Getting started freelance writing in 2026: What I would do *today*

I get asked a lot how to get started as a freelance writer. Honestly, I feel like I’ve never given a great answer, but I’m going to fix that today! Because I ended up having so much to say, I’m breaking this into at least three posts:

• What you need to know to get started freelance writing in 2026: The basics

• What I would do if I wanted to start freelance writing today knowing what I know now (this one)

• Getting started Q&A: Questions from TSF readers

I’ll hold off on writing the question post until next Tuesday to give people time to get their questions in.

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When I started freelancing I didn’t know anyone in the industry. No freelance friends, no editor contacts, nothing. Actually, I didn’t know anything at all about the industry.

I set up an Upwork profile and started sending out proposals. That was in early 2019, and things have changed quite a bit — that was back when you didn’t even have to pay for connections on Upwork, they just refilled each month!

I’ve given a lot of thought to what I would do if I was starting today but with the knowledge that I have after doing this job for almost 8 years. This approach may not work for everyone. The beautiful thing about freelancing is that it can be whatever you make it, but here’s what I would do.

Decide on a niche

Like I said in the first post, a niche doesn’t have to be a cage, but it does give you some direction.

If I woke up this morning and decided to start freelancing, I would probably start in the parenting and lifestyle niche. It allows for a lot of generality and opportunity without the need for a lot of specialized knowledge. I would also consider teaching content (I was a teacher for 8 years) and architecture/construction content (I did kitchen remodeling many years ago, and I love learning about the industry).

I’m actually in the process of pivoting into a new niche, and I have a post draft that I’m adding to as I work through it. That way I can share it all when I’m a little more firmly established!

Decide between media and content marketing

I detailed the differences between these two in the first post, but I’ll review here. This is how I keep things straight in my head, but I’m sure I’ve missed a bit of nuance.

Media refers to publications, primarily websites and magazines. Think National Geographic, Real Simple, and Forbes, to name a few. You’ll work with an editor and will either pitch story ideas or have them assigned to you.

Content marketing means working with a brand or a company to produce content. This can mean blogs, email campaigns, case studies, etc. You’ll work with someone from the company or the marketing agency that represents the company. Unless you’re in charge of content strategy, you’ll often be assigned topics to write about. This is the category that my small business lending company and handrail company clients fall into (through the company marketing agencies).

Make a list of potential clients and publications and do some research.

This is where you can start dreaming. This is also where having a niche can act as guardrails for those dreams. Think about publications or potential clients that fit into your niche and make a list of the ones that you want to work with.

Look at their websites to see what type of articles they publish or content they produce. This can give you a good idea of how you could contribute and how to approach them.

Start making connections on LinkedIn and Substack

If I was starting freelancing today, I would also start building a network at the same time. In my experience, you can connect with anyone who is in the industry that you want to be in, and people are generally very kind.

If you’re brand new and connecting with an editor or content manager seems like too big of a step, start by connecting with other freelancers, especially those who seem new-ish. You can send a quick message that says something like “I’m just getting started freelancing, and I love your articles. Excited to connect.”

I was lucky enough to meet a few freelance friends on X in my early days and have continued to make friends and connections on LinkedIn and Substack, and they are people that I still talk to and go to with questions.

6 Ways to Make Freelance Friends

Gather samples

If I hadn’t ever done client work, I would look for anything and everything that I could use to show my writing. Personal blog posts, any contributions to newsletters (like for your church, the place you volunteer, etc). If I didn’t have any, I would create them from scratch and/or ask a connection if I could create something for them for free (more on this in a minute).

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If you’re looking for a way to track projects, calculate your rates, and track your income, check out Writer OS from Ravenwood Writing Academy. Cody is a freelance writer and built a great system to help you run your freelance business. He even included pitch templates for a variety of scenarios. Use code TSF10OFF to get $10 off the launch price of $59!

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Start reaching out

Now here’s where things get a little more specific depending on your niche. This was in last week’s posts, but I wanted to leave it here, too. Let’s break down strategy for media and content marketing.

