Have you considered becoming a freelance writer as a side hustle or even for full-time income?
Freelance blog writing and content writing is a legitimate work-from-home job that is great for work-from-home moms. It’s how I got started working from home 12 years ago. When I knew I was planning to move abroad I started learning how to write content online.
In this post, I will share some of my experiences and tips with you to help you get started if that is a work-from-home job you’re considering as well as some mistakes I made and things to watch out for.
What Is Freelance Blogging?
So what even is freelance blogging? There are different jobs you can get writing content online but freelance blogging specifically is writing blog posts for clients. Many businesses and entrepreneurs know how important having a website with an active blog is for their marketing but don’t have time to write the blog posts themselves.
Hiring freelance bloggers is a way for potential clients to get the blog post writing done that they need without having to write the content themselves. Some businesses share their writer’s names with an author bio on the posts and others have you write as if you are them, writing for their personal brands in their brand voice.
Terms like content marketing and brand voice are words you will learn as you get into the business. For now, get an overview and see if this is something you would enjoy for extra income.
We’ll get into more of the different client types later.
What Skills Do You Need To Be a Freelance Blogger?
While freelance blogging can be a good entrance to work-from-home jobs it does require skills and education.
You need good writing skills and an understanding of grammar. You also need the ability to do research for article topics. You need some knowledge of SEO which is Search Engine Optimization and how search engines like Google will find and send traffic to the articles you write. Depending on the job type you choose you may need to have some knowledge of content management systems like WordPress and some editing skills too.
Editing is a different skillset than writing but you need to have basic editing skills to polish your blog posts. Some resources can help. I use and love Grammarly.
Something often not talked about is you also need to have the ability to manage yourself and your time. Working as a freelance blogger you will have deadlines and need to meet those deadlines.
The Different Types Of Freelance Blogging Work
There are different types of jobs and ways to work that you will have access to as a freelance blog writer. You can choose to be self-employed but you could also choose to work for a writing agency or online platform.
If you are good at pitching yourself you have the potential to make more on your own as an agency will take a commission or pay you hourly. But agencies can be a good way to get started as they are already finding the available work. They can also provide a W2 for taxes so it’s like you have an employer.
If you look for clients on your own and choose to be a self-employed freelance writer you will need to learn how to cold pitch and find work. You will also be responsible for figuring out your taxes.
The Blogging World Has Changed
With the introduction of AI, some businesses have gotten rid of freelance bloggers to use content by artificial intelligence. But don’t let that discourage you if you want to get started. There are still many entrepreneurs and businesses that want authentic content written by real people.
That being said you do need to up your game and learn all you can about the industry or client that you choose to write for and always grow your writing and SEO skills. You will need to become an asset to your clients so they return to you and your work again and again.
Pick an area to specialize in and hone your craft. Do great work and deliver above and beyond for your clients so they will think of you whenever they need a writer. If you understand writing, SEO, and blogging platforms, and have some editing skills you will be more valuable to the marketplace.
My Story and Some Advice
When I got started I had no idea what I was doing and started with some online platforms and what we call content mills. Content mills are online platforms that push out a bunch of content to different clients by hiring writers but they pay on a word-by-word basis and pay very little. While they can help you dive into this new world of freelance blogging I don’t recommend them. You can find better jobs.
Not all platforms are content mills. I later found better platforms that pay well and started to get my own clients too. You need to find your niche. I was good at writing for female entrepreneurs in their voice so I had some of those clients but also wrote for social media agencies and other individual clients. Most of the time my name was not on the work but I did start writing for some websites that shared my writer Bio. I have written for Foundr, Forbes, Thrive Global, and more online well-known sites over the years.
I enjoyed working with one content platform ClearVoice and even began writing for their blog. I had some good clients there. They’ve been bought out by Fiverr. Not sure how it is now. There are other platforms too so do your research.
Some challenges I had:
I’m going to be vulnerable here and share some of my failures so you don’t make the same mistakes.
I didn’t know how to really run a business and take care of self-employment taxes so learn from my mistake and do your due diligence about how to manage the business side if you choose the path of getting clients on your own.
