How To Become A Freelance Writer In 2021 (with ZERO Experience)

A Thread

RT for writers on the TL
So you want to be a freelance writer, huh?

Well, I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news. Let’s start with the bad.

Building a successful freelance writing business is no walk in the park. It takes a LOT of hard work and dedication. Especially in the beginning.
You will doubt yourself (a lot).

You will feel like quitting.

If that’s not something you’re willing to accept, you better close this thread now and go back to playing Candy Crush.

Still here? Great.
Because the good news is, this thread will guide you through the EXACT steps you need to take in order to become a professional freelance writer.
Here's How I’ll Break This Down...

I spent a lot of time thinking about how this thread should be structured, and believe me when I say there were multiple iterations.
What I’ve ended up with, I believe, is the most logical way to approach starting your freelance writing business -- especially as a beginner.

We’ll go through this in 3 phases, like so:
Phase #1: Finding Your Market

Knowing what kind of service you're going to offer is not enough. In order to fast-track your success a freelancer, you'll need to establish your position in the market and "nichify' your offering.
Phase #1: Finding Your Market

Knowing what kind of service you're going to offer is not enough. In order to fast-track your success a freelancer, you'll need to establish your position in the market and "nichify' your offering.
Phase #2: Developing Your Craft

Once you've identified a market and honed your focus on a particular sector of that market, you can then use the methods discussed in this section to become an "overnight" expert.
Phase #3: Bringing In The Moolah

It doesn't matter how much you know or what you can do, if you don't know how and where to market yourself effectively, you'll never turn your skill (preferably passion) into revenue.
If there’s one mistake I see plenty freelance writers making, it’s branding themselves as exactly that…

...a freelance writer.
Unless you’re Jeff Bezos (Amazon Founder), you should never try to be all things to all people. It’s FAR more effective to narrow your focus and serve a small portion of a larger market.
I know, it sounds backward; after all, how does appealing to less people help you make more money?

The answer is relevance.

The more closely your service (or solution) speaks to the job (or problem), the more desirable you will ultimately be to the client.
Well, niching down comes with various other benefits, including:

Easier to identify your preferred clients
Allows you to establish yourself as an expert
Increases the chance of referrals
Higher possibility of repeat business
Significantly less competition
How To Find Your Positioning And Dominate A Smaller Market
There are essentially two angles you can take when it comes to positioning yourself.

Selecting a niche market
Selecting a writing niche

Let’s talk about what they mean, exactly.
#1: Selecting A Niche Market
Despite me using the term “niche market”, you don’t actually have to go very niche with this at all.

In fact, you can be a successful freelance writer without choosing a niche at all:
Instead, you'll give yourself a much easier ride if you focus on serving clients in a specific niche market, like:

Health & Fitness
Finance
Law
Education
Marketing
Real Estate
Technology
Etc.
And where the demand is strong, you can niche down even further. For example, there are a number of sub-niches for "Health & Fitness"

Weight loss
Pregnancy
Dieting
Body Building
Skin Care
Etc.
#2: Selecting A Writing Niche
This one is REALLY going to influence the next phase, and it’s the one I recommended spending the most time getting right.

What am I talking about?

Well, the key here is to zero in on specific sectors of writing, not just writing as a whole.
Some examples of writing niches include:

Academic Writer
Article Writer
Content Writer
Blog Writer
Sales Copywriter
Business Writer
Copy Editor
Creative Writer
Journalist
Press Release Writer
Screenwriter
Technical Writer
Translator
Book / Ebook writer
Ghostwriter
Guest blogger
Another thing to keep in mind:

Some of the writing niches I’ve listed above encompass a wider selection of smaller, but still profitable “sub-niches”.

A good example is copywriting, which can be further drilled down into email, sales pages, webinar pages, squeeze pages, etc.
Building Your OWN Channel For The Craziest Conversions You’ll Ever See
You guessed it, a portfolio platform.

Having your own website is one of the BEST ways to attract and convert potential leads for your freelance business.
It’s professional.

It projects authority.

It establishes credibility.

And, most importantly, YOU control every aspect of what prospective clients will see and experience as they navigate your portfolio.
That’s everything from your branding, messaging, pricing and promise… to the more granular details, like which portfolio items and testimonials to show (and where).

As I said in the beginning of this thread, getting your freelance writing business off the ground won’t be easy
The good news?

If you follow the steps I’ve outlined, you will give yourself the best chance to succeed, with the least amount of friction possible.

@ToyosiGodwin @TundeTASH @tweetsbylance @Alex_Houseof308

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They set up a profile, blast out a few proposals, then they wait.
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- In-Demand Tech Skills in 2021
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Top freelance marketplace dedicated to helping professionals like yourself find work.

1. Guru
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7. Remote OK
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