How Do I Start Freelance Writing? The 6-Step Guide for Beginners With No Experience

The dream of freelance writing is incredibly appealing. You can work from anywhere, set your own hours, and get paid to do something you love.

But if you are standing at the starting line, the path ahead looks foggy. You might be staring at a blank screen, Googling the exact phrase that brought you here: “How do I start freelance writing?”

Often, that question is immediately followed by a wave of doubt: “But I don’t have a journalism degree. I’ve never been published. How do I start freelance writing with no experience?”

If that sounds like you, here is the good news: You do not need formal experience to become a successful freelance writer.

Clients today don’t care about your GPA or what credentials you have after your name. They care about one thing: Can you write content that solves their problems and engages their audience?

If you have strong basic writing skills, curiosity, and persistence, you can build a freelance career from scratch. This guide will show you exactly how to bridge the gap between “aspiring writer” and “paid professional.”

Step 1: Shift Your Mindset (Busting the “Experience” Myth)

Before you write a single word, you need to overcome the imposter syndrome that stops most beginners.

When people ask, “how do i start freelance writing with no experience,” they usually mean they lack professional experience—published clips in magazines or a previous job title of “Copywriter.”

But you likely do have experience.

• Have you written persuasive essays in college?
• Do you write detailed emails in your current job?
• Have you run a personal blog or crafted engaging social media posts?

That is writing experience.

In the freelance world, your “experience” is judged solely by the quality of the work you show a prospective client right now. Your background doesn’t matter as much as your ability to deliver results today.

Step 2: Choose Your Niche (Don’t Be a Generalist)

The biggest mistake new writers make is trying to write about everything for everyone. They list themselves as “available for articles, blog posts, technical writing, white papers, and poetry.”

When you try to speak to everyone, you speak to no one.

To start freelance writing successfully, you need to choose a niche. A niche is a specific area of expertise or a specific industry you focus on.

Why niches work:

• Less Competition: It’s harder to compete as a “writer.” It’s easier to compete as a “B2B SaaS writer for Fintech startups.”
• Higher Pay: Specialists always earn more than generalists.
• Easier Marketing: You know exactly who your target clients are.

How to pick your first niche: Look at your non-writing life. What do you already know?

• Are you a nurse? You can become a high-paid medical writer.
• Are you obsessively into personal finance? Write for FinTech companies.
• Do you love gaming? Write for tech review sites.

Don’t worry about picking the “perfect” niche forever. Just pick one to start.

Step 3: Build a “Zero-Experience” Portfolio

This is the hurdle that trips everyone up. How do I get clients without a portfolio, and how do I get a portfolio without clients?

The answer is simple: You create one yourself.

You do not need permission to write samples. A portfolio is simply a collection of 3–5 pieces of writing that demonstrate your skill in your chosen niche.

Here are three ways to build a portfolio with no experience:

1. Create “Spec” Pieces

A “speculative” (spec) piece is an article you write on your own time, pretending you were hired by a dream client. If your niche is pet care, write a 1,000-word SEO-optimized blog post titled: “The 5 Best GPS Collars for Active Dogs in 2025.” Make it perfect. Proofread it three times. Format it beautifully. That is now a portfolio piece.

2. Publish on Medium or LinkedIn

Don’t just leave your spec pieces sitting in a Google Doc. Publish them. Platforms like Medium or LinkedIn Articles are free and give your work a professional-looking home. When a client asks for samples, you send them the links to these published articles.

3. Guest Posting

Find smaller blogs in your niche and pitch them an idea for a free guest post. In exchange for your free writing, you get a “byline” (your name on the article) and a live link to show future paying clients.

Step 4: Establish Your Professional Presence

If a client wants to hire you, they need to be able to find you and verify that you are a real person.

You don’t need an expensive, custom-coded website on day one. But you do need these basics:

• An Optimized LinkedIn Profile: Update your headline to state clearly what you do. Instead of “Aspiring Writer,” use “Freelance Content Writer for [Your Niche] Brands.” Use the “Featured” section to link to your portfolio samples.
• A Simple Portfolio Site (Optional but Recommended): Using free tools like Carrd, WordPress.com, or Contently, you can set up a single-page website that lists your services, links to your samples, and provides a contact form.

Step 5: Finding Your First Clients (The Hustle)

You have the niche, the mindset, and the samples. Now, you need to find someone to pay you. When asking “how do i start freelance writing,” this is the practical application phase.

There are two main ways to find clients as a beginner:

The “Warm” Route: Job Boards

Job boards are competitive, but they are a great place to cut your teeth and learn how the hiring process works.

• ProBlogger Job Board: A reputable source for paid blogging gigs.
• LinkedIn Jobs: Search for terms like “Contract Writer,” “Freelance Copywriter,” or “Content Marketing Writer.”
• Content Mills (Use with Caution): Sites like Upwork can be okay for your very first few gigs to build confidence, but the pay is usually low and competition is fierce. Don’t stay there long.

The “Cold” Route: Pitching

This is where the real money is. Cold pitching involves researching companies in your niche that aren’t actively advertising for writers, and sending them an email proposing your services.

It’s intimidating, but effective. Find a marketing manager on LinkedIn at a company you admire. Send a short, professional email introducing yourself, linking to your portfolio, and suggesting a few blog post ideas that would benefit their audience.

Step 6: Set Your Rates and Start Writing

How much should you charge?

When you start freelance writing with no experience, pricing is tricky. You don’t want to work for pennies, but you can’t command expert rates yet.

• Don’t charge hourly initially. It punishes you for being fast.
• Charge per project or per word. A common starting range for decent beginners is $0.05 to $0.10 per word (e.g., $50 to $100 for a 1,000-word article).

Your first goal is not to get rich; it is to get paid. Your first $50 check proves the concept works. Once you have a few testimonials and more experience, raise your rates immediately.

Conclusion

Stop asking “how do i start freelance writing” and start doing the work.

The only difference between an aspiring writer and a professional freelance writer is that the professional started writing before they felt ready. They created samples out of thin air, picked a niche, and put themselves out there.

It will take rejection, persistence, and a lot of typing. But you can start today, right now, with exactly the experience you have.