6 Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer (2024)

FAQs

Can you make 6 figures as a freelance writer? ›

You've probably already heard that you can make six figures as a freelance writer, but this can sound like a fantasy if you're just starting your career. The good news is that landing your dream client is as simple as creating a process and optimizing your outreach strategy.

If you're serious about making a career change, there's no faster way to make money online than freelance writing. The best part is that if you do it right, you can blow past the $1K a month mark in no time. Freelance writing offers much, much greater earning potential.

As of May 22, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Freelance Writer in the United States is $23.27 an hour.

While most Digital Writers can quickly elevate themselves and start earning $100,000+ per year, it is very, very hard to make more than $250,000 per year without some form of Digital Leverage. This means finding a way to work with more people without selling more of your time.

We recommend beginner freelance writers charge no less than $0.05 to $0.20 per word. If you consider the example of a 1,000-word blog post, this means you'll range from $50 to $200 per post.

On average, freelance writers earn $24.22/hour. At a regular full-time job (40hrs/week), that would earn you close to $50k per year.

Can you survive as a freelance writer? ›

Many freelance writers manage to make a good living writing for institutions, publications, and brands, and earn upwards of six figures per year.

It allows you to explore your creativity, set your own hours, and potentially earn a rewarding income. However, be prepared to face challenges such as income fluctuations and client management. With dedication, perseverance, and a love for writing, freelance writing can lead to a fulfilling and prosperous career.

It's no secret: freelance writing is saturated. In 2024, freelance writers have an entirely new genre of competition — one that seemingly came out of nowhere — in AI. Clients want to pay less but expect more. It feels harder than ever to secure enough client work to make a consistent career out of it.

Freelance writing, particularly as a side hustle, is your opportunity to focus on subjects and types of writing that interest you. This will be your niche, and finding it will help you to target your research, skills, résumé, portfolio, and marketing.

The short answer is, yes, you can. I've been paying my way by writing for many years now. There's no reason why you shouldn't make a living selling words, too.

You can still make six figures as a writer, if you are so dedicated to your literary craft that your work is about the reader's need to understand humanity; or you write genre fiction with the reader in mind and learn how to work Amazon ads.

It allows you to explore your creativity, set your own hours, and potentially earn a rewarding income. However, be prepared to face challenges such as income fluctuations and client management. With dedication, perseverance, and a love for writing, freelance writing can lead to a fulfilling and prosperous career.

So if you can level up your skillset and stay client-focused, you can absolutely still be a full-time freelance writer in 2024. In a way that's both smart and sustainable.