Is it still possible to make money as a freelance writer in 2025?\u00a0<\/p>\n
In short, yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
AI writing tools<\/a> are getting better, but these freelance writers prove that you can still earn a six figure salary 2025:<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re just getting started, this step by step guide will help you start making money as a freelance writer in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some freelance writing niches<\/a> pay significantly more than others, so picking a high paying niche can dramatically increase your earning potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two factors to consider as you\u2019re selecting your freelance writing niche are:<\/p>\n Some of the most popular freelance writing platform\/opportunities include:<\/p>\n The next step to selecting your niche is choosing your dream client \u2013 both the industry and business.<\/p>\n Pinpointing your dream client is important because your income as a freelance writer is <\/strong>not<\/em><\/strong> correlated with effort.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Your earning potential is correlated with the value you deliver to clients.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep in mind that:<\/p>\n Value \u2260 Work Quality<\/p>\n Value = Dollars Earned<\/p>\n This concept is important to remember because the amount of money you generate for a client often varies on factors outside of your control, like:<\/p>\n For example, a great email copywriter can charge $10,000 for a sales letter that generates $100,000 in profit for the business \u2013 even if they only spent three hours writing it.<\/p>\n However, a brand new dropshipping business that sells a $5 product probably won\u2019t pay more than $100 for the same amount of work. This is because a new company has a small audience, and the price is so low that it likely generates little profit.<\/p>\n As you\u2019re considering your dream client, ask:\u00a0<\/p>\n How much money will my results make for this person\/business<\/em>?<\/p>\n Here are some basic guidelines for identifying a mature client across a few different services:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Finally, the industry should be a topic you\u2019re genuinely passionate about, as your passion will impact both your work quality and overall happiness as a freelance writer.\u00a0<\/p>\n For example, you can charge a lot to write a newsletter about mergers and acquisitions, but if you have no interest in the subject, you probably won\u2019t do as good of a job as someone who lives and breathes mergers and acquisitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, you\u2019ll burn out if you don\u2019t enjoy the subject you\u2019re writing about, which will ultimately cause you to fail.\u00a0<\/p>\n So choosing a subject you love writing about really does impact how much money you\u2019ll ultimately earn.<\/p>\n New freelance writers often make the mistake of targeting smaller clients when they first start because they fear their dream client won\u2019t want someone inexperienced.<\/p>\n However, your dream clients don\u2019t really care about your experience<\/em> \u2013 they want to hire a person who consistently delivers great work<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the next step, you\u2019ll prove that you\u2019re that A-tier freelancer by creating an amazing free sample for that client.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you create a stellar sample piece, most dream clients won\u2019t even ask about your experience.<\/p>\n On the other hand, marketing budget is more precious for a smaller client, so they may ask more about your experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The other factor that will impact your close rate (the percentage of clients that hire you) is whether or not the client is actively hiring for that service.\u00a0<\/p>\n If the company already has a team in place, they might not be interested in hiring another person, regardless of your quality of work. That box is already \u201cchecked\u201d on their to-do list.<\/p>\n This is why you\u2019ll need to reach out to multiple companies. Don\u2019t be discouraged if you don\u2019t receive a reply on your first few tries.\u00a0<\/p>\n That said, if the company is actively hiring a full-time employee for the service you offer, that\u2019s a clear sign they need your service.<\/p>\n To find companies hiring a full-time employee for your services, you can look at a job board like LinkedIn, Wellfound<\/a>, or even Indeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Companies hiring in-house talent for that position have already set aside a budget for the service you offer, and many of them are happy to consider freelancers rather than hiring in-house.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can also post on job boards like Upwork<\/a>, but those tend to be much more competitive and it can be difficult to stand out.<\/p>\n You can still reach out to companies that aren\u2019t actively hiring for the role, as they may need that service and just haven\u2019t gotten around to posting a job description.<\/p>\n If you can access a tool like Crunchbase, look for companies that recently hired a new marketing leader (e.g., CMO, VP of Marketing, Marketing Director, etc.) or received more funding. New marketing leaders need to grow and will probably hire for new roles. Similarly, companies that recently received funding will likely deploy that capital into hiring new talent.<\/p>\n \u201cBuild a writing portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n This is advice most people tell you.<\/p>\n Instead, create free sample pieces for your dream clients.<\/p>\n If your dream clients don\u2019t<\/em> hire you, you can use these sample pieces to build a writing portfolio.\u00a0<\/p>\n So let\u2019s say you decided to offer content marketing services.\u00a0<\/p>\n You identified that your dream client is Influencity<\/a>, an influencer marketing tool.<\/p>\n Therefore, write a blog post on the topic of influencer marketing.<\/p>\n This practice will make you a better writer, and it\u2019s a compelling pitch.<\/p>\n These are the two most important principles when pitching clients:<\/p>\n First, the right person to contact is the person who has the authority to hire for that role.\u00a0<\/p>\n I use LinkedIn. The free version allows you to search by \u201cmarketing\u201d under the \u201cPeople\u201d tab:<\/p>\n The best person to contact is usually the highest ranked marketing executive if it\u2019s a marketing team of five or fewer people.\u00a0<\/p>\n If it\u2019s a larger company with a marketing team of five or ten people, there\u2019s a good chance those executives receive too many pitches for yours to cut through the noise.\u00a0<\/p>\n In that case, pitch the content or social media marketing manager (depending on the service you\u2019re pitching).