For a lot of writers wondering how to start freelance blogging, their BIG goal is to have a $5,000 month.
That was definitely my goal when I started out too.
And guess what?
Within 4 months of getting fired from my full-time job, I had my first $5,000 month!
CHA. FRICKIN’. CHING.
(Not sharing this to brag, btw – sharing it to let you know what’s possible for YOU!)
This was a LIFE-CHANGING amount of money for me.
Finally, I could get off the struggle bus, stop living paycheck to paycheck, and ESCAPE the 9-to-5 life!
Make no mistake:
This did NOT happen by accident.
It happened because I marketed myself effectively, learned how to write amazing blog posts for my clients (including stuff like SEO optimization – the BUSINESS side of blogging!), and followed the specific process you’re going to learn in todays blog post.
You need to understand that:
Niche Marketing/Positioning + Blogging Skills/Knowledge = $200-$400+ per post Freelance Blogging
^ THIS is how I made $5,000/mo as a freelance blogger just four months after getting fired from my shitty full-time job.
… Even though I was broke and clueless.
… Even though I had virtually no useful experience and dropped out of college.
… Even though I was terrified and totally experienced imposter syndrome every damn day.
I made it happen, not because I’m special or had advantages – but because I used the process you’re about the learn!
Now, let’s break down the entire process so you stop wondering how to start freelance blogging and start landing clients.
First, we’ll talk about the math behind a $5K/mo business and niche marketing, then I’ll teach you about the blogging skills and knowledge you REALLY need to command $200-$400+ per post.
Let’s goooooo!
How to Make $5,000/mo Freelance Blogging As a Beginner
Step One: Understand the MATH behind a $5,000 month, and price your work/plan your marketing strategy accordingly.
Your financial situation after you follow the tips in this blog post.
This is an approach I like to call “working backwards.”
And it can absolutely be KEY to your success as a freelance writer.
When you DON’T work backwards, you end up aimless, wondering, “What am I going to do today?” but never actually doing anything because you have no goal or timeline.
Working backwards means setting a clear, defined goal with a deadline and then… working backwards from that deadline to achieve your goal.
For example, say you want to make $5K/mo freelance blogging by month six.
Knowing this, you’d start asking yourself questions like:
- How many blog posts do I need to write per month to hit $5K, and how much do I need to charge per post?
- What do I need to do during month one to have a $5K month six?
- How can I grow my skills quickly and level up my income by raising my rates fast?
…Questions like this will help you create a REAL marketing strategy to reach your goal.
Let’s break it down more by talking about this question:
How many blog posts do you need to write, and how much do you need to charge for each of them?
If you’re making 5 cents per word and writing 2,000-word blog posts, you’re only making $100 per long-ass blog post.
That means you have to write FIFTY F*CKING BLOG POSTS in a single month to make $5K at that rate!
Considering there are only about 20 business days in a month, that’s gonna be one shitty month, my friend.
Especially considering that you need to market yourself, answer emails, and do admin work like sending invoices ON TOP of writing 50 time-consuming blog posts.
…Good luck getting any sleep and avoiding becoming a stressed-out mess with that workload.
(Side note: This is why I fucking HATE sites like Upwork and Fiverr where writers are crazy underpaid. They’re a one-way ticket to Brokes-ville and will leave you exhausted. If you’re even THINKING about using Upwork, read this first.)
On the other hand, what if you’re charging $300 per 1000-word blog post and you want to hit $5,000 per month?
Well, then you’re going to have a MUCH nicer month – you’ll only need to write about 17 blog posts to hit $5,000.
Check it out:
Now, obviously, there are a lot of variables and not all of your projects are going to pay the same amount and require the same amount of time.
But you absolutely MUST know, at least at a basic level, exactly how much you want to make per month and then work backwards to figure out how you can get there.
And then…
You need to figure out topics you can write about that pay well + the kinds of clients who will pay you well to write about those topics.
Which brings us to our next point:
Step Two: Pick a profitable freelance blogging niche… and make it your BITCH.
That’s right:
You do NOT want to be a generalist writer.
If you want to get paid to blog (and make the BIG BUCKS), you want to specialize in ONE specific blogging niche and go “all in” on marketing yourself in that niche.
