5 steps to becoming a successful freelance writer

Has writing always been your passion? Do you want to take up freelance writing but you're not sure how to go about it? If you've been considering a career in freelance writing, you need to start by honing your writing skills. But that's just a part of the bigger picture. Getting enough clients is no easy task. There is no dearth of writers in the market. If you want to rise above them all, you have to offer your clients something no one else is offering. You need to be aware of how much your skills are valued at and you shouldn't over-price your abilities or you might end up losing out on some big and long-term clients.

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Here are five simple steps to help you make a career as a successful freelance writer.

Decide what you want to write

Do you want to be a fashion and lifestyle writer or do you want to dabble with business and politics? If you don't want to narrow down your options to a specific genre, you can always take up work across all sectors as long as you're confident about your ability to deliver quality content. If you come across a market with a shortage of expertise, you can train yourself to gain knowledge and write for that specific field.

Start somewhere

We all have to begin somewhere to get to the top. The best writing assignments won't be handed to you on a platter. You need to start by creating your own blog and build your audience from there. If you are not interested in starting your own blog, you can always write as a guest blogger and establish yourself as an authority in a specific niche.

Request your past and present clients for testimonials

If you want to add weight to your portfolio and you want future clients to consider hiring you, you need to give them an insight into the quality of your work. You can request your colleagues and clients to provide testimonials about your work. This will add to your repertoire of recommendations and will attest to your professionalism and talent.

Decide your rates

Before you enter the market as a freelance writer, you need to do some research and set your rates. Sure, there is a lot of competition out there, but don't lower your rates just to get work. Your low-price strategy will not only be an inadequate compensation for your work, but it will also affect the other freelance writers in the industry adversely.

Take the extra effort

Today, freelance writers are not only concerned with writing and editing of an article, but also going the extra mile to help their clients. In addition to writing SEO-friendly content, writers also publish and promote the content on their social media handles. This extra effort on a writer's part is sure to get him/her more work from other clients.

You may experience an ebb and flow of work but that is no reason to give up on your new line of work. Instead, look for ways to increase your knowledge in the different forms of writing and you'll see your freelance writing business flourish remarkably.