What Inspires Me #9: Paid to Play
What Inspires Me #9
Getting Paid for Doing What I Love!
When I began my writing journey, there were SCADS of paid gigs out there for writers willing to put in the hours. Back then, a single mother of 2 with a dream of being an author, I worked as a waitron robot so I’d have the flexibility to be there for my kids and work at being a writer. (Definitely more “Flo” than “Alice” although I fancied myself “Jenna”.
I didn’t go it alone, thank heavens. I was part of a team. My writing partner Ronnie and I queried and wrote and submitted stories, poem, articles. And the best part we began having work accepted. Each acceptance—each check—meant less wait shifts I had to work to make ends meet. Alas, nowadays with so many writers writing free content—basically giving it away for free (with blogs like this, Huff post, Wikipedia, etc. etc) those paid opportunities are harder to find. So, when Lucy Reed from Gigmine, approached me asking to share this article on how to get paid writing gigs, I said Yes!
Guest Post by Lucy Reed, founder of Gigmine
A Guide to Freelance Writing for College Students and Recent Grads
One of the best things about pursuing a freelance career in writing is that you can write from practically anywhere, no matter the time or day of the week. As long as you get everything done before your deadline, it doesn’t matter whether you’re working nights, weekends, or a standard 9-to-5 schedule. And because of the flexibility freelance writing provides, it’s an excellent career path for college students as well as recent graduates.
If you’re looking to get started as a freelance writer, this guide will tell you everything you need to launch a flexible, profitable, and rewarding writing career. Read on to begin!
Boost Your Writing Skills
Whether you’ve recently graduated from college or you’re working toward your degree, there are several steps you can take to become a better writer as you prepare to launch a freelance writing career. As one option, you could enroll in a writing degree program if you haven’t already completed one. Different types of writing majors include:
● Professional writing
● Creative writing
● Technical writing
● Business writing
● English
● Journalism
● Mass communications
● Marketing
● Public relations
● Digital communications
As an alternative to obtaining a writing degree, many free online courses are available to improve your skills as a writer. Amy-Mae Turner of Mashable shares 10 great courses for writers, or you can browse courses on learning platforms such as Masterclass, Udemy, Coursera, and edX to find the right fit for you. Reading and writing exercises can also help you to become a better writer, speller, and proofreader.
Find Your Writing Niche
If you’re working toward your college degree, you may still be finding your writing niche or specialization. After all, the niche you choose as a freelancer should depend on your passions and interests, areas of expertise, and competitors — and it can take some time to find the right niche for you.
Some examples of profitable writing niches to consider include finance, cryptocurrency and blockchain, technology, digital marketing, software-as-a-service, alternative health, and education. You could also specialize in a particular type of content, whether it be long-form blogs, white papers, case studies, or e-books.
When you’re just getting started as a freelance writer, there’s nothing wrong with marketing yourself as a generalist. You can always choose your niche once you’ve launched your freelance career and gained some professional experience as a writer.
Launch Your Freelance Writing Business
Once you’ve improved your writing skills and explored possible niches, you’ll be ready to launch your freelance career. Some of the steps you’ll need to complete when launching a freelance writing business include:
● Creating a professional website. This website should include a professional web domain, homepage, several writing samples, About and Contact pages, and testimonials from your teachers, colleagues, or former managers. Create your site using free website builders like Wix, GoDaddy, or Weebly, or hire a web developer to create one for you.
● Choosing a legal entity. Some of the most common legal entities for freelancers include limited liability companies (LLCs), sole proprietorships, and S corporations.
● Applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Regardless of how you choose to structure your freelance writing business, there are many benefits of applying for an EIN (or a Tax ID Number). An EIN allows you to separate your freelancing from your personal life, simplifying the process of filing state and federal business taxes, building credibility as a freelancer, and applying for a business bank account. Plus, you can get EIN online using ZenBusiness formation services.
● Filing taxes as a freelancer. Above all else, make sure you’re keeping good records and filing the appropriate forms at tax time. As a freelancer, you’re responsible for all parts of the tax-reporting process, so ensure you’re tracking things like expenses so you’ll have accurate records. Collective has an excellent guide to help you get started.
On the topic of federal and state business taxes, many freelancers opt to pay estimated quarterly taxes in addition to filing an annual tax return. Alexis Grant of The Write Life shares some tips for paying estimated taxes as a freelancer, or you may wish to meet with an accountant to learn more about your tax obligations. Alternatively, use tax software to help you determine how much money you need to set aside to cover any money owed at tax time. Determine which system works best for you.
Furthermore, several business tools can make life a whole lot easier when you’re getting started with freelance writing. You can use free accounting tools like Wave and Zoho Books, time trackers such as Toggl Track, and project management tools like Trello and Asana. Other online tools can be used to check for plagiarism, grammatical errors, and readability.
Look for Freelance Work
Once you’ve launched your career as a freelance writer, there are several different ways to find freelancing opportunities. As one option, you could cold-pitch clients directly: Just make sure you have a professional email address and you don’t use your college email to reach out to potential clients.
As an alternative to cold-pitching clients, you could create a freelancer profile on job boards such as Upwork. Once you’ve created your Upwork profile, you can search for projects and assignments and submit proposals for the projects you’re interested in.
Another option for beginner freelancers is to use online job boards to look for paid writing opportunities. A few places to look for freelance work include ProBlogger, Freelance Writing Gigs, BloggingPro, and FreelanceWriting.com.
Market Yourself as a Freelance Writer
Building up a freelance client base takes a great deal of time, patience, and perseverance, so don’t be discouraged if you’re not finding immediate success as a writer. Continue to promote yourself online by guest posting on other websites, writing content for your blog, and sharing your work on social media. You could also contribute to freelance forums, improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), and join and participate in groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Pursue Your Writing Dreams
As long as you’re skilled at writing, have a curiosity for learning new things, and you’re willing to put yourself out there, you can pursue your writing dreams — even if you’re still in school or have recently graduated from college. You don’t necessarily need a degree in order to pursue a career as a freelance writer, but the important thing is that you never stop learning.
While rejection is inevitable as a freelance writer, knowing this shouldn’t hold you back from launching a writing career if it’s something you’re truly passionate about pursuing. Whether you’re a college graduate or working toward your college degree, freelance writing can be a great way to make some extra money while improving your skills as a writer!—Lucy Reed is the founder of GigMine.
