I see more and more people going freelance, especially when it comes to writing. And quite honestly, I get it.
I love freelance writing. It’s something I’ve been doing for a good 15 years now — if not longer — and I don’t want to stop. That being said, I didn’t make a full-time income overnight.
It’s not possible to make a full-time income right away. Not unless you start building up your client base while you’re still working full-time — and that is something I recommend. After that, it really depends on your marketing strategy, your goals, and the level of income you need.
It Typically Takes Six to 12 Months
In many cases, it’s going to take you between six and 12 months to make a full-time living as a freelance writer.
Now, not everyone makes it within the 12 months. Some people will make it in a much shorter amount of time.
Your niche and your marketing strategy will play a part in this. I know some people who went freelance and immediately picked up a contract with the job that they left. From there, they had contacts with people they had previously worked with who wanted to hire them.
The first three months is going to be a serious hustle stage. This is when you want to blast out emails and get in touch with businesses within your niche.
After that, you should start building a name for yourself. As you gain more clients, it’ll be easier to prove that you are worth your rate.
Many writers can end up making $1,000 to $3,000 within the fourth and sixth months. From there, it goes up.
Prioritize Retainer Clients When Freelancing
Now, there are going to be some businesses that need you on an ad-hoc case. I have a couple of clients like that, but I’ve tried to ease off that side of the business recently. It’s much harder to make a full-time income with them.
Retainer clients are those who pay a set amount per month for a project. It could be for a certain number of articles, or you may offer a few other services at the same time. I have one client who orders 40+ articles per month on a particular niche, and it helps to space out the work throughout the month, and is part-way to my full-time income.
You’ll need to make sure you have a contract in place for these retainer clients. I like 90-day retainers, but I also like to know before the last month if they’re going to renew their contract or not. That gives me time to hustle for another client.
Ask for Referrals!
Don’t be shy to ask your current clients to send out word that you’re looking for work. Ask them for referrals and testimonials.
Eventually, your skills will pass by word-of-mouth, and that’s the best way to drum up business. In fact, you could create a waiting list.
I know that AI is a scary thought right now, but I don’t believe it’s going to completely cut out the need for freelance writers. I’m seeing more and more people realize that they need a human writer to add nuance and heart into a story, or they need someone to turn a rough draft from AI into a finished piece.
Don’t be afraid to set your rates differently for each type of project that you get — I tend to charge more if I have to rework AI, because it’s much harder than starting from scratch — and put in the work to grow your client base. You could be a full-time freelance writer by this time next year.
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