How To Become A Freelance Writer Without A Degree?

A lot of people like food bloggers and those who are about to become writers asked me questions about freelance writing. For example, how to become a freelance writer without a degree and no experience?. Do you need a degree like a university degree or maybe a journalism degree from a community college to be a freelance writer?..

Have a look at the freelancing sites with low competition to become a freelance writer. Moreover, read the Freelancer vs Upwork review.

More often than not, the question is how to be a successful freelance writer without a degree?

A bit off-topic but have a look at a post detailing how to sell clothes on eBay.

Find out the best freelance websites for writers and the jobs that pay daily.

In freelance writing, you can do pretty much anything under the sun. For instance, you can write memes to earn money.

I was confused about how to answer these questions about writing, writers, college degree, journalism degree, etc. in a small paragraph. Each one of these questions needs a proper explanation.

Find some online jobs without experience. Moreover, make sure to read the Hiresine review to know if it is where your next job opportunity lies.

So at last, I thought of writing a post about freelance writing for beginners to help you become a writer without a degree. A writer doesn’t only write blogs and articles, but also personal statements. This post will cover each of the above questions and a lot more than writers need to know to help you become a successful writer without any formal education, school, or college classes.

To start writing, writers need to just be creative, confident and make sure to provide enough education and information to their readers.

Always bring a novel approach to describe stuff to your readers. Find a way with words and get the writing job done the right way.

If you want to become a writer without a college degree and want to know every single thing about freelance writing then stay with me!

I will share some professional tips that writers need to follow in this article to help you become a successful writer without a college education or going to university for a journalism course or class.

Let’s start with the most asked question, do you need a degree to be a freelance writer? Or can you become a writer without a degree?

Absolutely not!

A lot of people think that they should have a degree to become a writer. But wait!!

Many people left colleges years ago and today they are earning six figures through writing.

So, it’s not true if you want to write. You can even become a writer without any degree to do freelance writing.

If you are one of those people then stop thinking like this, a degree has nothing to do with it. I agree that having a bachelor’s degree is a good thing to create a good reputation but still, it is not necessary.

If you still think that you should have a degree and you lack qualifications then what are you gonna do? Thinking of going back to school to take a complete course on it?

Obviously not!

Then stop thinking about it, come out of this though as there are many freelance writers without a degree. If you actually want to become a freelance writer then the freelancing world is waiting to see your wonders.

Along the way, take the help of professionals, find your writing passion, struggle to create a creative idea, and you’re done.

I know now you are thinking about how to become a freelancer without a degree. If it is so then yes you are on the right path now.

So now, I make things more clear. I am a successful freelance writer with 7+ years of experience. But guess what? I don’t have any degree. When I started this I didn’t have any experience in it.

I just took a risk because I wanted to go for it.

So not having any proper degree was not an excuse for me. Now, look at me,

I am making a six-figure salary as a freelance writer like many other freelance writers.

If I can do this, why not you? Forget about the degree and anything else. All you need to have is “willingness” to do it.

Job	Salary
Author	$18.25 Per Hour
Freelance Writer	$19.43 Per Hour
Content Writer	$17.55 Per Hour
Technical Writer	$33.57 Per Hour
Grant Writer	$43,204 Per Year
Journalist	$39.09 Per Hour

How to Get Started – How to Become a Freelance Writer Without a Degree

Here I will tell you how you can start your career as a freelance writer. I will provide you with all the necessary information about it.

Just stay with me till the end:)

Select your Services

Firstly, you will have to select the services which you like to add. To add the right services, you should know your skills and expertise.

As you will be a writer then you can provide services like content writing, technical writing, scriptwriting, and many more.

Alert

Avoid adding services in which you are not so good, they will create a bad impression afterward. 

So choose the ones in which you are too good. Whatever services you provide, display them in an eye-catchy and creative way.

Tip

Your earnings and profit will depend on your services, select wisely.

Choose Platform

After selecting your services, you should choose your platform. You can choose any freelance platform for freelance writing as a lot of freelance platforms give you the opportunity to earn as a writer. 

If you are having trouble choosing a platform then here I am going to share a list of top-rated freelance writing platforms, you can choose any of them.

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Freelancer.com
• People per hour

I would recommend you to start from only one platform. You can use multiple platforms too but not in starting.

