We’ve been working our way through a series on Making Money as a Writer. Today, we’re talking about one of the most familiar and straightforward ways to make money as a writer: freelance writing.

Freelancing is writing for hire. This is opposed to writing because you’re a staff member of an organization or have writing responsibilities as part of your overall job. When you freelance, you are getting paid to write a specific piece (or pieces) of content. It can be a one-off piece or part of an ongoing contract.

Many writers make fantastic money creating articles, blog posts, and other content for an endless array of different industry and special interest publications. My freelancing experience has been in a few basic areas:

1. I’ve written a few articles for traditional print magazines and journals.
2. For several years, my primary side business income was writing podcast show notes for a few clients.
3. I wrote lots of articles for The Good Men Project, a large online publication with millions of views per month. (However, I was paid as an editor, not a freelancer.)
4. I wrote lots of “pillar post” content for a ministry-related website for a year or two. (A “pillar post” is a long article—typically a few thousand words—designed to be an authoritative post on a topic. It’s also usually packed with keywords and phrases designed to maximize SEO—search engine optimization.)

Freelancing comes in all shapes and sizes. However, I don’t want you to get overwhelmed by the possibilities. Instead, stay focused on doing a few things well. Here’s how I would recommend getting started if you want to write for publications:

First, set up a blog and start writing there on a regular topic. You need to build your writing resume and show potential clients, publications, or magazines that you have some writing chops. Plus, writing regularly on your own blog is a good way to develop SEO and begin building some authority around your topic, whatever it is.

Next, write for free in some publications, such as The Good Men Project, which accepts articles on lots of topics, both by men and women (as long as it pertains to men or manhood). I would suggest writing for places that feature the same kinds of content or topics you write. The more your writing is online, and the larger the publications you write for, the more your credibility within that topic will grow.

Once you have one of these two things, then begin pitching paid publications. Be sure to strictly follow their guidelines. Editors are very busy people who will generally ignore you if you don’t play by their rules.

If you want to write for clients—doing regular blog posts, for example—you will still need a blog. And I’d also recommend writing for publications if you can, even if it’s for free for a while to build up your writing resume. But then you will want to connect with potential clients on an individual basis.

One final tip when it comes to freelancing: I strongly suggest that you don’t refer to yourself or promote yourself as a “freelance writer.” The reason is that freelance writers are a dime a dozen. Give yourself a more authoritative and specific title, such as “Content Writer for the Automotive Industry” or “Business and Personal Development Writer.”

Better yet, combine it with other titles such as Author or Coach. Titles mean something, and the way you refer to yourself is the way people will think of you. Don’t ever just call yourself a “freelance writer.” And for goodness sakes, please don’t use the “Open to Work” badge on your LinkedIn profile… it just screams that you are desperate!

Like most of the areas we’re discussing in this series, freelancing can take a lot of different forms. But don’t be afraid—just take the steps I’ve outlined here and you will make quick progress.

Question: What specific topics or industries interest you the most when it comes to freelancing?