Is it nonetheless potential to earn a living as a contract author in 2025? 

In brief, sure. 

AI writing instruments are getting higher, however these freelance writers show which you can nonetheless earn a six determine wage 2025:

Even in the event you’re simply getting began, this step-by-step information will assist you begin getting cash as a contract author in 2025. 

1. Choose Your Area of interest

Some freelance writing niches pay considerably greater than others, so choosing a excessive paying area of interest can dramatically improve your incomes potential. 

Two elements to contemplate as you’re choosing your freelance writing area of interest are:

1. The service
2. The shopper

A few of the hottest freelance writing platform/alternatives embrace:

• Social media: Social media ghostwriting for LinkedIn and X is an in-demand service. This can be a nice service in the event you get pleasure from brief kind content material and are a fantastic storyteller.  

• Content material advertising and marketing: Corporations rent freelance writers to create weblog posts to rank for particular key phrases. If you wish to be a content material marketer, study the fundamentals of search engine optimization, as most firms hiring content material entrepreneurs care extra about rating for key phrases than the content material itself.    

• Publication author: Publication writing is a superb area of interest in the event you get pleasure from analysis. Decide a topic you’re obsessed with as you’ll want to remain on high of the newest information and traits.You may both ghostwrite a e-newsletter for a person, or you’ll be able to write for a e-newsletter firm (like Morning Brew). Right here’s an instance of a private e-newsletter:

• E-mail copywriting: There are lots of forms of e mail copywriting, from common firm updates to in-depth nurture sequences. Gross sales emails for merchandise or programs are usually probably the most worthwhile because it’s price it for an organization to pay an additional few thousand {dollars} for an e mail copywriter who can improve conversions by even a small proportion.

• Video scriptwriting: YouTube is maturing as a official advertising and marketing channel, and loads of firms are hiring scriptwriters. Moreover, many YouTubers have turned their channels into official companies and are hiring scriptwriters to expedite the manufacturing course of. Video scriptwriting is clearly an up-and-coming area of interest as one creator lately earned $70,000 launching a YouTube scriptwriting course.   

The subsequent step to choosing your area of interest is selecting your dream shopper – each the business and enterprise.

Pinpointing your dream shopper is vital as a result of your revenue as a contract author is not correlated with effort. 

Your incomes potential is correlated with the worth you ship to shoppers.  

Remember the fact that:

Worth ≠ Work High quality

Worth = {Dollars} Earned

This idea is vital to recollect as a result of the sum of money you generate for a shopper typically varies on elements exterior of your management, like:

• The profitability of their product
• Their viewers measurement
• Their advertising and marketing funnel’s optimization

For instance, a fantastic e mail copywriter can cost $10,000 for a gross sales letter that generates $100,000 in revenue for the enterprise – even when they solely spent three hours writing it.

Nonetheless, a model new dropshipping enterprise that sells a $5 product most likely received’t pay greater than $100 for a similar quantity of labor. It’s because a brand new firm has a small viewers, and the value is so low that it possible generates little revenue.

As you’re contemplating your dream shopper, ask: 

How a lot cash will my outcomes make for this individual/enterprise?

Listed below are some fundamental tips for figuring out a mature shopper throughout a couple of completely different companies:  

• Social media: Entrepreneurs who’ve exited their enterprise or are making eight figures per 12 months.
• Running a blog/content material advertising and marketing: Companies with a powerful model (at the very least 100k in month-to-month site visitors.) that rely closely on search engine optimization for buyer acquisition.
• Publication: Newsletters that have already got massive sponsors (you’ll be able to subscribe and see how massive the businesses sponsoring them are), paid newsletters which have a big subscriber base, and newsletters in extremely profitable industries (suppose banking, and so forth.).
• E-mail writing: Course creators with a considerable, engaged following (a number of thousand individuals) and a excessive worth course ($1,000 plus) or B2B firms that want nurture sequences for top worth merchandise are all wonderful prospects.
• Video scriptwriting: You may goal a significant YouTuber or a big model like HubSpot that’s starting to create movies for particular key phrases. 

Lastly, the business must be a subject you’re genuinely obsessed with, as your ardour will impression each your work high quality and general happiness as a contract author. 

For instance, you’ll be able to cost rather a lot to put in writing a e-newsletter about mergers and acquisitions, however when you have little interest in the topic, you most likely received’t do pretty much as good of a job as somebody who lives and breathes mergers and acquisitions. 

