The biggest difficulty in becoming a freelance writer is having the right writing samples to land those first few jobs. Without writing samples, potential employers will be reluctant to take a chance on a new freelancer. These days, this shouldn’t present a problem for the serious writer looking to start a freelance writing career.
Find places to display writing samples
There are a multitude of places on the Internet that allow you to post articles or stories for free on your site. In return, those sites sell ads that rely on content to attract visitors to the site. It can be a win-win situation for both the website and the writer. For the freelance writer, these sites provide the opportunity to post the very samples that future clients will want to see from you. The key is to use these sites correctly to put the best possible face on your writing.
First, choose a site that has a large base and many followers. This is easily accomplished by entering “article repository” or “article directory” into a search engine. The results that appear on the first two pages are the “big” ones. Choose three or four of these sites to write about. Sign up for them one at a time to avoid getting lost along the way. After signing up, write an article or story like the ones that would be used as samples for a future client. Never mind that no one has ordered these items. The fact that they are available and can be consulted by those who are interested is all that matters.
Write three articles for the first site. Write each article on a different topic and in a different style or voice. That way, if someone reads one of the articles on that site and then searches for others by the same author, they’ll get a mixed sample. The variation will prevent them from thinking that there is only one style or specialty of the writer.
Once all three articles have been written on one site, move on to the next site. Having multiple articles on one site helps dispel the notion that the author wasn’t asked to write again, or that the author is a one-trick pony, so to speak. Having multiple articles is more important than having multiple sites, although eventually, it is important to have both.
On the next site write three new articles. Do not copy or paraphrase the original articles. Again, it is key to avoid the impression that the author only does one type of writing. In fact, if possible, write about completely different topics. Once three or four sites have three articles each, filling each site with similar content will only help boost your profile.
As the freelancer applies for work with clients, referencing several of the links will provide the prospective client with a way to assess the freelancer’s work and thus avoid the fear of hiring an untested writer. Don’t give away all the links at first. Often a prospective client will ask to see, “more like this,” regarding one or more of the samples. By keeping some links in reserve, there is more the freelancer can give. If the client asks for more and the freelancer does not have more, then it is acceptable to say that after reviewing the records, the freelancer will provide more samples. This time can be used to write additional content as long as it only takes a day or two.
By using the Internet to help build a portfolio, the freelancer avoids the classic paradox of needing samples before getting a job, but needing a job to develop samples. Samples can then be written at the freelancer’s spare time and ready for the next proposal.