If you’ve been laid off in this recession, are looking for a job, and/or just want to make a career change, freelance writing is an ideal job because it thrives no matter how the economy is.
In a good economy, companies spend money on advertising, marketing, and consulting. All of this presents opportunities for freelance writers to earn money. In a recession, companies are laying off workers, but there is still work to be done. So who do they trust? The freelancers, of course.
The following is more on why starting a freelance writing career in a recession can be very profitable.
3 Reasons Freelance Writers Thrive in a Recession
In a recession, the freelance writing industry thrives for three reasons:
(i) Layoffs: Layoffs mean fewer bodies, but the same workload; sometimes even more if a company gets more business. In these situations, companies rely on freelance writers to help full-time workers who have been left behind complete projects on time.
(ii) Firms save money: Freelance writers have no overhead, meaning no health benefits, vacation days, or sick days to pay. Additionally, businesses can save money by moving to smaller spaces because there are fewer bodies needing desks.
(iii) Unemployed workers start businesses: Some of your best clients as a freelance writer may be disenchanted, laid-off workers starting their own businesses.
Many take their severance packages and pursue long-standing dreams of owning a business for themselves. Or they may just be so tired of being fired “again” that they vow never to be in that situation again.
Whatever the reason, they go off on their own.
And what do they need? Websites (which means web copy), promotional material (which means newsletters, sales letters, postcards, etc.), blogs (which need to be constantly updated), etc.
And who do they use to provide these services? Freelance writers, of course.
SEO Writing: Making $1,000 to $2,000 a Week?
Case Study: A Conversation with an Executive from an Internet Marketing Company
An executive from an Internet marketing company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, expressed the problem they had in finding a copywriter experienced in search engine optimization (SEO). She said they do a lot of things in-house, but she had been looking for a freelance SEO writer they could outsource work to on a consistent basis.
Two things to take away from this:
(i) Market regularly. Don’t just market when you’re desperate for work. Market all the time because writing jobs don’t arrive until months later. But, this is a good thing. Because? Because it means that your pipe will always be full.
(ii) Learn the basics of search engine optimization writing. This is still a very new niche in the online writing market. This means there is less competition for jobs, which means more work for you.
Do you make $2,000/week as an SEO writer?
It is very possible, if you know how to market it. Not only that, work often comes in bulk because it’s not uncommon for clients to request 5, 10, or 20 articles/blog posts at a time.
If you’re charging $25-$75 per article/blog post, it can really add up quickly, especially if you have 5, 6, or 7 clients using it regularly.
If you’ve wanted to start a freelance writing career, there’s never been a better time. The waters for freelance writers are always warm and inviting!