The biggest difficulty in becoming a freelance writer is having the right writing samples to land those first few jobs. Without writing samples, potential employers will be reluctant to take a chance on a new freelancer. These days, this shouldn’t pose a problem for the serious writer looking to start a career as a freelance writer.
Find places to display writing samples
There are a multitude of places on the internet that allow you to post articles or stories for free on your site. In return, those sites sell ads that rely on content to drive visitors to the site. It can be a win-win situation for both the website and the writer. For the freelance writer, these sites provide the opportunity to post the same samples that future clients will want to see from you. The key is to use these sites correctly to put the best possible face on your writing.
First, choose a site that has a large base and a large following. This is easily accomplished by placing “article repository” or “article directory” in a search engine. The results that appear on the first two pages are the “big ones.” Pick three or four of these writing sites. Check in for them one at a time to avoid getting lost along the way. After signing up, write an article or story like those that would be used as samples for a future customer. It does not matter that no one has requested these items. The fact that they are available and can be referenced by those who are interested is all that matters.
Write three articles for the first site. Write each article on a different topic and with a different style or voice. This way, if someone reads one of the articles on that site and then searches for others by the same author, they will get a mixed sample. The variation will prevent them from thinking that there is only one style or specialty of the writer.
Once all three articles have been written on one site, move on to the next. Having multiple articles on one site helps dispel the idea that the author was not asked to write again, or that the author is a one-trick pony, so to speak. Having multiple articles is more important than having multiple sites, although eventually it is important to have both.
On the following site write three new articles. Do not copy or paraphrase the original articles. Again, it is essential to avoid the impression that the author only does one type of writing. In fact, if possible, write on completely different topics. Once three or four sites have three articles each, filling each site with similar content will only help improve the profile.
As the freelancer applies for work with clients, referencing several of the links will provide the potential client with a way to evaluate the freelancer’s work and thus avoid the fear of hiring an untested writer. Do not reveal all the links at the beginning. Often times, a potential customer will ask to see “more like this” in relation to one or more of the samples. By keeping some links in reserve, the freelancer can offer more. If the customer asks for more and the freelancer has no more, then it is acceptable to say that after reviewing the records, the freelancer will provide more samples. This time can be used to write additional content as long as it only takes a day or two.
By using the Internet to help build a portfolio, the freelancer avoids the classic paradox of needing samples before landing a job, but needs a job to develop samples. Samples can be written at the freelancer’s free time and ready for the next proposal.