If you don’t know how to enforce payment times and run the business you will have clients paying you late too and potentially not at all.
I was good at managing myself and meeting deadlines but if that is challenging for you then this may not be your best side hustle.
My next issue was that I was not good at pitching myself and keeping consistent work. So while I learned the ropes, my work was good, and my clients loved it I was in a feast or feminine state. I may make a few hundred dollars on one job but then not have work for weeks.
You have to stay on top of keeping consistent work if you’re going to make a go at freelance blogging.
Another mistake that I feel I made was using a pen name. It seemed like a good idea at the time but I don’t think it’s appropriate for freelance blog writing. I would have to tell clients my legal name for signing contracts and now my work that is out there is under another name. It has not been a huge deal but as I have transitioned into running my own blog it would be nice if I had the recognition for my past writing under my real name. Something to think about.
My pen name was Lori Hil. You can see some of my past work here if interested. Keep in mind I’ve done a lot of work that is not listed there for entrepreneurs including writing for an executive at a well-known tech company.
I’ve written about babies and parenting, marketing, social media, and business, and have done tutorials. I have also helped with fiction books and non-fiction.
I recommend you find an area that you know, enjoy, and are good at, and stick with it. But keep other areas in mind too as you do kind of burnt out on a topic after you’ve written hundreds of posts.
How To Get Started
If I were getting started today in freelance blogging I would look for a great course that teaches how to manage the business side, how to find clients, and how to write posts.
That’s what I would recommend to you. Research online for courses that cover the different aspects of freelance writing.
You can try to piece together free information online but you will save yourself so much time, stress, and money if you just take a quality course and start off right with the knowledge you need in the correct order. And I don’t have a course to sell you. That advice is coming from my years of experience working online.
Learning freelance blogging will take some trial and error but you can get in a great stride with it as you find your way.
Now I have my own blog so getting started as a professional blogger teaches you many skills and can be a great lead in to being a business owner. I wish I had taken a comprehensive course on having a freelance blogging job when I got started. I could have done so much better in the digital marketing and business world. As you get into this world you learn about guest posting, affiliate marketing, and the freelance business. You will learn so much.
If you are even curious about the potential start searching online for writing jobs and look for an online job board that focuses on freelance blogging jobs.
How Much Can You Make
The range of income you can make freelance blogging varies greatly. It will all depend on your niche, skills, and the type of clients you work for. There is B2B business-to-business writing and B2C business-to-consumer writing.
You can often start out charging $50 per post and increase it to $300 or more per post. Some clients will want to pay per word some an hourly rate but I have found that better-quality clients will pay per project. After all, you don’t want to make the content you write wordy to get paid more or be penalized for making good use of your time.
Target clients that are high quality and value your type of work. You can get started by having a personal blog too and use it as a portfolio until you have paid pieces to share. Having your own website is a good first step and a great place to start your freelance writing career. One of the good things about content writing as a career is it does not have to take much money to get started.
If you do start your own website you will need a domain name and hosting for your online business but these costs are so little to set up an online presence that can help you find blogger jobs and help you get to be a stay-at-home mom. Some companies run specials like this 6-months free deal from WP Engine. I’ve used them for blogging in the past and they have great customer support but look for the host and plans that are right for you and don’t take a lot of commitment if you are not sure if this is the right home job for you.
The freelance writing business takes work. It takes time to become a professional writer. But you can work up to finding and keeping high-paying clients if you stay consistent and put the work in and don’t make the mistakes I made.
Just think about how exciting it will be when you land your first writing gig and get paid to write new content for others to read online. It will expand your world. You may just make some new blogger friends too!
It’s not for the faint of heart but if you feel a strong pull to it then learn to create a content marketing plan and start your freelance writer website and dive in. You don’t even have to have a website to start. You could try one of the many platforms out there and see where it takes you. It could change your family’s future. I believe in you Momma.
This post has just been a brief introduction to the world of freelance blogging but I hope it gives you something to think about if you are considering it as an income source. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments and I will do my best to help you.
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