What Every Beginner Freelance Writer Needs to Know
Becoming a freelance writer has never been easier, regardless of age, sex, or location. More people are thinking of switching careers and taking the adventurous path of freelance writing. Ideas about working from a cafe in Paris or a beach in Thailand make many take those first steps as a beginner freelance writer.
If you are a beginner freelance writer, you want to gather all the relevant information you need to start the process smoothly and become successful. Just like in anything in life, as a beginner freelance writer, you need to choose the methods by which you will find new clients.
The client is essential for your path. As a beginner freelance writer, you cannot live the life that you have dreamed of without clients. You cannot travel the world or work from where you want. Fortunately, finding them is easier than some think.
While there are several ways in which you can go hunt for clients, such as signing up to freelancing platforms, you should focus your time and energy on two successful, proven ways of getting those first clients as a beginner freelance writer: cold outreach and job boards.
Many object to using freelance writing platforms, saying that these are content mills. What is a content mill? Basically, it’s a platform that pays pennies for words. In fact, finances are often the biggest objection brought up by freelance writers from all over the world.
Of course, you need to decide to spend more time using one of the two methods. As a beginner freelance writer, your first clients are important for how your career will develop onward. That’s why you need to focus your time on the best method of finding clients.
Which is better? Is direct, cold outreach a viable solution? Or should you spend your time on writing job boards? In what follows, you will get to compare the two methods. In the end, it is you who must decide which is better, given your goals and aspirations as a beginner freelance writer.
Cold Outreach: The Method in Freelance Writing
Many books, blog posts, and even YouTube channels on freelance writing present cold outreach as the hidden treasure that will land you well-paying clients as a beginner freelance writer. While we shouldn’t doubt that this method is reliable, it is important to understand what cold outreach means and whether it is the right method for you.
What is cold outreach? It implies reaching directly, without fluff, potential publishers, companies, websites, or online magazines for which you want to write. In a simple email called the pitch, you present yourself, telling them what you do and how you can help them.
How does the process go about? You access Google or LinkedIn, you search “write for us + [niche],” and you find potential clients for your freelance writing services. You study the prospect and decide whether you can help or not.
If you think that you are the right person, you can start drafting an email.
The email’s subject line needs to be personalized, short, and attention-grabbing. The problem is that many times, people don’t read emails. They simply ignore them. That’s why the subject line needs to stand out.
In the email, you need to tell them
> who you are,
> how you can help them,
> how you are going to go about it, and
> what you know about the organization/company.
Let’s give an example with an online magazine on wildlife. If you are passionate about the outdoors and have interesting information to share, go to Google and search “Write for us Wildlife and Animals.”
A list of results will appear. From all the websites available, search for the ones that seem to be online publications. Analyze them, read their articles, and see if your expertise fits the publication.
If the online publication is the right one for you as a beginner freelance writer, it’s time to craft an email that will land you a gig.
Many recommend having a personalized email address. In other words, many argue that having an email address using Yahoo or Gmail appears unprofessional in the eyes of many.
This isn’t necessarily true. If you don’t have a personalized email address, do not be afraid to contact your prospects with a Gmail or Yahoo account.
Start with the email’s subject line. Remember, people are busy. It’s important to grab their attention quickly. For that, you can include the phrase “Writer Proposal” or “Article Idea” in the headline. That way, they will know what your email is all about.
Now, once they open it, the content will make or break a deal with them. In the email, you will tell them
> who you are—in this case, that you are a freelance writer
> what you offer—an article on a certain subject that is relevant to the publication
> how you are going to go about writing it—you don’t need to write the article before you get the approval from the publication to do so.
> what you know about the publication—to win their trust and hearts, you need to prove that you are familiar with the publication.
Once you get their approval to write the article, it’s time to negotiate pricing. You can charge by hour, project, or word. Of course, how you want to charge depends on the project. For online articles as the one in our example, we recommend charging by word. Still others may suggest charging by project to avoid wanting to write more just to make more money. (This is, indeed, a curse for many beginner freelance writers.)
The Pros and Cons of Cold Outreach for a Beginner Freelance Writer
Now that you understand how cold outreach works in freelance writing, it’s time to discuss the pros and cons of it.
For starters, there is high potential with this method. With the right research, you can land high-paying jobs, even as a beginner freelance writer. Some people have even landed gigs worth $500 each.
Also, by doing the right research, you can find clients who seek long-term collaboration. This is the case with copywriting. Many small- and medium-sized companies are looking for people who can craft copy constantly. One way of finding these goldmines is to research the Internet and pitch your proposals.
Others want to point out that through cold outreach, you manage to bypass the competition. With this method, you do not compete for a gig with others, as you would on freelancing platforms like Upwork or on job boards like Blogger. Here, you depend on your own. You search for your clients. You make the proposals. Think that many beginner freelance writers are simply scared of doing this. By acting now, courageously, you are way ahead of your competitors.
