Can I Make $1000 a Month Freelance Writing?

Wondering if you can make $1000 a month through freelance writing gigs?

It’s an achievable goal, especially if you position yourself correctly and target clients who can pay you your worth.

This guide provides a complete breakdown of how to get started as a freelance writer and earn a steady income with flexible remote work.

In this post, we’ll go over a few tips to help you reach your target of $1000/month.

Can You Live Off of Freelance Writing?

Yes, you can. Many freelance writers earn a good income by writing for institutions, publications, and brands, and some even earn over six figures per year.

Many freelancers have built themselves thriving freelancing businesses and even set up writing agencies later on. There’s no reason why you can’t do the same.

One of the best ways to stand out and make a name for yourself as a freelance writer is to connect with people you want to write for as well as people you want to learn from.

The truth is that it is possible to earn a good living with freelance writing if you choose a profitable niche, brand yourself correctly, and use LinkedIn and cold emailing to get in touch with potential clients.

This is how you stand out from other freelancers who charge $15 per article. When you send an outreach email you are one-on-one with that prospect, unlike on content mills wheels there are 100s of people vying for one job.

What Is a Good Rate for Freelance Writing?

If you’re a complete beginner with no experience, I recommend starting from at least $0.10 per word for a 1000-word blog post, you’ll make $100 per blog post.

Writer fees differ depending on the type of work you do. Freelancers who write website copy typically charge $100-$200 for a short webpage, while longer webpages are somewhere around $500 or more.

Can I Be a Freelance Writer With No Experience?

Don’t let a lack of experience stop you from finding freelance copywriting work. Plenty of freelance writers are self-taught.

You don’t need any fancy degree or even experience to get started. As long as you can write while sticking to the rules of punctuation and grammar, you’re good.

You can start your business by writing for friends and family, reaching out to agencies, and cold emailing.

But before that, follow the steps below to set a business goal and build your brand:

Set your income goal
Pick a niche
Write samples
Set up a freelance writer website
Put yourself out there

Set Your Income Goal

Create a goal with a deadline. For example, I want to make $1000/month in say 3 months.

How many projects would I need to complete each month to reach my income goal?

If I charge $150 per blog post, that’s 1000/$150… I’ll have to write 7 blog posts to reach my goal.

Pick a Niche

Choosing a niche is one of the first things you have to do when starting a freelancing business, and this is where most people get stuck, I know I did.

I was afraid that if I niche down too much I won’t get many clients. But you can always expand your niche or choose a different niche when you find what works for you. Nothing is set in stone.

My niche was health and wellness, but this was too broad…so I’ve branded myself as a fitness and nutrition writer for health coaches.

There are many sub-niches you could write for, I’ll give you a few in the Health and Digital Marketing space:

Health and wellness

Sleep Coach
Mental Health/therapist
Dental Technology
Cancer
Diabetes
Motherhood/Parenting

Digital Marketing

Fintech
SaaS
Link building
Search Engine Marketing
CRM software

Write Samples

Your sample pieces showcase your writing skills and expertise in the niche you’re in.

Having a blog post as a writing sample is one of the easiest to tackle for a new writer while showing your skills in formatting, SEO, editing, and writing style.

If you plan on writing a blog post as a sample it should be less than 1500 words. Writing samples shouldn’t be too long because prospects just skim them as they might not have time to read a lengthy blog post.

You only need 2-3 writing samples for your writing portfolio and two of those can be based on evergreen topics. Include one sample on a trending topic to show prospects that you keep up-to-date with what’s happening in your field.

Check out this post on how to create writing samples from scratch (template included)!

Set up a Freelance Writer Website

Your writing samples should be put on a portfolio page on your freelance writer website. If you don’t have a website yet, there are free portfolio sites like Clippings.me, Contently, and JournoPortfolio to showcase your work.

Here’s a full guide to setting up a freelance writer website in minutes:)

Put Yourself Out There

Here are a few ways to build a profitable freelance writing business fast:

Diversify your clients
Pitch regularly
Build long-term relationships
Optimize your online presence
Offer packages
Network in your niche

1. Diversify Your Clients

Look for a mix of clients to target in your niche such as magazine publications, solopreneurs, companies, and institutions. This can provide a steady stream of work.

2. Pitch Regularly

Actively reach out to potential clients whom you want to work with.

Start cold emailing and sending at least 10-15 emails a day introducing yourself and pitching your services.

Don’t be afraid to showcase the value you bring: Include your USP and a link to your website.

3. Build Long-Term Relationships

Focus on building lasting relationships with clients by submitting your work on time, asking for feedback, and providing the best client experience you can.

Satisfied clients are more likely to provide recurring work and refer you to others.

4. Optimize Your Online Presence

Ensure your website and social media profiles are optimized to attract clients actively searching for writing services.

Optimize your LinkedIn profile, and connect with clients on LinkedIn to build your network, and you’ll soon have people reaching out to you.

5. Offer Packages

Consider creating packages for your services. This can make it easier for clients to understand what you offer and encourage them to commit to ongoing work.

Oftentimes packages come with discounts, and other incentives to get clients on retainer.

6. Network in Your Niche

Attend events or join online communities related to your niche. Networking can open doors to new opportunities and clients.

Remember, consistency is key. Keep refining your approach, and you’ll likely see your freelance income grow over time.

If you have any advice on how to build a sustainable freelancing business, feel free to share it in the comments.

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FAQs

How Much Do Beginner Writers Make?

It depends! Many beginning writers make the mistake of starting at a very low rate like $0.01 to $0.04 per word.

I suggest brand new freelance writers charge no less than $0.1/word – $.25/word for a pay rate. You’ll range from $100 to $250 for a 1,000-word blog post.

Make sure you don’t go below your starting fee or second guess your pricing.

>> Read this post on how to set your rates.

How Much Do Writers Get Paid for 1,000 Words?

Let’s say you’re a complete beginner with no experience. If you start from $0.10 per word for a 1000-word blog post, you’ll make $100 per blog post.

As a beginner, it may be daunting to charge a rate of $100 for a 1000-word blog post, especially when some freelancers on Fiverr and Upwork are getting $10 per article.

But the work you’re doing is valuable and will companies in the long term, that’s why you have to reach out to clients who’ll see the value you bring.

As you start building experience you can up your fees and charge up to $2 per word.

Is It Hard to Find Work as a Freelance Writer?

Finding freelance writing jobs can be challenging, especially for beginners. While the steps to finding your niche and setting up your portfolio are relatively straightforward, it’s putting yourself out there and getting your first client that can be a challenge.

But once you’ve got your first client, it’s all just rinse and repeat: Use the same outreach method, or refine your strategy so you save time and get more booked clients.

How Much Should I Charge to Write 500 Words?

For a 500-word article, beginner writers on freelance bidding sites might charge between $3 to $25.

But we’re not targeting clients on content mills and we’re also niche writers, so we can charge way higher than that.

If we go by the previous rate of $0.10 per word for a 1000-word blog post, then a 500-word blog post will be $50, which is reasonable since it’ll only take an hour or two to complete.

How Long Does It Take to Get Paid as a Freelance Writer?

This may be difficult for beginner freelancers but when you get a client you have to ask for a deposit before you even start working for the client.

So when you can send the deposit invoice along with the contract to the client, and only start working after it has been paid. The rest of the payment can be made after the project or monthly depending on how long the project is.