How to Become a Top-Class Freelance Magazine Writer in 5 Steps

If you want to become a top-class freelance magazine writer, follow these five steps and soon you will be well on your way to earning your next job:

1. Do your homework. If you want to work for a magazine, do your homework the same as you would when applying for a job in their offices. Find out a lot about them, read some of their publications, and gain a feel for what it is they like in their writers. This will help you to better prepare a bid on any potential jobs.
2. Communicate like a professional. Just because this is on the internet and you won’t have to face your clients in person does not mean you can act unprofessionally. If you actually want success, you will not behave like that. If you want to really get a job and start freelance work, you need to remain professional at all times. Do not bully clients or be rude just because you work online. If you wouldn’t behave or say something in person, don’t say it online. Those comments never go away. And remember that a high quality magazine will certainly never hire a freelancer with attitude and snarky remarks.
3. Review potential clients before you take on a job. They are going to look at your profile, so look at theirs in kind. See what other contractors have to say about them. This is important because it can dictate how you bid on their job (i.e. do they often hire the most qualified writers or do they search for the cheapest price?) and it will also help you to see how prompt they are with payments (will they release payments right after the work is done or will they disappear and leave you waiting for auto-pay to kick in?)
4. If you are low on funds and looking for quick cash, look for jobs that are marked in some fashion as “urgent”. Rush work can always be found and it can give you the fast turnaround and quick cash that you need.
5. The world of freelance writing is a challenge to many beginners because it requires you to go against many a religious pious background and brag about yourself. You have one chance, and one chance only to tell the potential client why you are the best and you have to be your own salesman here.