Wondering how to make money as a freelance writer? Well, buckle up, because everyone loves the part of the hero’s journey where our protagonist accepts the “call to adventure” and “crosses the threshold” from “the ordinary world” into “the extraordinary world.” It’s engaging. It’s hopeful. It pushes the plot forward. But we can’t forget about the Cell Phone Number List challenges and struggles that come next. For new freelance writers: You may have started off with a couple of great clients, but now you have to turn your passion into a sustainable writing business. How to make money freelance writing So, what’s the skill that enables a terrific content marketer and copywriter to offer premium services? Time management. Before you click away, disappointed that I brought up something as practical and boring as time management, hear me out. My intent is not to poop on your party as you learn how to become a freelance writer. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. When our freelance-writer heroes accept calls to adventure to cross over into the extraordinary world, they still need to be equipped with the real-world abilities that make their service businesses possible. And part of that transformation involves balancing client work with their own marketing and marketing education. Time management is the core of your strong business and content strategy, because how you spend your time directly affects the: Health of your business Types of clients you attract Value you have to offer those clients You don’t quickly learn how to make money as a freelance writer and then get to sit back and eat bonbons while clients who pay competitive rates flock to you. The challenges and struggles of the hero’s journey exist for a reason: They help you, your business, and your marketing story grow. Looking for Content Marketing Services? Digital Commerce Partners is the agency division of Copyblogger, and we specialize in delivering targeted organic traffic for growing digital businesses. LEARN MORE How to be a freelance writer and make money But here’s an often overlooked scary thought that might happen on your way to earning money freelance writing: What if your content marketing actually works? What if you get all of the clients you want? Will you be able to handle them? Every service provider needs to answer those questions honestly because there is often a disconnect between what we say we want and the actions we take. Fear of success can prevent us from crafting the bold, strategic plans that will truly teach us how to make money as a freelance writer. Without realizing it, self-doubt causes us to make weak and safe moves that limit our potential — because we’re unsure if we’re capable of building relationships with prospects and managing a full roster of clients.

When you’re learning how to write better content, it’s helpful to think of a friend who tells stories that never seem to get to the point. They sound okay at first, then they spin off into tangents about how they met their spouse, then we go into their first college dorm room, with a side trip to that deeply formative event that happened in third grade, then … There might be a point in Company Email List there somewhere. But by the time it’s arrived, your eyes have rolled back in your head and you’re hoping to get struck by lightning so you can get out of this conversation. It’s boring. And it’s annoying. So let’s make sure that your audience never feels that way about your business blogging. How to write better content Over the years while working with content marketing students who want to make money freelance writing, I’ve critiqued hundreds of blog posts. One mistake I see over and over is content that’s interesting and well written, but that wanders all over the place before it gets to the point … if, in fact, it has a point at all. An aimless, fuzzy marketing story wastes your time. Even worse, it wastes your audience’s attention. Looking for Content Marketing Services? Digital Commerce Partners is the agency division of Copyblogger, and we specialize in delivering targeted organic traffic for growing digital businesses. LEARN MORE Your audience wants content that makes a solid point and gets there quickly. And improving that for your own content is one of the quickest ways you can start writing killer articles with stellar marketing ethics. Here are three simple steps that’ll help you learn how to write better content. Step #1: Begin with the end in mind Ideally, before you start to write, you’ll ask yourself two questions: What are your goals for this piece of content? What one thing should your audience take away? Learning how to write better content and publishing great blog post ideas can do lots of great things for you. You can attract a larger audience, nurture prospects so they’re more likely to make a purchase down the line, inspire your audience to take action, find new allies to help you promote your work. But you probably won’t do all of those with a single piece of content. Instead of creating shaggy-dog content that wanders around trying to do everything, understand which single point in the constellation this piece of content will represent for you. Even more importantly, what will this piece of content do for your audience? What will they be able to do, become, have, change, or avoid after they’ve read it? What transformation are you presenting to them? Now, a single blog post usually won’t create a “Sliding Doors” dramatic life change. But being able to, say, write better headlines anytime you need to is a pretty cool thing to be able to do. It’s a memorable transformation, even if it doesn’t change the course of your life. What memorable and meaningful transformation will you make possible with this content? Step #2: Go ahead and draft it You want to know the answers to those two questions before you start writing. And then you want to mentally put them aside for a while and just get some words down. Yes, you’ll meander. Yes, you’ll have weak subheadings, tangents, dead ends, and even some fluff. You might not have mastered how to use a comma yet. That’s all okay. In First Draft Land, we get to indulge ourselves, which is a great alternative to writer’s block. And failing to schedule that creative time can give you a case of nasty writer’s block, which only further blocks you from mastering how to write better content. Just write it. The post, the script, the creative brief. Just write. For as long as you need to. Get the ideas distilled into words, even if they’re lumpy and imperfect. For now, you don’t need to be overly concerned with how to write a good blog post. The more you write, the more raw material you’ll have when it’s time to edit. And pouring plenty of words into the page, as quickly as you can, will often reveal fresh observations that will make your content stand out.