For many, the answer to the question “how to make money from home in Canada” has become writing. A freelance writing side hustle is an easy way to generate some extra income, and as long as you meet your client deadlines, when and where you write does not matter.
If you are ready to join the over 2.5 million Canadians participating in freelance work as a freelance writer, continue reading.
Choose a freelance writing niche
A niche is a specific topic a freelance writer can focus on. The more targeted a niche, the easier it is to stand out and make a name for yourself as a freelance writer. The key is to find a niche that is targeted enough but has enough popularity to make a living within. For example, the category of “travel” would probably be too broad and too saturated with other writers, but if you narrowed it down to a specific subcategory of travel, say using only trains as transport, you might have a specific enough subcategory with enough traction to work within the niche. Make sure to research potential niches and check their search volumes using tools like Google Keyword Analytics and what opportunities there may be for work within the niche. The niche should also be something you are passionate about and want to write about consistently.
Freelance blogging
Once you have established what niche you will target, you can reach out to established publications and look into opportunities for guest posts on their blogs. Set up your own blog as part of your online portfolio and publish blog posts targeting the niche. This can boost your creditability when reaching out to potential guest post opportunities or when sending pitches for freelance blogging opportunities for businesses within the industry. When reaching out to potential companies, research what they have already published and what they offer to the niche; it can always be beneficial to have some potential blog post ideas on hand if you can secure a meeting.
Develop relevant skills
Keep in mind that when you start freelance writing, you are asking people to pay for your writing skills. So, it is essential to keep improving your writing skills to ensure they are worth paying for. To improve your skills, check out our blog post on improving your writing skills.
Depending on your chosen niche, there might be other niche-specific skills you may want to develop or continue to build to help make your writing more authentic. For example, a writer who focuses on a niche about a specific instrument might benefit from practising that instrument or watching performances of people playing it to keep their knowledge up today.
Build an offering and pitch
When aiming to make money from home in Canada with freelance writing, it is important to establish your offering and build a pitch for it. This often means considering what kinds of writing you would like to offer; for example, webpage writing differs from blogging and PRs often require a much more professional tone of voice. By establishing what kinds of pieces you would like to write and what you would charge (either by the hour or by word count), you can pitch your services to potential clients more effectively. It is also essential to build a portfolio to help support your outreach by showcasing similar work to potential clients (if that work is within the niche, even better). When building your portfolio, include any metrics regarding how the piece performed.
Advertise your side hustle
Once you have your portfolio, offering and niche in place, you must ensure people know you offer freelance writing services. The amount you advertise depends on how much work you want to bring in. If you only want a handful of pieces a month, it might be a matter of developing a pitch email and deck and reaching out to publications within your niche. Or, if you want more work, consider creating some posts on LinkedIn to help spread awareness and a marketing campaign focused on generating leads for your side hustle.
Make sure to keep up to date with bookkeeping
When you start to make money online in Canada with your freelance writing or make any expenditures towards this initiative, it is crucial to start bookkeeping. Keeping a clear record of expenses associated with your freelance writing and any income generated is crucial come tax time, as any income generated still requires you to pay taxes on it. Many Canadian freelancers will set aside a percentage of their income for taxes. If you are unsure how to document this properly or how much to set aside, talk to a tax professional in your region.
If you are ready to start your freelance writing career but want to avoid the hunting clients and client management side of things, then apply to freelance writing projects with Words of Worth, who will provide you with your assignments so you can focus on money-generating activities instead then searching for potential work.