Becoming a freelance writer is different for everyone, but there is one universal truth -- you can expect to make a LOT of mistakes. Part of this is just the nature of being self-employed.

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You don’t have a boss to hold you accountable, tell you what you’re responsible for, and promise you a paycheck every two weeks.

You have to figure all that out on your own! Which is what makes freelance writing so terrifying exhilarating.

So while it isn’t possible to avoid ever making a mistake, you should take the time to identify mistakes that might be holding you back.

The Top 7 Freelance Writing Mistakes

After coaching many freelance writers and making plenty of mistakes of my own, I’ve noticed there are a few things that nearly every writer struggles with. Here are the top seven freelance writing mistakes to avoid.

1. Getting too hung up on things that don’t matter

I’ve noticed that many new freelance writers get very hung up on things that aren’t very important. This includes (but is not limited) to the following items:

The name of your business
Whether you host your website or Squarespace or WordPress
Your website’s domain name
Finding the right bookkeeping software
Designing a logo or business cards

Guys, none of those things matter because they aren’t going to help you earn more money. Know what does help you earn more money?

Sending proposals and doing work for your current clients.

So when you catch yourself falling down a rabbit hole of fiddling with your website for the 500th time, stop and ask yourself, “Will this help me earn more money?”

If the answer is no, then stop and find something more productive to do.

2. Trying to find something you’re “passionate” about

I’ve noticed that many freelance writers are very concerned with finding something they’re passionate about. They want to find that one perfect niche that will give them a sense of fulfillment and the knowledge that they’re contributing to the world.

But most freelance writing jobs are designed to sell products and services. So even if you love your niche, odds are you’re going to be assigned some topics that you could care less about.

And the truth is, you may not really know what you’re passionate about in the beginning. I never would have imagined I would start writing about personal finance, but I was willing to give it a try and realized how much I enjoy it.

I want you to be really open-minded when it comes to picking your niche. Be willing to try a lot of different things and don’t expect to know what it is right from the start.

And instead of passion, look for a niche that you enjoy 80% of the time. Everything sucks sometimes, so if you’re happy 80% of the time then I call that a win.

3. Assuming it’s all about the writing

I can’t even count the number of times someone has come to me and said, “Hey, I’m a good writer! I’ll bet I could be a freelance writer.” I’m sure I made this statement at some point myself.

And it’s not necessarily even that it’s incorrect -- you do need a certain level of writing ability to become a freelance writer. But there’s so much more to it than that and the best writers are not necessarily the best freelancers.

If you want to succeed as a freelancer, then you need to be really good at pitching clients and marketing yourself. Because it doesn’t matter how strong your writing is if you don’t have any clients to work with.

You also need to be someone who’s consistent and can keep your clients happy. Because again, if your clients don’t like you then you won’t make much money as a freelancer.

The good news is that marketing and consistency are both skills that you can learn and improve upon. And these are subjects I talk about in greater detail in my freelance writing course.

4. Not setting some kind of schedule

When I first started freelancing, I was very resistant to setting any kind of schedule.

I wanted to be able to take a mid-morning Pilates class, volunteer in my first grader’s classroom, listen to a 90-minute podcast...and somehow, squeeze in writing in my free time.

You can imagine how well that scenario worked out. After about a month of winging it, I realized I had to start sticking with a daily schedule if I wanted to earn real money as a freelancer.

A daily schedule can feel really restrictive at first, but over time, you’ll likely find that they are actually very freeing. And honestly, this doesn’t mean that you need to work eight hours a day, either.

I haven’t worked an eight hour day once since I started freelancing in 2016. It could be as simple as you work every day from 9 AM to noon.

5. Never sticking to one marketing plan

Whenever I talk to newish freelancers, I notice that most have one thing in common -- they want to know what the “best” marketing plan is.

Should I send cold emails or should I try job boards?
I’m in a Facebook group, and some girl told me that I should avoid Upwork like the plague. Should I use ProBlogger instead?
Could networking in Facebook groups be a better strategy?

When none of these strategies deliver the instant results they’re hoping for, they hop from one marketing strategy to another.

The problem is, it takes roughly 90 days to see any real results from your marketing. So if you cold email clients for five days and then stop, you’re probably not going to land any big wins.

The best marketing strategy is one you can stick with consistently. Just pick something, and commit to trying it for the next 90 days.

At the end of those 90 days, I promise you that you will be much better off than if you had jumped from one marketing strategy to the next.

6. Forgetting to follow up

Most potential clients are not going to hire you the first time you contact them, which is why following up is so, so important. If you don’t learn how to follow up with leads then I promise you that you’re leaving money on the table.

And there are ways to follow up with people that don’t make you feel spammy. One of the best tools I have found is LinkedIn.

Every time I talk to a potential client, I immediately go add them as a connection on LinkedIn. You want to do this right away because if you wait, then they will likely forget that you exist.

Once you’ve connected with that person on LinkedIn, make it a point to like their posts and occasionally reach out to see what they’re doing. Once you’ve established a relationship with them, you can even ask them for referrals.

But it’s not just leads that you need to follow up with -- you also need to make sure you follow up with old clients. Anytime I feel like I’m low on freelance writing work, I always go through my list of previous clients and reach out to all of them.

And every time I do this, at least one of them assigns me something. So don’t assume your former clients will contact you if they need anything. Be proactive and send a friendly email asking them if they need help with any new writing projects.

7. Trying to go at it alone

One of the biggest mistakes I see other freelance writers make is that they attempt to do it all on their own.

They think self-employment means they have to figure everything out by themselves, and can’t ask anyone else for help.

The truth is, it’s not possible to be successful on your own. The ONLY thing you can do on your own is fail.

So if you’ve plateaued in your freelance writing business, or you’re struggling to even start, then ask yourself if you’re trying to go at it alone.

You’d be surprised by how much you could benefit from networking with other writers in Facebook groups, signing up for a course to further your skills, or working with a freelance writing coach.

The Bottom Line

Hopefully, you found this list helpful and it provided some insight into areas you may be struggling with. If you identified with any of the items on this list, I’d love for you to schedule a Next Step coaching call with me.

These free, 30-minute calls are all about helping you find clarity and move forward in your freelance writing business.

They do fill up fast, so you can grab your spot here: https://jamiejohnsonwrites.as.me/schedule.php