Building a Business as a Part-Time Freelance Writer

If you are thinking about building a freelance writing business, there is no rule that says it has to be a full-time pursuit. You may be surprised at how many freelance writers have thriving businesses built around part-time work. In some cases, they may want to make money as a freelance writer without giving up a day job they love–or they are simply a little hesitant to give up that day job until they get their freelancing feet wet. In other cases, they want to make a full-time income by doing part-time work (and yes, that is possible and is in fact what some successful freelance writers do).

Whatever your reason is for wanting to build your business around part-time freelance writing work, it is definitely a viable way to earn money as a writer. The steps for building a part-time freelance writing business are not that different than the steps for building a full-time writing empire. If you carefully allocate your time and focus on the right clients, it shouldn’t take long for you to build a sustainable business as freelance writer, part-time.

Start by Doing Your Homework

You may be eager to jump into the actual writing component of your business, but you’ll be glad you did some legwork and some upfront research before taking on clients–it will save you a significant amount of headache in the future.

A good place to start your research is finding places you can connect with potential clients and pitch for jobs. The beauty of Writers.Work is that we bring freelance writers and clients together in a central location, where you can also keep a portfolio of samples to show to potential clients. Create an account so you’re ready to start pitching. You should also do a deep dive into blogs by freelance writers and companies you’d like to land a gig with, and build yourself a database of contacts. As a part-timer, your time to client-hunt will be limited, so give yourself a good starting point.

In addition to doing your research, lay the foundation you will need for a freelance writing business. You will want:

• A website that is an online home for your business
• Social media accounts
• An invoice template
• A rate sheet (more on this later)

If you want to run your business as a sole proprietorship, you may be able to simply register your business name and start working, but if you want to set up as an LLC or another business structure, you will need to check the requirements in your state for registration.

Create Your Niche

Freelance writers fall into two main categories: generalists and niche writers. Being a generalist is a good place to start, and for many writers, it’s a good place to be throughout your entire career, since it opens up so many options for clients.

As a part-time freelancer, knowing your niche can help your prioritize the jobs that are best suited to your knowledge and writing style. Furthermore, having a niche makes it easier to find clients, because it narrows the field. Identifying your niche could be as simple as deciding what topics appeal to you the most, or you may wish to comb through your previous pieces to look for a pattern among the writing jobs you seem to get. If you don’t have much previous writing experience, consider specializing in writing about industries in which you have worked.

If you’re still not sure what you want your niche to be, it’s OK to start out as a generalist and write for whatever clients you can bring in the fastest. However, keep an eye on the work you’re doing and which work you enjoy the most. Specializing in a particular topic or style of writing can be a tremendous boon when you’re running a part-time freelance writing business.

Get Active on Social Media

Your social media presence could be the key to impressing clients and getting jobs. Use your social media accounts to build recognition of your business. Comment on other people’s posts and blogs, and join the conversation in the freelance writing industry with other writers and business owners. You should also use your social media accounts to become an active member of the web community associated with your chosen writing niche. These connections can be invaluable to you as you create a client base and a brand.

One of the first things that clients will do when you pitch for a job is check out your business’ website and social media accounts. Make sure that these profiles show what you can do. Making your business appear active and engaged is important, so that it doesn’t look like a part-time company. Having an active blog that shows off your writing skills is even more essential, since it sells your work even when you’re not there.

Set Your Rates

The toughest part of starting a business for any freelance writer is setting your rates. There is no set of accepted rates for freelance writing, but there are some guidelines that can help you determine how much you should charge:

• Charge more for work that requires more than writing. For example, add an extra fee for work that requires keyword analytics, images, or more than a basic amount of research.
• Add 10% to every base fee to cover your business expenses, such as insurance.
• Don’t expect to be the cheapest. Many quality clients assume writers who are willing to work for cheap aren’t qualified.

Start by considering how much you would like to make per hour for your freelance writing work, and work backwards from there. Generally, web content offers less pay than print media, and rates vary based on things like experience and credentials. Writers.Work has a number of resources to help you look more closely at setting the right rates.

When you do determine your rates, post them on your website. It gets the conversation out of the way and lets your clients know what to expect.

Your road to a thriving business as a part-time freelance writer starts here on Writers Work. Build a profile, engage with our community of writers, and start making connections with clients. Your profile can host a portfolio of samples, so clients can browse your work easily and come directly to you when they need your writing services. Explore our tools and start building your part-time freelance writing business today!