Do you have a knack for writing compelling stories and engaging your readers? If you’re still in school or you’ve just graduated, you could earn money by becoming a freelance writer, working as much or as little as you’d like. Here, The Smart Cookie Philes shares some tips on how you can hone your skills, find writing gigs and attract clients: 

Enhance Your Writing Skills

Getting a degree in English isn’t the only path to becoming a successful writer. A degree in journalism, communications, or linguistics can also lead to a fulfilling and rewarding writing career. Additionally, you can take classes in creative writing at your local community college, attend workshops and seminars, and submit your work to writing contests: some of them will even give you feedback that will help you further develop your craft. 

Besides language arts, there are many college majors you can parlay into writing gigs: technical writers are in high demand, so if you have a gift for clearly explaining complex things, you can find yourself a niche and write about finance, technology, mechanics, cryptocurrency, or physics. And if you want to get a competitive edge, become a social media maven and learn all about SEO and online marketing, and improve your skills by writing blog posts and other content material for business websites. 

Find Writing Assignments

Build a writing portfolio with samples of your best work. Make sure its design is simple, uncluttered, with fonts that are easy to read and add thumbnail images to make each sample stand out. Don’t forget to include your email address and other contact information! 

Creating a professional-looking portfolio and posting it on online platforms dedicated to showcasing writers’ talent will help you get discovered by potential clients. Post some of your work on your social media accounts and link them to your website so that people can easily find you when they need your services. 

Attract and Retain Clients

Once you’ve decided to make a career out of the written word, you need to find a market for your work. One of the best ways to get published is to find your niche and start writing for a target audience. If you have specific knowledge on a particular topic, you can share your expertise via blogs and ebooks and start making money. Grant writing, technical writing, and ghostwriting are all lucrative options for freelancers. B2B vendors and creative agencies usually have in-house copywriters, but small businesses may not have technical writers on staff and may turn to freelancers for their white papers, blogs, advertising copy, and press releases. 

If you’ve just graduated and aren’t sure where to find your first writing gigs, the internet is a good place to turn to in order to find clients for your budding business. Browse through online job boards and find writing assignments you feel comfortable completing. Each time you deliver stellar content, your clients will keep coming back for more.

If you’ve ever thought of becoming a freelance writer, there are many avenues you can explore whether you’re still in school or you’ve already got a degree. Online platforms let you showcase your writing, and an increasing number of clients are looking for fresh content from people just like you. So get writing and get the gigs!

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