How to Build Freelance Writing Experience with No Clients

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Overcome the vicious cycle of no writing samples… and no writing clients.

It can be frustrating and scary to feel “stuck” before you even get your first writing client. 

You want to get into freelance writing, but every time you see a job post, the client wants previous writing experience. 

How can you build your freelance writing portfolio if you can’t get clients?! The agony…

Most writers face this conundrum when they’re starting out. And luckily, as soon as you break out of this vicious cycle, a world of possibilities opens up for you!

In this article, you’ll learn various ways on how to build freelance writing experience without any clients (yet).

Sound too good to be true? You’ll still have to work hard, so if you’re trying to find the “easy way” into freelance writing, you better look somewhere else...

I’ll give you strategies to create a solid foundation for your up-and-coming freelance writing career. By investing time and effort in yourself, you’ll be on track to legit writing jobs and high paying clients!

How to Create Your Own Writing Experience (with Zero Clients)

There are several savvy approaches to build your writing portfolio - and you should do all of them, if you ask me. Each of the tactics below will show potential clients that you can “walk the walk” when it comes to writing for them. Let’s dive in below. 

Educate Yourself with Freelance Writing Training

Even though everyone writes - texts, emails, school papers - most people are not good at it, let alone could they be considered “professional writers.”

And the same applies to you. 

In school, I was always told that I was a talented writer. But when I wanted to start writing professionally, I had a lot to learn. My skills needed to match what potential clients would need. For clients to say “yes,” I needed to write better than they could write for themselves. So of course, professional copywriting training was a must.

I stumbled across Filthy Rich Writer, which is an organization that offers free and paid education for new writers. When I originally found them, I ended up enrolling in their Comprehensive Copywriting Academy. Feel free to read my review of it here. 

Over the years, I’ve actually taken a few different courses. Read a head-to-head comparison of copywriting courses here. 

Writing education is crucial to your writing career. You’ll learn the ropes, but most importantly, you’ll be confident in your ability to write professionally. That self-confidence will help you get out there and land gigs.

Scrape Up Anything Remotely Relevant

If you’re desperate to put something in your portfolio, start digging. Dig through school writing projects, work from old jobs, volunteer stuff… You may be surprised by what you find!

Here is a list of ideas that may help you identify viable writing samples in your life:

College applications or grant applications: You were trying to get noticed and compel someone to pick you. This type of document may use some fundamental copywriting principles. 

Event flyers: You had to be concise and relay pertinent information. Someone needed to understand the who, what, when, where and why in regards to the event.

Email blasts from your old job: Your boss asked you to write promotional emails for the business. That’s in the copywriting realm! And if you have access to open rates and conversions, even better. You’re on the path to direct response copywriting!

Popular social media posts or blogs: You created something that people engaged with. That’s great if you’re hoping to get into professional blogging or social media writing. 

Lesson plans and scripts: You are able to walk people through how to do something. Teachers: If you can transform old lesson plans into digestible “how-to’s,” you’re on the way to a great content marketing and blogging career! A Filthy Rich Writer student was a teacher who replaced her income in 6 weeks as a writer, so that’s cool. 

It really depends on what type of freelance writing you’d like to do, but dig deep and discover what you’ve already done. No need to start from scratch!

Rewrite old pieces so that they are polished and perfect. And with some freelance writing education, you’ll know exactly how to do that. 

Create Spec Pieces

AKA spec ads. What are spec ads? Spec ads (and related terms) are non-commissioned writing pieces that emulate real companies. So basically, you write a blog/ad/email/press release (whatever) for that brand. 

You’re probably thinking, “Isn’t that illegal or something? Wouldn’t potential clients think that I wrote for that brand?”

No, no, no… All you have to do is create a “fake” project for yourself. You study that brand, and write a spec piece that aligns with what they already do. You could also create something that would improve their brand. For example: If you get H&M promotional emails that you think could be improved, create one yourself! 

Still worried that you’ll get in trouble? 

When you create spec pieces, make sure to add a disclaimer that these are “spec ads.” This tells people that you were not paid to create that piece by the brand. Some potential clients may not know what a spec piece is. So, if they ask about your work history, disclose that the spec piece was a practice piece to showcase what you can do (but that you never worked with the brand). 

