The Ultimate Guide to Become a 6-Figure Freelance Writer
Based on my experience as a freelancer in Canada
Maybe you’re like me and you know that you’re not very employable in the traditional sense. I’ve never had a “real job.” To clarify, I’ve landed real 9 to 5 office jobs in the past, but have always backed out at the last minute or didn’t last long… oops. I guess I’ve always known that I wanted to work for myself, but I didn’t know where to start. I can’t remember exactly because I’ve been doing this for so long, but I probably also Googled “How to become a freelance writer” when I first started too. I started from scratch, just like you are now.
I do know that my first few freelance writing jobs didn’t pay well. But through trial and error, hard work, and finally learning how to take myself and my business seriously, I grew my freelance writing business from making less than $20k per year to consistently bringing in over 6-figures.
First, as a solopreneur, then as I built out a team to support clients.
I wrote about how to start freelancing in general here. This blog post is going to focus specifically on how to become a freelance writer.
How to become a writer in Canada
This blog post is written from my perspective as a freelance writer in Canada. Although, my clients are domestic and international, and have been for years. The cool thing about being a freelancer or online business owner is that it doesn’t really matter where your clients are. You can connect with clients all over the world through the internet.
Something I found as a Canadian freelance writer was that most of the freelance business advice is targeted towards Americans. It’s as if those who are Canadian freelancers are a bit quieter on the internet about how and what we do. While some of that American advice is relevant, there are details that aren’t the same for Canadian freelancers.
For example, our business classifications are different. In Canada, many freelancers operate as sole proprietors. There’s no need to incorporate immediately, and tax professionals can give you advice about when to incorporate (if at all) based on your specific situation. Along the same lines, the tax brackets are different in Canada compared to the United States. Sales tax regulations differ as well.
Another difference for freelance writers in Canada is how to set your rates. You may choose to charge in USD versus CAD even if you’re Canadian. Especially if your clients are international like mine.
Common practices to get freelance clients are similar regardless of where you live.
Now that the key differences of how to become a freelance writer in Canada have been noted, let’s get into the steps!
Step 1: Decide what kind of freelance writer you want to be
Because yes, you get to choose! That’s why I love freelancing so much. You truly get to decide your own destiny.
Types of freelance writing jobs
There are so many different freelance writing jobs you can choose from! I’m going to focus on those that are closest to my personal experience from when I was starting out as a freelance writer. But don’t let these ideas limit you.
Fist, here’s a list of different freelance writing jobs:
- Freelance copywriter
- Freelance content writer
- Freelance website copywriter
- Freelance website content writer
- Freelance blog content writer
- Freelance launch copywriter
- Freelance email copywriter
- Freelance social media writer
- Freelance script writer
- Freelance blog writer
- Freelance journalist
- Freelance blog writer
For the sake of this blog post, I’m going to focus on the following 3 to give you my personal insight of how I grew from a new freelancer trying to make ends meet to running a 6-figure freelance business.
How to become a freelance copywriter
You might be wondering: What is a copywriter? And what’s the difference between a freelance writer and a copywriter?
The short answer: Freelance writer is the general term for all types of writers. A copywriter specifically write sales copy. You can learn more about what a copywriter is here. I also often share tips of how to become a copywriter.
If you follow in the footsteps of my journey to become a freelance writer, you might start in a different niche and move into copywriting as you gain skills as a writer.
Reading books to grow your copywriting skills and business is another good place to start.
How to become a journalist in Canada
I started my freelancing career as a journalist. I wrote articles for online publications, newspapers, and magazines across the country and genres. These ranged from lifestyle stories, to local business reviews, and even to the mining industry. The cool thing about becoming a freelance journalist is you get to pitch for the types of jobs and topics you want to write about.
I started my freelance writing career by making a list of publications I was interested in working for. Then I got to work writing targeted pitches for each of them. I also browsed freelance writing job boards, and even Craigslist… This was a long time ago! Before I had a website and before it was common to use social media like Instagram to get clients.
