Freelance writing (and editing) has helped provide for my family for the last decade. From writing super basic articles on a content mill for pennies per word to managing a team of writers and overseeing content production for major brands, it’s been a wild ride! But is being a freelance writer worth it?
Just like any profession, there are pros and cons to making a living in this industry. That’s what I want to cover today so you can get the full picture before making any decisions.
So let’s jump right in!
The Cliff Notes
Being a freelance writer can be super beneficial and lucrative, but it requires hard work, determination, and thick skin.
Pros of being a freelance writer include flexibility, income, joy, and choices.
Cons of being a freelance writer include occasional instability, taxes, picky clients, and finding work.
Is Being a Freelance Writer Worth It?
If you guessed my answer to this question would be a resounding “yes,” then you’re right! But it’s not as cut and dry as that.
My Background
Before I get to the pros and cons of this career, it might help if you understand a little about my background. I got started in the freelancing world back in 2014 when my husband and I were expecting our second baby.
At the time, I was working for a chiropractic office as the Coordinator of Operations (a fancy title they generously gave me that really just meant assistant office manager). I truly adored my coworkers, but my husband had recently gotten a new job in a town about an hour and a half away. For a while, I made the drive back and forth three or four times a week, but it got to be too much.
See, on the days I went into the office, I wouldn’t have hardly any time with our oldest child. I’d leave before she was up most days and would barely make it home to do her bedtime routine. Besides that, she was going to be starting preschool soon, and someone had to be available to get her there and back every day.
Something else you should know is that I had recently self-published my first novel, Magnolia Lake, and had been dreaming of writing for a living. When that first attempt at publishing pretty much fell flat, I started to consider how else I could make my writing dream a reality.
Enter: freelance writing.
After doing some research online, I discovered content mills: websites where businesses could post available writing jobs (mostly blog posts) and writers could go in and grab whichever ones they wanted.
Sounds ideal, right? Well, the problem was the pay. Literally pennies per word. But I gave it a go anyway, and I wrote on one specific content mill for a couple of years. I began to build up my clientele (businesses that would send me direct assignments rather than posting the work on the open job board), and my income increased. A tiny bit.
In the meantime, I was also writing blog posts for a couple of local businesses I had connected with. So, my income continued to grow. I wasn’t rolling in the dough, but I was contributing to our household finances through writing, and it felt great!
On top of that, I was able to work from home after our son was born so that I could be there to do whatever he and our daughter needed, from middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes to school drop-offs and field trips.
With a few years of content writing experience under my belt, the Lord blessed me with a steady freelance contract role as the chief editor for a marketing agency. I went from writing content to editing it and managing content production (blogs) for several major brands.
And that’s what I’ve spent the last 8 years doing (in addition to writing novels and devotionals).
So, would I say that being a freelance writer has been worth it for me and my family? Most definitely!
But here’s the thing: It’s not always an easy road. There are ups and downs, and while it’s been a blessing, it’s also been super stressful at times. Here are what I would consider the pros and cons of being a freelance writer.
Pros of Being a Freelance Writer
Flexibility
The biggest pro I’ve experienced with freelance writing (and editing) is the flexibility I’ve been able to have over the last decade. I can work from anywhere at any time. Even with my editor role, because I’m an independent contractor (freelancer), I’m able to set my own hours.
There have been many, many times our family has gone on camping trips or vacations and I’ve just taken my work with me. I’ll sometimes get some client work done while my husband takes the kids to the pool in the morning, and then I’ll join them after lunch, etc.
Freelancing also comes in handy when my kids get sick or when they need a checkup or a dental cleaning. For the most part, I can schedule my work around my life.
Now, in the spirit of full transparency, there have been times when I’ve had to miss something personal because of the amount of work I needed to complete or because I had a meeting to attend. But that’s not the norm.
Income
There are a few different ways freelance writers can get paid: hourly, per word, per project, or per month. Depending on your specific arrangement with clients, you can make a decent income.
For me, there’s been a lot of trial and error to find the system that works best for my family while being fair to clients. Of course, there have been times when my income has fluctuated; that’s to be expected when you freelance.
But what I can tell you for certain is that I usually make more money working part-time hours as a freelancer than I would if I were to find a “regular” part-time job in my local area.
