Hello Reader,
There's a ton of noise in the freelance and writing spaces.
You've got countless newsletters (including mine), blogs, courses, and other resources vying for your attention. Many of them promise the world, claiming to show you how to earn thousands of followers almost overnight in their quest to make you a world-renowned writer and online entrepreneur.
Too bad 98% of it is sheer bullshit. (And that's being generous.)
The truth is that the bulk of what's pitched as "must-read" help amounts to window dressing.
The truth is that much of what's pitched as "cornerstone" content and advice is just icing on the freelancing cake.
So, why do all these content creators spend so much time on extra material that just addresses the discipline of freelance writing at the margins?
Why so much BS?
Because the truth about building a successful online freelancing practice is really, really, really simple. And it doesn't meet the content quota of most online creators.
It's also kinda boring. Like, it's virtually identical to the advice offered to small business owners all around the world.
It's understandable that people who's job it is to come up with something new and interesting to write about every single day don't want to pull back the curtain on the fact that pretty much all of our content can be replaced by a simple, three-step primer about the primacy of solid writing skills, service differentiation, and a careful attention to client communication.
But, unfortunately for us (and fortunately for you), that is, in fact, the case.
So what's the process?
Let's knock out the secret ingredients of a successful freelance writing practice in as few words as possible, shall we?
Because who has time to screw around?
Step 1: Learn to write (really, really well)
Yeah. To run a freelance writing service of any kind (content writing, copywriting, online content creation, or anything else) you're gonna need to write a lot. And be pretty damn good at it.
I'm not saying you've gotta treat The Elements of Style as your personal bible or memorize the Chicago Manual of Style or start writing more formally or anything like that. Instead, you need to be able to write well enough to effectively communicate with your intended audience, whoever they might be.
In many contexts, it's okay if your writing contains the occasional mistake or malapropism or informal construction. What's not okay is for your writing to be monotonous, boring, confusing, ambiguous, or otherwise unclear or dull.
Most people can't manage this. If my experience in school and the workplace and just life in general is any indication, most people are exceptionally bad at communicating in writing. That may be because it's a difficult skill to acquire.
But acquire it you must if you expect anyone to pay you to ply your new trade. People don't pay amateurs to write. They pay professionals. That's why professionals are called professionals.
Step 2: Differentiate yourself/find a niche
Whether you're becoming a hired gun copywriter or trying to start an online content business, you're going to have to set yourself apart from the literally millions of other people trying to do the same thing you are. And that means convincing clients that they should hire you as opposed to the next guy or gal or convincing a sufficiently large swath of the public that they should read your work instead of someone else's.
This can be really tough. Especially at the beginning, you likely don't have an audience large enough to test your ideas on or enough experience to know what matters to your clients or your readers.
But you'll have to stick it out and figure out who people want to hire and what people want to read if you want to have any hope of making even a few dollars at this freelancing thing.
Step 3: Serve your clients/readers
Once you've learned to write and identified a set of clients or readers, it's time to go about making them happy. Really happy.
Careful and attentive client service is an essential part of succeeding in the freelance space, just as close attention to reader preferences is necessary in the online content creation arena. Both of them require you to get into the heads of your audience, talk to them, and graciously accept and implement feedback.
This was a huge change for me when I transitioned from a prosecutor working for the government to the private sector working as a freelance writer. "Customer service" is not really a skill that lawyers - especially lawyers working in the public sector - are known for. But I learned quickly that I wouldn't keep my freelance writing clients for long if I didn't meet them where they were and exceed their expectations on a regular basis.
That's it, that's all
What I've written above covers a solid 85% of what you'll need to do if you want to succeed as a freelance writer. It's really that simple. Yeah, there's a ton of nuance and detail that I haven't gone into here but the foundations are bloody obvious.
Be a good writer. Differentiate yourself. Serve your clients.
Think of that list as one containing necessary, but not sufficient, conditions to win at freelance writing. Mastering those three things doesn't guarantee success as a freelance writer. But I can assure that you won't have success unless you can - at the very least - meet those criteria.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
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