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Making Money as a Writer: Freelance Writing · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyWriterLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: We've been working our way through a series on making money as a writer.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: On today's episode, we're going to be talking about one of the most familiar and straightforward ways to make money as a writer, and that is freelance writing.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Freelancing is just writing for hire, and this is opposed to writing because you're a staff member of an organization or you have writing responsibilities as part of a larger overall job.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you freelance, you are getting paid to write a specific piece or specific pieces of content.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, freelancing can be a one-off piece, you know, just you write something once and you get paid for it once.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Or it can also be part of an ongoing contract.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: I've done that many times with different people.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: But it can be either of those things, ongoing, or it can just be a one-off type of a thing.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, a lot of writers make fantastic money creating articles, blog posts, and other content for an endless surray of different industry and special interest publications.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's super common, it happens all over the place.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: There's there's like an endless uh number of places you can write for and get paid.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: And some of those places pay very, very well.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you about my freelance experience.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's basically been in four different areas.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, I've written a few articles for traditional print magazines and journals.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, for several years, my primary side business income was writing podcast show notes for a few clients.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't done that in, I think, three years or so, but from about 2016 to 2019 or so, that was the main way that I made income as a writer was doing podcast show notes for clients.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I stopped doing that when I started ghostwriting because ghostwriting is much, much larger projects and it takes a lot more time, and I didn't have time to do show notes anymore.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, I wrote a lot of articles for the Goodman Project, which is a large online publication with millions of views per month.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, however, I do want to add a little asterisk next to that.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: I was actually paid as an editor, not as a freelance writer when I wrote for the Goodman Project.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Then number four, I wrote a lot of pillar post content for a ministry-related website for a year or two.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you've never heard that term pillar post, I had actually never heard that term either until I was doing this gig for a while.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: A pillar post is a long article, typically a few thousand words, designed to be an authoritative post on a very specific topic.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's also usually packed with keywords and phrases designed to maximize SEO, and that is search engine optimization.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And kind of the whole idea of a pillar post is you know, it's gonna be a long, authoritative post on something.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's packed with keywords, because that is gonna be a long article designed to get a lot of Google juice from searches.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna get people to their website, and then that post is going to pull in traffic so they can promote and advertise other things that actually make them money.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's basically what a pillar post is.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now, freelancing can come in all shapes and sizes, but I don't want you to get overwhelmed with all the possibilities.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, I want you to stay focused on doing a few things well when it comes to freelance writing.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've never gotten into this before, here's how I would recommend getting started if you want to write specifically for publications.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is you need to set up a blog and start writing there on a regular basis, writing on a regular topic.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: You need to build your writing resume and you need to show potential clients, publications, or magazines that you have some writing chops.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, nobody's going to hire you for something if they can't see your writing anywhere.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: So the best and the easiest and the cheapest way to get started is to have a blog where you're writing on a topic or a group of related topics on a regular basis.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, plus, writing regularly on your own blog or website is a really good way to develop SEO and start building your authority around a topic, whatever your topic is.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: So once you have that going, I want you to write for free in some publications, such as the Goodmen Project, which is goodmenproject.com, by the way.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: They accept articles on a lot of different topics, both by men and by women, as long as it pertains to men or manhood or a topic that's of interest or relates to men in some form or fashion.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I would suggest writing for places that feature the same kinds of content or the topics that you want to write.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: The more that your writing is online and the larger the publications you write for, the more your credibility within that topic will grow.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: For example, if you have a cousin Cletus who has uh some blog from you know 1993 on something, uh and you write for cousin Cletus's blog, that's not gonna have very much authority or credibility with it.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: But if you write for a place like the Goodman Project that has millions of visitors per month, that's gonna have a lot more weight in terms of the credibility of the place that you're writing for.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: No offense if you actually have a cousin Cletus.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, once you have those two things happening, then I want you to begin pitching paid publications.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to strictly follow the guidelines whenever you're pitching a specific place.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Editors are really busy people who will generally ignore you if you don't play by their rules.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: And as a former editor for the Goodman Project, I totally agree with that viewpoint, which might surprise you.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um when you're an editor specifically for a place that's posting a lot of content online, it really irritates you whenever people submit articles to you and they don't follow correct pitching guidelines, when they don't really know the place they're pitching for, when they don't make it easy for you.