If you need further info about freelance writing platforms then you can check out our article on this topic (link of 25 freelance writing platforms). 

Create your Account

So your next step will be creating an account. Just create your account on the platform which you like.

Creating an account on any freelance platform is pretty simple. Just sign up with Google, Facebook, or email address.

After choosing one of these, you will have to choose a username and I will prefer you to use your real name with correct spellings (if your name is not available then you can use some numbers after it like “Joejonas10”).

If you are thinking of creating an account on Upwork then it is a bit difficult but still not impossible. You will have to wait for your profile approval on Upwork.

After creating your account, activate your account, and you are done with this.

Create your Gigs

Create your gigs after creating your account. Different freelance platforms offer a different number of gigs, create accordingly.

If you want your business to grow then your gigs should be professional. They should be SEO optimized so that they can appear at the top of searches.

Write your gig description and title with ultimate care.

Tip

Adding extras in your gig will increase its sell-by 30%.

If you want to learn more about gigs then check out our article

Link of:

• 13 Strong but Easy Fiverr SEO Tips to Rank on First Page Fast
• 7 tips to How to Hit SEO-Friendly Fiverr Gig Title
• how to post a gig on Fiverr: SUGGESTION from Fiverr PRO 2020
• 9 Killer Tips to Write Fiverr profile description

Do SEO of your Account

SEO is so important to get success in freelancing. You might be wondering why? Then let me make it clear. 

Suppose you are providing services of scriptwriting, now go and write scriptwriting in the search box of the platform on which you are gonna work. 

You will see top-rated sellers on the first page and more good sellers on the second and third pages. When a client looks for a seller, he only checks the first two or three pages.

So you will have to appear in those pages, but how? You don’t even have reviews on your profile. 

Yes! SEO will help you with that. If you have done SEO of your account then you will appear at the top of searches.

For this, you will have to do SEO of your whole accounts like profile description, gig title, and gig description.

If you want to learn more about it then you can read our post

(link of 7 tips to How to Hit SEO-Friendly Fiverr Gig Title)

Market your Services

If you want people to know about you and your services then you will have to market them. I am not saying you take a billboard and advertise.

Just spend some money to market yourself on the websites with great traffic. If you don’t want to spend money then simply create social media accounts.

Share your info and your work on your accounts, follow people who are interested. You can create accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and a lot more.

But the one which I will highly recommend is Linkedin. I have gotten a lot of projects through LinkedIn.

For LinkedIn, you should have some samples of your work on your page. Add a link to your freelance account as well.

Know your Competitors

If you want to get success in anything then you should keep an eye on your competitors. See what they are doing and follow their steps.

Suppose you are providing services of scriptwriting then check the gigs of scriptwriters. See what they have written in their gigs and check their profile as well.

Send Offers

After creating gigs, start sending offers to the buyers. Before sending any offer, read the project description carefully.

Ask yourself if you can do it or not, if yes then go for it. Write your offer in the best way.

Include your samples in your offer and offer something free too. Try to ask some questions about the project as well and send the offer.

Get and Complete Projects

After you get a project, take each and every detail from the client. If you are confused about anything ask the buyer about that and start working.

As you will be working as a writer and never copy anyone’s work. You can take ideas from others’ work but don’t copy them.

If you give your best to the client then firstly he will give you good reviews and secondly he will come again.

So take projects and complete them in the given time.

Keep Rising your Price

Raise your prices after getting enough positive reviews on your profile. Don’t be static, try to get better and think about bigger things.

Apply for higher-paying and more competitive jobs when you are experienced. Always think of doing something new and never stop.

Make sure to look for work from home companies.

Pros an cons of getting a degree for content writing jobs

Pros

Professional training: A professional degree may provide you with the formal instruction you need for both writing and a technical subject, as well as help you gain a competitive advantage against job applicants without a degree.

Different types of paid opportunities to write about a certain topic, such as biology, might require different levels of education.

Networking possibilities: College or university attendance may provide you networking chances that you may not get elsewhere.

Fallback option: If you don’t find any writing jobs, a degree can offer you knowledge and abilities that you can apply to another profession.

Cons

The cost of a professional degree is typically high and may be difficult to manage. Time: Another factor to consider is the time element. A four-year bachelor’s degree, for example, may detract from your writing productivity.

