How to break into the freelance writing world
Tips & tricks that have proven to be useful for breaking into the world of freelance writing
The single, most asked question I get from my friends and those who follow me on social media is “how did you break into the freelance writing world?” And the answer isn’t always an easy one to convey.
I don’t have a degree in journalism or anything related to writing, in fact. I have degrees in forestry and soil science and spent over a decade as a professional ecologist. Once I became a mom, I wanted…more. And I found it through freelance writing.
Freelancing, and freelance writing specifically, has increasingly become a highly sought after career. There is buttloads of autonomy, flexibility, and all-around joy to the job. But you also need an ample amount of self-motivation, keen time management skills, and a passion for the written word.
That last one might seem like a given, but it’s true and sometimes overlooked. You have to really like writing to make a career out of it. It means you might end up writing articles that you don’t like as much because, let’s face it, you still have to pay your mortgage. Or you might write your heart out on the page only to be paid a fraction of the effort and passion that was placed into the piece. It’s just the way things are sometimes. So as long as you actually like writing, here are some tips & tricks that worked for me to break into the industry.
Determine the type of writing you want to do
There are several different types of writing you could potentially get into. The questions you have to ask yourself are:
Do you like to learn and write about the current news climate? Is investigating and interviewing in your blood? Then journalism might be your calling.
Do you want to help brands find their voice and sell products? Then copy writing might be the type of writing you want to do.
Or do you want to write about beautiful destinations you can bring your family to? Or where you can find the best chocolate shakes in your home state? Then content writing might be up your alley.
The point is to find the correct path you want to head down. Once you’ve figured that out, you can plan the next steps.
Find your niche
Almost every writer will tell you to find your niche. Find the subject that not only are you passionate about but the subject that sets you apart from other writers. For me, it was fairly easy. I spent over a decade of my life as an ecologist and have three degrees in environmental science. I’m passionate about climate change, recreating outdoors, and being an environmental advocate.
So it wasn’t hard for me to figure out my niche once I figured out I wanted to be a travel writer. I now focus on eco-tourism and sustainable/slow travel articles for various organizations. Most publications and the editors I work with really value the background I have in environmental science to produce a unique voice for their articles.
Find a mentor
This one was fairly easy for me because a friend of mine was a well-established freelance writer in the outdoor industry for decades before I wanted to find my way into the industry. She taught me how to pitch publications (I took her pitching course). She helped me land my first big gig. She vouched for me. She allowed me to write on her blog to get bylines and add to my writing portfolio. She has been there to answer questions about contracts and editor emails. She’s been the rock I needed to ground me in my writing journey.
Research your writing genre
Now that you’ve figured out the type of writing you want to do, your niche, and found a mentor, you can dive into researching the topics you want to write about. For me, it was travel so I subscribed to travel magazines, picked up airline magazines when I was on a flight, and scoured the internet for the biggest names in travel.
The key to researching the genre of writing you want to do, is to find out what certain publications want and what’s already been done. Is your ideal publication mostly pumping out listicles? Long form? Understanding the genre of writing and, more specifically, the publications you want to write for will help you in the long-term.
Start pitching
I’ll dive more into what goes into a successful pitch at some point but basically, after you’ve done the above steps…you just START. If you’re lucky, you might know of an editor or someone who knows someone. A lot of this industry is who you know for better or for worse.
When you pitch publications, hopefully some will say yes and you can start developing your portfolio. I’m not against working for free at the beginning of your career so that you can get some bylines under your name. Just be careful not to do it too long - you deserve to be paid regardless of your experience. What your produce is valuable so make sure you are paid for it.
There’s a lot more to this once you’ve developed your writing portfolio. Maintaining a successful freelance writing business means developing solid relationships with editors, pitching great stories, and marketing yourself as a reliable and strong writer. From there, you’ll eventually get editors and publications coming to YOU for stories and relying on anchor clients to pay your bills. But it can take some time so be patient and keep going.