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So if I'm an editor and you pitch me an article and it's not on a topic that's related to what the site is about, I'm not even going to reply to you, probably.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or if I do, it's gonna be a very short and terse email.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Editors are really busy people, and if they are editing for a large website like the Goodman Project, then they're going to love writers who follow the guidelines and who make it easy for that editor to number one, say yes, and number two, to run their articles.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: So if you pitch articles to places, make sure you follow their submission guidelines and their editorial guidelines.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you write a really great piece, make sure you've researched what kind of pieces they run, and just make it really easy for that editor to say yes.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: You will become their new best friend if you do that, I promise you.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, that's all about writing for publications and large websites, that kind of a thing.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let's jump over to a related topic, which is writing for clients for a second.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to write for clients, for example, writing regular blog posts or something like that, you're still gonna need a website or a blog.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I would also recommend writing for publications, even if you don't ultimately want to just write for publications and you want to write for clients, still write for some publications, even if you have to do it for free, because that's gonna help build up your writing resume.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: The more places that you can show people where you've written online and the more credibility and authority you have with those places, if they're large sites, the more that's going to impress upon someone that you're a legit writer and that you have chops and that you've done your homework.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And once you've done all that, then you'll want to start connecting with potential clients on an individual basis.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let me throw out one, actually, let me throw out two tips when it comes to freelancing.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, one tip that I want to give you, and I I really never hear people talk about this, but I want to impress upon you the idea that you shouldn't refer to yourself or promote yourself as a quote unquote freelance writer.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, in other words, don't call yourself just a freelance writer.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: The reason is that freelance writers are a dime a dozen.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: I really want to encourage you to give yourself a more authoritative and specific title, such as content writer for the automotive industry or business and personal development writer or something like that.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Don't ever just call yourself a freelance writer because freelance writers are a dime a dozen.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: You need to pick out a title that's more specific and that communicates the value that you're adding to a specific topic or industry, or you're doing a specific type of writing across multiple industries.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever it is, don't just say you're a freelance writer.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Better yet, combine it with other titles such as an author or a coach.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, titles mean something, and the way that you refer to yourself is the way that people will think of you.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: So again, don't call yourself just a freelance writer.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: And for goodness sake, I'm gonna go off on a very short rant here.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Please do not use that silly open to work badge that LinkedIn lets you put on your LinkedIn profile picture.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: That is so lame and it just screams that you are desperate for work.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're using that, go to your LinkedIn profile and take it off right now because it just screams to people that you're desperate for work and you do not want to appear desperate.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: So take it off right now if you're using that.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now, back to the main program here.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like most of the areas that we're discussing in this series, freelancing can take a lot of different forms.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be afraid, don't get overwhelmed, don't overanalyze this to death and wait six months to do something about it.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: So just take the steps that I've outlined here and you're gonna make quick progress.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: So again, I would say you got to have a blog or website, start writing regularly there around a specific topic, write for free for a few places, get some traction, get some credibility, and then once you've done that, start pitching for paid gigs, whether it's clients or publications that pay.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's really fairly straightforward.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to build up your writing chops and your authority and your credibility.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I promise you can make money at this.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: You can actually make really good money if you want to really go deeply in this field of freelance writing.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people make a full-time living doing this.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and I've made money with this as well.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's not my main thing now, but I have definitely made uh pretty decent money at this.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: There was um honestly one time, this has actually been just I think three or four years ago, where a very, very part-time gig that I had writing for a ministry website, um, I was doing that very, very part-time.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: I was making more than half of what I made in my full-time day job salary as a college professor just by writing uh like one, I think it was one or two long articles per month.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: It really didn't take that much time to do it.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: So you can actually do pretty well with this kind of stuff if you really want to.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: So anyway, I've thrown a lot of info at you in this episode.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a little bit of a longer episode, but I hope this is helpful to you.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Here's today's question What specific topics or industries interest you the most when it comes to freelance writing?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Hope this has been helpful to you.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Take action on what you've learned, and I promise you can make pretty quick progress.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.