Click here for instant access to the class, enjoyed by over 11,000 writers!
Now…
The reason you need to pick a profitable niche?
High-paying clients want to work with specialists, not generalists.
This applies in LOTS of areas of life, not just freelance writing!
It’s a psychology-backed strategy that WORKS… and when you think about it, it just makes sense.
For example…
When I recently went to get my hair done in a new city, I looked SPECIFICALLY for a hair stylist who specializes in bright, crazy colors.
Not some generic, cheap salon.
A SPECIALIST.
And I was willing to pay damn good money for that specialization.
(Because I do NOT want to be walking around with some f’d up lookin’ ass hair.)
Your potential clients think the same way, so do yourself a big favor and choose a niche NOW rather than waiting until later or trying to hack it as a generalist.
(ALL of my student success stories for my best-selling course, Killer Cold Emailing, use niche marketing. Coincidence? UM, NOPE.)
Here’s a fancy lil’ graphic I made to explain what you need to consider to choose your niche:
Spent like 30 mins making this… where is my graphic design award!?
To break this down even more:
- Knowledge – Something you know about OR something you can learn about. Don’t let a lack of experience stop you here. Google is your new BFF.
- Interest – Not saying you’re going to be poppin’ bottles every time you get an assignment, but AT LEAST choose a topic that doesn’t make you want to tear your eyes out of your head.
- Profitability – Pretty straightforward. You’re running a business, not a charity, so make that money, baby!
Let’s talk a little bit more about profitability (since that’s the one most freelance bloggers get all kinds of wrong).
How can you figure out whether or not a client can afford to pay you well?
Two things.
The target client should:
-
- Value blogging – In other words, you don’t have to hard sell them on WHY blogging is good for business. They already know and value blogging. Meaning they’ll be a LOT more likely to pay you well for it (without you having to practically beg for cash).
- Have a good-sized content marketing budget – Ask yourself: how does this client make revenue? If they’re a shitty blog running of Adsense pennies, then guess what – they probably can’t afford to pay you more than pennies.
Bottom line about niching down:
You need to build TRUST with high-paying clients before they’ll hire you.
…And the way you do that (even with no experience or testimonials) is by going “all in” on a profitable niche and being the PERFECT fit for your ONE type of client.
Step Three: Set up a pro website that markets your freelance blogging niche. (Click here for an easy tutorial!)
Newsflash: you need a BUSINESS WEBSITE!
A lot of writers get this step wrong.
They’re still in “employee mode,” so they throw together an ugly-ass Tumblr or Contently portfolio, thinking that’s enough to give them a long-term career where they can get paid to blog.
Newsflash:
…That ain’t how this shit works.
If you want to build trust with clients (which, um, YOU DO, or they won’t hire you!), your website needs to let them know TWO THINGS immediately:
—-> 1. You’re a professional business owner.
Sorry, but your coolguy6969.tumblr.com website and your BaBYYgUrl @hotmail.com email address aren’t going to cut it, my friend!
You need a custom domain.
…In other words – your business name dot com.
Quick, related side note:
Click now to claim your hosting/domain discount – even if you’re not setting up your site today or your don’t have a business name in mind yet, still click and you can use the discount later. 🙂
^ These links will take you to the hosting company I personally use. I like and use them, and that’s why I recommend them. It doesn’t cost you extra to use these two links – just saves you money, and I get a commission which helps support my blog! I really appreciate the support. A TON. <3
Mmmkay, back to your website.
You need a custom domain, and your website should position you as a freelance writing BUSINESS OWNER and not just a “writer.”
That means leaving out bullshit about your poetry and how much you love writing and focusing instead on your client’s needs and how your blogging services will help grow their business.
Now, here’s the second thing they should know when they land on your site:
—-> 2. You specialize in EXACTLY what they need help with.
This is SO. SO. IMPORTANT.
Like, seriously.
—> Screw a logo.
—> Screw fancy graphics.
—> Screw spending 3 months on design.
If you only do ONE thing on your site, let it be CLEARLY stating your niche and tailoring all of your website content to your target clients in your niche.
Your website should be EXTREMELY niche-optimized like this. If it isn’t (or you don’t have a site), click here for my easy tutorial on how to set up a site that SELLS!
