There’s no real guidebook when it comes to running a successful freelance writing business.
For years, people like me have been learning through trial and error (and the occasional kind mentor.) This often results in a lot of wasted time, energy, and money…not to mention a very stressful day-to-day work life.
There has to be a better way, right?
That’s why I decided to pull together some of my favorite, most helpful resources freelance writers and put them all in one place. From business education resources that’ll help you run a more organized, profitable business, to resources for finding writing work, to a few helpful tools that’ll make writing simpler and easier, it’s all right here.
Business Education Resources for Freelance Writers
Looking for freelance writing resources that’ll teach you how to turn your operation into a well-oiled, highly professional machine? The courses, communities, and groups listed here have a little something for everyone.
1. Peak Freelance Membership
This is a private, members-only group for freelancers where they can ask questions, share wins, find jobs, and make freelance buddies.
Who it’s best for: Freelance writers who want a community element paired with on-demand resources.
Here’s what you get for about $20/month:
A library of premium content about freelance writing (including their best tips that they've used to scale to $100k+ a year that they haven't shared elsewhere.)
Exclusive interviews with successful freelance writers, content managers, and agency owners.
Access to all past and upcoming premium products including one new product every month.
The goal of Creative Class is to help you become a PRO freelancer. Why? Because you won’t magically start enjoying your freelance work unless you make some changes and adopt the PRO freelancer mentality to doing business.
The course includes instant and lifetime access to all materials, including:
15 video lessons: Delivered in streaming HD video or downloadable video and audio files. Preview the full curriculum here.
15 ready-to-use templates: Email scripts, process templates, spreadsheets and extras you can plug right into your own business.
Plus: The podcast covers a variety of freelancing-related topics.
This course has helped more than 4,500 freelancers learn how to run their freelance businesses better, more profitably, and more professionally.
2. Freelancing School
Over the last few years, Jay Clouse has helped tens of thousands of freelancers through his courses on LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com. He’s taken those courses even further with Freelancing School.
With Freelancing School, he’s created dozens of new videos, proposal templates, email templates, a custom CRM, and more. He’ll give you those templates and walk through how to use them step-by-step.
Who it’s best for: Freelance writers facing burnout and stress while constantly working to find quality, recurring work.
Freelancing School teaches you how to make a living freelancing through articles, courses, and free community support. It doesn’t focus on any one specific freelance discipline, but instead on the business, marketing, and sales skills you need to generate a full-time living.
Most of us get into freelancing with dreams of earning more and having more time for ourselves. But, if you don't know how to run your freelance business like a business...that money and time doesn't come. Instead, you work more and earn less than ever before. The Freelancing School Course Bundle gives you everything you need to sell more projects and run a lean, profitable freelance business.
For $249, you get three courses in the bundle:
Selling for Freelancers - Proven methods of selling more work
Marketing for Freelancers - Strategies to create client demand for you
Business for Freelancers - Systems to protect your time and effectively manage your money
It also comes with dozens of videos, proposal templates, email templates, a custom CRM, and more.
3. Uncomplicated Marketing Academy
Kyla Roma’s Uncomplicated Marketing Academy is for freelance writers who want to get better at marketing their businesses.
This resource includes:
Lifetime access to the foundation workshop to build your evergreen marketing system and future updates
Support from Kyla through comment replies and coaching forum
One 20-minute 1:1 call with Kyla for any time in your 90-day experience.
Access to the voluntary library of our member's marketing systems for inspiration and ideas
Our eyes on your finished system to make sure common mistakes don't slow you down.
Who it’s best for: Writers who want on-demand educational resources and one-to-one help marketing their businesses.
Marketing doesn’t have to look like hosting a summit, selling a course, writing a 20-part email series that slams on your customer's pain points, or being at the mercy of algorithm changes.
All you need is a simple system that to consistently find new potential customers, build genuine relationships with them, and share your offers with them.
4. The Freelance Writers Den
The Freelance Writers Den is an online community where freelance writers learn how to grow their income — fast. Members have full access to the Den’s archive of over 300 hours of trainings.
Who it’s best for: Freelancers who enjoy learning via live events and are looking for a community of fellow writers who understand their work and can help troubleshoot.
