The following is adapted from my guide, Successful Freelance Writing Online. If you are interested in making money online, I thoroughly recommend that you check it out. Thanks!
You may wonder why my focus is on freelance blogging specifically, as opposed to freelance writing in general. There are two main reasons:
- It is where the bulk of my experience lies
- It is an extremely accessible field that offers enormous potential
The reality is that freelance blogging offers potential for growth and expansion into a wide variety of related fields. Not only does it represent a viable long-term career choice, it also affords you a great number of options down the line.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits of freelance blogging.
1. It’s Accessible
Just about anyone in the developed world can blog – all you need is a computer and an Internet connection. You can ‘prove’ yourself as a blogger without an expensive (and lengthy) education – the same cannot be said of many other writing professions.
There is little in the way of qualifications snobbery in the blogosphere. The decision as to whether you are fit for task is more often than not based entirely upon the quality of your writing. I have not once been asked to reveal any ‘qualifications’ I have that are relevant to writing (the answer: none).
2. You Don’t Need to be a Great Writer
Blog content is typically informal in nature. Whilst writers should always strive for perfect spelling, punctuation and grammar, most readers won’t blink an eye at the sight of imperfect prose.
Blogging lends itself to a conversational writing style, and the last time I checked, people don’t speak without error (on the contrary; I write far more ably than I speak).
I believe that any competent writer can learn to become a good blogger (and earn a good rate) in a relatively short period of time. Even those who don’t speak English as a first language can become well-paid bloggers – just ask my friend Onibalusi:
It can be difficult convincing non-native English writers that they can make it online, but it is possible. I am a non-native English speaking freelance writer, and not only do I regularly make four figures monthly, I’ve had five figure months. I also know more than a dozen non-native English freelance writers making it online, so it’s definitely possible.
Having said that, no matter your ability, you should always aspire to improve as a writer. The better you are, the more valuable you are.
3. It Pays Well
One of the biggest complaints I hear about freelance writing is that the market is saturated. It is often argued that there is an oversupply of writers, which drives prices down to sub-minimum wage levels.
Whilst this is absolutely true at the bottom end of the writing scale, it is most definitely not the case for the level we are aiming at.
There are an enormous number of freelance writers out there, but there are most certainly not an enormous number of good freelance writers. If you ask a lot of blog editors, they will explain to you how tough it is to find a good writer.
So take it from me – good writers are well compensated. If you can elevate yourself above the bargain basement level (both in terms of the work you actually do, and the way in which you position yourself), a whole world of opportunities will open up.
4. You Don’t Need to Start with Specific Expertise
The first blog I was paid to write for focused on WordPress – the popular blogging platform. When I got the job, I had been blogging for just five months. Before that time, I hadn’t even heard of WordPress.
To be perfectly honest with you, I was shocked to be given the job. After all, I was no WordPress ‘expert’ – far from it. But soon enough, I realized that expertise is relative. I was able to write content that helped WordPress users at or below my level, which was all that I needed to do.
You may feel that you have no specific expertise, but you’re wrong. These days I write about everything from entrepreneurship, to social media, to strategic commissioning – all areas in which the majority of my learning has taken place over the last eighteen months months.
You don’t need specific expertise to thrive as a blogger. But if you do have specific expertise in a particular area, you will really be in for a treat. The ability to blog on complex and/or technical matters is highly sought after.
5. You Can Write About Your Passion(s)
For every passion, there are blogs. There are sports blogs, cooking blogs, sewing blogs, badger blogs…the list goes on and on.
Whatever your passion, there are probably a whole load of active blogs focused on that topic, and probably several with tens (or hundreds) of thousands of subscribers, and a small platoon of paid writers. What’s to stop you from becoming one of them?
6. It Will Make You an Accomplished Blogger
There is a lot of money to be made from blogging – both as a paid writer, and as a blog owner.
There are more examples of bloggers who have made a small (or big) fortune out of their blog than I could possibly list, but here are a few examples:
- Fraser Cain owns Universe Today – a news blog dedicated to the space and astronomy niche that pulls in a six figure yearly income through advertising.
- Keith Snow’s Harvest Eating gives away tons of free advice on local and seasonal foods, whilst operating an integrated membership site.
- Darren Rowse has been running Digital Photography School for many years now, and has made an astonishing amount of money from it.