How to become a blog writer
From my starts in journalism, I slowly shifted to pick up blog writing contracts. These were so much fun, and truly were the introduction to the world of copywriting for me. I learned a lot about search engine optimization, storytelling, and marketing from my early blog writing clients.
If you want to start as a blog writer, the way I see it, you have a couple of options.
- You could search for existing blogs that you want to write for. These are more likely content platforms. You can cold pitch or search for their submission rules. Often, these platforms have set rates of what they’re willing to pay blog writers. They likely have multiple writers working within their brand.
- Alternatively, you could connect with business owners who would benefit from having a blog, therefore a blog writer. In this case, you typically get to set your rates and lead the project. You can take ownership for the blog to help your clients reach more customers.
I did both in the early days, but my career as a freelance writer grew more from the later option. When working directly with business owners, I was able to show my value in how I helped them gain traffic to their website and better connect with potential customers.
Blog writers of that kind are extremely valuable to businesses because good traffic is key to increasing online sales. Long-form blog content is a great way to educate and inspire action. Which leads to the need for good copy.
Step 2: Research how to become a freelance writer
Now that you know what type of freelance writer you want to become, you can start to think about how you’re going to grow from newbie to successful, sought after, 6-figure freelance writer. Because that’s what I want for you!
How to become a freelance website content writer
Most of my experience is with how to become a freelance website content writer—a freelance website copywriter, actually.
My story goes like this: I started freelance writing in journalism, for blog platforms and a local newspaper. Eventually, I landed a gig with the Yellow Pages as they were repositioning to focus online. That job taught me a lot about storytelling, and I started working with local businesses to help tell their stories.
From there, I landed some magazine freelance writing jobs, which connected me to a previous editor who had his own marketing and branding agency too. That was my real introduction to the world of freelance copywriting.
I started with simple things, like freelance blog content writing. I learned about search engine optimization. And some social media work. Then finally, landed in the world of brand strategy and website copywriting.
You can become a freelance website copywriter with no experience
The cool thing about the freelance copywriting world is that you don’t need experience to get started, and you don’t need a formal education to do well. There are many successful and talented freelance copywriters who make over 6-figures each year who don’t have a formal education in copywriting or marketing… or in anything they’re writing about.
I personally chose to go back to school to study marketing because I wanted that type of expertise. But I also learned about copywriting through books and online courses from those I respected. I still take the time to learn all the time.
There are plenty of blog posts about copywriting for beginners, and YouTube is a great place to learn as well. You can check out my YouTube channel here! And this blog post is a good place to start learning how to write copy for a website.
Keep practicing to become a freelance writer
The best way to learn though is by writing. Testing. Analyzing the data. And writing some more.
Some new freelance writers will also use templates from other writers to get started. While most of these have terms and conditions that say you can’t lead clients to believe these templates are your own, they can be used to create client work. There are plenty of positives to using website copy templates, both as a new freelancer or entrepreneur, and to learn how to write copy for clients.
Step 3: Get freelance writing work
Obviously, to become a freelance writer, you need to get writing work. Where do you start? Let’s dig in.
How to get freelance writing work
Your next mission in how to become a freelance writer: You need clients. You might be wondering how to find copywriting clients as a newbie. First, know that we’ve all been there. Everyone starts from zero.
But if you work smarter instead of harder, you can skip the messy parts and grow your copywriting business faster.
Position yourself as a freelance writer
First things first, you need to think of your brand strategy or positioning as a freelance writer. Your brand strategy answers all the important questions… What services will you offer? Who do you want to work with? What do you want to be known for? How will you stand out?
These questions can also be reframed as the following steps.
- Find a niche for your freelance skills. This blog post explains how.
- Use your brand personality to position yourself within your niche as the go-to freelance writer for your ideal clients. This blog post explains what I mean by brand personality, and how to create one for yourself.
- Set yourself up to get inbound clients, so you can stop cold pitching, but still have a steady stream of work.
The above is part of the larger journey to position yourself in a saturated industry like freelance writing. Yes, I said it! There are a lot of freelance writers to choose from. However, there’s not many good ones. And there’s even fewer that actually know how to do the business side of things, like stand out to get clients. If you want to learn how to build strong foundations to stand out and grow a sustainable, profitable freelance business, check out my free guide and workbook: 4 Steps to Profit.