Emotional pressures: Some writing programs may be competitive, and while some people thrive on competition, others develop their writings better without additional stress.

Learning styles: It is possible that individuals who are more self-reliant learners will not connect with the teaching methods at certain institutions.

Things you Don’t Need to Get Started – How to Become a Freelance Writer Without a Degree

Now let me tell you about some more things which you don’t need to become a freelance writer. Let’s discuss them one by one.

1- A Proper Office

As you know, freelancing is all about working with the ease of your sofa!

You have no need to sit in a well-furnished office to start it. When I started my career as a freelance writer, I used to work sitting on my bed with a laptop in my lap and my cat beside me.

Sounds great??

Let me tell you more!

In freelancing, everything is done online. Your client will never ask if you have an office or anything like that.

Clients will come, place their order and you will deliver their work online. There is no need to sit with proper dressing, you can do your work wearing your fluffy hoodie. And, that’s what all freelance writers do.

Ahhhh!! What else do you need??

So don’t stress yourself with unnecessary things. You should have only basic things to get started.

2- A Website

Yes! You have no need to have your own website. I know having a website is beneficial but still, it is not compulsory.

If you ask for a reason then I would say that it will become so difficult for you to manage both. When I started working as a freelance writer I had no website.

But still, I managed to get clients. Having a blog doesn’t give you surety to get clients, it is your hard work that will get you, clients.

If you still want to create a website with freelancing then listen to my story first.

I started this website 2 years ago and it became so difficult for me to manage both.

As you know, websites demand time to grow, I had to write articles for my website daily. And at last, it became challenging for me to run this website with freelancing.

So I decided not to post on the website every day. Now I work on my freelance projects every day and write articles for websites once or twice a week.

Well, it was not that difficult for me but it will be difficult for you (if you are a beginner). 

When I started this website, I was experienced in freelancing. So there was no need to spend time sending offers to buyers as I had regular buyers.

But if you are a starter then you will have to spend a lot of time freelancing like many other beginner freelance writers. So I would recommend you not to go for a website.

However, you can create your website after some time, like after 1 or 2 years.

So these were the things that are not compulsory to become a freelance writer. 

We are done with this topic, now let’s move to our last topic.

Things you Need to Become A Freelance Writer Without A degree

Now we will talk about the things which you actually need to start your career as a freelance writer.

Let’s discuss them one by one.

1- Courage

You might have experience, skills, knowledge but without courage, they are of no use. If you want to become a freelance writer then you should have the courage to bear a rejection, you should have the courage to hear “NO”.

As you know, there is a lot of competition for freelance writers. There are a lot of writers in the market with great skills and a good reputation.

So you should have the courage to leave them behind. You must have confidence that you have something which they don’t have.

The point which I want to make clear is, you could be an outstanding writer to stand in the row of successful freelance writers, but without courage, you can’t be a good freelance writer.

2- Patience

We can say, in freelancing, patience is key to success. In your writing career, it matters a lot, if you don’t have patience you will give up.

It will take you a lot of time to build a good reputation as a freelancer. Don’t think that you will start getting projects right after creating an account.

There is nothing like that, freelancing demands patience.

When I started freelancing, I didn’t get a single project even after a month. But I never thought of leaving it. I worked hard and see now, I am a level 2 seller.

I have seen a lot of people quitting just because of no immediate results. A lot of people message me saying they are not earning anything and I just asked one thing, did you try everything? And guess what the answer was “No”.

The point I want to make clear is excuses will get you nothing, hard work and patience will.

So, in order to flourish in your writing career, patience is the key and not a college degree.

3- Ability to Ask Questions

When someone tells you a piece of news, do you ask questions about that? Do you wonder what will happen next? How did it happen?

If yes then you are good to go as a freelance writer.

I’m not talking about getting a journalism degree to be able to ask questions.

If you want to be a successful freelance writer then you should have the ability to ask questions. I am not saying you to ask questions without any reason, ask them to make everything clear.

If a client comes to you and asks you to do something but doesn’t provide enough information then don’t be confused.

Don’t be like a kid trying to understand a topic without a proper lecture. If you want to do your work in the best way then ask questions, make things clear, and then work.

If you don’t ask questions then you might do something which the client will not like and then bad reviews!! So if you want to avoid it then learn to ask questions, be curious!

4- Time Management

Time management is one of the biggest challenges that you will face. As you know, you will be working without any boss, so you will surely become lazy.