Not only can you make a healthy income from freelance blogging, but it can also make you a far more experienced and capable blogger overall. You will be able to observe the machinations of far more developed blogs, learn how to create engaging content, better understand how to convert visitors into subscribers, and much more. In time, you could choose to utilize your experience and create your own income-producing blog(s).
7. Less Prospecting, More Billable Hours
By definition, blogging is an ongoing process. New blog posts are needed on a regular basis. When you secure a blogging client, you are often securing a long-term income stream.
This, combined with my passive lead generation model (discussed in length later in the guide), essentially means that you can eventually spend literally no time prospecting for work. In turn, this means that you have more hours in the day with which to earn money.
Don’t be fooled by what other freelancers say they are earning on an hourly basis. The only real comparable metric is equivalent hourly rate, which takes into account both billable and unbillable hours. With freelance blogging, you can keep those unbillable hours to a bare minimum.
8. It Can Lead to Greater Things
Freelance blogging is like a well-paid apprenticeship for a world of potential career paths, such as consultancy, coaching, editorial work, and much more.
In learning to become a good blogger, you become a jack of many trades – content creation, design, marketing, social media, networking, and so on. You will have an opportunity to learn how genuinely large blogs (i.e. your clients’) operate.
All of this experience (not to mention your ever-growing network) will open all sorts of doors that you may not have even considered before.
9. It’s Fun!
Let’s face it – writing corporate white papers isn’t particularly enjoyable (I say that from personal experience). I was once chatting with a very successful freelance writer (who works primarily with corporate clients) about her work, and whether or not she enjoyed it. This was her answer:
I don’t particularly enjoy the work, but I like the amount I’m paid for it.
The amount you are paid for work can in a sense make it enjoyable. And make no mistake – writing for corporate clients can make you a lot of money. I would imagine that the average rate for corporate writing work is way in excess of ‘normal’ blogging work.
However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with making the enjoyment of your work a priority. And with that in mind, blogging can be a lot of fun! As mentioned previously, it is a very informal and conversational style of writing. You typically get to engage with your readers via comments. It’s very interactional.
I have one particular client that I love writing for, because I am given carte blanche to write about whatever I like, how I like (within reasonable bounds, of course). I am able to inject as much of my personality into my writing as I see fit, and am able to publish outspoken opinion pieces without fear of censorship. I’d like to know of any corporate clients who extend you that kind of freedom.
The Time is Now
If your interest in freelance blogging has been piqued then click here to sign up to my guide’s pre-launch list. It represents your only opportunity to pick up the guide earlier than anyone else and at a huge discount.
If you have any questions about freelance blogging or freelance writing in general, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section!
Creative Commons image courtesy of andyp uk
Hello. My name is Jesus Martinez and Im from Spain.
I agree in the nine points. Now Im sharing a blog with my sister, it’s going well, we have a lot of traffic and sometimes we earn some money.
But I want to colaborate with english blogs, it will be great to share my knowledge in other language, other people can see my point of view.
I have signed up in your guide.
Do you know any blog interested in travel or marketing online post?
Thank you
Hello Jesus,
I’m not sure that I fully understand your question…if you are asking if I know of any travel/online marketing blogs that are looking for paid bloggers, the answer is no.
Cheers,
Tom
Im not talking about remuneration. Nowadays I don’t mind it is paid or not, I want to start and later maybe im in the position to try to get some money.
Now if you know some blog about travel or marketing online to write, please feel free to contact me.
Nowadays, I want to use this links to increase my CV (in Spain it’s important if they read that you can write in english…)
Cheers
Hello,
I’m afraid I don’t, but best of luck!
Cheers,
Tom
Hi, I am on your list and awaiting the guide so enjoyed this excerpt. The question for me is, where do you find the jobs in the first place? Look forward to your reply!
Best wishes,
Richard
Hi Richard,
Check these two posts out:
http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/viable-freelance-writing-opportunities-job-boards/
http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/freelance-writing-how-to-find-your-first-job/
http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/entry-level-writing-jobs/
Obviously there’s loads more information in the guide
Cheers,
Tom
Hi Tom, Thanks for the reply. I have just downloaded the guide now so look forward to working through it.
Best wishes,
Richard
Thank you for your support Richard — I hope that you find the guide highly valuable! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Thanks, Tom – next time someone asks me “Why freelance blogging?”, I’ll just send them here.
