Earn Money From Home: Be a Freelance Writer

 

If you love writing (or just happen to be pretty good at it) freelancing might be an awesome way for you to earn money from home!

Meet stay-at-home mom Abbi, from SuccesfulFreelanceWriter ~ she and I chatted today on Facebook Live, and if you are looking for a way to earn money from home as a writer, this is just for you!

Abbi started with a desire to stay at home with her daughter, and has since built a fantastic career as a freelance writer.   Now she's helping many other moms get started as well by sharing her tips and tricks!

Here's what she has to say about becoming a freelance writer:

When my first daughter was born almost 20 years ago, the thought of leaving her with someone else while I went out to an office was overwhelming. I couldn’t do it.

But I needed to find a way to contribute to our household finances. It took some time for me to work out the details, but for most of the past 20 years, I’ve been able to earn about $60,000/year working 4-5 hours a day, from home.

 

So, what exactly do I do?

 

I’m a freelance writer.

 

In a nutshell, freelance writing is when you write for other people — companies, magazines, businesses, publishers, or others — one project at a time, and you get paid.

 

Freelance writers can do all kinds of things. Some freelancers write the magazine articles you ready every month in Real Simple and Glamour. Others write articles in magazines you’ve never heard of, like Construction Workers Monthly.

 

There are freelance writers who write the instruction manual for your washing machine, the brochure about the new car your husband wants to buy, and the blog posts on your pediatrician’s web site.

 

A lot of what you read on any given day was written by a freelance writer. Which means that there are a LOT of opportunities out there for freelance writers to make money.

 

When you’re a freelancer, you decide exactly how much you want to work, how much you want to charge, and what you want to do. So if someone offers you a project that doesn’t interest you or that will take too much of your time, you can say no.

 

On the other hand, you have the opportunity to learn about new topics, talk to interesting people, and, of course, make money for it — and all from home.

 

How Much Can You Earn From Freelance Writing

 

When you are a freelancer, you decide how much you want to work, and you set your prices, so the amount of money you can earn is really up to you.

 

Of course, the amount of time you have to write and how experienced you are will help determine what you can make, but broadly speaking, most people can start out making at least $25/hour, and plenty of freelancers make a LOT more than that.

 

Over the last year, I’ve taught hundreds of moms how to get started in freelance writing, and here is a sampling of the sweet assignments they’ve landed as a result:  

 

• Writing a blog post about parenting — about 2 hours of work; $75
• Writing an article about meal planning for a small magazine — about 6 hours of work; $250
• Writing 4 blog posts on health topics: about 12 hours of work; $850
• Writing a series of emails for a blogger — about 5 hours of work; $600
• Writing a brochure about a new medication for a pharmaceutical company — about 30 hours of work; $2200

 

You can see that some assignments are more specialized and require more time. Others are simple to complete, don’t take too long, and don’t require a lot of experience — and they can still pay well.

 

Is Freelance Writing the Same as Blogging?

 

Freelance writers can blog, and bloggers can freelance write. But the two disciplines, while related, aren’t exactly the same. There are a lot of similarities between the two: both are work-at-home jobs, and both mean that you are your own boss, and both involve writing.

 

But typically, a blogger writes posts about ONE specific topic, which could be WHATEVER she wants. Saving money, for example. Or knitting. Or parenting kids with special needs. Or cooking healthy meals.

 

A blogger chooses exactly what to write, and she usually has a plan in place to make money from her blog — either by having ads on the site, writing sponsored posts, selling her own products, selling someone else’s products, or a combination.

 

A freelance writer usually has clients who tell her what they need her to write. She is still creative, but she doesn’t just decide, “Hey, today, I’ll write about 7 dinners you can make from canned tomatoes.” Instead, her client says to her, “Hey, today, we need you to write a 750-word article on the health benefits of canned tomatoes, and be sure that you interview these two doctors.”

 

When you’re a blogger, part of your money will almost definitely come from selling. When you’re a freelance writer, you have to market your services as a writer, but you don’t necessarily have to SELL to make money.

 

Which Path is Right for Me?

 

If writing is painful for you, or if it’s just not something you enjoy, then you probably want to look for other ways to make money from home.

 

But if you’ve always loved writing, then freelance writing or blogging might be a great way for you to explore earning money from home. You might be wondering which way you should choose.

 

Both freelance writing and blogging can be a wonderful way to earn a real income while giving you the freedom to be at home with your children, set your own hours, and build a complete life that makes you happy and supports your family.

 

But how do you know which path is the right one for you?

 

This super-quick quiz can help you figure it out. In less than two minutes, you can answer 8 simple questions and find out which path is more suited to you, the way you think, and the work you most like to do.

 

As soon as you take the quiz, you’ll get an answer — plus resources that will help you follow the path that you’ve chosen so that you can start earning money!

 

About Abbi

Abbi Perets is passionate about showing moms how to have it all. At SuccessfulFreelanceMom.com, Abbi teaches mothers how to break into freelance writing and land high-paying jobs while they're at home with kids. As a mom to five kids, including one with special needs, Abbi knows the unique challenges moms faceevery day, and she works to empower them to pursue their dreams and live a life they love.