Joy
If writing is something you truly love, then working as a freelancer really is like a dream! You have the opportunity to make an impact through your words, spend time improving your craft (and getting paid for it), and build your portfolio.
This doesn’t necessarily mean every day or every assignment will be easy, but when you do something you love for a living, it’s a lot easier to get through the tough days.
Choices
Once you’ve earned some experience and learned the skills needed for your preferred writing niche (like SEO blogging, for example), then you can get really picky with who you take on as a client.
I won’t lie to you here. In the beginning, it might seem a little like feast or famine and you’ll take whatever you can get. But as you continue to work, you’ll make connections and you’ll find yourself in a better position to choose who you want to work with.
Cons of Being a Freelance Writer
Occasional Instability
Freelancing isn’t like having a normal 9 to 5 job where you work for someone else and know that, unless something crazy happens and you get fired, you’ll have work to do each day and the resulting paycheck every two weeks.
When you’re a freelance writer, you might have a really good year followed by a more scarce year. Clients will come and go by no fault of yours. Companies restructure, move content production to someone internally, or decide to stop content production altogether.
It stinks, but those things happen. Unfortunately, that’s just the nature of the beast.
The good news is that if you’ve been building your experience and portfolio, you should be able to pick up new work with a little effort and persistence.
Taxes
This is a big one, y’all. The first couple of years I freelanced, I wasn’t prepared for the whole tax part of this business.
Let me explain. When you work as an employee of someone else’s company, they take taxes out of your paychecks automatically and send the appropriate amount to the government. But when you work for yourself, you’re responsible for paying taxes on your income throughout the year.
And if you don’t, you end up with a huge tax bill come April 15th.
Picky Clients
I’ve worked with some really amazing clients over the years, and I’ve worked with some not-so-amazing ones. In fact, clients have sometimes been one of the biggest stressors in my life.
These picky clients want revision after revision after revision, and they seem to never be satisfied no matter how great your writing is.
At first, you might have to deal with picky clients for the sake of the income they provide. But, over time, you’ll come to a place that allows you to be a bit more picky and to even sever ties with certain clients when needed.
Finding Work
As a freelancer, you basically run your own business. If there’s no work coming in, it’s on you. And, unfortunately, finding freelance clients isn’t always easy. You’ll experience a lot of rejection and a lot of ghosting.
Again, this is just the nature of the beast. Building a freelance writing business takes consistency, dedication, and thick skin. But it’s totally doable with a little determination!
To Be or Not to Be…a Freelance Writer?
So, is being a freelance writer worth it, even with the cons above? In my opinion, yes. 100%. But I can’t make that decision for you. I encourage you to weigh the pros and cons listed here and decide what you can live with and what’s a deal-breaker.
Well, friend, that sums it up for today. I hope this was helpful! If you’re considering becoming a freelance writer, I’d recommend looking into SEO blogging specifically. Check out this free guide to writing SEO blog posts.
And if you’re ready to fully dive in and get your freelance writing career started, I’ve got the perfect course for you! In Increase Your Impact: How to Blog for Businesses and Start Your Freelance Writing Career, you'll learn exactly how to write a blog post from start to finish, including where and how to find topics, the best way to create an effective outline, how to craft your copy so that every sentence packs a punch, and more.
At the end of the course, you’ll come away with all of the knowledge, tools, and resources you need to start your freelance writing journey, as well as a completed article you can add to your portfolio or sell to a client. Learn more here!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money can I make as a freelance writer?
The answer to this question depends on which pay system you use (hourly, per word, or per project) and how many clients you have.
In general, you can expect to be paid around $0.10 to $0.15 per word when you’re just starting out. For the average 1500-word blog post, that equals $150 to $225 for three to four hours of work. The more you practice, the faster you’ll become.
How can I become a freelance writer?
To get started with freelance writing, it’s important to decide what kind of writing you want to do.
You could write blog posts as part of a company’s content marketing strategy (which is the niche I’m in and what I recommend). You could write for magazines. Or you could write sales pages and other website copy. Some organizations even hire people to write their newsletters.
Once you’ve decided your writing niche, it’s important to learn the skills required specifically for that niche (check out my free SEO blogging resource here). Then you’re ready to start looking for clients.
Browse online job boards, create an account on Upwork or other similar platforms, or cold email people you know who own businesses or work in marketing.