Beginner’s Guide to Online Writing Jobs — part 1

To begin, I Must Ask: WHY Do You Want to Become a Freelancer?

Even though I run a site about hundreds of different online jobs, the most common question I get is about finding work-at-home writing jobs.

I’ve been wondering why so many people want to be writers because of the rising popularity of freelance writing. You can listen to a podcast about it here. If you’re thinking about making a career out of writing, I recommend checking out this podcast.

Do some introspection and consider why YOU want to be a writer. Moreover, here are a few goods and bad reasons for your consideration:

To Be a Writer, There are Several Good Reasons.

• You’ve always dreamed of working as a freelance writer.
• Many people have told you that you would be excellent at this.
• You’re eager to spread the word about something you know a lot about.
• You’re well-versed in a particular area of writing that’s in high demand, such as public relations, technical documentation, or SEO writing.
• The second source of income is what you’re looking for.
• You have a passion for words and language, and this job would be a great fit for you.

Why You Shouldn’t Be a Writer.

• In your mind, writing is the only viable option for earning a living from home. I assure you, it isn’t).
• You’re under the impression that it’s a piece of cake.
• Many people claim that blogging is a way to make money.
• You’ve been convinced by an online advertisement or article that you can land a high-paying writing position with no prior experience.
• You’re too lazy to look for a better remote or freelancing opportunity.

Understandably, some of these come across as a little harsh. However, I can’t stress enough how important it is to examine your motivations.

Freelance writing is tough work that requires determination and a willingness to put in long hours. The only way you’ll succeed if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons is if you stick with it for the long haul.

For those who approach this from the right angle, however, I have good news: There IS plenty of freelance writing work available. You can make a living writing about what you’re passionate about if you put in the time and effort. That’s why I’m here to testify to it.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Freelance Author?

There are two parts to this section:

To begin, we’ll talk about what it takes to be a good writer in terms of abilities, characteristics, and knowledge. After that, we’ll talk about the practical aspects of starting a freelance writing career.

1. Talents and Personality

Everyone isn’t a writer. Many people are surprised to learn that it is far more technical (and tedious!) than they anticipated.

To succeed as a freelance writer, you’ll need the following characteristics:

Incredibly Accurate Spelling, Grammar, and Word Use

No, I don’t read a lot, but I always notice grammar mistakes. Do you know how to lay things out in a way that is both accurate and engaging in your work?

I get a lot of emails from people who want to hire me to write. Poorly formatted and littered with spelling and grammar errors are all too common.

A lot of online writing work exists, but not so much that clients are forced to hire substandard writers.

Writing is both an art and a profession. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing an article for a client or a personal blog post; each time you write, you’re improving your craft.

This is a good sign if you frequently read content and think, “I could do better than that.” When it comes to writing, you should ask yourself why you want to do it if you aren’t a big reader yourself.

In-depth Expertise

This isn’t a must-have, but it gives you a huge advantage over the competition.

What are you familiar with? About what can the general public say they know more than you do?

Having an immediate response to that question is a good sign.

It could be anything at all. While residing in Portugal as an ex-pat from 2009 to 2014, I penned numerous articles about the country and the ex-pat experience. When it comes to computers and cybersecurity, I’ve done quite a bit of writing for Microsoft and Apple-certified techies.

There’s a good chance you’re familiar with one or more of these topics: pets, hair, fitness, science fiction, or bookkeeping.

You’ve got the gist of it.

Even though specialized knowledge isn’t required, it does make a difference. I prefer to work with people who have a specific area of expertise in mind when hiring writers. That’s what most customers do, too. Subject-matter expertise can sometimes outweigh your writing experience in landing a job.

Strong Research Capabilities.

Research is a major component of a lot of online freelancing. It’s a plus if you’re an expert at juggling multiple browser windows.

Freelance writing necessitates extensive research, which can vary greatly depending on the subject matter. You don’t have to sit in front of a blazing fire to write. You’ll be looking for statistics to back up your claims far more often than not.

