Most freelance writers have a tendency to assume they need to go at it alone. After all, many of us probably enjoy and even prefer being alone.

But during my four years as a freelancer, I’ve learned that it’s not possible to build a business by yourself.

Yes, even a writing business where you’ll be holed up in a room with just your laptop for long stretches of time. The fact is, you need to network with other freelancers.

And the best way I’ve found to do that is by utilizing Facebook groups.

Reasons You Should Network With Other Freelance Writers

And thanks to social media, I have talked to dozens of freelance writers that I never would have met otherwise.

But believe me when I say that it was not always this way.

I used to cringe at the thought of networking, and I avoided Facebook groups like the plague.

On the rare occasion I did join a group, I wouldn’t contribute or post anything other than a half-hearted introduction post.

So if you’re feeling skeptical about how networking with other freelancers can help your writing career, then I completely relate. I felt this way for years and never made the effort to befriend other freelance writers.

But I’ve had a change of heart over the past year and a half and there are three reasons why.

Networking leads to more job opportunities

If you regularly network with other freelance writers and participate in writing groups, you’ll get access to more new clients and job opportunities. Which at first glance seems kind of counterintuitive.

Why would other freelance writers be willing to give away work to their competition? Well, because you aren’t really their competition.

There is plenty of work available for everyone. That seems hard to believe in the beginning, but once you learn how to find clients, you start to realize that they are everywhere.

But the more experienced you get as a writer, the more you realize that you don’t want to work with everyone. And not everyone will have the budget to pay your rate.

And some clients will be looking for freelancers who write about a different niche. When this happens, those freelance writers will pass on that work to writers they know and trust.

I am active in a Facebook group for freelance writers where roughly 90% of the group writes about personal finance. Yet I’ve gained multiple high-paying clients just by being an active participant in that group.

You’ll learn about new opportunities

One of the biggest disadvantages of being a new freelance writer is that you don’t know what you don’t know. Which is why it pays to be friends with writers who are more experienced than you.

I write about personal finance and am in a Facebook group with other personal finance writers. And during the summer of 2019, I kept seeing other writers in the group post about a conference called FinCon.

FinCon is a conference for content creators in the personal finance industry. Multiple people in my group insisted that if you want to be successful in personal finance, attending FinCon is a must.

So I bought a ticket, boarded a plane to Washington, D.C. and attended FinCon. (This was clearly pre-COVID!) The money I spent was well worth it because I walked away from that conference with four new clients.

You’ll be more successful over the long run

When you network with other freelancers, you will be more successful in the long run. However, there is one big caveat.

You need to network with freelancers who are more successful than you.

Finding friends who are at your level or a bit below you is great, but you don’t want to get into a habit of always being the most successful person in the room. Look for freelancers who earn quite a bit more than you do.

Those are the people I want you to network with.

Not only will their success inspire you, but you’ll also start to see that they aren’t any more talented or hard-working than you are. Freelance writing success won’t seem so elusive anymore.

6 Ways to Make the Most of Facebook Freelance Writing Groups

Participating in Facebook groups was always a good idea but it’s even more important right now. In-person networking events may not be a thing for a long time and Facebook groups allow you to continue building those connections.

Here are six ways you can make the most of Facebook freelance writing groups.

1. Try out a couple of different groups

Not every group is going to be the right fit for you. Different Facebook groups take on different personalities, which is largely influenced by the person running the group.

I recommend joining three to five groups to start with, and seeing how you like each of them. But really make an honest effort to participate before deciding that a group isn’t for you.

2. Look for groups that are exclusive to freelance writers

You should try out any groups that interest you but I recommend joining at least one that is exclusive to freelance writers.

Why? Because you need to network with people who understand what you do as a freelance writer.

For a while, I was part of a general freelancing group on Facebook.

The woman who led the group is pretty well-known in the digital marketing community. Let’s call her Sally.

One day, Sally posted that it’s hard to earn much more than $3,000 a month if you’re a freelance blogger. I knew blog posts were all I really wanted to write so I was devastated when I read her post.

Because I respected Sally, that statement really held me back for a long time. Which is unfortunate, because it’s 100% not true. I regularly earn between $10K-$12K as a freelance witer and all I write are blog posts.

The thing is, Sally meant well and was trying to help her group participants. I don’t think she was trying to discourage anyone.

But she’s not a freelance writer so she doesn’t know what the income potential is. And if I had been friends with more successful writers, I would have known to take her statement with a grain of salt.

3. Remember that there is no perfect group

Whenever I would join a new Facebook group, I would always go in with really high expectations. And the minute someone posted something I didn’t like, it would turn me off and I would end up leaving that group.

There are no perfect people, so obviously there are no perfect Facebook groups either. Other people are going to post things that are inappropriate and turn you off.

And at some point, you’ll accidentally post something stupid or inappropriate that will turn other people off.

So let’s all give each other some grace and keep an open mind, okay? My motto is always, “Take what you like, and leave the rest.”

4. Make an effort to participate regularly

If you want to really get a lot out of a Facebook group, you need to participate regularly. Ask questions, comment on other people’s posts, share your wins, and congratulate others on their wins.

But don’t join a new group, be a fly on the wall for six months, and then complain that you don’t feel included in that group. Other people want to get to know you, but you have to be willing to take the first step.

5. Pay attention to the rules of the group

Every group you join is going to have its own rules the owner wants its members to follow. You need to pay close attention to these rules because inadvertently ignoring them won’t win you any friends.

For instance, I’m part of a group that states that members need to search the archives before asking a question. That way, if a question has already been asked and answered, nobody is posting repetitive topics.

You may not always agree with the rules of a group, but you should follow them anyway. Running a Facebook group takes a ton of time and effort, so give the host the respect they deserve.

6. Connect with members on other social media channels

Once you’ve been posting regularly and have gotten to know other members, start connecting with those people on other social media channels. This is a great way to continue to build on those relationships.

Personally, I avoid sending people a friend request on Facebook. Facebook is a bit more personal, so some people will get funny about it if you friend request them.

If their Instagram profile is public, then it’s okay to follow them there. And you should definitely reach out to them on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Final Thoughts

If you’re an introvert like me, networking with other freelancers is uncomfortable at first. But it is worth the effort and will help you find more work and be more successful in the long run.

And if you’re trying to find a freelance writing Facebook group to join, I would love to have you in mine! My group, Rock Solid Freelance Writers, is growing quickly and we have a great group of writers in there.

You can check it out here:

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