The side hustle has risen to fame in recent years thanks to an onslaught of flex-work options like ridesharing, food delivery, and virtual gigs. For me, I started my side hustle as a child while picking up cans on the beach with my brother.
The truth is that a number of side hustles start from modest means only to be built into viable businesses. The freelance world has erupted thanks to technological advancements and a growing trust in the gig-economy from consumers and businesses alike.
Freelancing is a great way to earn a steady income — even during a global pandemic. Many freelancers have even seen an increase in offers as businesses become more acclimated to the remote workforce.
One of the most popular side hustle skills is freelance writing. Working as a freelance writer can be a great way for many people to earn money while working from home or even as they travel. Best of all, you can earn money as a freelance writer regardless of your skill level.
For freelance writers, finding clients that will pay a premium rate per word or assignment can be worth their weight in gold. Consistency is what building a side gig is all about, as retaining customers is almost as important as generating them to begin with.
Building this healthy client base is going to take work. While you might have the goal of making $1,000 a month online as a freelance writer, you’ll need to start by landing gigs and then turning those projects into recurring work.
Below are some tips and what you should know about building a client base for your freelance writing side hustle.
Be Ready for Zoom Meetings
One reason that people love working as a freelance writer is that it gives them the flexibility to work anywhere they want and to completely zone out without having to see anyone — well, almost. As a freelance writer, you’ll need to prepare yourself to meet or at least communicate with clients on a regular basis.
If the coronavirus pandemic has brought us anything, it’s a familiarity with video chatting; specifically, Zoom meetings. Even if you’re just a freelancer for a business, they may want to have video calls via Zoom, Skype, or any other video conferencing tool.
Many clients may want to see you or at least verify that you are who you say you are, so don’t be surprised if they ask for a video call. In fact, you may also want to push for a Zoom meeting as an opportunity to sell yourself further while also building a better relationship with your client.
Learn Various Project Management Systems/Instant Messaging Platforms
Freelance writers are expected to work within certain project management and instant messaging systems. Project management solutions like Trello or Monday can be helpful resources for organizing your work, consolidating communication, and managing your priorities.
Many businesses choose to use project management tools or even Google Spreadsheets to track and manage their freelancers, so be prepared to learn and adapt to whatever system they choose.
The same could be said to their communication tools. Whether the company uses Slack, TeamWork Microsoft Teams, or email — it’s important that you understand that every business has their own way of running things, and it will be important for you to pay attention to the training and work within whatever process they require. Remember, if you are making their lives easier, you’ll become more valuable and are likely to see more assignments.
Set Working Hours Instead of Working When You Want
While flexibility is one of the major benefits of freelancing, it does come with a caveat — you need to still set time aside for work. Building your own work schedule is an important and often understated process to succeeding as a freelance writer.
If you don’t have a designated work schedule, you may find it difficult to focus; which is paramount when writing. I tend to work out in the mornings, then work for a few hours before taking a nap and finishing up with some work in the afternoons. A healthy combination of activities, work, and relaxation is the perfect recipe for me, but you will need to find your own schedule.
Many freelance writers also work full-time jobs, so it can be difficult to squeeze in a side hustle on top of a 40-hour work week. However, designating a few hours every morning or evening to writing can help you start growing your side hustle without affecting your stable source of income.
Setting aside designated work hours is important to full-and-part-time freelancers because it will keep you on track and moving toward your goal. It is also critical that you communicate your work hours with your clients, so that they know when to communicate with you.
Building a side hustle — even with a full-time job — is doable, if you have an organized and consistent work schedule.
Being Able to Hit Tight Deadlines Can Drive Up Revenue
Freelance writing is a deadline-driven world. If you’re able to turn around assignments at or before the due dates, you’ll not only keep your client happy, but also you may become their “go-to” freelancer.
Deadlines are important for any business, but especially freelance writing where businesses have several other options for writers if you let them down. Staying organized and delivering work on or ahead of deadlines is a great way to build rapport with your client base, which will help you build trust and cement yourself on their team.
In addition to hitting typical deadlines, be willing to accept rush assignments when they come up. Not only do rush projects tend to come with higher pay, but also they can really help your client out of a pinch. If you’re able to accept and deliver a rush assignment, you may have landed yourself a client for years to come.
Offering Free Work to Prove Your Value
It may seem counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to grow a client base is to start by offering something for free. We see this approach in a lot of businesses — restaurants offer samples, online services offer free tools, and entertainment providers offer free trials. Regardless of the business, the idea is the same: give someone a free sample to prove its value.
Your goal as a freelance writer shouldn’t be to land and complete one-off assignments. You should look to land monthly clients and retainers who will provide you stable work for years to come.
So, to get them interested, consider offering to write something for them for free. A freelancer, Felix, who I worked with for many years followed this approach with me at my previous company. He emailed me out of the blue and asked if he could write newsletters for me for free. I hadn’t written any newsletters previously but thought it might be worth trying, and since it wasn’t going to cost me anything — I gave it a try.
After a few months, I saw the value of his work and began paying him for his newsletters. This relationship grew quite quickly, and I began finding several other writing assignments for him.
If he had reached out and asked for payment from the start, I would have likely ignored the email. But, because he offered it for free, it sparked my curiosity and turned into a working relationship that lasted for many years.
The freelance writing space is highly competitive, so offering your services for free — within reason — is a great way to get your foot in the door and help you demonstrate your worth to potential clients.
Enjoy What You Are Writing About
Making money and enjoying what you are doing are not mutually exclusive.
If you really want to grow your side hustle and build a healthy client base, try becoming an expert or thought leader in a vertical that interests you. The best way to do this is to start by finding an interesting topic and looking for writing work in that field.
For example, if you’re passionate about sports, look for opportunities to write about fantasy football or sports betting. Instead of taking on writing assignments simply because they pay, look for opportunities to write about topics you enjoy.
If you’re able to find interest or passion in the topics you write about, you’ll enjoy what you’re doing more and invest more energy and time into it. By gaining more experience and bylines in the niche you are passionate about, you can increase your personal brand and, ultimately, your value.
This growth will bring about higher-paying assignments and will open more doors to continue working in something that you enjoy, rather than simply taking on writing work to pay the bills. The reality is, it’s going to take time and effort to get paid to write about what you love, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work towards that goal.
Starting a freelance writing side hustle is a great way to earn extra money or to begin building your own business. While the freelance writing vertical is very competitive, there are always opportunities to earn money online as a writer. If you want to start building a healthy client base for your freelance writing business, consider the tips above.
