Guest Post by Desiree Villena

Of course, in order to flourish as a freelance writer, you need jobs. And to find jobs, you need to know how to optimize your presentation and communications with clients on sites like Indeed, Mediabistro, Upwork, and more. I’m here to give you five actionable tips on how to do just that, so you can find remote writing gigs that are perfect for you and your freelance lifestyle! Let’s get to work.

Tip #1: Construct a detailed, eloquent profile

The two main elements of any professional profile are a) the work you’ve done and skills you possess, and b) the manner in which you present this information. A strong freelance writing profile must excel in both areas. Sloppily listing off your achievements is a self-defeating exercise; likewise, a flowery mission statement is worth nothing if it lacks concrete details.

You’d be shocked how many online freelancer profiles fail at either detail or eloquence, and sometimes both. Fortunately, this means it’s easy to stand out from the crowd with just a bit of effort! If you’ve never constructed a thorough résumé, or haven’t revised your existing one in some time, now’s the time to see where you can improve.

Start with basic information. Have you mentioned your education and degree, if relevant? An English, journalism, or communications degree shows that you’ve invested in a writing career. Next, move onto work experience. Emphasize roles where you’ve done lots of writing, or even worked “writing-adjacent” (as a copyeditor, for example). Finally, if you can think of any other special skills or outstanding achievements, list those as well.

Once you’ve compiled all that, it’s time to make it look nice. Though you don’t want to go overboard, include a couple of descriptive bullet points per job title, and employ professional yet creative language to demonstrate that you are, in fact, a talented writer. And before you upload your profile anywhere, have someone else check it for errors. Nothing’s more embarrassing than having the wrong form of “they’re”/”their”/”there” on your writing-based résumé.

Tip #2: List your profile under multiple categories

Speaking of uploading your profile to job sites, not only should you take advantage of every freelance platform at your disposal, but you should also list yourself under as many categories within those platforms as possible. For example, on Upwork you can select multiple writing categories such as article and blog writing, copywriting, and technical writing. You can even create specialized profiles to appeal to different types of clients!

But besides that, consider listing your profile under semi-related categories (admin, marketing, SEO, etc.) in order to gain more prospects. It might seem counterproductive to target clients who aren’t necessarily looking for writers — yet in today’s hyper-competitive job market, it never hurts to cast a wider net. And in my experience, posting your profile outside of writing-related categories is one of the best ways to find hidden gems with minimal competition.

This is because just about every company needs writers for something, and competent writers are surprisingly hard to find. So if they happen upon your profile while looking to fill an admin role, they might be a bit confused, but mainly impressed by what you have to offer — and will likely contact you either for the job at hand (which may involve a small amount of writing), or for a higher-paying gig that involves more writing. Either way, you’ve made a valuable connection, not least because it provides an opportunity for the following…

Tip #3: Build a diverse portfolio of writing samples 

Even the most silver-tongued profile can only do so much to convey your true writing prowess. To show clients you’ve got the skills to pay the bills, you’ll also need a strong collection of writing samples — ideally from several different projects. For example, in my portfolio I have listicles, how-to guides, a few “topical” articles, and even one technical piece that breaks down a complex process into manageable steps.

Needless to say, these writing samples should be as polished as possible, ready to submit at a moment’s notice. So if you wrote your most interesting pieces years ago, make sure they’re updated to your current standard of quality. And if you don’t have any quality writing samples, there’s no time like the present to create some; don’t wait until someone asks! Depending on the platform, you may be able to upload them as part of your profile.

Not only is it more professional to have samples ready right away, it’s also way less stressful than being forced to pull something out of thin air. And if a client does ask you to create a new sample based on a specific prompt, at least you’ll have some similar work to reference. Of course, not every client will do this, or even ask for writing samples at all — but writers hoping to secure long-term writing gigs (such as company content writing or ghostwriting jobs for authors) should always be prepared to offer them up.

Tip #4: Seek out clients yourself

Though there’s certainly something to be said for letting writing jobs come to you, this article is about how to find them yourself. This means that even after perfecting your profile, settings, and samples, you still need to proactively apply for gigs — especially if you’re just starting out.

The obvious way to do this is to search for them on your job site(s) of choice. Though each writer will have their own preferences, my recommendation is to stick to gig-based sites like Upwork and Textbroker if you’re still relatively new to the freelance writing game, and only consult job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed once you’ve got a few years of experience and you’re searching for a long-term, in-house writing or editing position.

In terms of the “newbie” sites, it’s easy to experiment with different keywords to discover gigs that suit you. Once you find one you’re interested in, submit a brief message or cover letter; this should be tailored to the gig, within reason. Consider creating a few cover letter templates, say for copywriting vs. technical writing vs. blogging, so you can quickly pick the most effective one, personalize the greeting, and shoot it off.
Again, today’s freelance job market is a numbers game, and on most platforms you have to send loads of messages just to get a single response. That said, once you’ve built up your portfolio and the job requests start rolling in, make sure to remember this next tip.

Tip #5: Don’t bite off more than you can chew

Perhaps it’s a bit premature to give this tip to readers who are just dipping their toes into the pool of freelance writing. But honestly, it’s never too early to learn the most crucial lesson of freelancing: don’t take on so much that you burn yourself out.

Almost every freelancer remembers a time when they had to work 50, 60, 70 hours a week or more to make ends meet. So even when they’re financially comfortable and can afford to take fewer jobs, there’s still that internal pressure to say yes to everything just in case.

From the bottom of my heart, I urge you not to do this. Not only is it mentally and physically taxing, but juggling too many jobs will almost inevitably result in one of them being dropped — either shoddily completed, or not completed at all. Clients will notice, they’ll give you negative feedback, and your job success rate/star rating/whatever metric will drop. The ironic result of taking on too many jobs is that you end up exactly where you feared: not being able to get any.

So know your limits and politely turn down work that pushes you beyond them, especially if it’s not part of your skill set — for example, marketing a book that you helped ghostwrite. And though most freelancers have to hustle when they’re just starting out, just keep in mind that there will come a time when you’ll be overwhelmed with job requests, and that it’s in both your personal and professional best interests to only take those you need.

Indeed, all these tips should help you balance those interests as you search for freelance writing jobs. It might take some perseverance, but if you work hard to stand out and follow through with high-quality writing, you’ll have your pick of the freelance litter in no time.