Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world! But it can also be isolating and financially stressful. So what if you could have purpose, a creative outlet, and a way to pay the bills… all while staying home with your adorable kiddos? Sound too good to be true?
Freelance writing is a great way to make money from home. It’s also a job that can be done on your own schedule. And it’s a fun and challenging way to use your creativity. If you’re a mom who’s looking for ways to make some extra money, but you need the flexibility to be home with your kids, then freelance writing might be the perfect fit for you!
There are literally hundreds of different ways to make money as a freelance writer. Here are 7 proven ways to get started!
Start a Blog
Okay, okay…don’t roll your eyes! There’s a reason mom blogs are so popular! The truth is, starting a blog is one of the best ways to get started as a freelance writer. Why? Because it gives you a platform to showcase your writing skills, build an audience, and attract potential clients.
There are a number of ways to monetize a blog:
- Selling advertising space
- Becoming an affiliate
- Creating and selling digital or physical products
- Promoting your services as a writer (or other service-based business)
And developing blogging skills for your own website means you can also get hired to write blog posts for other people’s sites!
I’ve been a freelance writer for nearly 7 years and over that time I’ve had a lot of different writing jobs. But the one constant has been blogging for my clients. I love the recurring money it brings in each month! And there’s such high demand because every business needs a blog these days to help their website rank higher in search engines.
Blogging for businesses can pay VERY well, too. On average, I get paid between $200 to over $400 per blog post (and that’s not even the highest rate I’ve seen!), and writing these blogs can take just a handful of hours.
Not bad for something you can do in your PJs while your kids are sleeping, right?
Write for a Marketing Agency
With freelance writing, it can feel like you’re constantly on the hunt for your next client. It’s the reason so many freelancers get burnt out – they’re always wondering where their next paycheck will come from.
But when you partner with a marketing agency, your income gets much more reliable.
These agencies will have a steady stream of clients that need content, which means they always have work available for writers. And if you can show that you’re reliable and can produce quality work, then you can usually expect to have a consistent income for years with these partnerships.
Different agencies that need writers include:
- Advertising agencies
- Public relations firms
- Content marketing agencies
- Social media agencies
- Website design agencies
- The downside of writing for marketing agencies is that they often don’t pay as well as other types of clients (like businesses who hire freelance writers directly). But if you’re just getting started, the stability and regularity of work is definitely worth it.
It can also be an invaluable learning experience, because they’ll often have you write in a variety of different styles and for different types of businesses. You might even get a peek behind the scenes at how your writing performs. Seeing the metrics of an ad campaign or blog post that you wrote can help you understand what works well and what doesn’t – information that will be incredibly valuable as you move forward in your freelance writing career!
Plus, once you have a few good client relationships under your belt, you can start to command higher rates from the agencies. It’s not uncommon for experienced freelance writers to make $50 an hour or more from agencies.
You could even negotiate a remote, in-house position at an agency, which comes with a salary and all the perks of working in an office (like health insurance and paid vacation days!).
Join online writing communities and forums
The freelance writing world is a pretty close-knit community. There are tons of writers out there who are eager to help and support each other.
One of the best ways to meet other freelance writers (and learn more about the business) is by joining an online writing community or forum. Here, you can connect with other writers, ask questions, and get advice. Communities are invaluable resources when you’re just starting out because they can help you avoid making common mistakes (like undercharging for your work!).
But these communities are also a great avenue for finding new clients. This happens in a few ways:
Overflow work: When an established writer has too much work and can’t handle it all, they’ll often post in writing communities to find someone to help out.
Job boards: Many online writing communities have job boards where businesses post writing gigs. These are usually high-quality clients who are vetted and willing to pay good rates for great work.
Referrals: Sometimes writers will have past clients that can no longer afford the rates they charge. But instead of just leaving them high and dry, they’ll refer them to a new writer in the community who can help out.
If you’re looking for an online writing community to join, I would highly recommend checking out The Freelance Writers Den. I’m a member and when I joined, the amount of resources in there blew my mind!
There’s hundreds of hours of trainings and bootcamps, thousands of questions answered by content and copywriting experts, business-building strategies, and a network of new and veteran writers who can support and collaborate with you.
Pitch to businesses directly
Many writers start their career by cold-pitching businesses directly.
