How To Transition From Part-Time Blogger To Highly Paid Freelance Writer

If you’ve been around the blogging block a couple of times, you’re no doubt familiar with various ways to monetise your website.

You’ll know that you can recommend products and services to your readers, and earn a commission when they buy via affiliate programmes. You’ll know that you can offer sponsored content to brands that want to get in front of your audience. By now, you’ve probably added adverts to your site through networks like Google Ads and Media.Net.

Here’s the thing though… To make anywhere near what could be considered as a generous and sustainable income with those things, you need a significant amount of traffic and an engaged audience who love what you do and keep coming back for more. These things can take years to build up, and the harsh reality is that most bloggers give up long before they really start to see momentum.

Freelance writing though is a different kettle of fish, and even if you’re new to the blogging world, it’s very possible to leverage your writing passions to create a profitable income stream entirely on your own terms.

All you need is a plan, a willingness to take consistent action, and a good old dose of determination. And obviously, a love of writing. But you wouldn’t be reading this if that weren’t the case.

I’ve been earning a full-time income from freelance writing for the past 8 years, and it’s safe to say that I’ve learned a thing or two about how to be paid generously for your words.

Here are my top tips for transitioning from part-time blogger to highly paid freelance writer…

Decide what you want to write about

Choosing your niche is one of the first things that you need to do. The reality is that if you’re willing to write about anything at all, and that’s the way you position yourself to potential clients, you’re not going to be giving anyone a persuasive reason why they should hire you.

Obviously, you’re already blogging, so you’ve probably done some groundwork here in terms of pinpointing the subjects that you’re knowledgeable about, and that really light you up. Here are a few extra things that you need to think about though…

• Does your proposed niche have legs? Or in other words, are there business owners out there who will be willing to pay for content on your chosen subject? Do your research and make sure there’s a demand.
  Remember that you don’t need hundreds of clients to create a successful business – half a dozen could be more than enough. But if you’ve narrowed down to the extent that you’re hell-bent on writing about llama farming as a single parent, you’re likely to find that you’ve backed yourself into too tight of a corner
• Can you create a succinct but powerful statement around what you do, and who you do it for? It’s no use if it’s only you who knows your niche, and you’re not ready to get out there and make a bold and very clear statement about precisely what you can do.So “I’m a freelance writer who creates content for businesses”? Way too vague. “I’m a freelance writer who specialises in personal finance”? We’re getting there, but not quite. “I’m a freelance writer who specialises in writing awesome blog posts for personal finance companies so they can attract a ton of targeted traffic and make more sales?” Now we’re talking.

Start actively searching for freelance writing jobs

If you’re creating quality content on a regular basis for your blog and you’re working on building your profile, then it’s very possible that at some point or another, a freelance writing project will land in your lap. You can’t count on it though, and if you really want to make a good go of this, you need to be proactive. These are some things that you’ll want to consider…

• Update your blogger ‘Work With Me’ page to showcase your writing services, and let people who visit your blog know that it’s something that you offer
• Search freelance job boards for opportunities in your niche that you can apply for. These places sometimes get a bit of a bad reputation, but there’s often some quality work there if you’re checking regularly – just make sure you avoid the super low paying ones. You absolutely don’t have to work for peanuts!
• Factor in a little time each day to check social media for relevant opportunities. The platforms that you’ll focus on will largely come down to the kind of clients that you’re targeting, but a good starting point may be to check out hashtags like #writerswanted and #bloggerswanted on Twitter
• Most importantly, build pitching and searching for work into your daily routine, even if you can only spare half an hour. It’s the only way that you get better, and it’s the best possible way to ensure that you build up a consistent stream of work

Tell people that you’re available – but don’t act desperate!

Every couple of days, I’ll see someone in a Facebook Group or on Twitter complaining that they’re desperate for freelance clients but just can’t seem to find them. And that right there is a big part of the problem. If your potential clients see you publicly saying things like that, then you’re done for. Harsh maybe, but true.

People have no desire to work with someone who is quite so clearly struggling to attract work. They want a confident expert who can really deliver a professional service, so it pays to consider whether this is the vibe that you’re giving out. I’m not suggesting that you should be over exaggerating your achievements or experience – you definitely shouldn’t do that – but you do need to be mindful about how you’ll be perceived.

Put yourself in the shoes of your potential client, and imagine that you’re browsing your options on social media. You see one person flapping because they can’t get a single person to pay them for their work. Then you see another who specialises in your niche, and has an update saying that they’ve got space in their diary to take on one additional client this month.

Who are you more likely to contact, and who’s going to inspire the most confidence? Exactly!

Treat freelancing like a business

The beauty of blogging is that you can do as much or as little as you want. If you want it to be a sustainable income stream that continues to grow each month though, you have to treat it like a business. The exact same thing applies when it comes to freelancing.

This means carefully considering the processes you need to set up so you can deliver a professional service to clients. It means investing time and money into your own development and expertise. Most importantly though, for today at least, it means just getting started. You’ll make mistakes along the way – I know, because I made my fair share of them – but ultimately, you can work everything out as you go.

If you love writing and you want to make good money from it each and every month, you can use your blog as a springboard to get you there. Will you be making it part of your monetisation strategy?

About the author:

Ruth is a freelance writer and has been self-employed for eight years. She blogs about genuine ways to make money online at RuthMakesMoney.com.

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