How to Become a Freelance Writer

Today we’re chatting about how to become a freelance writer.

I have a fun interview for you with award-winning writer Holly Johnson, who works at home as a freelance writer. She writes for well-known publications and has made over $225,000 doing it!

Her work has even been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fox News Business and CNN. And she’s here today sharing her best tips and tricks with us.

If you love to write and are looking for a way to make some extra income as a side hustle or to replace your current income this might be for you!

Let’s get started…

 

How to Become a Freelance Writer with Holly Johnson

 

Holly, I’m super curious, what was your reason why you decide to start freelance writing?

I have always been passionate about writing, but I stepped up my writing efforts in the online space in 2011. I was working a job with long hours and mediocre pay and desperately wanted to earn more money. We started our blog, ClubThrifty.com, and I quickly learned how to use my online presence to find paid writing work.

I started writing because I wanted more money, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I could earn more and have a better quality of life if I freelanced full-time and quit my job. It took me 12 months to replace my full-time income of around $40,000 with freelance work and put in a one-month notice with my employer. I never went back.

 

I love seeing what people can do when they put their mind to it! How long did it take you to start making money?

I started making money right away, although it took a while to build my portfolio up to get the highest paying jobs. I also did some free writing at first to beef up my portfolio. It took me 12 months to start earning around $3,300 per month or $40,000 per year, but I was also working a full-time job at the time.

 

How much time do you work each week?

I currently work around 40 hours per week, although it does vary some. We travel around 12 weeks per year, so I might work more or less depending on what is going on in our lives. I just got back from 8 days in St. Thomas so I worked considerably less this month.

 

I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering at this point, what does your typical day look like working as a freelance writer?

Creating content online is just like any other job. The big difference is I’m now self-employed and able to work out of my own home. I generally get up at around 7:00 a.m. and get the kids ready for school. Once they get on the bus, I work from around 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. When they get home, we play, spend time together, and make dinner. Since I’m self-employed, I generally spend the last day of every month sending out invoices and getting paid for all my work.

 

Thanks for coming on today and sharing what worked for you and how others can do it too. I know you a have a great course that walks people through every detail, without giving it all away would you mind sharing with us what are your best tips and tricks for a newbie?

The entire process will probably feel overwhelming at first, and that’s okay. The key is to get started and begin writing as soon as you can. Starting a blog is also helpful since it gives you an online home or place where people can find you. Building a strong social media presence is also a key piece of the puzzle if you want to get the best jobs.

 

Resources:

Holly’s course Earn More Writing will show you how to land jobs and earn more money as a freelance writer. Opportunities to learn from the best don’t come around very often, if you love writing, are interested in freelance work and are looking for well-paying income, don’t miss this chance.

As a blogger myself, I obviously love her advice on starting a blog and strongly agree that building an online home and presence is such a key to finding more opportunity. If you’re ready you can use this free tutorial to get started with a blog.

 

See you guys next Monday!

xoxo, Alida

 

Related Posts:

My Online Income Reports

How to Start a Blog

How to Make Money Selling on Amazon

P.S. Are you looking for extra side income? I make full-time income blogging part-time—check out this easy step-by-step tutorial on how start a blog (no tech knowledge required).