How I Made $4,000 in a Month as a Freelance Writer
Thirteen months.
It had been thirteen long — but far from boring — months since I had walked to the registration office on my college campus, told them I was withdrawing, packed up my life in half an hour with two of my best friends, and drove four hours home from Mississippi to Texas.
All in hopes that I could make it as a full-time freelance writer.
The first month — January 2020 — I made a whopping $450. But thirteen months later, in February 2021, I brought home $3,885.76.
For me, “the number” that told me I’d made it as a writer was always $4,000. It would all be worth it if I could bring in approximately $4K a month, I told myself.
And last month was when it finally happened.
It took longer than I wanted, but I’d never give up the valuable lessons it taught me. After all, I was a broke college dropout with $450 to my name when I started full-time, and over a year’s worth of trial and error was finally the key.
But in case you’re in the shoes I wore in January 2020— or the ones I wore in January 2021, making just $1,300 a month — here’s how I did it (and more than doubled my income in just 30 days).
4 Steps to $4K: How I Made $4,000 in February as a Freelance Writer
There are four main things I did to make almost $4,000 in February and to be honest, they’re quite simple.
The most important tip to keep in mind, however, is to be consistent. No matter if you’re going to use my steps, someone else’s, or follow your own plan, you won’t get anywhere without persistence.
It might sound cliché, and I heard it a thousand times as a struggling writer. But at the end of the day, it’s what worked.
I know without a doubt that I would’ve made $4K much sooner if I had just been more consistent. Because in reality, I had already done most of the four tips I’m about to share with you. I was just inconsistent.
I’d follow my plan for two weeks, and then try something else after seeing no results. Or, I’d actually get a client from following my plan, but completely drop it after settling for just one.
Also, please note that I’m going to assume you already have a professional-looking website, know how to write content, and have at least somewhat of a portfolio. This isn’t a beginner’s guide, as I had already been in the world of content writing for three years due to writing for several agencies since the age of 16 (a whole other story!).
Finally, it’s important to note that my $4K income came from four different clients:
- Client #1 — a company I edit for 15 hours per week ($1,340.80)
- Client #2 in the personal finance niche ($606)
- Client #3 in the marketing technology niche ($246)
- Client #4 in the B2B marketing niche ($1,692.96)
Each of them pays me a different amount. My rate depends primarily on the niche, type of content I write, whether the client wants graphics, how many articles they want per month, etc. For example, Client #3 pays me $0.15 per word whereas Client #2 pays me $0.07 per word.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
1. Chose 3 high-quality niche blog posts I was proud of
Yes, this is different than simply writing three samples.
I’ve had my website since 2019. I use it to blog about digital marketing from time to time (I plan to do so more often) and as a portfolio to show potential clients.
I primarily write in the B2B marketing and digital marketing niches, but also dabble in SaaS and eCommerce. As a result, I have a few articles in each niche (except eCommerce — that’s still in the works!).
However, I know that when I really want to win a client, I have three specific blog posts that I will always use as samples in my primary niches.
I’ve found that 90% of the clients I win saw these blog posts as samples. When I pitch with my other posts, I usually either don’t get replies or the potential client asks if I can write longer articles with more graphics.
What makes these blog posts “client winning” status, you might ask?
It’s simple: they have the following characteristics:
- Long-form (2,500+ words)
- Graphics (I make them with Canva to summarize important points or statistics in the article)
- Lots of examples
- Actionable advice
Key Takeaway: Choose 3 blog posts you’ve written and are ultra-proud of, and feel meet the criteria to be considered “high-quality content.” Use these as samples when pitching to potential clients. If they don’t work after about four weeks, rotate them out for new ones until you find your “winning pieces.”
2. Pitched multiple clients per week (and found my “winning pitch”)
I mentioned earlier that the ultimate key to freelance writing success is consistency. Well, this step is the one that requires the most consistency with almost minimal effort, yet I overlooked it for such a long time.
In January, I pitched multiple companies and bloggers looking for freelance writers on ProBlogger Job Board alone. As a result, I received four replies and two became clients.
Keep in mind, I only pitched about 10 listings. That’s a 40% reply rate — which ain’t too shabby, especially for a job board that brings these clients hundreds of pitches.
My secret was simple: once I found a winning pitch, I followed the same formula for every pitch that followed.
When you find out that something worked, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Just improve it.
Or in other words: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
To stay on track with the companies I contacted and the pitches I used, I kept a Google Doc titled “ProBlogger Pitches.” I’d simply write the title of the listing on ProBlogger along with the company looking for a writer, then copy and paste the pitch I used.
When one converted into a client, I placed a star emoji at the top and wrote in capitalized, bold letters: “WINNING PITCH.”
Now when I go to pitch a new company, I simply open the Google Doc, copy and paste my “winning pitch” into the email or form, and tweak it so that it’s personal to the listing.
For example, if the original “winning pitch” doesn’t include how many words I can write per week but the new listing asks for it, I’ll add it in. You definitely don’t want to sound like a scammy, lazy, copy-and-paste writer who didn’t read the listing and can’t follow instructions.
Last but not least, rinse and repeat, baby.
Key Takeaway: Be consistent about pitching on job boards and keep track of the pitches you write. Once you’ve gained a client, find out which pitch you used and follow the same formula for future pitches.
3. Gathered leads and connected with them on LinkedIn
Back in October 2020, I wanted to try a somewhat old-fashioned marketing technique that many freelance writers swear by, but I’d been too scared to try: cold emailing.
