Freelance writing is both fun and profitable. I have been writing for the past 8 years. Below are tips that have helped me so far:

1. Hard work: To make enough money as a freelance writer, you have to be hardworking. There is no time for excessive Facebook browsing and Whatsapp chats. Focus on writing and reading.
2. Marketing: You need clients to survive as a freelance writer. Make marketing a top priority. Scan job boards such as Problogger, AngelList and even Craiglist for writing jobs. Send cold emails to companies in your niche so that you can have a good number of writing clients.
3. Develop your writing skill: Ensure you take courses that will help to hone your writing skill. The more you know how to write quality content, the more you earn.
4. Be prudent: Don’t spend all you make. Invest your money in worthy businesses online and offline.

Obstacles that come across in becoming a freelancer:

Some years back, I decided to stop working on content mills and start my own freelance writing business. This is because it was becoming tough to get good jobs. I thought it was going to be easy. But was it?

The first battle I had to fight was getting clients. When you work on content mills, there are always lots of jobs but very low pay. Outside, you could get good paying jobs. But the problem like I said earlier is looking for clients.

I had many options, but they weren’t easy. I thought of starting a blog and getting traffic. I did start, but no client. It takes time for a blog to grow. So, I had to look for other options. I started cold emailing prospects. I searched for companies that may need freelance writing services and contacted them. But then, it is a number’s game. The more companies you contact, the more your chances of getting jobs. I got tired when I sent a few hundred and nothing much came out.

I decided to try networking on LinkedIn. I started contacting CEOs of companies and that was when I conquered the problem. I got clients that paid well. But then it was not easy either, but at least I got results.

So, I would say marketing yourself as a freelance writer to get clients is one of the hardest parts of being a freelance writer, especially if you are a newbie.