll with the punches. And to wait before you respond back in anger and panic.
Backup Plans: Contingency plans are always a good idea, especially if you’re facing a rocky start. However, another good plan is to diversify your income streams: client work, affiliate marketing, SEO, new writing skills, additional professional services, new niches and more.
Step 5: Scaling Your Writing Business
I know you may feel like scaling your writing business is far away in the distance, but here are some things to think about now, before you’ve even truly begun.
Expanding Your Client Base: Yes, still continue to pitch and optimize your website for SEO. However, once you’ve landed some happy clients, ask for referrals and repeat business. Learn how to use your testimonials to land more work.
Raising Your Rates: It’s important to understand when and how to increase your rates. The bottom line: Don’t surprise your client with higher rates. It should always be a finessed conversation with existing clients.
Grow Your Freelance Writing Business, Starting with Our Free SEO Writing Workshop
If you loved how in-depth we made this post, be sure to check out our near 2-hour SEO writing workshop, tailored specially to writers who want to grow their business and build a thriving career. It’s totally on-demand, so you can watch when you have time.
