How I Made 1k with Freelance Writing

In December 2016, I began freelance writing. While my mother listened to one of Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income podcasts, I actually soaked up information on entrepreneurship and blogging. Maybe it was the fact that I loved writing. Or I happened to testify to Pat Flynn's podcast. Perhaps, it's both. All I know is, within a few hours, I set up a freelance profile on Freelancer and Upwork.

I'm here to tell you this: You don't need experience

I was 15 years old when I started freelancing (technically, that's not even legal if you have to start a contract but, anyways...) In merely my sophomore year of high school, I applied to jobs left and right before I contributed daily articles, editing assignments, and more.

Many freelancers, including myself at the beginning of my remote career, constantly hold back from applying to jobs or submitting applications due to their perceived lack of experience. I landed a writing job within a day of signing up for sites like Upwork and Freelancer; what more proof do you need than that? As long as you are a good confident writer, that is enough in the beginning stages of freelance writing.

It took me a while to get to 1k

I was a 15 year old writing articles and blog posts. I didn't know or understand pay per word or the concept of time is money. I frequently latched on to job proposals asking for cheap writers. Within a few months, though, I stopped doing $5 articles and slowly increased my prices as I built a portfolio - and I'm not talking about an Upwork portfolio.

I built a website

I recognized that, if I wanted potential clients or others to view my work, Upwork was not the way. I refused to confine myself to job board sites; I didn't want to be just an Upwork writer. Using Wordpress, I developed a basic three pages: Home which was the Blog, About, and Contact. At first, I used a .wordpress.com domain, but as I gained additional money and experience from freelancing, I set up my own brand and domain: emoijahbridges.com.

By establishing my own website, I allowed people to find me from websites other than job boards. As I found by analyzing the statistics from my Wordpress account, I gained several viewers who searched up a particular news topic about Beyonce's pregnancy. (I no longer have this article or cover news; I transformed my website and established a niche - more on that later). Others found my website through social media channels and contacted me through my site.

I used social media

Although I spend most of my social media time scrolling through hilarious pranks and Youtube couples, I also spend a good few hours a day researching within my industry. I now own a digital marketing company, so I join groups and follow accounts related to social media management, B2B copywriting, and blogging. However, before, I specifically searched for social media accounts and groups relating to writing.

I also hired a social media marketer. By gaining followers, likes, and engagement in my social media channels, I drove more people to my blog. This led to additional contacts and, in the end, more clients! Although not every follower turned into a client, I used social media to advantage by getting my name out there. Consequently, many people paid for my work through referrals.

The Actual Jobs

I'm not going to sit here and completely reject Upwork as a job site. (I will discredit Freelancer.com, though - find out why here.) You can make an income from Upwork. I did. However, I learned to find other ways, in addition to Upwork, so I don't have to rely on that platform only. The key to making 1k from freelancing? Apply to high-paying gigs. I don't mean ask for unreasonably high pay, but charge what others are charging at your level. Don't settle for less or waste your time on cheap gigs. If you are a professional, sell yourself as a professional. I managed to make 1k in freelance writing, because I decided enough was enough when I fixed my rate at $50 per article for copywriting purposes.

By selling myself as a professional freelancer with a website as well, I managed to find jobs on:

• Linkedin
• Simply Hired
• Indeed
• Glassdoor
• Facebook Groups
• My Website and Email (through referrals or visitors to my site - another important reason every freelancer needs a website or online portfolio)

Here's what I learned: If you wait until you have so called experience by continuing to sell yourself cheap on content mills like Freelancer or Upwork, you will never unlock your full potential. Take the big risk and start applying to more long-term projects and high paying gigs with sites like Linkedin.

The numbers

Still not sold? Let's look at the actual numbers with my pricing. If I charge at least

• $25 per 500 words for blog posts
• $50 for B2B copywriting
• $25 for newsletters
• $25 to $50 for social media management

Think about a 9 to 5 job. If you make minimum wage per hour, how easy is it to get 1k? You'll receive the thousand dollars before the end of the month, right? Now, imagine me getting paid at least $25 or a blog post and I can rack up more than one in an hour. The road to 1k isn't so far along.

I established a niche

The whole idea of establishing a niche as a writer is a given rule. It's tempting to want to write about everything, but it is imperative you establish yourself as an expert in a particular field. I made a significant amount of money after I revamped my website and established myself as a lifestyle blogger. Although I own a digital marketing company, I sell myself - Emoijah Bridges - as a lifestyle blogger to online publications, magazines, and others who want me to write for them. My personal branding is different from my company unlike others. EmoijahBridges.com is different from Writer in Revolt (my company). I establish Emoijah Bridges as a blogger who specializes in lifestyle, specifically health, business-related topics and other concerns for black women and the black community in general. It may sound like I write about a lot of topics, but they all fall under Lifestyle and topics I am truly passionate about and knowledgable on. Clients are willing to pay me more for, because I specialize in a specific area. You will find that high-paying and more professional clients use keywords like "expert" or "specializes" as they seek writers from a specific area or category.