Freelance writing jobs can be one of the most profitable and enjoyable ways to earn a living from the comfort of your home. With thousands of business owners and online sites calling for content, there is a great need for independent contract writers who have the skill and time to create relevant copy.

Whether you are a parent who desires to stay home with children or someone who simply wants the freedom the work-from-home profession provides, the benefits of freelance writing from home are abundant.

This type of home job allows you the liberty to work any time that works best with your personal schedule. No more clocking in or fighting rush hour traffic. If you are a night owl, you can write at 2 a.m. If you have small children, write at nap time. Work in your pyjamas, robe or favourite sweatpants. If you want a two-week vacation, you simply take a two-week vacation. As a freelance writer, you are in charge of the who, what, where and when.

Although a background in writing is helpful, it is not necessary to break into the field of freelance writing. Often a potential employer who needs a writer will want to view samples of work. The experienced writer can use pieces from a portfolio, while an inexperienced writer can quickly create a few freelance writing portfolio examples of their writing to display to prospective clients to showcase their abilities.

Many professional freelance writers offer sites to display sections of their work. Peruse these sites, study the types of writing they are creating, and then write your own samples based on your personal style and interests. By having a group of sample articles ready to go, you will be able to respond immediately to people looking for writers when you come across the opportunity.

At first, looking for these opportunities to work as a writer may seem daunting. However, if you visit writers’ job forums and websites maintained by writers’ magazines, you’ll find fresh ways to get involved in the industry.

Once you have a few writing jobs under your belt, it will be even easier to obtain new work, and soon you will likely find yourself being able to pick and choose jobs to find the areas that interest you most. If you enjoy researching and writing and possess the skills to write well, you may discover you are in love with a new career path that offers significantly more freedom and creativity than any 9-to-5 office job.

Writers are very much in demand these days because of the rising demands for their online content. The pay is oftentimes better and the hours are not so long. Many even freelance full-time.

Freelance writing extends to several different categories. Before you begin looking for work, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to get credit for your writing. If you insist on a byline, you may have difficulty finding a lot of paying jobs. Byline jobs are out there if you look. However, the most money to be made is from working as a web ghostwriter.

There are several different categories of freelance writing. When you see the term “content writing” you will normally be providing text for an existing or new website. Your writing will have to be engaging and clear for website visitors. Article writers concentrate on providing articles for websites, newsletters and blogs.

Generally, articles on the web are between 800 and 2200 words each. Any more than that is difficult for readers to sit through while looking at a computer screen.

Copywriters are challenged with putting readers in the mood to buy. They write copy for Internet sales letters and marketing sites.

Freelance writers need to be professional in their online presence. This means spell-checking all writing, including e-mails to clients. It is also a good idea to get an e-mail address that is specifically used for your writing. A personal e-mail address with a goofy handle will make you appear unprofessional. Your first and last name or a combination thereof is a good choice for your web writing e-mail address.

Writing for the Internet has a few differences from writing essays in school or writing for print magazines. Readers online have short attention spans, and you’ll need to keep your sentences short and your paragraphs clear.

The other difference is the use of “keywords” in certain writing assignments. Keywords are words that have been selected by your client to be used in the article. These words have been selected because they are Internet search terms and your client wants their website to show up for those search terms.

Keyword articles will require you to use the word or phrase a certain number of times in the article. Sometimes it can be difficult to use the words without making them sound forced. Experienced web writers have developed ways to make the keywords flow naturally into their articles.

Below are some of the freelance writing niche areas and industries where freelance writers are needed. Read on and find the freelance path that is right for you.

Magazines

Freelance writers are frequently hired to contribute articles for magazines. In fact, this is one area where you can actually get regular assignments as a freelance writer especially if clients find your work good. The rate for every article is quite generous especially if it involves interviewing. Some writers even kill two birds with one stone by also taking photographs for the interview. This way, the client also pays for the pictures that accompany your article.

Newspaper Correspondent

Another area where you can get freelance work is the newspapers, where editors often hire freelance correspondents (sometimes called “stringers”). This is especially true with areas that are outside the city. Newspapers find it cheaper to hire correspondents and pay for their services than to send their own staff writers to cover an event.

Online Writers

As mentioned before, online writers are in demand nowadays because writers are needed to update website content. Magazines that maintain their own websites hire freelance writers just to do online content. In fact, not all the write-ups you see on the Internet can be found in magazines and not all articles in the magazines are used for online content.

PR Writing

Public relations writing is a cost-effective way to advertise products. Because of this, companies hire writers to do their PR write-ups for them.

Blogging

Blogging is yet another way to make money as a freelance writer. Blogs are an ever-growing form of Internet media. Blog writers generally provide their own content. You can make money as a freelancer by starting your own blog and posting to it daily. If you love to write, you can start several blogs at once and multiply your earnings. Once you become an experienced blogger, you can apply for blogging jobs and post for other people.

Ghostwriting

Many freelancers find success with ghostwriting. When you work as a freelance ghostwriter you provide writing services for clients who will then use the work as their own. Ghostwriting is a lucrative opportunity, especially when you focus on web writing. Ebook ghostwriters provide clients with full-length books on a variety of topics.

Once you’ve gotten a few web writing assignments under your belt, you can decide what type of web writing suits you best. You can find work on writing message boards, freelance writing job sites, such as www.FreelanceWriting.com, and classified ad sites like Craigslist.org.

Whenever you apply for a job, make sure to include your contact information and a few well-selected writing samples.

For the most part, the Internet is a text and image-based platform. Companies and individuals who run websites constantly need text to make their websites attractive to visitors. Since writing is something that a lot of people would rather not do, this leaves plenty of opportunities for people who love to write.