If you’re tired of your current work and want to do something more exciting and lucrative with your time, then becoming a freelance writer could be just the ticket you need.
What Is Freelance Writing?
A freelance writer is somebody who completes written content for companies and individuals who commission work. There’s a demand for people who have an excellent command of written language and who can complete work to tight deadlines.
Let’s suppose that a company decides to hire your services as a freelance writer. You’ll get paid in proportion to the number of words that you create or the length of time that it takes you to complete a particular project.
How you get paid matters. A company, for instance, could commission you to write product descriptions for a new website they want to launch. Firms usually pay per word for this kind of work, so they will offer you a price according to the length of the pieces that they order. Experienced freelance writers can churn out product descriptions quickly, boosting their hourly rate.
You could, however, be commissioned work which requires substantial independent research. Research takes time, so it’s best to get paid for this kind of work according to how long it will take. It’s easy to write a 500-word product description, but it’s much harder to write a 500-word research article on, say, battery technology. The former requires a general knowledge of the product in question, while the latter, demands that you go and read the latest developments in a technical industry before you begin.
Why Become A Freelance Writer
The life of a freelance writer is different from the life of a regular worker. Most people have to get up in the morning, commute to work, and then listen to their boss complaining all day long. They’re stuck in the 9 to 5 rat-race, doing the same thing every day to earn money.
But for freelance writers, it’s different. If you’re fully independent, you can work as much or as little as you like. If you don’t want to take on a client because you want to go on holiday or have the day off, you’re free to do so. Similarly, you get to work when you want. If you fancy having a break halfway through the morning, nobody is going to stop you.
Freelance writers also don’t have to work for demanding or abusive bosses. As a freelance writer, you don’t have a boss: you work as an equal partner with your clients, attempting to create content that they will love.
Finally, if you love writing, then the work itself is more interesting than practically anything else that you could do. As a freelance writer, companies can commission you to write about virtually anything, from reasons you should join their services to educational articles on the benefits of meditation. You never quite know what you’re going to get.
One thing’s for sure: when you’re a freelance writer, you’ll never watch the clock. And, if you become well known, you could earn substantially more money than you do right now.
Opportunities For Freelancer Writers In The UK
Freelancer writers have two choices: they can either go it alone, or they can get work piped to them through freelance agencies like Copyify.com.
Going it alone is more challenging, but once you get going, it’s far more lucrative. Joining an agency provides you with a consistent stream of work and a regular income, but be aware that they may take a considerable chunk of your pay as commission.
If you are going alone there is usually much more responsibility in terms of managing your tax and records. Keeping good records is important, online accounting software can make this really easy and if you deal with check payments, check stubs come in very handy for freelancers to prove their income for payments via check that can’t be logged on online accounting software.
Of course, it also depends on your goals. If you want to own and run your own freelance writing business independent of an agency, then going it alone is a good idea. However, be aware that you will have to spend a large amount of your time (and money) finding clients and marketing your services. Agencies do all the client outreach and marketing for you, but they may also make you feel as if you’re just doing a regular job. Agencies might not be your official employers (according to any legal definition), but if they’re imposing deadlines and quality control, then it can sure feel like it.
How To Incorporate Affiliate Marketing Into Freelance Writing
If you’re a freelance writer, there are ways of combining this with your affiliate marketing ambitions. One of the things that you can do is include your own affiliate links in guest posts you write for websites. Not only do you earn money from being paid for writing the post but you may also earn commission for any traffic you deliver to advertisers websites via the blog you have posted on.