Excellent reasons, and I’d add a tenth: you can do it anywhere. I’ve blogged from the beach before, and once negotiated a new blogging contract while I was at the zoo with my family!
You’re so right Sophie!
I met a deadline this past weekend while on a road trip to Oman. So yes, you can definitely do it from anywhere!
Come to think of it, where we’ve worked from (other than our home offices) is a whole new post!
Absolutely right Sophie! I was actually thinking of things specific to freelance blogging (as oppose to freelance writing in general), but you are spot on!
Great post Tom!
As a freelance blogger, I can completely vouch for its accessibility. All I have to do is point prospective clients to my own blog or my portfolio that has links to my guest posts and I’m never asked another question about my experience or expertise.
What’s more, it’s easier to pitch your blogging services than any other form of writing.
And for me, having fun is one of the biggest attractions. And flexibility. It is why I prefer to work with start-ups and small companies. I know they can’t pay much (which is why my rates are comparably low) but the amount of fun I have working with them is unbelievable. I also get to have more flexibility as more often than not, they hand over the reign of their blog to me or at the very least listen to what I have to say.
To me, it’s more important to have partnerships with my clients (than an employer/employee relationship) and creative freedom than oodles of money so freelance blogging works beautifully for me.
Looking forward to your guide!
Love the attitude Samar and know exactly where you’re coming from. Money is not everything! Thanks for your support
I write for one website already but I want to add more. I feel like I could write on a bunch of different topics. Looking forward to learning more about how to do that.
Another good post Tom. Look for a few clicks from the Warrior Forum.
Joe Mobley
Thanks Joe!
You’re certainly right on the mark about the long-term income potential of blogging. However, I still consider blogging to be a mid-level stepping stone to getting bigger and better paying clients, which are usually not occurring through blogs alone but “harder” publications like magazines and white papers. To that end, blogging certainly helps put your name out. Great post.
Thanks Halina. It really depends on what you want. To me blogging is stress-free and pays well — you can of course upgrade to other areas (I have done white papers before), but they tend to be less interesting and less forgiving. Different strokes for different folks!
It’s not until you read other people’s ideas that you realise there is an awful lot of information already in your head, just looking for a way out!
The idea of writing corporate blogs on behalf of companies in the industry that I’ve worked in for the last 16 years (recruitment) hadn’t occurred to me before now, so thanks Tom, it’s definitely something I intend to pursue.
Yep — if you have particular expertise, you can really clean up!
Freelance blogging has really been what’s kept me in the industry, overall.
I love writing on my own blog but there’s a certain satisfaction when you get to publish elsewhere and especially when you’re given assignments. It’s probably because I’ve always enjoyed the exploits and experiences that I’ve read in books on journalism.
I recently got handed the keys to an entire site I was writing for. Earnings for the gig are waaaay up and it’s building up a really great piece for my resume. I get access to a lot of cool opportunities like email marketing for them too.
Anywyay, great list Tom, I think any and every blogger should take a serious consideration into doing this freelancing route.
Very cool Murray — congrats on your success!
Great post, and I totally agree. I write for 4 blogs other than my own right now, and I’ve written blog posts for many others over the years. The hard part is the balance between those who are willing to pay you what you feel your worth at the time and their expectation of what they should pay, which is minimum because you learn that those who can’t do stuff always under-value what you can do, kind of like what we do with car repair people.
But it can be a lot of fun as well.
Hey Mitch,
The trick is to find people who value your services…that’s really the foundation upon which everything else rests.
Cheers!
Tom
Thanks for doing proper attribution for the image used in this post. Oh wait, you didn’t.
Nothing like unwarranted sarcasm to get your point across. How would you like me to attribute it?
Hey Tom,
It’s SO true that the bottom-end of content creators are saturated, but if you move up the value chain there is PLENTY of opportunity. I was having a discussion a few days ago with some other entrepreneurs and we were talking about how valuable truly quality content really is. The general consensus was that most would happily pay $200-$400 for great, high-quality, resourced content.
Moving up the value chain will put you in contact with those who are really doing some interesting stuff…which presents other opportunities as you’ve mentioned. Good thoughts here…
Thanks for adding your 2 cents Justin! It’s always nice to know that good content is valued.