\u00a0<\/p>\n Once you find the right person, send them a connection request. If you see that they\u2019re active on LinkedIn, comment on some of their content.<\/p>\n Next, find their email address.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can use a tool like Hunter.io<\/a> or Verifalia<\/a> to do this.\u00a0<\/p>\n Try a few different combinations like:<\/p>\n One of those will probably work.\u00a0<\/p>\n Next, write your email. Keep it to just two lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the template<\/p>\n Hi (name),<\/em><\/p>\n (one line saying why they\u2019re your dream client)<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019d love to write (service) for (brand). I already wrote one for you (see attached).<\/em><\/p>\n Tim<\/em><\/p>\n Remember to attach your sample!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example of how you could adjust this template for a real pitch:\u00a0<\/p>\n Hi Alex,<\/em><\/p>\n It was love at first bite when I tried the peanut butter chocolate flavor \ud83d\ude42\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019d love to write emails for SkinnyDipped. I already wrote one for you (see attached).<\/em><\/p>\n Tim<\/em><\/p>\n Don\u2019t be discouraged if they don\u2019t respond to your first email. Follow up with them at least twice.<\/p>\n It might take a few tries, but you\u2019ll eventually land your first client and build your portfolio in the process.<\/p>\n Cold outreach is ideal to get your first few clients and get started.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it\u2019s a lot of work.<\/p>\n Landing a client is usually about timing. If the client is about to hire for that position, they\u2019ll probably hire you. If not, they\u2019ll probably pass.\u00a0<\/p>\n What if you could get on your dream client\u2019s radar before<\/em> they\u2019re ready to hire? Then, they reach out to you<\/em> when they are ready to hire.<\/p>\n How do you get on their radar before they\u2019re ready to hire?<\/p>\n Build a personal brand.<\/p>\n If clients see you posting helpful content (or at least logical content that shows you know what you\u2019re doing) on LinkedIn and X, you\u2019ll probably be the first person who comes to mind when they are looking to hire.<\/p>\n We have a separate resource on building a personal brand<\/a>, but here are content ideas to help you start posting on LinkedIn and X:<\/p>\n The most effective method to grow your following is offering data that answers a burning industry question or a free tool.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example of a free tool:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example of data that answers a burning industry question:<\/p>\n Free tools and relevant data are often the most effective<\/em> methods to quickly build an audience, but they are more involved to create. So don\u2019t procrastinate getting started if you don\u2019t have a free tool or original data at the beginning.<\/p>\n Start publishing content a few days per week.<\/p>\n Additionally, engage with your dream clients\u2019 content. Leave insightful comments and share their posts.<\/p>\n This is not only excellent for building genuine connections, but it also helps you stay up to date with industry trends. You\u2019ll also learn about their pain points, what\u2019s working in the industry, and improve your own skills.<\/p>\n A pro tip is to select just five of your dream clients who are active on LinkedIn (posting at least 3x per week) and then put them in a Google Sheet.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then, for the next week, revisit that Google Sheet each week, click into their profile, and meaningfully engage with each new post they publish.\u00a0<\/p>\n These people want LinkedIn engagement, so engaging with their content is the best way to add value.<\/p>\n As you build your personal brand, you\u2019ll eventually have more clients than you can take on.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eventually you\u2019ll have two options to continue growing: Either build a team and turn it into a marketing agency<\/a> or raise your prices.<\/p>\n If you want to hire other writers and build a marketing agency, you can do that, but keep in mind that running a marketing agency requires very different skills than freelance writing.\u00a0<\/p>\n For many freelance writers, increasing prices is a better method to generate more income.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not sure how to increase your prices, send this email to your least favorite client:<\/p>\n Hi (name),<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s been a pleasure working with you and I\u2019m really excited about (last campaign that went well).<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m currently at capacity and must increase my prices to continue giving each client the time they deserve.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Beginning (date), my prices will be $X,000 per month. If that works for you, I look forward to continuing our partnership.<\/em><\/p>\n Thanks,<\/em><\/p>\n Name<\/em><\/p>\n As soon as you hit capacity, raise your prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even if the client cancels, you\u2019ll still have other clients, and you can use that time to reinvest in your personal brand to attract more high quality clients who can pay even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n The step by step process outlined above will help you kickstart your freelance writing career, but getting started can be lonely.\u00a0<\/p>\n You probably won\u2019t land the very first potential client you pitch, but you will build a steady client base if you\u2019re persistent and consistently deliver quality work.<\/p>\n To make the journey easier, we created Copyblogger Academy. It\u2019s a course and community that gives freelancers and side hustlers all of the marketing materials they need. There are nine courses on topics ranging from personal branding and copywriting to SEO and email marketing.<\/p>\n You can also ask the community for feedback on your work and even ask questions to seven figure entrepreneurs, Charles Miller and Tim Stoddart.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check out Copyblogger Academy<\/a> today to see if it\u2019s a good fit for you.<\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXf55ipy9BKjdRyR7fxeoBHoguQ5QNSxDmFBHctSvr6mlyM3aMMA1f76ziFCMUjfBY6LSRbWZyJBaiuxBiC7kbnKn_ctFHCy5MagdKhRTL_Q6GxwRsiN3X0vd4oCWmt61mikPMNgiw?key=jvdGZzFQ9jRkkBedLZ7Un2jD\")
1. Select Your Niche<\/h2>\n
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2. Create a List of Your Dream Clients<\/h2>\n
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3. Create Free Sample Pieces<\/h2>\n
4. Pitch Your Dream Client<\/h2>\n
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5. Build Your Personal Brand<\/h2>\n
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6. Raise Your Prices<\/h2>\n
Get More Help Building Your Freelance Writing Career<\/h2>\n