I actually bought a course for nearly $300 that taught freelance writers how to strategically and effectively gain clients through cold emailing.
Although cold emailing hasn’t gotten me any new clients yet, the first few parts of the process have.
The first step was to gather leads in my niche and then connect with the most relevant person in the company on LinkedIn (such as marketing directors, head of copywriting, content marketing managers, etc.).
You typically want to avoid people with big roles — like CEOs and Founders — because they’re less likely to respond and probably don’t do most of the hiring.
I hired a virtual assistant to do this part for me, and she kept a spreadsheet of all the companies she found in my niche along with the name and role of the person I should contact.
After finding them on LinkedIn, I’d send them a personalized connection request. This is the one that turned into a client:
The person I sent the message to was the Content Strategist, and he replied by asking if I had experience in the marketing technology niche. We set up a Zoom call and he became my client!
Personalized connection requests on LinkedIn can go a long way, so make the most of them. I was planning on cold emailing this guy, but I didn’t even have to because I was genuine when we first “met.”
My formula is simple: [introduce myself] + state why I’m here (I read their blog and would love to connect) + complement something on their blog/website.
I also connected with an old client on LinkedIn, who reached out to me a few weeks later asking if I could take on more work. In February, he paid me $1,692.96 for my writing.
I plan on doing this much more in the future, as it doesn’t require more than five minutes per connection request. So far, LinkedIn has accounted for two (50%) of my clients in February.
Key Takeaway: Once again, consistency is the key. Be genuine and present yourself as a professional, but also as a fellow content marketer.
4. Outsourced wisely
Something that I feel like a lot of freelance writers don’t talk about (or do) is outsourcing.
As a freelance writer, you have to be a writer, editor, marketer, administrator, and project manager all at once. Not to mention crafting your own strategies, tweaking them when they don’t work, and learning new methods of running your business.
That’s why I choose to outsource as many tasks as possible.
My goal as a freelance writer is to be that: a writer. Without outsourcing, I’d be spending just as much time working as I would if I had a 9–5. And for the first year, I made less than $13,000 due to not having enough time to market my services.
The whole reason I decided to drop out of college to pursue my business full-time was to make money doing what I love without becoming enslaved to a 40-hour workweek. And I found that goal nearly impossible to achieve without delegating.
I’ve hired and collaborated with several freelancers over the past 13 months, but two really made the world of a difference:
- A virtual assistant
- A writer
I mentioned my virtual assistant earlier and how she gathered leads for me. But I know what you’re probably thinking about the second one: why would I hire a writer if I’m a freelance writer?
Since the beginning, my goal wasn’t to be a solo freelance writer for the rest of my life. I want to build a content creation empire that not only provides results for my clients, but also work for other passionate creators.
After taking on three new clients in February, the work became almost unbearable to do on my own. Aside from writing, I also edit for a company, which requires 15 hours per week.
I found myself struggling to meet my 15 hours for the company due to my writing work, and I knew I needed to outsource.
So I became a client myself and hired a writer to help me. He’s now my ghostwriter who will also be contributing to my blog, and I pay him a percentage of the income I make from the client he helps me with.
In the past, I’ve also hired an editor and several web developers.
Key Takeaway: Outsource the tasks you need help with, aren’t good at, or hate doing. That way, you can focus more on writing, marketing, and bringing in more clients. You’ll constantly be in “grow mode.”
What I’m Going to Do to Make $4K Again (or More)
It’s currently March 4, and with my first $4K month down, I’m making some tweaks in my work schedule to ensure it happens again.
Here are a few things I want to do more of this month, in hopes of growing my business even further.
1. Write more on Medium
I love writing for myself and making Medium a bigger source of my income has long been a dream, but I’ve struggled to make time for it in the past.
I consistently make a whopping $1.50–2.50 from Medium a month, and I’d like to see that number grow over the next few.
Although writing more on Medium likely won’t make a big change to my income this month, if I stay consistent then it will down the line.
Plus, now that I’m outsourcing more, I have the time.
My goal for Medium is to publish 10 articles this month. (This article is #1.)
2. Pitch at least 5 times a week
Last month, I prioritized pitching more than usual — and I followed through with it — but I felt like I could’ve done even more.
This month, I want to pitch to companies at least five times a week using writer job boards like ProBlogger.
I know there are several other job boards out there that I haven’t used yet, so I’d like to venture out and try those, too.
3. Post more frequently on my blog
Another exciting thing that happened last month was that a potential client found me through my website.
He scheduled a call with me through the Calendly link on my site, without me ever having to pitch or market to him.
This motivated me to resume posting on my own blog again. In early 2020, I published one article every Tuesday but stopped after getting several clients. I want to pick up the practice again to boost my SEO and attract more clients organically.
Right now, my goal is to post four times this month.
Making $4K as a Freelance Writer is About Consistency and Streamlining Processes
To sum up, these were the four steps I took to make almost $4,000 as a freelance writer in February 2021:
- Chose 3 high-quality niche blog posts I was proud of
- Pitched multiple clients per week (and found my “winning pitch”)
- Gathered leads and connected with them on LinkedIn
- Outsourced wisely
Like I said earlier: I would’ve been able to make $4K as a writer much sooner if I had just stayed consistent and delegated more.
What February taught me is that it’s less about the actual steps and more about the diligence. Once you’ve found something that’s worked, keep doing it and then refine your process until you can make more money while working less.
Once you free up time in your work schedule that’s not worth spending, you can redirect that energy towards growing your business even more.
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