One of my favorite TV shows was Mythbusters - I loved the idea of bringing science to interesting situations and urban legends to see if they held up to reality.

I’m going to do the same for many of the myths surrounding freelance writing - things that I’ve learned from my own writing career (both employed and freelance), through reading and participating in this forum, through curating the wiki, through asking “Why?” and saying “Huh!”

Freelance writing is not for everyone, and that’s OK. To help you decide if it’s for you, here are some common assumptions and cold reality. And to be clear here, by freelance writing, I mean creating non-fiction content and content marketing on behalf of a client in exchange for money.

I can earn lots of money as a freelance writer

Plausible. Yes, you could earn decent money, but it’s very tough. You’re competing with millions of others; writing has a very low barrier to entry, and a very high barrier to success; and you need to offer unique insight, experience, or expertise.

Getting higher rates only comes from building a reputation - through an excellent portfolio of work, referrals and expanding your network, or otherwise marketing yourself and providing value that others can’t match.

For most people, starting and progressing through a corporate career is a much easier way to earn a paycheck. It’s much more defined, you have the security of a regular income, and it’s easier to branch into other parts of your career.

Heck, if you can’t get rates of more than around 8c a word, you’re actually better off working for minimum wage in many countries.

Freelance writing is my passion, I’m sure to succeed!

Busted. Passion means almost nothing when it comes to being a successful freelancer, and won’t get you very far. A few reasons for that:

• Successful writing is based on your skills, insight, research, and how you present information.

• It doesn’t matter how “passionate” you are, it depends on what the client wants and how quickly and easily you can provide it.

• Turn a hobby into a job and that sucks all of the passion out of it extremely quickly.

This is separate from any “inspiration” you might get on how to make a piece excellent, but those moments tend to be very fleeting.

Freelance writing is mainly about putting words on a screen

Busted. You might think that freelance writing is about… y’know… writing. But, there’s far, far more to success than the ability to write. It’s about offering something of value to your client, and there are many factors that lead into that:

• Professionalism in all your dealings.

• Good communications and keeping people informed.

• Reliability that you’ll always meet your deadlines.

• Strong research skills to get insight and summarize information.

• Self confidence to lead the discussion and tell clients what you’ll need from them.

• Resilience to keep going, as building a successful freelance business is hard.

• A financial buffer so you’re not using tomorrow’s earnings to pay yesterday’s bills.

• Luck, as some success just comes down to being in the right place at the right time, and saying “Yes.”

Freelance writing is more about building and running a successful business than following a creative pursuit.

Freelance writing is easy, anyone can do it

Busted. Almost everyone thinks they’re a writer. Very, very few people can actually do it well. Even if they are decent at understanding their readers and putting their points across, there’s so much more you need to succeed. Creating a successful freelance writing business is hard. It takes a lot of planning, years of effort, and a lot of self-analysis and refinement. You’ve got to get both things right - the writing side and the business side, for long-term success.

I need a niche to be successful

Confirmed. Write in areas that clients want to pay for. Many niches are saturated (video games, celebrity, sports, entertainment, etc.) which means supply vastly outstrips demand - and drives rates way down. Find an area where clients want work (your niches), and there aren’t many other writers with the same experience, and you’re a long way there. I’ve found that the more “boring” a niche (from the outside) the fewer writers there are and the higher the rates you can charge.

I should focus on building a portfolio

Confirmed. Your portfolio is one of the main ways that a prospective client will decide if you’re a good fit. A wide-ranging portfolio that shows you have published work in specific areas is one of the best ways to market yourself.

The clients will come to me

Busted. If you’re great at content marketing and you can use SEO to build a great freelance writing website, then that’s certainly viable, but that takes a lot of time and effort. But, there are lots of good ways to attract clients, you’ll just need to put the work in. These include:

• Cold pitching via email: Find publications you want to write for, look at the content they already publish, decide on a topic they might be interested in, follow their pitching guidelines, and send in a pitch.

• Apply for jobs: Look at freelance writing job boards like ProBlogger or Listiller (aggregating website) and find writing you’re qualified to do. Send in unique, tailored cover emails that show your personality, skills, experience, and why you would be a good fit.

• Get work on third-party platforms: Build up a profile, create a history, and develop a reputation on third-party freelance platforms, then bid or apply for work.

• Market through LinkedIn: Build up a strong LinkedIn profile, including your portfolio. Approach others who have expressed an interest in hiring writers.

• Try the HireAWriter subreddit: Many of us got early breaks there. It’s a helpful way to get started.

• Referrals and word-of-mouth: As you build a network, use your connections to find more work.

• Get regular work from existing clients: Writing security comes from regular clients that want work month in, month out. Do what you can to nurture those relationships.

• Inbound marketing: Focus on building up your website so you can compete on keywords and build authority, so clients come to you.

I need to buy a freelance writing course to succeed

Busted. Busted. Busted. Yes, I said it three times. Most freelance writing courses come with lofty promises of high earnings, telling you how easy it is to be a freelance writer, and that you’ll get clients flocking to you. In most cases, that's just not true*. Freelance writing courses tend to be good for one thing — lining the pockets of their creators.

You can get all of the information you need to succeed for free, online. I suggest starting with the Wiki on this very subreddit (over there in the sidebar), and reading through the threads here. There are also a ton of good resources elsewhere online.

Some freelance courses do have some value to them, but do your research and ask questions. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Successful Freelance Writers Get a Lot Out of Their Careers

Confirmed. I absolutely love being a writer, but there are only two overwhelming, every day, in-your-face reasons that keep me at the keyboard: Money and Freedom.

• Money because I need to pay the bills, I'm good enough at this to earn a decent, middle-class living, and I feel valued by my clients.

• Freedom because I completely avoid corporate politics and bullshit, I can do what I want with my time, and I can work where, when, and how I want.

It’s worth restating though: Building a writing business is hard, complex, and difficult work. Corporate life can be easier and less risky - everything is defined (within reason) and you have the security of a regular paycheck, and if you've got a good career, you'll end up earning more than you could at writing.

95%+ of people who think they'll make writing into a full-time living don't, and there's no shame in that. It's not for everyone. So, honestly, think "Do I really want this" - if you do, understand the myths and the realities, and you won’t go far wrong.