I know. It’s a big call. Everywhere you look you’ll read blog posts about finding profitable niches, podcasts about finding a lucrative specialisations and Facebook groups crammed with writers trying to pick a niche. I get it. Over the past two years it’s been my main concern. But I’ve come to one conclusion: freelance writers don’t need a niche. And this is why.
There’s no beating around the bush. I’ve had a massive month, and one that tipped my total commissions for the year over $100K. Much of that has been earned through feature writing for magazines and newspapers – something I never thought was possible. Especially given this is my first year of full time freelancing and until now I have never earned over $20K in a year from my writing.
Last week I was having dinner with a friend and she asked how my work was going. “It’s really good,” I replied. “But I’m slammed with work. I’m working flat out during the day and I’m having to do work in the evenings too.” She looked at me, put her fork down and said something that seemed so obvious, but it hadn’t occurred to me before she said it.
Megan Blandford is one of those freelance writers whose byline you see everywhere. Her articles regularly appear in glossy magazines, newspapers, websites and blogs. Megan is versatile too – she can turn her hand to writing about almost anything; from health and business to travel, food and property. My decision to become a full time freelancer was partly inspired by Megan. She was the first person I knew whose husband looked after the kids while she made a good living from freelance writing.
LinkedIn is one of the best ways for freelance writers or journalists to find clients. If you’re writing for magazines or newspapers, you can connect with editors on LinkedIn and maintain your relationship, but you can also cultivate opportunities to find high-paying corporate work.
Oh October, what did you do to me? By the middle of the month, I felt like I was in a slump. I only had a couple of thousand dollars worth of work commissioned and felt flat and fatigued. But by the last few days of the month, it was a completely different story.
Around this time last year I started thinking about going full time as a freelance writer. It was a scary thought – would I be able to earn enough money, would I be able to maintain the energy required to run a small business (which is effectively what you’re doing when you’re a freelance writer), was I still going to love writing if it became my full time job and was I going to be successful?
2017 has been a bit of an experiment. This time last year my partner and I had finally decided that I would work as a freelance writer full time and he would be the stay-at-home parent. I promised myself that at the end of each month I would review how I was going – was I pitching enough? Marketing myself enough? Writing articles on topics that fascinated me? Was I happy? Most of all I wanted to make sure that I was trying new things in the writing world and this month I definitely have.
One of the things I love most about flying is reading the in-flight magazine. They are often full of pithy, fascinating and topical stories – not only about particular destinations, but broader trends and happenings within the arts, business, fashion and society. It can be tricky to break into writing for in-flight publications, so I spoke to a number of writers and an editor of an airline magazine to get the scoop on what you need to know in order to see your by-line the next time you take to the skies.
What does it look like to be a full time freelance writer? I documented the ins and outs of my last week of work for this post – and it’s less 4-hour work week and more 40-hour work week (minus a few hours). But despite the seemingly regular ‘office hours’, freelancing is anything but regular.
When I started freelance writing, I was doing it as a side hustle. I was working two days a week as a social worker and also completing my PhD. Feature writing for magazines and newspapers was fun and thrilling, but until the start of this year I never looked at it like it was a business. Now I’m a full time freelance writer and I am so proud of my micro-enterprise. I get such a sense of satisfaction when I see articles published with my byline and the money (eventually!) land in my bank account.
You might remember that I entered August in a bit of a spin – I had a heap of work to catch up on after going on a press trip and a family holiday back-to-back in July. In the first two weeks of August I had 11 feature articles for magazines and newspapers due. And the work kept coming. When I tallied up my income, I was stunned. It’s been a bumper month.
About how to write fabulous articles for publications you love? What about strategies on how to earn great money from content writing?
Weekly emails on what’s working right now for freelance writers who are writing for magazines, newspapers and corporate clients.
We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal Owners of the land we work on – the Dja Dja Wurrung. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and to the ongoing living culture of Aboriginal people. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. 💛🖤❤️
