You’ve thought about freelance writing before, but you quickly drop the notion because it seems silly or insensible. You have a ton of reasons in your mind why it wouldn’t work:
- You don’t know anything about business.
- You’re not even a quote-unquote “writer.”
- You have no English degree or certifications.
- Your job is fine, you don’t want to ruin that.
- Etc
I had those too, my dear!
So did every other freelance writer at the start of their career!
But the more I looked into freelance writing, the more I saw that I actually could become a freelance writer, the more people I saw doing it “right,” the more times I noticed that it wasn’t actually a pipe dream, the more real the notion became in my mind!
That’s what I hope this article does for you: Change your entire mindset so you see how accessible freelance writing really is!
Let me see if I can hear what you’re thinking:
Lie #1: I don’t even know where to start!
Okay, this one isn’t so much a lie as an obstacle that’s easily solvable.
Just start!
Ready-fire-aim
That’s how you make it work.
Okay, I know some of you aren’t wired that way, but let me just say, you can start today. I have a few practical steps to help you get started.
What you need to do to start a freelance writing business:
- Set up a business website in 5 minutes
- Then, design it for free without any design skills
- Start creating some writing samples. Go big right away with the Huff Post
- Create a portfolio, on your website, Pinterest, or Contently
- Start marketing your freelance business, so people know it exists
- Start pitching! {More on this subject to come!}
Written out like that, it seems pretty simple now, doesn’t it?
Now, of course, there are many more details that go into these steps, but this big-picture strategy helps clear up the “where to start” bit for you.
You can also sign up for my free 7-day Freelance Getting Started series, which goes more into depth about starting your journey as a freelance writer, even if you’re still at your day job.
Now you can’t say you don’t know where to start anymore;)
Lie #2: I don’t have the credentials to be a freelance writer
*Looks around, covers her mouth, and whispers in your ear* “Guess what? You don’t need any credentials!”
Wait, what?!?
Hold the phones!
Ya, really. It’s the biggest lie we tell ourselves.
Your clients don’t really give a flying eagle whether or not you were summa cum laude of your graduating class. They probably won’t even ask a single question about your educational background.
They just want to see samples of your writing to know whether or not you can do the job.
If you have decent writing skills, you’re in the club. Welcome!
You just need some writing talent, but not special initials behind your name.
I know plenty of lucrative freelance writers that don’t even have a college degree, let alone an English one. I know IT writers that don’t have backgrounds in IT.
However, if you’re trying to be a fitness writer and you do have an English degree and a personal training certificate, market the heck out of that!
Please know that there’s no accrediting agency that’s going to tap a sword over your shoulders and assign you an official freelance writer.
You assign yourself one.
Repeat after me: “I’m a freelance writer.” Now, by my decree, you are one.
Now you can no longer use the “I don’t have the right credentials” as an excuse either;)
Lie #3: When I think of “freelance writer,” I think of a starving artist, not a lucrative career!
When I was in college, prematurely trying to decide on a career path, I desperately wanted to try freelance writing. At the time, that meant living paycheck to paycheck with little more than a few boring local newspaper assignments or something. That’s not the version of freelance writing I was hoping for.
So, I decided to go the traditional route and look for a lucrative career to support myself.
As an English major, you’re either supposed to be a teacher or a poet forever relegated to your parent’s basement. I wasn’t satisfied with either one.
So, I kept my eye out for a different option. And I found it!
And I want to open up a whole new world for you. There’s a world out there of successful six-figure freelance writers. A world of writers that are far from starving or living in their parent’s basements.
Freelance writing is lucrative, as long as maintain a certain level of standards.
You don’t work for low-baller Upwork clients. You work for clients with real marketing budgets.
You don’t work for $15 per hour. You work for a minimum of $50.
You don’t start at the bottom and work your way up. You start high and work your way higher.
Now you don’t have an excuse to hold onto this limiting belief!
Lie #4: I’m too much of a rule-follower to break the mold.
*Yawn!*
I’m sorry, was it rude of me to yawn while you were listing out the reasons why you can’t make the leap from corporate to self-employed?
Rule following is boring.
Rule following is what we’re conditioned to do.
But we don’t have to.
I’m your typical goody-two-shoes, do-gooder, straight-A girl. There is not a more straight-laced rule follower than me.
And I did it.
If I did it, there’s no reason why you can’t.
And let me tell you. Once you do? You’ll wonder why you were such a mold follower in the first place! And you’ll join me in synchronized yawning at anyone else who brings it up.
No, but to be completely serious…
Why not you? Why not now?
It’s really amazing on the other side when you get to make the rules for once.
You get to be a more authentic version of yourself than the appearance you keep up for your coworkers.
You get to work on meaningful projects.
You get to walk around in leggings and grab coffee from your own kitchen. Take a nap on your lunch break if you need one. Work from your back porch or the library.
This is so cliche, but cliche for a reason (because it’s so stinkin’ true): When you get to the end of your life, you’re more likely to regret NOT breaking the rules than breaking them.
And I’m not talking about breaking the law. I’m talking about breaking the “work 9-to-5 until you retire or die” rule.
You know deep down inside of you, in a place you don’t allow yourself to rifle around, that you were made for more than this paint-by-numbers life.
Plus, to be honest, it’s not even as rule-breaking as you think it is. As traditional full-time jobs are becoming less and less favorable to the incoming generations, jobs are becoming more agile, as in more location-flexible. It’s becoming more normal to be a “freelancer” than not to anymore.
Okay, I hear this excuse fading into the background with my yawn…
Lie #5: I’m not good enough for high-paying clients
You see a prestigious brand you’d love to work for, but immediately think, “ah, they’ll never want me. I’m not good enough for that brand.”
Oh but my dear, you are! You are!
As long as you’re professional and you know how to write, you’re good enough for high-paying clients.
You do not need to start at the bottom, making pennies. You do not need to shy away from the big-names.
In fact, I encourage you to start at the top! And work your way up!
My very first pitch went to a well-known business coach, and I nailed it!
My second went to a well-known fitness personality, and there was adamant interest!
I dare you to start higher than you think you’re capable.
I want you to turn this mindset completely around and think about three places you don’t think you’re qualified to pitch, and pitch them!
Deal?
Okay, so, now you’ve awakened to the idea that you’re good enough to pitch the top names!
And just like that…we’ve completely ambushed your top five concerns. Or to be perfectly blunt, the top 5 LIES you tell yourself.
Would you like to do more work around mindset?
I put together an in-depth mini-course all about mindset practice. It’s a much more in-depth look at mindset than this article along with a corresponding journaling guide to help you completely rewire your mindset. If you need more guidance with mindset, check it out!
Before you launch your freelance writing career, you have to cultivate the correct mindset. You need to start with your thoughts for everything else to fall into place. Otherwise you’re going to continue ending up where you started.
Cheers to you!
What other pesky thoughts roll through your mind that stop you from launching your freelance career?
