Are you looking for ways to start making money from home without stress? Search no further because this page contains one of the easiest ways to go about it.

In this article, I will discuss how to make money online as a freelance writer.

I started freelance writing as a student, making some cash while pursuing my academic career here in Nigeria.

How do I balance schoolwork and freelance writing? You will get to know this at the end of this article.

Meanwhile, this article also discloses step-by-step tips to make over $100 as a freelance writer monthly without affecting your school work.

I’m sure you can’t wait to find out. So, let’s dive into action.

What Is Freelance Writing

Freelance writing means writing without signing a long-term contractual agreement that will keep you in a company or firm.

Freelance writing involves creating written content for companies, individuals, business owners, or authors in exchange for money.

The written content can be an article, blog post, Ads copy, script, or academic project, depending on your preferred niche.

Freelance writing is one of the sure and most effective ways to make money from your comfort zone. You can make huge money from your sitting room or bedroom.

Who Is A Freelance Writer?

A freelance writer is someone engaged in freelance writing. He writes without being employed by a company or firm.

What does a freelance writer do?

Your duty as a freelance writer includes creating written content for your client and receiving your payment.

As stated earlier, your client can give you different topics, word counts, genres, etc.

It is all based on the niche you love to write about. I will discuss more soon.

How Can I Start Freelancing Writing?

1. Get Your Smartphone or PC

Here’s the first step in your journey to becoming a reputable freelance writer.

Get a quality mobile phone or PC that guarantees a fast and steady internet connection.

You can start your freelance writing with your Smartphone if the battery is good, the typing interface is conducive, and you install all the apps I will discuss later.

In case you are wondering what Smartphone is suitable for freelance writing?
Almost all Smartphones are good for freelance writing as long as they possess all the features listed above.
I started my freelance writing journey with Gionee P2 in 2017 before getting my PC some months later.

I still use my Smartphone for urgent tasks whenever my computer goes down.

However, I advised you to get a PC if you can shoulder the financial implications. It will make your work faster and more efficient.


2. Download and Install The Required Software

Whether Smartphone, Laptop, or desktop, you need some basic software to begin your writing career. They include the following:

Google Doc:

This app is primarily for writing and formatting. Microsoft Word is a good alternative if you have your PC.

Grammarly:

This app helps to correct all grammatical and spelling errors. It also checks the content’s plagiarism rate.

Alternatively, you can explore the Grammarly web version.

Plagiarism Checker:

It allows you to check the content’s uniqueness. It is a quality app for low-budget or newbie freelance writers.

Like Grammarly, you can explore its website version to check the content’s uniqueness.

Now that you have your phone and the most software, it is safe to say you are 50% ready to start your freelance writing business or career.

3. Choose Your Preferred Niche

The next step involves choosing your niche. There are different niches in the writing industry, including travel, lifestyle, academic/Education, football, business, tech, music, news, etc.

The factors to consider when choosing your niche include your passion, competition, payment rate, and chances of getting regular offers.

Meanwhile, there’s nothing wrong with being a multi-niched freelance writer if you meet the requirements.

A multi-niched creative writer can handle two or more niches without issues.

I began my writing career in the football niche due to my love for football. I later dived into other niches that guarantee better payment a few years later.

It all depends on your versatility and skills. Nonetheless, I suggest a newbie should focus on a niche until he obtains the experience and expertise required to handle two or more niches.

4. Search For Clients

The main work best begins at this point. Getting the first client as a freelance writer isn’t the easiest mission to accomplish.

Many firms or clients will doubt your writing skill and potential to create valuable pieces. Hence, people prefer an experienced writer with proven records and previous samples.

Notwithstanding, you can’t give up without trying. Create two or three samples using the methods below:

• Pick a topic in your chosen niche.
• Write exciting content on the topic.
• Edit and format it.
• Check the content’s readability, synergy, and flow.
• Ensure it is captivating enough to convince potential clients.
• Repeat the steps above until you have three quality articles as your sample.

Having done that, it’s time to hunt for your first client.

Explore search engines such as Google, Bing, and yahoo in search of good clients.

Search for ‘freelance writing offer’ in any of the above search engines for helpful hints and clues.

Alternatively, take advantage of the ever-growing list of freelancing websites I discussed below.

Freelance Writing Sites

Nairaland

Though it’s mostly for Nigerians, I included the website since I got my first gig via the platform.

How Does Nairaland Works

• Visit Nairaland.com
• Type “article writers needed” into the search bar, and you will see many offers.
• Read the job posting and requirements.
• Apply to the suitable ones and submit your samples.

Upwork

Upwork doesn’t need much introduction. It is one of the most famous platforms for all freelancers, regardless of your craft or niche.

