Tuesday

How to find at home freelance writing jobs

As more newspapers begin displaying content online, the market for freelance writers has changed dramatically. While there is still a need for those who write for newspapers and magazines, more often, freelance writing assignments are coming from online sources.

For many freelance writers, this means that there is greater competition, learning about writing on the web, and lower pay per word. For those who are new to freelance writing, there are several ways that you can launch your freelance writing career without worrying about writing query letters, getting involved in newspaper and magazine submissions or waiting weeks or even months for payment.

Today, there are many opportunities to find freelance writing online and be paid in a timely manner. At-home freelance writing jobs are no longer reserved for those with journalism degrees. In fact, if you are capable of doing good research, writing quickly and accurately and meeting deadlines, there is no reason you cannot launch your at-home freelance writing career.

Getting started: Prepare for battle

Getting started freelance writing at home is not as difficult as you might think. However, oftentimes it's making that first step that holds many people back.

Set writing goals and schedules

Not everyone wants to pursue an at-home freelance writing career full time. As you get started, it is critical that you set your own writing goals and a schedule to write. Some freelance writers may be satisfied with their monthly income from Hubpages as their only source of at-home freelance writing. While Hubpages is not a freelance writing job per se, it can help you build a strong portfolio while you earn money for your writing.

Create a portfolio

Whether you create a writing portfolio using a writing site like Hubpages or your own blog, this will be the secret to your success as a freelance writer. It is a good idea if you are signing up with a site like Hubpages to write several articles in different categories to show the depth of your abilities. This varies from writer to writer, some prefer to specialize in specific categories like finance, business or legal writing. Whatever you choose, make sure you have samples of the specific type of writing you plan to pursue.

Private Clients: Set up payment schedules

If you are going to be marketing your services to private clients, you must set up a payment method, contracts and a method of invoicing clients. Payment methods such as PayPal allow you to send out invoices to your clients with reminders.

NOTE: This does incur a fee that is deducted when the invoice is paid. Make sure you make an allowance for that additional financial hit. Keep in mind, if you sign up primarily to write on freelance sites or writing sites, they typically pay the fee charged by PayPal.

Signing up at writing sites

There are several writing sites that you can select freelance writing assignments to be completed at home. These include Constant Content, Mechanical Turk, Blogmutt and several more. These sites typically pay a flat fee per article and some include page view income as well. As you sign up at writing sites make note of payments, writing standards and payment dates so you are not getting any surprises after the fact. Remember you will most likely have to provide a W9 and other information to these sites. Read the privacy policies before you get started.

Building momentum and a future

One of the deadly sins of working as a freelance writer at home is failing to build any type of momentum for your small business. This is a deadly mistake as without the proper outreach, marketing and interaction, you may find there are times when you are struggling to make a single dollar. There are many opportunities available for freelancers who wish to earn full-time money working as a freelance writer. However, you must be proactive.

Marketing is important

For you to succeed as a freelance writer, you must have the ability to market yourself. This means that you need to be able to write good cover letters, promote your work through social networking and continue to develop your portfolio. If you stop marketing you may lose out on opportunities for new work. Constantly paying attention to what is going on in the freelance writer's market is crucial to your long-term success.

Growing your business

As you begin your at home freelance writing career, you may be interested in ways to expand on it. There are several social sites including Xomba, WikiNut, SheToldMe that will pay you additional income for submitted links. Investigate these sites for added income for your freelance writing. In addition, do not be afraid to explore new writing opportunities, ask clients whom you have completed work for to refer you to others and above all, constantly polish your skills. 

Keep in mind, the competition is tough.