That’s why time management is important, if you manage your time properly then the chances of becoming lazy decrease.

Learn to achieve your daily goals without any distractions.

Well, I am not saying you to work 24/7 and do as much as you can. Your time management should be smart, you should have some time to rest and to spend some time with your family.

Don’t be robotic in anything, do things smartly. Don’t stress yourself by squeezing a lot of tasks in your day.

If you want to welcome your buyer with a fresh mind then learn to simplify your work.

5- Good Communication Skills

Let me say it, if you have good communication skills then you will get success before you are expecting. If you have the ability to talk professionally with the buyer then the buyer will be comfortable.

And if the buyer is comfortable with you and you work then he will surely come again and again. You might be thinking about why communication skills matter a lot then let me make it clear.

As we know, a project starts with communication, the client will contact you before placing the order. When you will be making your deal, your client will observe your way of writing just to know your expertise.

If you show your expertise while talking then the client will never reject you.

Now another point, if you don’t have good communication skills or if you face difficulty while talking to anyone then work on it. Your communication skills will improve with time.

Try to explain everything in the simplest way, don’t write paragraphs that may confuse the client

Tip

Don’t use difficult words, use basic English as a lot of clients on freelance platforms are not native to English.

6- Never Stop Learning

I would recommend you never stop learning even after you are successful. The curiosity of learning more and more will teach you a lot. If you got your hands on the research part, the next step is to focus on your creative writing skills.

And, let me tell you again, you don’t need to have a college education for creative writing.

You will get to know about new features, you will be updated about everything. Continuous learning is not as important for anyone as much as it is important for a writer.

If you have a specific niche then don’t stick only to that niche. Learn something different to know about the values of different cultures.

Keep polishing your skills and challenge yourself.

Tip

Setting some goals to learn new things can help you with it. So add some personal goals to your time table and increase your knowledge.

7- Love for your Work

Working as a freelancer is not easy, a lot of things will distract you. That’s why you should have love for your work.

As you know, you will be working without any boss, no one will question you for wasting your time. If you don’t love your work then you will lose interest soon.

Other ways of earning will start attracting you and you will start giving yourself lame excuses, ultimately you will quit.

Freelancing demands struggle, you will have to work hard to be a top-rated seller. I heard some people saying “you will only become a successful freelancer if you have no other way to feed your family”.

And I think it’s right, if you have other ways to feed your family then you will surely choose them. But trust me, once you get success in it, you will play for money!

8- Laptop and Internet

Now you might be thinking why I am talking about it in the last. Then let me tell you, if you have all the things mentioned above then you will need a laptop and internet.

Otherwise, there is no need to start working as a freelancer, you will waste your time only. Now if you are willing with everything mentioned above then let’s talk about it.

If you are working as a freelancer then you will have to stay active on your freelance accounts, for this you will need a laptop.

You also need to research the topic which the client will give you, so you will need the internet for this.

I would recommend you to spend some money to buy a good laptop and have a good internet connection. If your laptop is not working efficiently or the speed of your internet is slow then you might lose clients.

So if you don’t want it to happen then invest some money in a good quality laptop and high-speed internet connection.

Duties For A Writer

• Make layouts for sections of your paper.
• To plot sections of writing, interact with consumers, publishers, and editors.
• Make writing draughts for customers or employers before sending them the original one.
• Write sections using the tone, fashion, length, and other limits imposed by customers or employers.
• Conduct research to ensure that the writing is genuine and accurate.
• Check your writing for errors.
• Before publishing or sending an article to a customer, it is important to self-edit it for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style.
• Before you publish it, collaborate with editors or customers to make your work ideal and perfect.

Wrap Up

I wrote everything to help you with starting your career as a freelance writer and to get writing jobs. Now all you need is courage, hard work, and patience.

First off, reach out to a small business website and then, keep flourishing in your writing career.

After reading our post if you wish to write on Fiverr, check out our detail on how to write the best gig description.

If you still have some questions then don’t hesitate to write them in the comment box. I am always here to assist you as I want nothing but your success 🙂

If you’re entering college, also find out some summer jobs for college students.

Don’t forget to read more blogs about money-making. Not sure who we are? Read about us also our ToS.

Let me know when are you going to start writing? I hope, you will find several writing jobs along the way.