It’s counter-intuitive isn’t it?
You admire writers who get to work from home or travel the world while earning insane amounts of money.
They don’t have to worry about long commutes or office politics. It’s just them, their laptop, and the freedom to choose when and where they work.
Maybe you’ve imagined it. The ability to make a living from freelance writing.
But instead of making it happen, you tell yourself I’m not ready yet, I don’t have enough experience, can I achieve that level of success too?
Well, I’m here to tell you that you can! You just need to avoid these five big mistakes new freelance writers make that might be holding you back.
1. Not Marketing Yourself Enough
I’ve been freelance writing for 11 months now and have seen first-hand the importance of marketing your writing services.
You may not want to hear this, especially if you’re an introvert like me who just wants to peacefully make money online, in her space, without being in the spotlight.
But guess what? Great writing skills alone are not enough to land clients.
No matter how talented you are, if no one knows you exist, how will they hire you?
I know talking about yourself and your achievements so publicly can feel off at first.
But when you realize it’s about speaking directly to your ideal clients and showing them what’s possible when they work with you, it takes the weight off and you can approach content creation with more grace.
I occasionally create posts like this on LinkedIn.
So don’t shy away from showing up on social media several times a week.
You’ll get to build your personal brand as a writer and establish credibility, expand your reach, and network with your potential clients.
Aim to connect with:
- CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers)
- Editors
- Content Strategists
- Content Marketers
- Freelance writers
I know social media can get hectic but marketing yourself can be as simple as optimizing your social profiles to communicate who you are, what you do, and who you do it for.
Then get proactive and reach out to potential clients via DMs or cold emailing.
So far, I’ve managed to land writing clients through Upwork and LinkedIn and coaching clients through Facebook.
So start getting comfortable sharing your expertise, interests, and success stories online.
2. Staying in The Research Zone For Too Long
Been there, done that.
Over-researching feels productive but it’ll keep you stuck thinking you’re making progress when in fact, you’re just accumulating knowledge.
Writing is a craft, just like drawing, painting, or photography. You only get better with practice.
So get off YouTube, close those blog tabs, and start writing and publishing your own content.
Only go back to YouTube and blogs when you need to refine a specific piece you’re currently working on.
Then take the pieces you’ve written (and published) and use them as portfolio samples to start pitching clients.
Yes, even if you don’t feel “ready” or “good enough.” Even if you don’t have a fancy Journo or Canva portfolio site yet.
Simply include links to your published work in your pitch or proposal.
That, my friend, is how you actually move forward as a writer looking to make money online.
3. Not Tailoring Your Content to The Platform You’re Writing For
Each platform has its own rules and knowing them will help your content perform well.
If you’re writing excessively long captions on Instagram, people aren’t going to read them.
Instagram loves aesthetic visuals and short captions. Reels grow your account the fastest, and carousels are great for getting wider reach because they encourage the viewer to swipe through multiple slides.
If they miss a slide, Instagram brings it back in their feed when they’re back on the platform.
Facebook loves both short and long captions but with short sentences and plenty of white space (paragraphs) and an engaging image or video to go with it.
LinkedIn loves engaging hooks that make readers click “see more.” The more impressions you get, the better.
Blogs should have short paragraphs, subheadings, and bullet points for easy readability.
Large blocks of text are a no-no on any platform.
No matter how valuable your content is, if it’s not structured for readability, people will scroll right past it.
So learn the “rules” of each platform and make it easy for people to consume your content.
4. Settling for Less Money, Skills, and Opportunities
Position yourself for premium rates from the start.
The danger of accepting low pay is that it slowly eats at your confidence. You want to write profitably, not for peanuts.
But the reality is, in the beginning you might have to accept some low-paying jobs to get to the high-paying ones (hence why I started on Upwork).
I wanted to get some experience under my belt then launch out into deeper waters.
How you position yourself for premium rates is by writing high-quality content no matter how much you’re getting paid.
Because you’re going to use those first few projects to:
- Gain clarity on the type of writing you enjoy
- Figure out which industries you want to work in
- Understand the kind of clients you want to work with
If you’re anything like me, you’re starting freelance writing from complete scratch and don’t know what it’s like on the other side of the fence.
You probably have a million questions running through your mind about the freelance relationship:
What’s it like to work with a client?
Will they expect me to know EVERYTHING?
Do I have to be available 24/7 once they hire me?
What if I mess up?
I get it.
That’s why you need a plan.
Decide on how long you’re willing to take low-paying jobs. And this depends on how quickly you’re learning, improving, and filling any skill gaps.
Once you’ve gained some experience (and I don’t mean months and months of experience) – it can be two to three completed projects, start increasing your rates.
Update your portfolio with newer (and better) pieces, use testimonials and client success stories as proof of the good work you deliver, and charge based on the value you bring, not just word count.
The goal is to increase your rates with every new client you land so you can start earning what you’re worth sooner than later.
5. Focusing on Quantity Instead of Quality
More sample pieces don’t always mean more success.
If they lack direction or spark, they won’t do much for your freelance writing business.
And then you’ll wonder why you’re not getting hired.
Quality portfolio pieces attract quality, high-paying clients.
When you’re just starting out, focus on depth over speed. It’s better to publish three high-quality samples within a month than seven rushed, mediocre pieces just because you heard that some writers crank out 10 blog posts a week.
Focus on your journey, not theirs. If it takes you two weeks to publish a single Medium post, take your two weeks and produce your best work.
Don’t bow to the pressure of over-producing.
Focus, instead, on consistently putting out high-quality content on your social profiles, Medium, or your own blog – even if it means posting less often.
The process gets easier with time. You’ll get better at ideating, creating your first draft, editing, sourcing images, and hitting publish.
Take some time to observe what others are doing. Analyze what’s working and why, and apply it to your own content strategy.
Wrapping Up
Becoming a freelance writer is exciting, but making these common mistakes can slow down your progress.
If you’re not marketing yourself, no one will know you exist. If you’re stuck in research mode, you’ll delay yourself from getting that online cha-ching. And if you don’t invest in yourself and keep improving, you’ll stay stuck at low rates.
The good thing is, now you know these common mistakes and can avoid them.
I’ve been guilty of making some of these big mistakes. Who else?
Let me know in the comments!
