Can You Succeed as a Freelance Writer?

Maybe you've heard that it's difficult or impossible to succeed as a freelance writer. Maybe you should ignore the people who are telling you that. Because with some talent, hard work and know-how, being a successful freelance writer is well within reach.

I've been writing professionally for about 7 years. Over the past year, I've made a living as a freelance writer and have not only managed to get regular work, but have expanded the number of outlets I write for. Here are some of my successful actions along the way:

1. Set up your own website

This has been my key to getting new work. Your website doesn't have to be anything fancy, but it should at least be a place where you can introduce yourself and showcase your work.

On my website I have a Homepage, an About Me page that delves briefly into my background, a Services page that lists the different types of writing services I offer, a Resume page, a Pricing page, a Contact page, and the most important, an Online Portfolio. This last one is a necessity. You can be flexible with the rest of your website, but this point is a must-have.

On my portfolio page, I link to every article I've written that is available in an online format. I write for several newspapers (which have websites) and online magazines, and each time an article is published, I link to it from my portfolio page.

When I seek out new work, I introduce myself and provide a link to my online resume and online portfolio in my introductory e-mail. This saves a lot of time in the back and forth of the getting-to-know-you process and puts the information right at the editor's fingertips without cumbersome e-mail attachments. It also shows that I have my act together and I'm serious about my profession.

An excellent company for creating websites, and the one that I use, is Freewebs. For about $5 a month you can have your own domain, website and hosting. They offer decent-looking templates and a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that allows anyone with a working knowledge of a keyboard to design and update their website. If you want dancing frogs and a one-minute Flash intro this is probably not the way to go, but if you're looking for a simple template you can plug some useful content into, Freewebs is a good idea.

Make sure to add your website address to your e-mail and forum signatures, too!

2. Print business cards for yourself

Think of business cards as portable advertisements. On them you should provide your website address along with contact info and whatever you want to call yourself ("Freelance Writer" is a safe bet) and pass them out to friends, family, people you meet on the train, etc. Post them on coffee shop bulletin boards and the like. The key is that if you're going to be a writer, you've got to let people know that you are a writer, and business cards, along with your website, help you to do that.

I used Vista Print for my business cards. They offer free cards with their logo on the back (which I wouldn't recommend, but hey, it's better than nothing), or for some ridiculously low price like $5 you can get 250 business cards, and it turns out the quality is decent.

3. Build relationships

This has been vital to my success. Expanding the circle of people I know has probably been the single most important factor in getting new work. Many of the jobs I've gotten have come as a result of people I know, and many of the people I know help me succeed at the jobs I get once I have them. You can apply this rule on many levels, from amassing a solid e-mail contact list of fellow writers, news sources, potential writing outlets, PR professionals, and the like to networking with the people at your school, church, club, etc.

4. Join a local business group

I attend a weekly business seminar in my area and the benefits are two-fold: at the seminar, I learn a key business datum to apply to my writing career, and before and after the seminar I get a chance to network with fellow business professionals. At this week's meeting, another member who works at a large company said he knows of a freelance writing opportunity there that he's going to put my name in for. Networking works!

5. Be genuine in your communication

As you have probably found in life, communication is the fundamental upon which success is built. Who you communicate to and what you say to them will have a major effect on the outcome of your career. Just imagine that your goal is to become a successful freelance music writer and you have the opportunity to speak to the editor of Rolling Stone magazine tomorrow at 3 pm. What would you say?

Not every conversation carries this much weight, but the bottom line is the same: communication is key and yours should be genuine.

Here's one example of how I apply this particular tip personally: I often have to contact record companies for information, review copies of CDs and comments on breaking news. Even if the response is brief, I usually do get a response. I believe this is because my emails are professional, genuine and not fake-friendly.

Meanwhile, I've seen other people send e-mails to these same contacts acting like they are best friends and wondering why they don't get a response. My take on this is -- these people are busy, they don't really know you, and they don't initially care that you need something from them. Flattery and fakeness don't always work. Be sincere, show that you are a hardworking professional doing a job, and they are likely to respond with something, even if that something is minimal.

This applies not just to e-mails, but any communication you have with people. Don't fake a rapport with someone; build a rapport honestly.

6. Be active

More than anything else, your success will depend on how active you are: how active you are in coming up with story ideas, pitching stories to your editor, writing stories well, seeking out new work, promoting yourself in networking opportunities. There seems to be this idea that being a freelance writer is difficult, and there aren't really a lot of opportunities. My take on people who say this is they're either lazy, or just haven't taken a good look around them. Opportunities are everywhere. They may not come knocking at you're door, but they're definitely there.

Get creative. If you have a goal, use your wits to figure out a creative way to achieve it, even if it doesn't seem immediately feasible. I can say from personal experience that where there is a will, there's a way.

7. Find your niche

Do you want to write for newspapers? (And if you do, you may want to read my article on writing for a newspaper.) What about magazines? Websites? Do you want to do PR or marketing-type work -- write press releases and advertising copy for businesses? Several of the above? Is freelance writing simply something you want to do to make extra money? Or is it your goal to make writing your career? This is important to define.

Making it as a freelance writer is a building process: it's taking one opportunity, succeeding, and using that opportunity to get more opportunities. It's expanding your circle of contacts. It's defining where you want to end up, and slowly but surely, working your way towards that goal. Finding your niche is the process of figuring out just where that goal -- that end destination -- is. Hopefully these tips have helped you figure out how you're going to get there.