I Started as a Freelance Writer and Made in the First Week!

Photo by J. Kelly Brito

I have been in love with writing since my childhood. In my school days, I used to write poems.

I also had a Free WordPress blog back when I was fourteen. I kept writing on and off there.

I wanted to earn money writing and blogging but I didn’t know how.

What can I even expect from a fourteen-year-old?

Later, High School and Intermediate surrounded my life.

I had to bid farewell to writing and the dream of earning through it.

It was only in 2021, when I was in my second year of college, that I got introduced to writing again.

This time, I also got to know about ‘how to earn through it’.

I came to know about Freelance Writing.

Okay, I Want To Go Into Brief About This

Shall I? Awesome, let’s go.

So in 2021, being a college student I didn’t want to burden my parents for pocket money.

I started searching for jobs.

But due to the pandemic, there were no job openings, especially for college students. So I started looking for online ‘genuine’ jobs.

After roaming for two days on YouTube and Google, I landed on the YouTube channel of Khalil Ullah Khan.

His channel is a goldmine for anyone who wants to start as a freelancer!

Thus, I watched all his videos in under two to three days.

They covered topics such as freelance job search, cold pitching, portfolio making, etc.

And This Is How I Got My First-Ever Project…

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Luckily I had written a few blog posts in 2020 in my spare time, so I didn’t have to invest time building a portfolio.

My portfolio was ready! All I needed to do was start pitching.

And that I started right away after learning the ABCs of freelancing from Khalil.

That said, I joined some Facebook Writing Groups.

I got accepted into one of them.

While scrolling onto the group, I refreshed it for fresh content…

AND BOOM! Somebody had posted a freelance writing project and it was a fresh post.

Considering the opportunity, I messaged him immediately and we discussed the project.

Now It Was Time For Negotiation. The Actual Game Starts Here.

Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash

My client offered me 20 Paisa Per Word. But after negotiating, we finalized the deal at 25 Paisa Per Word.

I know what you’re thinking…

Yes, the rates were very low even for a beginner. It was peanuts.

But at that time, I didn’t know much about the pricing.

Moreover, my first-ever client was supportive. He taught me many things.

So I guess, it was a win-win for me — ‘money + experience’.

Had I not worked with him, I might have started late. Also since not every freelancer gets a job in his/her first pitch, I consider myself lucky.

I earned around R.S. 250 per blog. I still remember the smile I had when I saw that 250 rupees were credited to my bank account.

And that’s it. This is how I earned within my first week of being a freelancer.

My Message to Aspiring Freelancers

Don’t wait for the right time to start your freelance journey. You might be a few moments away from getting your first gig!

All you have to do is pitch.

Create a portfolio and pitch. Simple as that my friend!

Don’t try to be perfect but consistent.

Give your best in crafting your portfolio and cold emails. BUT Don’t overthink.

Go and pitch right now!

This Is My First Story On Medium

Thank you for reading.

Let me know in the comments if you liked this story or if you have any questions.

On that note, signing off

— Shahmeena 📍