Putting Yourself Out There

After this section, we’ll discuss where to find generic (and typically low-paying) content writing work. But in general, if you want to land a good writing job, you’ll need to send out pitches, talk to clients, and promote your services.

The “sales” aspect of freelance writing is something that many aspiring writers overlook. As a result, many people give up on the first hurdle because they are afraid to take the first step.

It’s only a fraction of the work. Also, you need to find those initial trial jobs, impress the clients, and then work to turn them into regular jobs as well. This is a reality that is often glossed over when writing courses are advertised, but it is a reality nonetheless.

Focus on the Small Things

There is a lot more to attention to detail than simply correct spelling and grammar. What matters is that your work arrives on time, in the format required, with all of the images and supporting materials that most clients require.

What matters is being your editor and delighting clients with work that they can use immediately without having to send it back for revisions.

So that those who pay you get exactly what they want, it’s essential that you absorb all of the specifics of a client’s instructions, internalizing guidelines and style instructions.

No, I am not implying that writers who aren’t meticulous in their work don’t have clients. They do this quite frequently. As for keeping customers, it’s those who pay attention to detail.

Tenacity and Determination

The path to becoming a full-time freelance writer is not a simple one.

It’s romanticized to think of a struggling writer. It’s not uncommon for online freelance writers to earn a substantial amount of money. In the beginning, there is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, as work tends to come in spurts and bursts, especially in the early days.

Your clients will expect the moon for dirt cheap, and you’ll have to put up with a lot of imposter syndrome until you gain some experience and self-awareness as you begin your freelance career.

Do you have the stamina for it?

2. Equipment and Software

No matter how daunting this section may appear to be, it is still critical.

You’ll need the following to land a freelance writing job:

This is a GOOD PC.

As a writer, your primary tool is a computer (most commonly a laptop). There is an article on the best laptops for freelancers on our website.

It’s important to have a “good” computer if you’re planning on making your career out of it.

You don’t need something that costs a fortune, but you do need something that works consistently and provides you with the power and ergonomics that allow you to be both comfortable and efficient while doing your work. Answering the following questions will help you determine if your machine is up to the task:

• Is it easy and reliable for your computer to boot up?
• What happens when you tell it to do something, and it doesn’t?
• Is it a nuisance or a joy to use?

Helpful Computer Software

To be a writer, you don’t need a lot of software. To be on the safe side, you should own a legitimate copy of Microsoft Office. Office 365 subscriptions typically include this feature.

You may want to consider other factors as well. There is no harm in paying for Grammarly (review here). Checks for errors, plagiarism, and poor writing habits in your text. Some clients demand that you run your articles through this before they accept them for publication.

Our guide to the best apps for freelancers has some other ideas for software that can help you be more productive and efficient.

Additional Considerations

In addition, you’ll want to have on hand:

• Access to the internet that is always solid and dependable (and ideally a backup if it goes down, which could be as simple as a smartphone you can use as a hotspot).
• A good desk and chair are a must-have for any office.

Is a Website Necessary to be a writer?

This is a frequently asked question, so I figured I’d address it here.

No, that’s not possible. If you’re just starting as a freelance writer and don’t want to start a blog, that’s fine. It’s a good idea for many reasons, including:

• A place to practice your craft: Having a blog allows you to write about whatever you want and experiment with your writing style.
• Showcase your work: Potential clients will always be interested in seeing examples of the work you’ve done for them. A blog is a place where you can post some of your thoughts.
• Possibility to write about any subject at all: The things we want to write about often don’t match up with the things our clients want us to do! Then again, your blog is a place where you can express yourself in any way that you choose.
• It’s not uncommon for blogs to be profitable businesses in and of themselves. As a freelancer, you may find yourself juggling a steady stream of paid work with a steady stream of slow-burn blogging projects.

Do You Need the Experience to Get a Writing Job?

