How you can go from blogging to freelancing? Here are some of the best ways to turn your blogging into a freelance business.
There are many reasons to start a blog; sometimes you go into it knowing that you want to capitalize on the traffic that popular blogs can get, and sometimes you just want to share experiences or knowledge. Regardless of what you first intended for your blog, it’s undeniable that in this day and age, a blog with decent and growing traffic provides a prime opportunity to start a freelance business.
How so? By turning what you’ve learnt through blogging into services that many would need. In this post, I’ll be going over several ways you can make use of the traffic and the skills that you acquire from writing and blogging.
What Freelance Jobs Are Suitable For Bloggers?
Almost every freelancer has blogged before becoming a freelance writer. If you are trying to figure out how the heck do you turn your blogging into a freelance business, you’re not alone. Here are some of the best freelance blogging jobs with no experience.
Freelance Writer
Pick any niche: there is probably a site, journal, or magazine column devoted to it on the Internet. And these platforms are always looking for new content! This means that you, with your expert knowledge and demonstrable proof that you can write on their choice subjects in an appealing way, can freelance for them.
If you’re particularly well-versed in web content and SEO, you can also go the marketing route. Consider working with businesses in your field, helping them present their expertise in a navigable and attractive way. If you can grow their traffic and increase their revenue, you might even find yourself with a solid rotation of regular clients.
Ghostwriter
Alternatively, you can become a ghostwriter. This may include writing blog posts and articles under someone else’s name — not too different from regular freelance writing — but there are also chances for bigger projects, such as writing a book.
A lot of professionals don’t have time to write books, even if they want to, and that’s where ghostwriters come in. You can choose to write about the specific industry in which you have experience — this surely will make you more appealing to clients, who can rest assured that you’ll fully understand the material and can explain it well.
You can also write about other things, if you’re a good researcher and you want to strengthen your writing skills in different fields. In any case, your practice in writing comprehensively and regularly as a blogger is definitely a good launch pad for a ghostwriting career.
Proofreader
Another way to capitalize on your writing skills is to proofread professionally. Every content creator needs to check their work for typos before it goes live (you hopefully know this already!), and creators who produce a lot of content will want a fresh pair of eyes to comb through everything.
As a blogger, you have the experience of proofreading for yourself — and while it may have started out as an amateur exercise, you can definitely do some extra reading and training to turn it into a profession. With a keen pair of eyes, and after brushing up on grammar and style guides, you can find proofreading gigs in no time.
Copy Editor
As a blog writer, you must already have a good understanding of prose and writing style. If you love reading and writing too, then you’re a prime candidate for a career as a copy editor. This option requires a bit more training and special skill, but it’s a great path for those who have a natural talent for words and phrasing.
In this profession, you go over a person’s work — usually a book — and flag spelling and grammar mistakes, problems with the flow of the prose, and both factual and stylistic inconsistencies. Essentially, you help the author write better and more eloquently. But it’s not just about catching mechanical errors; you need to have a nuanced understanding of the language in which you’re editing, in order to perfectly hone their content.
I’ve been using Cloudways since January 2016 for this blog. I happily recommend Cloudways to my readers because I am a proud customer.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, and especially if you have a little background in book editing, you can take a copyediting course to get certified. Many of these are provided by universities and editing societies, to help you learn about the editing process in an official capacity; you’ll get a certificate at the end to add to your credentials. That combined with your well-written, well-read blog will be a great profile to start out with as a freelance editor.
With those options explained, let’s move on to how you can go from blogging to freelancing.
Tips To Build A Freelance Business
From putting together a top-notch website to finding and nurturing working relationships, here are some tips to help you flourish as a newbie freelancer.
1. Write About Your (New) Trade
It’s oft-repeated, but only because it’s true — content is king. Write useful and optimized content about whatever you choose to do next, and clients will come to you. If you decide to become a freelance writer and hope to contribute to popular magazines, strengthen your existing blog with some evergreen content in addition to your topical stuff. If you’re hoping to tackle new trades like editing, for example, create new posts about self-editing.
Pro-tip: add calls to action in your blog posts to get readers to sign up for your newsletter or contact you! Let your blog convert traffic into clients.
2. Create A Strong Service Page
Whether you decide to call it “Service,” “About,” or “Contact me,” this page is going to be the place where people familiarize themselves with what you offer — and, more importantly, it’s your biggest chance to turn each new person into your client.
Some tips for a good service page are:
- Focus on what the client gets from working with you
- Keep the text concise and easy to read
- Don’t forget about SEO — choose a suitable keyword and avoid writing a blog post that might cannibalize the service page
- Make sure it’s mobile friendly
3. Say That You’re Looking For Work
Once you’ve demonstrated your proficiency and optimized your website to invite potential clients to contact you, give them a nudge in the right direction. Start by mentioning that you’re looking for work in a blog post or on social media. This is the most straightforward way to make use of the following you’ve gained through blogging.
On top of that, you should look to expand your professional network. Join communities relevant to the freelance career you desire and share your best posts on LinkedIn — encouraging people to interact with you while you’re at it! Do the same on Twitter, following pros in your field and keeping an eye out for calls for pitches and job postings, and you should be able to land a freelance gig in no time.
4. Prepare Clear Contracts
If you’re going for big freelance projects, like ghostwriting a book or a long-term copy editing deal, you should have a good contract to clarify responsibilities and establish a clear working relationship. A thorough contract will let you start off on the right foot, since good business relies not just on the quality of the final product but also on the quality of the collaboration.
With those tips on how to turn your blogging into a freelance business, you can start renovating your blog and turn it into a freelance business. Good luck!
Looking for a side hustle for your retirement? Check this post.
About the author: Thao Nguyen is a writer at Reedsy, a platform that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. When she’s not writing about publishing, she works on short stories and researches modern Asian history.
