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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on March 10, 2022
Investment range
$3,050 - $7,100
Revenue potential
$47,000 - $100,000 p.a.
Time to build
0 – 3 months
Profit potential
$42,000 - $90,000 p.a.
Industry trend
Growing
Commitment
Flexible
Here are the most important things to consider when starting your freelance writing business:
Starting a freelance writing business has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you.
Trends in the freelance writing industry include:
Challenges in the freelance writing industry include:
Startup costs for a freelance writing business range from $3,000 to $7,000. Costs include a website, a computer, and an initial marketing budget. If you already have a computer, you’re way ahead.
| Start-up Costs | Ballpark Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up a business name and corporation | $150 - $200 | $175 |
| Business licenses and permits | $100 - $300 | $200 |
| Insurance | $100-$300 | $200 |
| Business cards and brochures | $200 - $300 | $250 |
| Website setup | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
| Computer | $1,000 - $2,000 | $1,500 |
| Initial marketing budget | $500 - $1,000 | $750 |
| Total | $3,050 - $7,100 | $5,075 |
Rates for freelance writers vary based on experience and the complexity of the writing. Some charge $.05 to $1 per word, others $25 to $100 per hour. These calculations will assume an average hourly rate of $30. Your profit margin after marketing costs should be around 90%.
In your first year or two, you could work 30 hours a week, bringing in nearly $47,000 in annual revenue. This would mean more than $42,000 in profit, assuming that 90% margin. As you build up a regular clientele, you could get to 40 hours per week and up your rate to $50 per hour. With annual revenue of more than $100,000, you’d make a tidy profit of nearly $90,000.
There are a few barriers to entry for a freelance writing business. Your biggest challenges will be:
Now that you know what’s involved in starting a freelance writing business, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market.
Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.
Research freelance writing businesses online to examine their services, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the market is missing a technical writing business.
You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as business copywriting or fashion content writing.
This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.
Your writing services will depend on your skills and areas of knowledge. You can write all sorts of things, including:
Prices for writing vary greatly. If you write general articles, you can probably expect about $25 per hour. If you write more specialized content, such as business-related content, you may be able to charge $35 to $40 per hour. If you write business plans, you could earn up to $100 per hour. You could also charge by the word, from $.05 to $1. Your ongoing costs will be limited to marketing expenses.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Your target market will mainly be businesses. You can find business owners on sites like LinkedIn. If you message them or call them directly, you may find some freelance writing gigs. You should also use freelance writing job boards like Upwork and Freelancer.
You’ll probably always want to run your business from home, but if you ever want to rent an office, you can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist, Crexi, and Instant Offices.
When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:
Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:
Discover over 210 unique freelance writing business name ideas here. If you want your business name to include specific keywords, you can also use our business name generator. Just type in a few keywords and hit “generate” and you’ll have dozens of suggestions at your fingertips.
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool below. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.
Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.
Here are the key components of a business plan:
If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.
Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.
Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!
Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to freelance writing businesses.
If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.
Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your freelance writing business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.
Here are the main options:
We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization, and answer any questions you might have.
Choose Your State
The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.
Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.
The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist, and taxes can be filed online.
It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.
Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:
Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a freelance writing business.
Starting a freelance writing business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.
Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.
You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.
You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package. They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.
If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.
Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account.
Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your freelance writing business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.
Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.
Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.
Here are some types of insurance to consider:
As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.
Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.
You may want to use writing project management software, such as ClickUp, Notion, or Monday, to manage your projects, workflows, and documents.
Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.
You can create your own website using website builders. This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.
They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.
Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:
Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your freelance writing business meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.
Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your freelance writing business could be:
You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a freelance writing business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in freelance writing for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.
The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in freelance writing. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. Online businesses might also consider affiliate marketing as a way to build relationships with potential partners and boost business.
If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But if you want to grow into a content writing or copywriting company, you will likely need workers to fill various roles Potential positions for a freelance writing business include:
At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need.
Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.
If you’re a writer or just an aspiring writer, starting your own freelance writing business is a fairly easy process. If you already have a computer, it doesn’t take much to get started, and it’s a great way to work flexibly from home and make good money. If you have specialized knowledge or skills, you can make even more.
Now that you know the steps, it’s time to start freelancing your way to entrepreneurial success!
If you’re an experienced writer you can make up to $50 per hour or more. If you can do specialty writing, such as business plans, you can earn even more. The important thing is to put out great writing pieces and the money will follow.
There are various ways to find clients for content writing, such as creating a professional website and showcasing your writing samples, networking on social media platforms, attending writing conferences and events, and using freelance marketplaces and job boards to find opportunities.
To ensure that your writing skills and expertise are in demand in the freelance market, it is important to stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, continuously improve your writing skills through reading and practice, and specialize in a niche or area of expertise.
To manage your time effectively and balance multiple writing projects, it is important to prioritize tasks, create a schedule or to-do list, and set realistic deadlines for yourself. Utilizing project management tools and communication platforms can also help to stay organized and communicate effectively with clients.
To continue to grow and expand your freelance writing business over time, it is important to continuously market yourself and your services, develop new skills and areas of expertise, and establish long-term relationships with clients.
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