With Upwork, it is easy to earn in foreign currency, which might be more valuable than your local currency.

How Does Upwork Work?

• Visit Upwork.com
• Create an account by following all the instructions and providing all the necessary documents.
• The platform will review your request and get back in 24 hours.
• Your account will be up and running if they approve it.
• Click on the “job” option to check all the recent job postings or writing gigs.
• Apply for any job that suits your profile. Do this step by submitting a well-crafted proposal.
• The clients will reply if they like your proposal.

Unfortunately, Upwork’s new policies are not beginner-friendly. For instance, your proposal will rank higher if you boost it with more connections.

Meanwhile, you must know that the platform will deduct their service charge once your client approves your work.


This article discusses extensively everything you should know about Upwork’s proposal as a freelance writer.

Fiverr

Fiverr is another famous freelancing website to explore while seeking your first writing job.

It is different from Upwork as you would create your gig and set your service charge and delivery time.

So, how does Fiverr work?

• Visit fiverr.com
• Create a seller’s account by providing all the necessary information.
• Create your gig by filling in the spaces and following other on-screen instructions.
• However, you might have to change your phone browser to a desktop mode for an easy and fast gig creation process.
• Hope for a better response from clients
• Meanwhile, here is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating a captivating writing gig on Fiverr.

LinkedIn

Like Upwork, Fiverr, and Craigslist, LinkedIn is equally a famous place to land your first writing offer.

LinkedIn is a place for all professionals, regardless of their experience and skills. it is a platform where you can get many things including life-changing advice this year.

Though LinkedIn might be intimidating for first-timers, it remains one of the sites or platforms with a high chance of getting your first writing experience or client.

How Does LinkedIn Work?

• Create an optimized LinkedIn profile.
• Consistently create posts about your writing skills and niche.
• Connect with other users and be active in the people’s comment sections.
• Send cold pitches to firms in your niche, letting them know your desire to write content for them.

Meanwhile, your profile will appear whenever potential client search for content writers related to your niche.

Smartblogger Job Board

Smartblogger is another freelance writing site for everyone.

Though I haven’t used it yet, many freelancers rate it as one of the safest and most secure platforms to thrive as a freelance writer. Click here to start your freelance writing journey on the Smartblog job board.

Craigslist

Craigslist is a popular writing platform to develop your writing portfolio. However, you must be careful while exploring it (and other platforms) to avoid scams and online fraudsters.

Other websites to explore as freelance writer include:

• Freelancer.com
• Textbroker
• ProBlogger
• Jobflex
• People Per Hour.

Freelance Writing As a Side Hustle

One thing about freelance writing is that you can do it as a side hustle or main business.

Being a student, I started writing as a side hustle while academics remained my priority.

In case you are wondering how to start freelance writing as a business? Then, read the next section of this article.

Starting a Freelancing Writing Business

Starting a freelance writing business is a bit different from exploring it as a side hustle, although most steps are the same.

Below is a brief rundown of how to start a freelance writing business:

• Create your business name
• Launch your business website. It must be the same as your business name to aid branding.
• Create your business entity
• Create legal contract
• Find your client
• Market your craft and business via paid ads or social media posts.

Can I Make 1000 a Month in Freelance Writing?

It’s very much possible to make $1000 a month as a freelance writer depending on the type and number of offers you receive within the time frame.

High-paying clients will play a significant role in helping achieve the milestone in no time.

However, I often advise newbies to target growth in the early stages of their writing careers.

If possible, write free content in exchange for reviews and recommendations.

You will benefit from it in the long run.

In a nutshell, you can make $1k monthly from freelance writing if you are hardworking and skillful, and get a long-term contract.

How Do Freelance Writers Get Paid?

This article is incomplete if I ignore how to receive your hard-earned money online.
You can receive payment via different methods, including PayPal, Payoneer, geegpay, etc.

Meanwhile, some freelancing platforms deploy escrow methods to protect you from scams.

Let’s start with Upwork.

Clients will pay the service charge before you start working, but the platform will save it in the escrow system until you submit the job.

After submitting the project, Upwork will contact the client for approval.

Once the client approved the piece of work, Upwork will release the money into your Upwork wallet or profile.
You can withdraw the money directly to your bank account if you reside in the United States and some European countries.

As for Nigerians or Africans, you will connect your Upwork account to your Payoneer/PayPal account.

Withdraw the money into your Payoneer/PayPal. Then, from Payoneer to your local bank account.
That’s it.

Interestingly, Fiverr and most freelance writing platforms deploy this payment system for top security.

Conclusion

Do you have other ways to make $100 working as a freelance writer? Feel free to paste them in the comments box below.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check my recent posts on how to be confident as a freelance writer.