Moreover, you’ll burn out in the event you don’t benefit from the topic you’re writing about, which can finally trigger you to fail. 

So selecting a topic you like writing about actually does impression how a lot cash you’ll finally earn.

2. Create a Record of Your Dream Purchasers

New freelance writers typically make the error of focusing on smaller shoppers after they first begin as a result of they worry their dream shopper received’t need somebody inexperienced.

Nonetheless, your dream shoppers don’t actually care about your expertise – they need to rent an individual who constantly delivers nice work. 

Within the subsequent step, you’ll show that you just’re that A-tier freelancer by creating an incredible free pattern for that shopper. 

Should you create a stellar pattern piece, most dream shoppers received’t even ask about your expertise.

Then again, advertising and marketing finances is extra valuable for a smaller shopper, so they might ask extra about your expertise.  

The opposite issue that may impression your shut fee (the share of shoppers that rent you) is whether or not or not the shopper is actively hiring for that service. 

If the corporate already has a group in place, they won’t be curious about hiring one other individual, no matter your high quality of labor. That field is already “checked” on their to-do listing.

For this reason you’ll want to succeed in out to a number of firms. Don’t be discouraged in the event you don’t obtain a reply in your first few tries. 

That stated, if the corporate is actively hiring a full-time worker for the service you supply, that’s a transparent signal they want your service.

To seek out firms hiring a full-time worker in your companies, you’ll be able to take a look at a job board like LinkedIn, Wellfound, and even Certainly. 

Corporations hiring in-house expertise for that place have already put aside a finances for the service you supply, and plenty of of them are joyful to contemplate freelancers fairly than hiring in-house. 

You may as well submit on job boards like Upwork, however these are usually way more aggressive and it may be troublesome to face out.

You may nonetheless attain out to firms that aren’t actively hiring for the function, as they might want that service and simply haven’t gotten round to posting a job description.

Should you can entry a software like Crunchbase, search for firms that lately employed a brand new advertising and marketing chief (e.g., CMO, VP of Advertising and marketing, Advertising and marketing Director, and so forth.) or acquired extra funding. New advertising and marketing leaders have to develop and can most likely rent for brand spanking new roles. Equally, firms that lately acquired funding will possible deploy that capital into hiring new expertise.

3. Create Free Pattern Items

“Construct a writing portfolio.”

That is recommendation most individuals let you know.

As an alternative, create free pattern items in your dream shoppers.

In case your dream shoppers don’t rent you, you should utilize these pattern items to construct a writing portfolio. 

So let’s say you determined to supply content material advertising and marketing companies. 

You recognized that your dream shopper is Influencity, an influencer advertising and marketing software.

Subsequently, write a weblog submit on the subject of influencer advertising and marketing.

This observe will make you a greater author, and it’s a compelling pitch.

4. Pitch Your Dream Consumer

These are the 2 most vital rules when pitching shoppers:

1. Discover the appropriate individual to contact.
2. Maintain it brief.

First, the appropriate individual to contact is the one that has the authority to rent for that function. 

I exploit LinkedIn. The free model permits you to search by “advertising and marketing” beneath the “Individuals” tab:

One of the best individual to contact is often the best ranked advertising and marketing government if it’s a advertising and marketing group of 5 or fewer individuals. 

If it’s a bigger firm with a advertising and marketing group of 5 or ten individuals, there’s a great probability these executives obtain too many pitches for yours to chop by the noise. 

In that case, pitch the content material or social media advertising and marketing supervisor (relying on the service you’re pitching). 

As soon as you discover the appropriate individual, ship them a connection request. Should you see that they’re energetic on LinkedIn, touch upon a few of their content material.

Subsequent, discover their e mail handle. 

You should utilize a software like Hunter.io or Verifalia to do that. 

Attempt a couple of completely different combos like:

• (first)@area.com 
• (first).(final)@area.com 
• (firstinitial).(final)@area.com 
• (final)@area.com

A kind of will most likely work. 

Subsequent, write your e mail. Maintain it to simply two strains. 

Right here’s the template

Hello (title),

(one line saying why they’re your dream shopper)

I’d love to put in writing (service) for (model). I already wrote one for you (see hooked up).

Tim

Bear in mind to connect your pattern!

Right here’s an instance of how you could possibly alter this template for an actual pitch: 

Hello Alex,

It was love at first chunk after I tried the peanut butter chocolate taste 🙂 

I’d love to put in writing emails for SkinnyDipped. I already wrote one for you (see hooked up).