Media

When you pitch media outlets and editors, you’re pitching story ideas (this post gives some insight into what one editor is looking for). This is honestly pretty basic, and I think people over complicate it. Here’s a template to get you started:

Hi [editor’s name],

My name is [your name]. I’m early in my freelance writing career and wanted to reach out with a pitch for [publication]. I’m [explain your experience. I.e. mother of three if I’m pitching a parenting publication, have taken 30 road trips this year if it’s a travel pub/road trip pitch, spend my weekends doing DIY projects if it’s a DIY pub]. Here’s the pitch:

[the pitch]

Here are a few samples to get an idea of the writing that I’ve done (if you have them, of course).

Thanks so much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you!

I typically try to follow up on a pitch once or twice. You can see more examples of pitches that I and other freelancers have sent out in the TSF Behind the Pitch series.

Content marketing

For content marketing, particularly writing blog posts for a company, you’ll reach out to the marketing manager, content director, or someone with a similar title with a Letter of Introduction (LOI). This is a basic letter that introduces you, your experience, and what you can do for them. Here’s a template:

Hi [name],

I’m [your name], a freelance writer in the [name of industry]. I’m reaching out to see if you need help with content for [company]. I have [relevant experience] and would love to set up a time to chat about any content needs you have.

Regardless of which type of writing I decided on, I would start a list of people I wanted to reach out to in Notion and then start reaching out. Some people recommend sending out 100 LOIs a week or 10 pitches a day, but the actual number would depend on how much time I had. Some days, sending a single email is a victory, especially when the kids are home. Other days, I’m in the flow and can send quite a few.

That’s about it!

Honestly, that’s about it. I would recommend is to start tracking your pitches and outreach. I still haven’t landed on the best way to do this, but if I figure it out, I’ll keep you posted.

I would also set up an assignment and invoice spreadsheet to track assignment due dates and income. You can grab the one that I use here. I’m giddy that I figured out how to do a yearly snapshot with each month’s income!

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Time for out weekly coffee chat (that I think I forgot last week)! Grab a fresh cup and settle in. It’s like we’re chatting at a coffee shop!

📖Reading

Credit: Kristina Forest

If you’ve been keeping up with the coffee chats, then you know that magical realism has been my go-to lately. I got an ARC of The Unrequited Love Department by Kristina Forest through NetGalley and can confirm that the inside of the book is just as delightful as the outside! P.S. I freaked out a bit when I realized she has her own Substack!

💻Working on

The kids head back to school on Wednesday (tomorrow) (also 😭😭😭). We had a great summer, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little excited about getting back to some fully focused work time. This week, I’m working on:

• 6 MoneyLion articles

• 1 small business lender article

• Prepping for a few case study interviews

• Redoing my entire work-related online presence (TSF will stay the same!)

🤍Loving

I paid for Disney+ because the kids wanted to watch the latest Descendents movie. Along with that has come the return of Bluey which I actually really missed. It’s so darn cute, and I’m glad that my kids are still little enough to love it.

🧠 Thinking

As I’ve stated a few times now, I’m repositioning my business into content marketing, and I’m going to focus on case studies. I’ll still be doing any editorial/media writing that comes my way and working on reviews for In My Expert Opinion, but I’m excited about shifting my focus. I’m adding to my TSF draft as I go, so when I get things situated, you’ll get the actual play-by-play!

This is from a few weeks ago, but I wanted to leave it here since I’m still excited and thinking about it: I’m dreaming up the fun stuff I want to do with the TSF Club! First on my list is a Freelance/Life/Routines Q&A, so expect that towards the end of August. I’d also like to set up weekly virtual co-working sessions through FLOWN.

In the meantime, TSF Club members (paid subscribers) get a little Welcome Packet sent to them in real life with a postcard, some stickers, and a few extras!

I want to know all of your over coffee things. You can copy and past the list in the comments and add what you’re:

📖Reading

💻Working on

🤍Loving

🧠 Thinking