You can also be bold and use your spec pieces to pitch these brands yourself. How impressive would it be for the creative director of H&M to see your H&M spec ad? Talk about “walking the walk!”

It’s okay to use spec pieces in your portfolio, as long as they are disclosed as “spec.” They are proof that you know what you’re doing, even if you haven’t had any paying clients yet. 

Ask to Guest Post

Guest posting is when you create content that will be placed on someone else’s website, blog or social media. You get writing experience and a little credibility. After all, someone thought you were good enough to share on their platform!

While many writers get good exposure from guest posting, getting a guest posting gig can be tough.

I know you don’t want to hear this… but most new writers will have to pitch to guest post. Scary, right?

Have no fear! I have an entire blog post about pitching. It talks about email pitching clients, but you can use the same strategies when pitching for guest posting opportunities. 

Read this: A Not-So-Scary Guide to Email Cold Pitching

Guest posting is (usually) an unpaid way to get your writing in front of a larger audience. This exposure could be what ignites the flame under your writing career. Do it well, even if it’s for free. 

Write on Your Own Website

Every professional writer should have their own website. This is your own personal space where you can show off a variety of skills.

Here are some places on your website that showcase your ability to write:

Homepage copy: If you want to get into copywriting, your homepage should be clear, concise and compelling. 

Website blog: If you want to write blogs professionally, showcase your skills by starting a blog for a very specific audience.

About page copy: Make yourself memorable to anyone who comes across that page. Establish your own USP (unique selling proposition), just like you would for a copywriting client.

Call-to-actions (CTAs): Whether you’re writing copy or content, CTAs help people go from reading your writing to taking the next step towards a conversion. Clients would love that! Make sure to have compelling and CTAs all over your site. Hint: You probably want clients to contact you for a discovery call. 

You can’t necessarily hit all of these things in a simple email or on an Upwork profile!

Even though you send clients to view samples in your portfolio, every word in your portfolio should be thoughtful and polished. 

Grow Your Own Following

Successful writers know how to resonate with their audience. There are all sorts of ways to build a following that will show potential clients that your words are worth the read. 

Here are some ideas about where you could invest your time:

Write on sites like Medium: Medium and other sites allow anyone to post. However, once you have a larger audience, more paid and unpaid opportunities can arise. Writing content on these platforms will showcase your writing skills as well as your ability to resonate with others. 

Post engaging content: Whether it be Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or even TikTok, engaging posts require some sort of communication. Create popular written posts, interactive polls or video scripts, and test their effectiveness. Did it get tons of likes and shares? Some of these posts may be able to demonstrate that your words are interesting, engaging and actionable.

Bonus: Dabble in Job-Bidding Sites

Job-bidding sites like Upwork and Fiverr can be pretty good options for new writers to gain experience. Even though you have to compete with other writers, you can find thousands of freelance writing jobs with no experience. 

But let’s be clear: A good portion of writing jobs on Upwork and Fiverr are low-paying and competitive. Yikes! However, when you really need experience, you may have to bite the bullet and take one or two of those jobs. 

Once you start building more writing experience, then you can start demanding higher rates. Sites like Upwork can become detrimental once you become more experienced. But we all have to start somewhere!

Read this: A Writer’s Transition Guide from Cheap Gigs to Amazing Income

Your Time and Effort Will Pay Off

It can be so discouraging when you’re just starting out. You feel like you want to quit and go back to a regular 9-5. You feel this way every single day - for months! 

You constantly question whether getting into freelance writing is the right choice. You get a lot of rejections to your pitches, and you’re desperate for a client. You feel like you’re an imposter. 

I felt the same way for a long time (and so do many others). But the more effort you put into mastering your skills and perfecting your spec pieces, the greater likelihood that someone will say “yes” to you.

I’m telling you: Once you get that first client, you break the barrier to entry. Keep your eye on the prize. Your first client is out there and excited to work with you.

Heads Up, Writers!

(Read Below)

Heads Up, Writers! (Read Below)

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