Well hello to you my reader chums! I've run a freelance writing business for just over a year now and have loved every minute, even during the harder times. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, however, through the obstacles and hard moments, I've learned many lessons about running a business and made many mistakes.

If you're new to freelancing and looking for some advice, here are my tips on how to build and retain a freelance writing business. 

How to build a freelance writing business 

Work on your personal brand

I say this all the time, but your personal brand is vital for your business. A personal brand showcases who you are, what you stand for and what you offer as a freelance writer. Your personal brand can be shared on whatever channel you'd prefer, whether it's on LinkedIn, Instagram or Tik Tok. With your personal brand, you should choose a couple of things you want to stand for and talk about. For instance, I speak about lessons I've learned as a freelancer, mental health advice and tips for copywriting and social media. Once you've chosen what you'd like to talk about, you can begin creating content. The key is to show up consistently, from once a week to three times a week.

Build up your portfolio

A portfolio is necessary as a freelance writer as it helps potential clients see the quality of your work and how you present yourself. Starting out as a freelance writer can be challenging as you won't have any client work. However, you don't need to work with clients to build a portfolio. You can start a blog like this one or write up mock content, such as blogs, website content and newsletters. The main thing is to showcase how good you are at writing and how you're able to make copy sound good.

Network as much as you can

Networking has been key to growing my business. Without meeting some incredible people along the way, I don't think I'd be where I am today. Going to local networking events can be incredibly challenging and daunting, yet it can open up your world. You can meet other local business owners and freelancers, who could be future leads or great long-term business pals. Speak to as many people as possible as it could be the start of word-of-mouth recommendations. 

Contact previous employers about outsourcing work

Finding work at the beginning can seem impossible, but trust me when I say it, it's out there for you. A first port of call is reaching out to people you've worked with and see if they're interested in outsourcing copywriting work. You never know who will be looking for freelancers and how much work they may have to outsource. Also, digital marketing agencies can be a big win for freelance writers as sometimes they're very busy in-house and need to outsource work.

Look on freelance websites and pitch work

Another way to find jobs early on is to search on freelance websites, such as Upwork and Fiverr. Jobs generally are at the lower end of the pay scale so be prepared for that. However, as you build up work, you can find higher-paid roles and pitch work for higher rates.

Continue learning every day

Learning is part of any business, especially as a freelancer, because it's not just learning your craft, it's learning how to run and manage a business, market yourself and organise your workload. There are plenty of skills to learn and develop when you run your own business. 

How to retain a freelance writing business

Follow up on previous connections and clients

Building up a business and gaining work is one thing, retaining it is another. I can't really pick which is harder as both have their challenges. One way to retain work is having continuous communication with previous connections and clients. Whether that's someone you met at a networking event or a business you've worked with, stay in contact with follow-up emails to book future work and projects.

Build up your reviews and case studies

Reviews and case studies are key to sharing that you're great at what you do and help when retaining work as you can prove your value. Building up reviews can be hard but this is where constant communication will help you gain that work. 

Look for longer project/retainer clients

You need to always be planning ahead with your business and that means searching for work on a long-term scale. Whether that's 3 months to 6 months or regular work per month, find work that'll match your business model and plan.

Build up a buffer of work

A buffer of work is what's going to keep you going when projects and one-off jobs aren't coming in. This could be x amount of blogs per month or a monthly newsletter for your client.

I hope you enjoyed this post. When did you start out as a business owner?

Thank you for reading <3