Pitch for entry-level freelance writing work
Earlier, I shared that I started with cold pitches to get my first freelance writing jobs. I did the same when I switched from journalism to copywriting. I cold pitched for clients. Then I met people who sent me referrals. At the same time, I worked on building a brand online… This was my way to position myself and start attracting ideal clients.
From there, I was eventually able to stop cold pitching for work. I haven’t cold pitched for freelance work since 2018, but my business has continued to grow year after year. All of my leads are inbound, which is something I always wanted because I hate cold pitching!
Beyond pitching or attracting clients, you need to focus on getting real results for people. Then get testimonials about your work. Social proof, including that in the form of testimonials, speaks louder than any copy you can write.
Make sure you’re setting your freelance rates appropriately, especially in the beginning. Don’t write for free unless it’s 100% aligned and truly feels good. No one should work for free! Even an entry level or test rate is better than nothing.
Build a brand as a freelance writer
After you start to gain traction as a freelancer, it’s time to start thinking long term. You won’t want to pitch for clients forever. Your alternative: Develop an inbound sales pipeline and marketing plan that attracts ideal clients.
Your inbound sales pipeline should include your website. If your website isn’t working for you, then you’re missing out on potential revenue! Your website should convert: It needs to help viewers pre-qualify themselves and move to the next stage of your inbound sales pipeline. Basically, it needs to get them from your homepage onto your contact form or application form, then into your inbox, and to book a call on your calendar.
After you’ve decided on the strategy for your inbound sales pipeline and execute the pieces needed, it’s time to fill the top of your funnel. That’s where your marketing strategy comes in. You can learn more about how to develop a marketing plan that attracts leads here.
The biggest thing to remember with your sales pipeline and marketing plan is to lean into your differentiation. What makes you unique? Think of that brand personality and voice you outlined in the earlier stages of developing your messaging. Those details are going to help you stand out online.
How to become a freelance writer and get clients on autopilot
By doing all of the above, I eventually set my business up to attract clients on autopilot through my low-lift inbound pipeline. You can learn more about how to get clients on autopilot here.
Step 4: Join communities to grow as a freelance writer
Arguably, you can do this step at any time on your journey to become a freelance writer. It doesn’t need to be Step 4! You can and should join communities as soon as possible. By communities, I mean Facebook groups, forums, and memberships for freelance writers. These are going to be great places for you to learn, from the organizers and those inside. Also, freelance writers are good networkers. We all have our specialties, so connecting with others may help you get referrals as you grow as a freelancer.
Free communities are a good place to start, but join paid ones as well. Follow other freelance writers. Find people you look up to. Learn from others by checking out their work.
Step 5: Set goals and work towards them
If you want to become a freelance writer who is paid well and in demand, what separates you from those who don’t hit the big milestones like 5-figure months and 6-figure years is going to be your focus. And your ability to execute.
That’s it.
So many people Google how to become a freelance writer. They get some freelance writing jobs. But they never truly go all in.
Others start freelancing, but they stay stuck making about minimum wage for a long time. That was me! There’s a lot of freelance writers in the online world. That shouldn’t scare you, but motivate you to grow as a freelance writer.
How to become a freelance writer: Other resources
After you’ve had a few freelance writing clients, you’ll have a better understanding of your typical workflows. One of the ways to position yourself and elevate your services above the competition is by paying attention to the details like HOW you work with clients… Aka, your workflows and processes.
The best place to start refining your workflow is with your client onboarding process, so you can set the stage for your client relationships.
Soon, you’ll want to start thinking about things like how to set your rates, then raise them to align with your gained skills and experience. Or how to grow and scale your freelance business. You can find resources on these topics below.
How to become a freelance writer: Free guide and workbook
If you’re ready to get started as a freelance writer and want to kick off your freelance career with a clear direction, check out my free guide and workbook: 4 Steps to Profit. This resource walks you through the foundational steps to build a sustainable and profitable freelance business.
