Having a side job is an excellent way to strengthen your budget. It is even better when that job allows you to enjoy life, and not waste all of your time doing it. Living in the Internet era offers plenty of similar opportunities.
In most cases, a gig such as freelance writing has proven to be a stable revenue source that offers substantial backup. The rest of your time can be dedicated to other things, for example, traveling.
But who said balancing work and traveling is easy? Is it feasible at all? Fortunately, experience has shown that juggling a freelance contract and enjoying beautiful landscapes is possible as long as you have honed your writing skills. If you want to get started as a successful freelance writer, consider our 5 tips to jump on the bandwagon.
Establish Your Knowledge Grounds
You can’t just decide that you want to become a writer out of a sudden without any prior knowledge. First, you must be willing to do research and create articles worth reading. Second, you must possess polished content creation skills and decent previous experience.
Finding a niche you’re going to specialize in is also critical. You can’t be an expert in every field, so focus on a few areas you’re well-acquainted with and want to explore further. The best approach is to stick to what you excel at and concentrate on filling positions in those niches.
One of the great opportunities is becoming a freelance writer If you have the skills. “Do you often hear your peers saying: can you write a paper for me over the weekend? Using your writing talent for creating papers might become your chance to start a respectable career”, says Joseph Fender from PapersOwl.
If you had studied engineering, apply for a freelancing position in that field. Or, if you’re keen on cycling, try contributing to a bike-targeted website. Similarly, home décor and garden lovers should focus on creating content for home improvement or gardening sites. Your traveling life might also bring numerous ideas for writing.
Define the Time You Can Dedicate to Writing
Since you already have your hands loaded, you’re probably trying to avoid a fixed 5 to 9 contract for now. That’s why you decided to become a freelancer as an alternative way to earn money. Hence, think carefully about how many hours a week you are available.
The best way to do so is to search for relevant gigs online. But before that, check how long it takes to complete a paper from scratch. Your clients will want to know your schedule and how quickly you can finish the assignments.
Don’t Expect Too Much
You can’t make a lot of money at the onset. In most cases, it can take a few weeks to find your first client via online platforms. Even when you do so, you can’t charge exorbitant prices because you’re still a beginner and haven’t built a solid base of customers.
Hence, focus on lower-paying jobs and gain some positive reviews from clients. That’s the only reasonable way to establish your freelancing credibility. Moreover, accept that you won’t feel ecstatic about most starter jobs. They can often be tedious, repetitive tasks you’ll be doing for little pay.
But if you endure the first few months, things will soon improve. When you lay the necessary groundwork, you can gradually increase your prices. At that point, you will be able to provide prospective clients with samples of your excellent writing services. Soon after, customers will contact you with their offers.
Dress Up Your Portfolio
Don’t leave your previous work and experience disorganized. Instead, put them together in a nice-looking and concise portfolio. Based on what you did on your last projects, people will decide whether to hire you or not. Hence, feature your best achievements in an abbreviated form on your online profile.
For instance, if you have done writing apps for Windows, ensure you include this experience in your portfolio. You may even upload several excerpts from assignments you’ve written, particularly essays that received outstanding grades. However, skip sharing whole texts; give possible customers a peek to help them decide.
Focus on Long-Term Contracts
Make smart decisions when it comes to the length of projects you choose. The longer the timeframe of the assignment, the more predictable it is. As a result, it will be easier for you to organize yourself and get down to working.
Even better, focus on one long-term client that agrees to assign a regular amount of work. Ensure you understand their requirements and define the pace at which you’ll deliver the tasks. After you become comfortable enough with the first project, look for another. This way, your income will be more predictable, and the scheduling logistics will be seamless.
Finally, adjust your prices when you become more experienced and your portfolio more impressive. The more expertise you gain, the more customers will rely on you and accept higher rates. Another benefit you’ll enjoy after a few months is finishing assignments faster and generating more profits within the same deadline. Often, freelancing revenues can be similar to the money you’d made from traditional jobs.
To Summarize
Starting as freelance writers is an excellent choice for travelers who crave flexibility in their schedules. However, you need advanced content creation skills, the ability to manage your life-work time, and the willingness to build a robust portfolio.
The good news is that many travelers enjoy freelancing gigs and continue doing them indefinitely. Besides being able to support themselves while also exploring the world, they can set their working timetable and pick only projects they like.
