Congratulations on your decision to pursue your writing passion. There is a growing demand for compelling content and many companies and organizations are actively looking for freelance writers. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by Freelancer.com, 61.5% of the 20,000+ respondents said that they plan to increase their use of freelancers vs. hiring full-time staff writers in 2021. As you begin this journey, it is important to decide which market segment(s) you wish to focus on. There are so many options including Travel, Food + Wine, Health + Wellness, Beauty + Fashion, and Finance to name a few. I am currently in the process of building a freelance travel writing career with an emphasis on food and wine. In addition, if you have expertise within an industry sector you can leverage that by writing about specific topics such as meeting planning, branding, digital marketing, and more. Having a defined specialty will allow you to focus your efforts and build a strong brand. If you are interested in taking affordable online writing classes check out Udemy and Freelancer U. There are also sites like WeWorkRemotely.com, Contently.net, and Constant-Content.com that list freelance writing opportunities and valuable resources. Best of luck with your new freelance writing career!

Thank you all for the helpful advice and comments!

A few more resources to check out that can notify you of relevant freelance opportunities https://www.creativecircle.com/talent/ https://www.wearerosie.com/ https://themomproject.com/ Good luck!

I would check out Fiverr

I've heard Vocal is pretty cool. https://vocal.media/

I would focus on a few key niche areas and a portfolio that speaks to that. Look for retainer work with small to midsized companies. I would steer clear of sites that ask you to pay a monthly fee to get work.

Great suggestions here! Think about your current network and experience too. Are there opportunities to write for past or current employers? The freelance sites can be great but getting a longer term contract with an organization you are already familiar with can also be a good path forward.

Love the suggestions here! It can also really help to get your name out there by offering to contribute to blogs or websites for free, or writing your own blog posts to generate interest/following. Another great resource is to subscribe to HARO (Help a Reporter Out), where you get inquiries on various topics that you can contribute to. Best of luck!

You need clips to be assigned articles. Editors need to see what you have done, and what you could do. Forgive me if this advice is too obvious, but please read the magazines, newspapers, online sites and wherever you want your work to appear. Get a solid idea of what the outlet wants and needs. Then pitch ideas to the editors. Again, I don't mean to be too basic but when you pitch an idea, just make sure that you can deliver it. Agree on a price, a deadline and word count before doing any work.

I have had success in the past on Mandy.com - more specifically geared toward entertainment/screenwriting which was my field, but something worth checking out. You can sign up for free to browse and I think you need to pay a subscription fee to actually apply to jobs.