Clubhouse Recap: How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer
I run a twice-weekly room on Clubhouse with my favorite brainiac, Lucy Goodchild, and if you ever want to tune in, the times are listed below:
WEDNESDAYS & FRIDAYS at 9AM ET (which is 2pm GMT, 3pm CET, 9pm in Singapore)
We cover all kinds of topics related to writing, like craft, freelancing, marketing…you name it, we talk about it. We absolutely love doing our room, and it’s brought together tons of (professional and aspiring) writers, readers and editors. It’s gotten so popular, in fact, that we’ve even have some regulars who are famous, like E.L. James, the writer of the Fifty Shades series!
Lucy and I have decided to start taking notes and sharing recaps of the rooms when we have time. Here are the notes from a recent room on How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer.
Here we go! Thanks to Lucy for writing this recap!
Getting started
The writer's dream is to earn money with words. To write the stories that occupy (or haunt) our minds and live on the proceeds. This can seem a long way off when you're starting out as a novelist – it certainly does for us. There's another way to make your words pay in the meantime: freelance writing.
Lucy Goodchild’s writing career started in 2014, but we need to rewind a bit further back to explain how it happened. Like many writers, Lucy had been churning out stories for as long as she can remember.
On a whim, instead of studying English, I chose science subjects for A-level: physics, chemistry, biology and psychology. I went on to do a BSc in genetics and microbiology, during which I discovered she was, quite frankly, a dangerously bad lab scientist.
—Lucy Goodchild
She became interested in science writing, though, and after an MSc in the history of science, she started working in science communication.
Over the next several years, she worked at a learned society, a top UK university, a sustainability foundation and a multinational academic publishing company. The last role involved managing marketing managers around the world – a lot of meetings and spreadsheets but very little writing. Armed with a large network of contacts, scientific knowledge and writing skills, she set up Tell Lucy.
How to position yourself
Your network: work with people. A lot of people. Make sure they know your name and do brilliant work they'll remember. These people will tell other people about your work. Word of mouth is the best way to get clients.
Your niche: get specific. Having a niche – the topic you cover, the type of content you write or both – gives you an advantage. It lets you become a big fish in a small pond.
Your knowledge: the network and niche only work if you're good at writing. Take time to reflect on this and be honest with yourself about what areas you need to improve. Then learn, learn, learn!
Jincey’s journey to earning a living as a writer
Jincey Lumpkin's story is quite different. Now a freelance writer and creative director in the luxury Beauty space, this wasn't always her niche. Back in 2014, Jincey sold a successful production company in an entirely different industry. Worried she wouldn't get hired full-time in an office setting (working for yourself tends to give you this realization...) she took some time off while writing a book series to reflect on how she could take what she knew and apply it to a new career. At the time, she was living in New York, where advertising is a huge industry.
Jincey knew she could break in as an advertising writer. She took stock of her previous work and the people she knew, and she started to make plans. Before long, a contact offered her a paid gig as a copywriter for a luxury beauty company. She applied all her skills to advertising, and her freelance roles involve being a writer, creative director and producer. She has since worked for a range of big-name companies in the luxury beauty space.
When you get clarity about the things you want, everything falls into place sometimes. Never doubt that you can accomplish great things if you set your mind to it and take positive steps to achieving your goals.
—Jincey Lumpkin
The smaller the niche, the bigger your impact
Both Jincey and Lucy talk about the importance of having a niche. It's not that you have to stick to one area, but becoming known in that subject can really help you get started and grow your business. Think about the industry you might want to work in. It could be something you've already got experience or qualifications in, or it could just be a subject that interests you. Science, beauty, fashion, luxury goods, wellness, corporate sustainability and fintech are all good examples. And each of these has sub areas – Jincey is an expert in skincare, which is part of the Beauty industry.
If you're nervous about picking one niche to specialize in, choose two or three.
"Knowledge in that niche allows you to charge more."
—Jincey Lumpkin
She recommends doing your research. Find out what's happening in the industry and identify the top players. Once you've got a handle on things, choose five to ten companies you could target, and figure out who's hiring freelancers. For bigger companies, this will be marketing managers, brand managers, creative services reps and so on, rather than HR.
How to get clients...
By far and away, Lucy’s biggest source of new clients has been existing clients.
Word of mouth is powerful: instead of you telling people how great you are through ads and pitches, your clients pass on recommendations to other people. Testimonials can be great (although I’m never organized enough to collect them... and definitely not enough to put them on my website).
—Lucy Goodchild
What if you're so good that your clients don't want to share you? Take a moment to recognize the compliment and pat yourself on the back. Then remind your client that you are very capable of managing your time and, since they don't employ you exclusively, they could show their appreciation of your work by telling other people about it. In the meantime, put their quote on your website as a testimonial. Jincey remembers a few footnotes she saw on freelancers’ email:
A referral is the best compliment, so don't keep our services a secret.
A smart freelancer
What about getting your first client? Start with your network. Family, friends, ex-colleagues, acquaintances. Before you go wider and start approaching companies, Jincey says, make sure your LinkedIn profile is "the jam." It's a search engine, so you want to make sure you're including the right keywords in your profile that will attract potential clients in your niche – you'll be able to identify this through research. And get a website online, even if it's a simple landing page. If you want to take it a step further, start a blog in your niche – it will show potential clients your expertise.
We already talked about targeting big companies. But what about smaller ones? You'll often be able to reach startups and small companies via social media, or by getting involved in local conferences. I sponsor conferences every year, usually putting a pencil and notebook in their goodie bags. It's really effective.
Once you've identified a company you want to work for, you could present work on spec. Pair up with a designer at your level (experience, skill and cost-wise) and work together on a pitch – you do the concept and the words, they do the design. It's a great way to get introduced to new clients.
What about internships? These are really common in a lot of industries, and they can be a good way to expand your network and get experience. Figure out what kind of work you want to do – advertising, marketing, branding, content marketing, script writing and so on – and narrow down the opportunities. But don't give your work away for free – make sure you're getting paid.
... and what to charge
And this brings us to the big question on everyone's lips. What should I charge?
People – especially women – don't know what to charge. It can feel weird and icky when you start out, like you're asking someone for money. I'd suggest changing your mindset fast: it's a business transaction. They are paying for your work, the product you deliver. They are not paying for you.
Setting prices can happen in various ways. When Jincey started out in the beauty industry, she landed a gig with a set hourly rate. She soon bumped this up after seeing what her peers were being paid. This is a great approach: figure out what other people are charging and use that as a benchmark. Look at writers and other creatives on your level – junior copywriters earn less than senior ones, and you can expect your rate to increase with your experience.
In a world where Fiverr and Udemy facilitate a race to the bottom, it can be tempting to lower your prices. Don't. Companies have the budget to work with agencies, and in North America and Europe they expect to pay over $100 an hour for an excellent, experienced copywriter. What if a potential client thinks your rate is too high? Don't discount. Instead, reduce the scope and cut the deliverables to fit their budget.
What's your question about freelance writing?
Just post in the comments below!
This is a summary of a conversation we had on Clubhouse on July 28, 2021 about getting started as a freelance writer. There's a lot more to share on this topic, so if you've got a question, shoot! Follow the club I Write, Therefore I Eat on Clubhouse and join us there. You can comment here, or follow us on social media (Jincey's on Instagram, and Lucy's links).