You’ve probably seen the term “McJob” floating around on social media. It’s the Twitter equivalent of “what is your job,” and it tends to crop up when someone’s got a temporary or part-time job, or no job at all. It’s a reflection of the world of work today: precarious, uncertain, and often boring.
One of the people who has attracted a lot of this attention is Elle McBriar. A freelance writer based in Scotland, she quit her full-time job as a corporate lawyer to write, and after a quite a few trials and errors, she now makes a decent living from creating content for businesses around the world. But how does she do it? What is her process for finding clients, pitching stories, and making money from content marketing? We chatted with Elle about her freelance writing journey, and how you can replicate her success!
Find Your Niche
If you’re looking to become a freelance writer, the most important thing to do is to find your niche. What is your preferred medium? What are your preferred topics? These are all questions you need to be asking yourself, and they will help you to form a solid foundation for your content marketing efforts. Once you’ve got your niche, you can start to look for clients.
If you’ve got a specific subject area that you’re an expert in, you can find plenty of clients who need content on that subject. For example, if you’re a financial expert, you can look for clients who are struggling with money management or who want to set up a financial blog. Or if you’ve got a talent for words, you can craft compelling biographies for prominent people or create how-to guides for aspiring entrepreneurs.
If you’re struggling to find your niche, consider looking at the big legal websites, such as lawyers.com and legalsuite.com, and seeing what content their in-house lawyers are creating. You can also check social media (e.g., Twitter) to see what topics are trending, and use that to inform your content creation. Finally, consider looking at the reviews section of your local business website: many businesses will have a section where they list and rate their clients’ services, and you can use this to find clients who are interested in your specific area of expertise.
Create Quality Content
Once you’ve found your niche, the next step is to create quality content, pitches, and press releases. To start with, create a small content library, which you can expand as you gain experience. Create content that is both authoritative and compelling. Make sure that your content is engaging, and use statistics where appropriate to support your arguments. To really stand out, create compelling short pitches—around 300 words—which you can use to attract the attention of potential clients.
Elle uses a variety of platforms to gain exposure for her work, including:
- Blog articles
- White papers
- Press releases
- Case studies
- eBooks
- YouTube videos
To attract a dedicated audience, craft content that is both original and highly relevant to your niche. In addition, you should look for ways to engage with your audience, through social media or by emailing them directly with fresh insights.
Offer Value
Now, how can you provide value to your audience? One of the best ways to do this is through an eBook, which stands for ‘electronic book’. An eBook is like a paperback book but it’s digital, and as a result, is much more portable. If you want to become a freelance writer, try and build a library of eBooks, which you can then use to pitch your stories to potential clients.
An eBook is a fantastic vehicle for a freelance writer because they provide many advantages. For instance, you can create a compelling narrative around a series of case studies, explain complex legal concepts in a simplified manner, or even offer advice on how to write a winning business plan. The option is endless.
You can also use an eBook to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field. If you’ve got a popular blog, you can use that to create an eBook about your area of expertise. Or if you’ve got a lot of knowledge and experience in a particular area, you can create an eBook to teach others about it.
Find Your Voice
As a freelance writer, you’re going to be pitching a lot of stories to potential clients. How can you make your writing stand out? One option is to find a voice that is both distinct and authoritative, and use it when you communicate with your reader. Consider reading other successful writers’ work to find your own voice, and develop a writing style that is both easy and pleasant to read. Familiarize yourself with the tools and techniques of content creation, and learn to use them to their fullest potential to create compelling content that is both original and well-researched.
Elle uses a variety of software to keep track of her content marketing efforts, including:
- HubSpot
- Google Docs
- Wistia
- Snipsnap
Choose your tools wisely. Having a content library and a pitch folder are essential, and you should look for software that is both user-friendly and effective. Don’t waste your time with platforms that aren’t built for writers. Also, don’t just look at the first few platforms that come up when you Google ‘content marketing software’. Explore the reviews section of various products to find out what other users think. This will help you make the right choice for your needs.
Pitch To The Right Audience
As a freelancer, you’ll be pitching your content to a variety of different audiences. The most important thing to do is to find the right people. To achieve this, you can either search for specific audiences on social media, or you can create a persona and use that to find your audience. For example, if you’re looking to pitch your content to attorneys, you can search for them on Twitter or LinkedIn, and craft an engaging pitch that will make them want to read your work.
This is especially important if you’re looking to break into the legal field. First, you need to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field—this can be done through a combination of content (e.g., blogs, case studies, etc.) and a professionally-written eBook.
Once you’ve got your expert status in the field, you can start to look for clients. The best way to do this is through content marketing. Create compelling content that is both original and well-researched, and use that to attract the attention of potential clients.
To find the right people, consider creating a buyer persona. This will help you determine what type of content you should create, and who you should target your pitch with. Think about the buyers’ journey, and create content that is both relevant and useful to them at each stage of the process.
As you get more experienced as a content marketer, you’ll build a deeper knowledge of your chosen field. Keep up with the latest trends, and stay abreast of the tools and techniques that are available to create compelling content.
Make Money
Once you’ve established yourself as an expert in your field, the next step is to make money. To do this, you can use a variety of methods, including:
- Freelancing
- Consulting
- Selling and managing assets (e.g., stock portfolios)
- Giving speeches
- Creating online courses
- Writing and pitching blog articles
- Selling and optimizing real estate
The key to making money as a freelance writer is to find a combination of methods that suits your skills and resources. If you’re looking to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field, consider the above tips, and you’ll be on the right path to financial freedom.