Tim

Don’t be discouraged in the event that they don’t reply to your first e mail. Comply with up with them at the very least twice.

It’d take a couple of tries, however you’ll ultimately land your first shopper and construct your portfolio within the course of.

5. Construct Your Private Model

Chilly outreach is good to get your first few shoppers and get began. 

However it’s quite a lot of work.

Touchdown a shopper is often about timing. If the shopper is about to rent for that place, they’ll most likely rent you. If not, they’ll most likely move. 

What in the event you might get in your dream shopper’s radar earlier than they’re prepared to rent? Then, they attain out to you when they’re prepared to rent.

How do you get on their radar earlier than they’re prepared to rent?

Construct a private model.

If shoppers see you posting useful content material (or at the very least logical content material that exhibits what you’re doing) on LinkedIn and X, you’ll most likely be the primary one who involves thoughts after they wish to rent.

We now have a separate useful resource on constructing a private model, however listed here are content material concepts that will help you begin posting on LinkedIn and X:

• Templates you utilize in your writing
• Case research (as you begin writing extra)
• Errors and failures to keep away from (ideally from your individual expertise)
• Ideas for a subtopic of your companies (e.g., writing topic strains in the event you supply e mail copywriting)

The simplest methodology to develop your following is providing knowledge that solutions a burning business query or a free software. 

Right here’s an instance of a free software:

Right here’s an instance of information that solutions a burning business query:

Free instruments and related knowledge are sometimes probably the most efficient strategies to rapidly construct an viewers, however they’re extra concerned to create. So don’t procrastinate getting began in the event you don’t have a free software or unique knowledge in the beginning.

Begin publishing content material a couple of days per week.

Moreover, have interaction together with your dream shoppers’ content material. Go away insightful feedback and share their posts.

This isn’t solely wonderful for constructing real connections, but it surely additionally helps you keep updated with business traits. You’ll additionally find out about their ache factors, what’s working within the business, and enhance your individual abilities.

A professional tip is to pick out simply 5 of your dream shoppers who’re energetic on LinkedIn (posting at the very least 3x per week) after which put them in a Google Sheet. 

Then, for the subsequent week, revisit that Google Sheet every week, click on into their profile, and meaningfully have interaction with every new submit they publish. 

These individuals need LinkedIn engagement, so participating with their content material is one of the best ways so as to add worth.

6. Elevate Your Costs

As you construct your private model, you’ll ultimately have extra shoppers than you’ll be able to tackle. 

Finally you’ll have two choices to proceed rising: Both construct a group and flip it right into a advertising and marketing company or increase your costs.

If you wish to rent different writers and construct a advertising and marketing company, you are able to do that, however remember the fact that operating a advertising and marketing company requires very completely different abilities than freelance writing. 

For a lot of freelance writers, rising costs is a greater methodology to generate extra revenue. 

Should you’re undecided learn how to improve your costs, ship this e mail to your least favourite shopper:

Hello (title),

It’s been a pleasure working with you and I’m actually enthusiastic about (final marketing campaign that went properly).

I’m at the moment at capability and should improve my costs to proceed giving every shopper the time they deserve. 

Starting (date), my costs might be $X,000 per 30 days. If that works for you, I stay up for persevering with our partnership.

Thanks,

Title

As quickly as you hit capability, increase your costs. 

Even when the shopper cancels, you’ll nonetheless produce other shoppers, and you should utilize that point to reinvest in your private model to draw extra prime quality shoppers who pays much more. 

Get Extra Assist Constructing Your Freelance Writing Profession

The step-by-step course of outlined above will assist you kickstart your freelance writing profession, however getting began may be lonely. 

You most likely received’t land the very first potential shopper you pitch, however you’ll construct a gentle shopper base in the event you’re persistent and constantly ship high quality work.

To make the journey simpler, we created Copyblogger Academy. It’s a course and neighborhood that provides freelancers and facet hustlers the entire advertising and marketing supplies they want. There are 9 programs on matters starting from private branding and copywriting to search engine optimization and e mail advertising and marketing.

You may as well ask the neighborhood for suggestions in your work and even ask inquiries to seven determine entrepreneurs, Charles Miller and Tim Stoddart. 

Take a look at Copyblogger Academy as we speak to see if it’s a great match for you.