What I’ve learned since going freelance as a writer

Tips and tricks on taking the plunge

There are no two ways about it. Deciding to go freelance - unless you are…you know…rich - is a leap of faith into the unknown. You can save up your two month’s worth of salary and there is still the risk that it will not be enough to sustain you in that amount of time. There is no more “payday”, no more finance person to figure out your taxes. It’s scary as hell. It’s also one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 

I’ve been a freelancer for a year and a half now and I’ve learned a lot in those 18 months. Here are some things I think are useful to know before taking the plunge. 

Unless you’re really worried you’ll be fired…start freelancing while in full-time work

You might not want to do this out of respect for your current workplace, but the company I was working for when I ditched the 9-5 was horrible to its employees, so I didn’t care! I began to reach out to people and even started working on a few new projects while in the safety of my day job. I personally thought it was too risky to start from complete scratch, and it wasn’t really enough to affect my day-to-day work. For me, it felt sensible and I’d recommend it if you can. 

Don’t bother applying for jobs on LinkedIn

Someone reliable once told me that job specs on LinkedIn get so many responses from applicants that they only bother to look at a tiny percentage. Instead, I use the platform YunoJuno which has gotten me some of my biggest clients, including Google! That said, posting on LinkedIn and other social channels is a great way to get the word out there. Most of my work has come through friends and old colleagues. 

Create a decent website

I’ve found that the better and more professional your website is, the less likely you are to be asked for more info. This means fewer cover letters (absolutely not, I refuse to write these anymore!) and fewer long PDF roundups of your previous work. It does mean you’ll have to invest in the £80-ish a year to have a proper domain name - having Wix in there does look a bit shit, I’m afraid - but it pays for itself in saved time eventually.  

Let’s hear it for layman’s terms!

One of the biggest changes I’ve made since going freelance is my confidence in admitting there’s a lot I don’t know. As I write for all scopes of companies, I’m no longer an expert on one thing. Gone are the days when I’d try to feign knowledge of stuff just to appear more qualified. I am hugely confident in my abilities as a writer these days, so there’s no better way to get to know a new brand or sector than having them explain it to you as though you are having a pint together.

To be honest, I might have to do part 2 of this blog, because there’s so much more I could say! If you have any specific questions, pop them in the comments below and I’ll answer them in the next blog.