Are you a freelance writer or contemplating to start freelance writing? Well, the good news is the barrier to entry is quite low. However, clients don’t hire writers with no skill. You need to understand their needs and gain the relevant skill sets for you to run a successful freelance business.
We live in a fast-paced world where change is inevitable and things keep on evolving as technology advances. In recent years AI has advanced and there are rumors that we may have reached Artificial general intelligence (AGI). In simple terms, AI has human-like capabilities and can create decent content.
AI has impacted freelance writers by replacing some low-level freelance writers. Marketing teams have cut costs by replacing some of their writers with AI. This begs the question, how do you become a freelance writer in the AI Era and future-proof yourself? In this blog post, we will discuss how to become a high-quality freelance writer that clients want to keep on their payroll.
Table of Contents
Skale Money Key Takeaways
- Starting a blog is crucial for freelance writers, serving as a portfolio and helping to develop skills in writing, SEO, and content management.
- Reading extensively is essential for writers to improve their knowledge, perspective, and vocabulary.
- AI is transforming the freelance writing industry, and writers need to adapt by learning to use AI tools to enhance their workflow and productivity.
- To future-proof their careers, freelance writers should become subject matter experts, diversify their skills, and focus on creating high-quality, human-centric content.
- Specializing in a niche can lead to higher earnings and more opportunities, especially in areas where AI is currently less effective.
Start a blog
Rome was not built in a day and a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Whether you are a seasoned writer or a newbie, having a blog is paramount. A blog serves as your portfolio and showcases your talent to the world. Here are some benefits of having a blog prior to looking for clients:
- Builds an online following
- Improves your writing skills
- Showcases your knowledge and expertise to potential clients
- Helps you learn SEO
- Understand CMS platforms like WordPress
- Diversifies your income
In the age of AI having a blog as a writer is a necessity. A blog will distinguish you from the huge competition of freelance writers. You will be more knowledgeable and more of a content strategist.
Contrary to popular belief. Starting a blog is easy. All you need is a domain name, a host, a good design, and content! You will learn the rest as you go. For the domain name, I advise getting a dot com domain. You can start your blogging journey with Namecheap. The most affordable hosting company.
Read books
Knowledge is power! Writing is a skill and to develop it you must be a fan of reading. As a writer, I keep on consuming information from a variety of sources. You can only become a great writer by learning from other writers in the industry. The benefits of reading are:
- It changes your perspective
- Reading stimulates your brain and gives you motivation
- It increases your knowledge
- Keeps you updated on current trends
- Improves your vocabulary
The Freelance writing journey is not a smooth one. Before you start looking for clients ensure you have read a variety of books to get more insights on different topics and understand the freelance gig economy.
As Jordan Peterson said, “With reading, you have this opportunity to learn whatever you want from the greatest people who ever lived along that dimension.”
Embrace Artificial Intelligence
AI is not the enemy. It’s a tool. As with every industrial revolution, there will be changes in the industry, and as freelance writers we have experienced this firsthand. Since AI is here to stay and will get better with time, how can writers embrace it and future-proof themselves from being replaced by AI?
How to use AI to your advantage
Necessity is the mother of invention and as a writer, you need to be flexible and adapt to change. Learning how to use AI is now a necessity as it improves business workflow. Here are some ways to use AI to your advantage:
- Speed up your workflow by using AI to create content drafts for emails, reports, and images
- Quickly edit your articles and reports using tools such as Grammarly
- Translate your content fast with AI
- Convert audio content to written content with AI and edit it later saving time
- Create content outlines and briefs to structure your content
- Reduce writing block by using prompts to get suggestions from AI
How to future-proof yourself from AI as a writer
It’s not yet doomsday for writers. Companies are still hiring high-quality writers. However, the hiring requirements have changed and to stand a chance you need to be at the top of your game. Here are some ways you can prepare and future-proof yourself:
- Become a subject matter expert: AI can hallucinate which is the creation of false information as if it were true. As a subject matter expert, you will be able to identify such content and business will rely on your knowledge.
- Learn other skills: Being a writer doesn’t cut it anymore. Your work as a writer is to create content that brings value to your customers such as traffic and converting leads to sales. Learn additional skills such as editing, SEO writing, how to interview people, and addressing readers’ pain points.
- Understand AI writing: AI is a tool and it’s as powerful as the user. AI prompting is becoming an in-demand skill and knowing how to use AI sets you apart from people who don’t.
- Write for humans, not machines: As much as AI can spin content, people tend to abuse it and entirely create misleading content. As a result, SERPs such as Google punish such content through their Google updates. Creating content is valuable and converts readers will have companies knocking at your doorstep.
Niche down
As you start, you can be a jack of all trades. Venture into different topics, see what interests you, gather some clients then choose a few topics you would like to become a master of. Freelance writers with a specific niche earn more and are sought after by employers. To find a writing niche consider the following:
- What you are passionate about
- Your professional experience
- Your education specialty
- Your topics of interest
- The pay
You can also do your research and find a niche where AI is inefficient such as:
- I-Gaming
- Gambling and casinos
- Adult content
- News on the go
Final words
Don’t fret. Freelance writing has evolved with the introduction of Artificial intelligence. As freelance writers, we need to embrace and learn how to incorporate AI into our workflow. High-quality writers are still in demand and our creativity will always be needed. Are you a freelance writer or aspiring to be one? What are your thoughts?
FAQs
Is AI replacing freelance writers?
While AI has impacted some low-level writing jobs, high-quality freelance writers are still in demand. The key is to adapt and use AI as a tool to enhance your work.
How can I start my freelance writing career?
Start by creating a blog to showcase your skills, read extensively to improve your knowledge, and consider specializing in a niche to stand out in the market.
What skills do I need to succeed as a freelance writer in 2024?
Besides writing, develop skills in SEO, content strategy, editing, and AI prompting. Becoming a subject matter expert in your chosen niche is also valuable.
How can I use AI to my advantage as a freelance writer?
Use AI to speed up your workflow, create content drafts, edit your work, translate content, and overcome writer’s block. However, always ensure the final product is high-quality and human-centric.
What are some niches where AI is less effective in content creation?
Some areas where human writers still have an advantage include I-Gaming, gambling and casinos, adult content, and real-time news reporting.
Author: Cosmas Mwirigi
Cosmas Mwirigi is an established freelance writer with over five years of experience and the founder of Skalemoney.com. His content has been published by multiple publishers, including PV-Magazine, Slidebean, Bridge Global, Casinos.com, Gambling.com, and Reverbico. Mwirigi is an expert writer in iGaming, B2B, SaaS, Finance, digital marketing and Solar renewable energy. To contact him for his services, connect with him on his LinkedIn.