We can all agree that landing writing jobs without prior experience are a challenge. It’s common for clients to request samples of your work. That’s a logical conclusion, too. When hiring a writer, you’d want to see what they could produce first, wouldn’t you?

The simple answer is that you need to get some experience.

Good news! That part is much simpler than you’d expect. It does, however, necessitate the expenditure of time and effort in the form of unpaid writing assignments to build up your online portfolio.

I’ll give you a step-by-step guide to getting your first writing job in a moment, based on my own experience. Here are some ways to get your writing “out there” so that you can demonstrate your worth to potential clients:

1. A blog is a great way to get started.

This has already been mentioned. On a blog of my own, I began my writing career. (For those who are interested it was a blog about moving to Portugal, and documenting my life in a new country. It morphed into a book that sold more than 4,000 copies, but that’s definitely for another article! (

You can write about anything you want on your blog. However, if you plan to monetize your blog, I recommend focusing on a specific topic.

It’s important to note that clients are unlikely to hire you with no other evidence of your writing ability than your blog. If you have a portfolio, you can include a few of your best posts as examples of your writing.

2. Contribute articles as a Guest Author

Large and well-known media outlets are among the many websites and blogs that accept guest posts.

You can begin by searching “write for us” on Google. Dozens of sites are actively seeking content contributors. To ensure your submission is accepted, choose sites that are relevant to your expertise and interests, and make sure you adhere strictly to their submission guidelines. Sites get a lot of submissions, but they don’t accept them all.

Occasionally, you’ll stumble across websites that pay for content. A little extra cash is always nice, but I wouldn’t make it a priority at this point just to get some contributions. The goal here is to build a portfolio of writing samples that will impress potential clients when you begin to pitch for “real” work.

3. To help others, you should offer your time and expertise.

Does your local charity have a website that is a mess? Volunteering your time to help them improve would be a great way to do good while also enhancing your writing resume.

4. In addition, you can write for content mills.

In reality, content mills (detailed in this article) are at the very bottom of the paid writing ladder…. Many articles discussing online writing jobs for beginners recommend that you steer clear of them entirely. In my opinion, things are a little saner.

Low-paying sites like Copify and TextBroker tend to pay low rates for tedious and soul-destroying work. There are often strict guidelines to follow and it is extremely rare for you to be listed as the author of the articles you write.

So why should you give them a second thought?

The reason for this is that we’ve done it before. Writing for content mills is something you should avoid doing for as long as possible, but if you have no other options, it can teach you how to follow style guides, communicate with editors, and meet deadlines. If you’re lucky, you’ll be paid at the level of flipping burgers, but you’re still getting paid for writing.

When I was a newbie, I wrote for content mills to get my feet wet. Do I have fond memories of that period? Not at all! Do I, on the other hand, value the learning opportunities it provided? Yes.

Even though content mill work is unlikely to provide you with examples of your work, it will provide you with valuable experience.

5. Use Your Network as a Source of Information

Take a moment to think about the people you know on a personal and professional level.

In the beginning, it may be intimidating to “beg” for writing work. However, as we’ve already discussed, pitching and putting yourself out there is an essential part of being a writer...

So think about who has a blog or owns a business, and what you can do to assist them. Keep in mind that the goal here is to put together a portfolio of work that you can use when you begin pitching to potential clients.

6. On Medium or LinkedIn, post your articles

Many websites allow you to post your content. There is nothing wrong with having a personal blog, but it’s not the best way to build a portfolio of work. However, including one or two isn’t harmful.

In addition, these platforms give you the freedom to write about any topic you choose. Occasionally, if the topic doesn’t fit on one of my sites, I’ll publish an article on Medium.

7. It’s time to get out there and meet new people!

Consider joining writing or working from the home group. Learn about freelance writing by reading Reddit threads about the subject

Even if you’re just getting started, it makes sense to immerse yourself in the world of freelance writing. You can learn from the successes and setbacks of other authors, and you never know, you might pick up some leads in the process.