When you are starting as a freelance writer, it can be frustrating and overwhelming sometimes. You need to follow some steps for you to figure out what you want to achieve in this field. As such, the first step does not need to be that complicated. You only need to define what you want to have in this field, trust your writing skills and start. Freelancing is a business because it has so much to offer beyond the normal writing.
To make the first major step, you have to think of the best and simple way to lift your business off the ground and move in the right direction. The following steps are helpful especially if you are starting as a freelance writer. If you follow them, you can pick up the momentum in no time:
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Signing up for a free WordPress blog
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Come up with ideas for different niches in which you are interested
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Find and bookmark five blogs that pay for posts
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Bookmark five job boards that you can write
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The local business directory can help you identify potential clients
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Cold Emails
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Make posts on social media
One of the simplest ways is to sign up for a WordPress blog and public content revolving around a topic that you care about. This will not cost you anything, signing up is free. You can start your first blog with a 300 to 500-word post. Do not dwell on perfection, but ensure that the content is engaging enough to attract an audience. If you need a professional site, it will come later, but for now, start with a simple step.
When you are starting to write in this field, knowing which niche to apply for can be difficult. There are hundreds of oaf posts on different job boards and freelancing sites which can leave you confused about what you want to choose. The options are too many that you almost choose none. This is where choosing a niche comes in. You can filter out the jobs that you do not like.
For instance, you can set a time and focus on where you take much time and where you spend your cash. How many hours do you spend doing a particular activity every week? Do you spend unnecessary time or money on something irrelevant? With whatever time that you are left with, send any of your family members or friends asking them to tell you any area of your life that is unique.
This will show you niches where you are a relative expert. In other words, you have above average knowledge or experience in an area that you have formed strong opinions about, and you can teach the basics. You then write three ideas on these niches and use them as a reference as you filter out the jobs that you do not want to do.
Many sites pay for guest posts and can indicate whether the niche you have chosen is going to work for you or not. Any guest post that is published will also work as a portfolio and if you are paid for them, tats an added advantage.
Job boards are a perfect starting point as you explore the job market on the freelancing fronts. They provide many businesses, which are seeking freelance writers, and you can use them to see what is available to you.
If you Google your local area and words ’business directory’, you can land an entire database for businesses near you. Once there, go through the list and look for businesses that you think have the potential to work with you. If you find those that are in your niches, you can apply. The ones with professional sites and content marketing pages can also provide good business for you.
Send emails to local businesses in your area to find out if they need freelance writing services. Look for their websites and send them a quick message enquiring if they need or are interested in hiring a freelance writer to work on their website content. It does not have to be now, but also in the future, and it is a way of building prospects.
If you have a portfolio in place and you know your prices, you do not need not have a website for this step.
You can create posts on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn asking your friend if they know someone who needs a writer. There is always a person who knows someone, and from that, you can get a connection for a gig. Do not go for something fancy, just a direct-to-the-point kind of a post and see if anyone will respond.
While these tasks may seem hard to achieve, they serve a great purpose in making the right first step in the freelance writing world. They are necessary for building the right momentum for take-off.