Hey you,

You want you want to break into freelance writing with ZERO:

• Writing Experience
• College Degree
• Relevant Background
• Credentials?

I want to wrap my arm around you, pull you close, and reassure you that:

You absolutely can break in! From nowhere!

For one, copywriting, content marketing, and all facets of running a business can be taught. None of them are beyond your reach.

For two, your clients don’t give one rip what type of education you got or what your GPA was. You can start at zero.

The only thing they care about is: HOW YOU WRITE!

With that being said, you do need to pass a few required prerequisites before moving forward. You need to:

1. Be a decent writer with a good grasp on grammar, mechanics, and flow. If you’ve always been told you’re a great writer and writing well just comes naturally to you, chances are you can make this work. If writing isn’t your strong suit, there’s probably something else that is (go after that!)! Copywriting can be taught, but it’s probably not for you if you don’t like writing or suck at it.
2. Have an insatiable desire to make this work: if you tend to quit at the first sign of trouble, this will never work for you. You have to work through trouble and errors and setbacks to get good at it. However, if you’re determined to make it work no matter what, it will.
3. Be teachable: don’t jump into this freelance business with preconceived notions about how this is going to work. You have to be open to learning and be adaptable to the ever-changing best practices. If you tend to think your first idea is genius or have trouble with criticism, you’re more likely to get discouraged and quit.

If you pass your prerequisites, let’s move on to the 4 best ways to bust into freelance writing from ground zero:

By the way, here’s the video version, if you’d rather:

#1 Put together relevant niche-specific writing samples

You need to have a portfolio of compelling writing samples in the niche you want to write for.

Do not send prospects your senior paper with your feminist criticism of Virginia Woolf’s literature because it’s sooooo impressive.

No one wants to read the flash fiction you submitted for publication because it shows how adaptable your writing style is.

The advice article you wrote for your local newspaper isn’t going to help you (unless your niche is advice columns).

Only send decent, relevant, niche-specific writing samples to your prospects.

What does that mean?

If you choose to write in the personal finance niche, write a sample article about paying off college debt before the age of 30.

If you want to break into the real estate writing market, put together samples like 13 Free Ways to Market Your Real Estate Business or How to Spot a Winning Real Estate Client From a Mile Away.

You need to put together samples that showcase your best work in the exact niche that you want to be writing for. Try to come up with topics that appeal directly to your desired audience.

Now, you can put together these samples in one of several ways:

• On spec: write an example article that hasn’t been published anywhere
• Volunteer: write example website copy for someone you know
• Your blog: publish a niche-specific article on your own blog, if it fits
• Pitch: pitch some ideas around and try to get a piece published to use as a sample

There are other ways too, but the easiest is to just “make one up” on spec and use that.

Your samples are your gateway to breaking into the freelance writing world!

#2 Own it!

If you want to break into freelance writing, call yourself a copywriter or content marketer and just own it.

This doesn’t quite mean “fake it till you make it.” You’re not faking anything, you’re assuming the identity of something that’s already inside of you.

You might be a less experienced one, but you ARE a copywriter.

I want you to know that no one coronates a freelance writer in a fancy sword ceremony.

Every copywriter just calls themselves one, identifies as one, and just becomes one.

The same happens to you.

If you decide to be a freelance copywriter, call yourself one, act like one, update all your professional profiles to reflect the change, and start practicing as one. Just step right into the identity. You belong here.

Becoming a freelancer is a mindset.

#3 Always be Learning

In order to be a freelance writer, or be a better one, you need to be in a constant state of learning.

Strategies and platforms change constantly, and you need to keep pace.

Many of the underlying principles of copywriting don’t change, but how you apply them changes all the time. You need to be ready.

I would recommend front-loading your learning. Do a ton of learning at the beginning to wrap your mind about what copywriting is, learn the fundamentals, and practice. Then, dig deeper.

Keep digging deeper still. Always.

Read books, listen to audiobooks and podcasts, take courses, read blogs, any/all of it. Books on writing, books on copywriting specifically, marketing literature, social media blogs, business podcasts…you get the picture.

I take about 10-15 minutes every morning to learn something about my craft as part of my morning routine. Read Bible, read copywriting material, journal, brush teeth, work out.

Being an information sponge is a great way to help you break into freelance writing.

#4 Take a Course

The fastest way to learn a trade is to take a course. You get all the material in on place from someone who’s accomplished what you want to accomplish. You could piece a bunch of information together from the internet and books, or you could get it all compiled in one place, all organized and summarized for ya.

I recommend taking a course in business, copywriting, and/or marketing. A single course that teaches you specifically how to start, run, and market your freelance business is ideal. Online courses from someone actively involved in the field tend to be more relevant and up-to-date than books and college courses.

I’m re-reading The Copywriter’s Handbook (required reading <<affiliate link) right now and, though the principles of copywriting are the same, the information about digital copywriting is quite outdated. If social media copy is your jam, for example, a course from a current Facebook ad manager about ad copywriting would be way more applicable and relevant.

If you want insider information on what’s happening right now in the freelance world, with ninja tricks and of-the-moment advice, I recommend a freelance writing course.

*********

And you’ll never guess where this leads me…haha.

I have a course exactly like that coming out shortly, after a long and arduous creation process. It’s ready to go and officially launching on Mon, Sept 30. But the first round is only going to be open to 20 people at more of a beta price so I can flesh out any kinks.

[You can see some of the mini courses that will be included here]

You’ll learn exactly how to build your own freelance writing business from the ground up, whether you have experience or not, even if you’re working full-time right now. Every step.

If you want to be the first to know when it’s live or secure your spot right away, leave me a comment or message me at JessicaM(dot)Collins(at)hotmail(dot)com right away.