The process is simple: you find a business that you think could benefit from your writing, and then you reach out to them with a pitch for a specific article or project.
This can be a great way to get started because it gives you complete control over who you work with and what kinds of projects you take on. If you have a niche or area of expertise (like parenting, green living, or personal finance), this can be a great way to find clients who are looking for writers with your specific skillset.
Just make a list of companies you would love to work with and reach out to the owners or marketing managers via:
Cold email
Social media
Cold calling
When pitching businesses this way, make sure your pitch is tailored specifically to them. Address the person by name, mention something that’s going on in their industry, or talk about how your work can help them achieve their specific goals.
The more relevant and targeted your pitch is, the more likely you are to get a response (and a yes!).
Write articles for online publications and websites
Trade journals, digital magazines, and other online publications are always in need of writers. Companies like this are constantly churning out articles to stay relevant and attract new readers. They might have quotas to release dozens of articles each week (maybe even each day!). For that reason, the quality isn’t always great and they don’t pay as much as you might like. But if you’re just starting out and looking for some quick writing gigs – this could be a great option for you.
One of my first paying clients was actually a digital magazine like that. All the topics were pretty “click-baity,” and cranking out thousands of words for a measly $50 was nothing to write home about…but just getting those first few PayPal payments showed me that making money as a writer was possible.
I got a little practice, and quickly found a new higher paying client to replace them. Regardless, starting out with gigs like this can give you the confidence and momentum you need to keep going.
And not all publications like this pay poorly. Some of them are actually willing to pay very well for top-notch writing in a specific niche (I’ve actually heard online golf magazines pay very well because its so hard to find writers who understand the sport). So if you can target a niche trade journal or publication, you might land a great longterm client!
To find online publications that pay writers, try searching Google for:
Your niche + magazine
Your niche + trade journal
Your niche + write for us
Your niche + contribute to our site
Create content for social media platforms
Every business needs an online presence, and social media is a huge part of that. But creating content for social media platforms can be a full-time job in and of itself. Business owners don’t have time to do that themselves… That’s where freelance writers come in!
If you’re experienced with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other social media platform – businesses will pay you to help them create engaging content for their followers. This type of work can be extremely fun and creative. If you have an eye for design, you can even use Canva to provide your client wiht unique custom graphics that fit their brand. Or you can pair up with a designer on Fiverr – you’ll be able to charge more for your services because you’ll be able to offer a complete social media package, but you won’t have to use precious time fiddling with color schemes and fonts yourself.
No matter what route you decide to go, creating social media content is a great way to put your writing skills to work and make money from home.
Ghostwrite an eBook
Entrepreneurs are always looking for ways to position themselves as experts in their field. And one of the best ways to do that is by writing a book. And these days, an eBook is the way to go. It’s cheaper and easier to produce than a traditional book, which means it has a much higher ROI for the author.
But entrepreneurs don’t always have the time (or the inclination) to actually sit down and write one themselves. So they hire freelance writers to do it for them. This is called “ghostwriting” and it’s a great way to make money as a writer.
As a ghostwriter, you could be responsible for:
- Interviewing the entrepreneur
- Researching the book’s topic
- Outlining the book
- Writing the book itself
- Editing and revising the book
- Formatting the book for publication
- Your name would not appear on the book as the author – that would be the entrepreneur’s name. But you would get a nice fat check for your writing services, and you could use the project as a great addition to your portfolio. Some freelance writers have built their entire career off of ghostwriting. Because they are very time-intensive, ghostwriting eBooks usually pay quite well.
eBooks that are 80-200 pages long can typically be charged between $8,000-$12,000. If the eBook is longer, 200-500 pages for example, you might charge as high as $15,000 or more.
So if you’re looking to make some serious money as a freelance writer, ghostwriting is a good route to take!
You never know what entrepreneur might be wanting to write an eBook, so go to LinkedIn and find people in your network who look like they care about being an authority in their space (maybe they give talks at conferences or reshare articles about current events in their industry). Send them a personalized message that shows the benefits of writing an eBook and see if they’re interested in having you do all the hard work for them!
These are just a few ways that you can make money as a freelance writer. Once you get started, you’ll likely find that there are many more opportunities out there for you to explore. So what are you waiting for? Get writing!