That, my friend, is the key to SELLING your services.
I have some really great examples of successful freelance writer websites that use niche marketing right here.
These are big names in the industry, and guess what?
They ALL do this.
It’s not a coincidence.
It’s because it works, and the most experienced marketers know it.
I’ve had students and readers get THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in client work JUST by optimizing their website the way I teach…
And you can learn how to do it for free! Again, if you want a complete walkthrough of how to set up a freelance blogger website that SELLS, click right here.
Don’t put this off.
COMMIT and get it done (the most successful writers START before they feel ready!).
(You don’t need to know a business or site name to get started! You can go ahead and use my commission link right here to get your hosting discount and choose your business and domain name later. So be sure you click here and snag the discount before you leave this blog post!)
Step Four: Start pitching and marketing yourself as a freelance blogger!
Let’s start this section with a harsh truth:
You need to stop wasting your time screwing around on Upwork and Fiverr looking for “freelance blogging jobs” and start looking for freelance blogging CLIENTS.
How?
Pitching and cold emailing.
(…Which you can learn my EXACT strategy for by clicking here and taking my free class!)
This skill is 100% critical to your success as a beginner freelance writer.
Why?
Well, pitching and cold emailing landed me over $800 in freelance writing gigs the FIRST month I tried it.
And I went on to have my first $5,000 month just FOUR months after getting fired from my full-time job – thanks mostly to my pitching and cold emailing skills.
Cold emailing means sending a tailored and high-quality email to a target client within your niche.
It does NOT mean firing off the same shitty template to anyone and everyone.
Also, you WILL fail if you *just* use a random template and don’t have a solid marketing strategy to support your cold emailing strategy.
Because you need EVERYTHING in your marketing strategy to work together to succeed.
This is exactly what I teach in my best-selling Killer Cold Emailing course.
Learn more about Killer Cold Emailing, see loads of student results, and enroll right here.
Step Five: Learn how to write blog posts that get results for your freelance blogging clients.
Now, you’ve shifted your mindset from looking for freelance blogging “jobs” to building a real business and getting CLIENTS..
And you’ve learned about the “marketing” side of becoming a freelance blogger…
BUT…
What about the actual “writing” side of it?
Harsh truth:
You can be the best damn “writer” in the world, but if you don’t know how to write BLOG POSTS that get **RESULTS** for your clients…
You’re screwed.
Wanna succeed at freelance blogging? Then you need to learn how to write blog posts from a marketing perspective so you can drive business results for your clients.
Here’s the thing:
Client’s don’t give a shit about your poetry.
Or your creative short stories.
Or the flowery language you use while writing your novels.
All that freelance blogging clients care about is growing their business and making money.
…And that means you need to learn how to write blog posts that grow your client’s business and help them make more revenue.
In other words…
You need a hell of a lot more than just grammar and spelling knowledge.
To make $200-$400+ per post freelance blogging and scale to $5K/mo (without working 80 hours per week), you need to have a deep understanding of things like:
- Blog post structure and formatting
- How to get results (conversions, sales, etc) with blog posts
- How to create crazy clickable headlines that drive traffic
- How to become an endless supply of amazing blog post topics readers can’t resist
…And more.
Because again (yes, I’m saying it again because it’s important):
High-paying clients aren’t paying for hours of work or words on a page.
…They’re paying for the RESULTS of those words.
And that means you need to know how to write from a marketing perspective – in a way that helps your client’s business make more moo-lah.
So, my friend…
If you’re tired of thinking things like:
- Who actually pays that much for blog posts!?
- How the HELL do I know if my blog posts are worth that much!?
- Holy SHIT, there’s no way I can send a quote over for anything more than $50. Guess I’ll keep undercharging until one day I magically feel more confident…
…Then I have something for you – my course, called:
F Yeah Freelance Blogging!
In FYFB, you’ll learn EVERYTHING you need to know about blog content creation so you can get RESULTS with your client blog posts.
…And a lot more.
Long story short:
It’s based on my experience earning over $8,000 in a single month as a freelance blogger and charging hundreds of dollars per blog post.
See you inside FYFB!! 🙂