Do you want to work from home?

Of course you do, why wouldn’t you?

From home, there is no need to worry about irritating coworkers, overbearing bosses, or even small announces like a stifling dress code.

I work from home, and right now I am wearing pajamas.

If you are a writer there is really no need to go into an office every day. Working freelance, you can take jobs from the comfort of your own home and set your own hours.

The problem? As a freelance writer, there is no base salary.

You get what you earn which means if you aren’t finding regular work it might be difficult to pay the bills.

Don’t worry, finding work isn’t as hard as you probably think it is, and while the profession is certainly competitive there are steps you can take to help ensure that you get the regular work you need.

Read on for a few steps you can take to find jobs as a freelance writer online.

Step 1: Look Often

Jobs aren’t just going to come to you, especially when you are first starting out. Chances are for the first days, weeks, or even months of your quest to become an established freelancer, you are going to spend most of your time searching for jobs.

Unfortunately, no one pays the struggling freelancer to look for work, so during this stage of your career you may need to maintain a conventional job for a while longer. It may take time for you to get enough work to freelance full time.

Luckily there are plenty of websites available that make finding work relatively simple.

Sites like UpWork, Freelancer, Contena, and others will list many jobs on their site.

Some have a cover to join while others take a percentage of your earnings.

Apply for as many jobs as you can in the beginning while of course maintaining a high standard for your applications.

While it may be tempting to draft a standard cover letter that you send to everyone, most clients can smell these from a mile away and will reject them on site.

Make sure each application is personal, friendly, and professional.

Step 2: Set Reasonable Rates

I am sure that you think your words are priceless but your future clients are certainly going to want to establish a very specific price for them, and often enough it will be lower than you think you deserve.

In the beginning you are probably going to need to bite that bullet and take jobs that pay less than you were hoping for.

That said there are a lot people out there that are looking to pay literal pennies on the dollar.

You don’t want to take these either.

Clients that are offering work that pays what equates to less than minimum wage are trying to take advantage of you so don’t take the bait.

In freelancing, rates are sometimes set by the hour though the most common rate of pay is per word.

Starting out, you might only be able to find jobs willing to hire you that pay a penny a word, especially if you don’t already have a portfolio you can use to leverage for higher pay.

Chances are a penny a word will feel low to you but keep in mind that once you start finding work, it becomes easier to find more work, and once you collect a few good articles you can send out as samples, it will be easier to apply for the higher paying gigs.

Step 3: Always be professional

Always! Treat your writing career you would treat any other business.

Be polite and respectful to even the most difficult of clients because their opinion of you could impact your reputation as a freelancer.

Good etiquette is actually pretty self-explanatory.

Don’t take jobs that you won’t be able to complete in a timely manner.

When a client emails you, always be sure to get back to them as quickly as possible, and if you make a mistake in your work revise it for free.

Occasionally a client will request a change not originally specified within the perimeters of the job description, at which point you can feel free to politely ask for a little more money.

One thing that might not be so obvious is to be polite to the people that don’t hire you as well.

Never burn a bridge, even the ones you didn’t quite get the chance to cross.

It’s easy to take rejection personally but part of being a professional is to resist hurt feelings and move on.

You’ll get used to it.

If you find an email in your inbox from a prospect that says they have decided to go in another direction, thank them for letting you know, and mention that you would love to work with them in the future.

Step 4: Always do Your Best Work

It seems obvious I guess, but when you have a long list of jobs to complete and the hours of the day seem to be shrinking away in a blink of the eye, it may be tempting to phone a job in.

Resist the urge.

For the same reason that you want to be polite and professional you also want to do the best possible work.

Remember if you aren’t trying hard, there is always another freelancer out there that will, and clients will replace you at the drop of a hat if they get the sense that you aren’t taking their work seriously.

Well written articles are also going to help you get more work, so always do your best.

Step 5: Always Follow Up

One thing you need to remember is that WE all get busy.

So just like you, the person looking through applications might just be busy and I’m sure your resume has found its way to the bottom of their inbox.

Don’t follow up immediately, but definitely give it a try if you didn’t get a response within a week.

Hey, they will most likely thank you for following up, pull your resume to the top, and quite possibly look over it right there and then.

Then they will see you as responsible and someone that actually cares, which means more kudos to you, right?

Taking as little action as that could make all the difference between you getting hired over the long lost of applicants.

Be the one to follow up and you might just be the best candidate for the job.

Conclusion:

When it comes to working freelance, patience is key and just like anything else in life, it might not happen right there and then.

Keep your eyes open, always be respectful, and definitely follow up if you don’t get a response.

Just remember if you put the work in, jobs will eventually come no matter what.

In the meantime try and stay positive, and focus on how sweet it will be to work from home.

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