Also, there is another advantage that comes with cold outreach. By researching and approaching prospects, you will not only improve your writing skills but also other skills that you need as a beginner freelance writer.
Keep in mind that as you gain experience from being a beginner freelance writer, you will clarify what your expertise will be. In the beginning, you can start freelancing as a generalist, but with time, as you email more prospects, you should start deciding what you want to write about and what you are good at.
By constantly searching for clients, you will learn more about sales. Also, how to negotiate and position yourself on the market are skills that you can start developing as a beginner freelance writer through cold outreach.
Many companies that post on job boards like ProBlogger don’t advertise anywhere else—and they often become long-term, high-paying clients because they prefer ongoing relationships over constantly reposting jobs.
In other words, a single successful pitch on a job board can quietly turn into months or even years of recurring work.
Let’s talk a little about the cons of cold outreach. One aspect that many consider a con is the research itself. Doing research requires time that you could spend doing what a freelance writer should do: write.
Keep in mind that cold outreach is a high-rejection game. Most of your proposals will be rejected. So, you prepare yourself to receive a lot of No’s, especially as a beginner freelance writer. Of course, the more you play the game, the higher your chances of landing freelance writing jobs are. In this game, you need resilience.
The con of the cold-outreach method is that it takes longer to see results. However, you shouldn’t be discouraged. You are a resilient person who knows what you can accomplish.
Job Boards: What They Are and Why You Should Consider Them
A job board is a website where companies post writing jobs, and writers apply directly to those companies. On a job board, there is no algorithm, no ranking system, and no “profile optimization.” You access the website and start looking for opportunities as a beginner freelance writer.
Some of the more famous writing job boards include ProBlogger, WeWorkRemotely, BloggingPro, and FreelanceWriting.com. On these websites, you can find job listings from companies and publications that are looking for talented writers like you.
When you apply, you usually send a pitch + writing samples, + your rate. That’s it. No bidding war. No “pay to get verified.” No platform fees.
Job boards can give you your first real client without needing reviews. If your samples are good enough, a company may choose you even if you’re just starting. However, we do need to highlight that experience represents a clear advantage on these boards.
For example, you might check ProBlogger today and see a listing:
“Startup needs a writer for 3 articles/week in the productivity niche.”
If that niche fits you, you can pitch immediately and possibly get hired within days.
You can clearly observe that there are important differences in applying for jobs on job boards in comparison with searching for clients using the cold outreach method. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of seeking clients on writing job boards?
Job boards can be a great option in finding your writer’s identity. If you don’t have a niche yet, searching job boards and seeing what kind of writing is in demand may help shape your identity.
Also, many believe that job boards are the best solution if you have no experience and are looking to get your name out there quickly. Unlike the cold outreach method, using job boards can help you land a writing job quicker, although it won’t be paid as well as it would through cold outreach.
What job boards offer better than the cold outreach approach is a clear structure. The platform on which to find writing jobs comes with a clean system containing escrows, reviews, messaging dashboards, etc. This cannot be obtained with the cold outreach method. There, the work environment is more chaotic.
A con that you need to consider is high competition. For every job proposal, there are at least a couple of other writers who want the job. While some are beginner freelance writers, others already have a reputation. You cannot go about your way here as you would with the cold outreach method.
Also, something that can make your life difficult as a beginner freelance writer on job boards is that without experience, it may be difficult to land jobs. Some employers consider it a non-negotiable demand that you have reviews. If you are a beginner freelance writer, that is a disadvantage.
One interesting disadvantage is that, often, employers on job boards see writers as interchangeable. If they hire someone for a project, they have no issue hiring another writer for another similar project. This means that you cannot create a strong bond with an employer. With the cold outreach method, you can clearly do that.
Which One Is Better for a Beginner Freelance Writer?
Both methods come with their advantages and disadvantages, their pros and cons, for a beginner freelance writer. The better method is the one that fits your own needs as you start your freelance writing career.
If you don’t know yet how to define yourself as a writer, on the online market, then finding jobs on a job board may help you with that. Also, if you want to earn money quickly from your writing, a job board is a better option.
However, if you have the endurance necessary to go on for a while without landing jobs, then cold outreach is a better alternative. You will earn more money from your prospects and, what’s probably more important, you’ll manage to create long-term collaborations with them.
You need to think about it thoroughly and consider what is more important to you as a beginner freelance writer. Of course, another option is to try both methods simultaneously. While cold-pitching prospects on the Internet, trying to land a client, you can constantly skim popular job boards in search of writing jobs.
Every beginner freelance writer needs to start somewhere, and using these two methods is a great way of landing your first job. All you need is courage and determination to do it.
If you are a freelance writer or are thinking about starting a freelance writing career, we recommend you check out our articles on the topic. We are sure that you can learn a lot from our expertise.
On the other hand, if you are interested in collaborating with us, do not hesitate to contact us via email or through one of our social media platforms.