Other member benefits include:
Contract templates for freelancing
Pitch examples and writing reviews to get gigs
Monthly new live events to build your skills
24/7 online forums with peers and experts
Access to an active community of 1,100+ writers
The Den opens to the public only twice a year, but make special offers to their waiting list and can sometimes sneak you in sooner.
Job-Finding Resources for Freelance Writers
How do freelance writers get clients? Referrals are a big one, but it’s also wise to turn to a few newer platforms that make getting hired a little bit easier.
1. MarketerHire
MarketerHire is a high-end match-making service for professional freelance marketers and top brands. They accept less than 5% of applications, and those accepted into the network are then matched with top-tier brands like Netflix, Quip, Thrive Market, Tushy, and Verishop.
Types of freelance marketing roles they source for include things like: Amazon Marketer, Brand Marketer, CMO, Content Marketer, Email Marketer, Growth Marketer, Paid Search Marketer, Paid Social Media Marketer, SEO Marketer, and Social Media Marketer.
I like them because they handle many of the operational headaches that hold people back from freelancing: sourcing roles and opportunities, contracts, billing, etc. Most freelancers who are accepted onto their platform get matched to a project within one month. From there, the freelancer has control over availability and the types of engagements they’re open to (hourly, part-time, or full-time).
2. SelectFew
SelectFew is a new kind of marketing company that empowers freelancers to work with quality clients in a completely transparent, honest system without white-labeling and mark-ups.
Their goal: a new model that will lead to fantastic work product for clients, an enjoyable work experience for you, and a transparent and honest environment for everyone involved.
SelectFew is always looking for talented and knowledgeable writers to pair with clients, which range from startups and venture-backed, to Fortune 500.
3. Find Your Prospects with Laura Lopuch
Struggling to find prospects to send cold emails to?
You want to send cold emails to get new leads so you can pitch them. Only: where do you find potential clients to cold email and pitch? After all, sending a cold email is only doable when you have somebody TO pitch.
Inside this spreadsheet by cold email expert Laura Lopuch, you’ll get a database of methods to find where potential 1:1 clients hang out for you to pitch.
You can also get two proven cold email sales templates that former conversion copywriter Laura Lopuch used to sign a $20k client and grow her business 14x in roughly 4 months. Plus, you’ll get real-life email examples, so you see inside a cold email that works.
Nobody shares the actual emails. Which is the most helpful part!
All that changes right now. Get your two cold email templates.
Writing Improvement Resources for Freelance Writers
Writing is hard. Even for writers. But with a few handy tools (I know you already know about Grammarly!) and courses, writing can be even simpler than you imagined. Put them to good use!
1. Learn Ulysses
Learn Ulysses is the premier video course for improving your writing workflows with the best writing app, Ulysses.
Many folks have their ideas, notes, and writing scattered all over the place. We teach you how to organize all of that into an easy-to-use app that will help you save time, get organized, and fall in love with your creative process.
Ulysses provides all the tools you need to be a more productive writer while still maintaining a simple interface that limits distractions so you can focus on accomplishing your writing goals.
2. Write More Personality-er Workshop
This resource from Justin Blackman includes 57 ways to add punch, power & pop into your everyday writing. Learn how to write with your style in just 90 minutes.
Here's what you get:
Writing Basics: Fun punctuation, unforgettable rules, and freaky facts about layout
Pop-py Seeds: Sprinkle these techniques onto your copy to make it pop like grandma's knees
Power Moves: Weird ways to make your readers take action (Science!)
Punch-ups: Over-the-shoulder edits that take your words from blah to booyah
Checklists & Transition Lines: Print these out for one last look before you publish
Plus: real-time edits, and permission to let go of some long-held writing beliefs implanted by your 5th grade English teacher.
Everybody writes. This workshop makes it more fun. And it makes whatever you send more enjoyable to read.
A seven-day free trial is included, and after that, solopreneurs can get access for $35/month. You’ll never have to deal with writer’s block again.
3. Write Better Right Now
This eBook (by me!) includes actionable writing how-to lessons that will help you write better, faster. Plus: There are now six bonus lessons that include writing exercises and a workbook.
In this book, you’ll find some of my best tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. My goal was to put together a batch of short, simple lessons with actionable writing advice you can start using right away—without having to dig through any fluff.
Topics included:
How to Write Compelling Intros
How to Write in Your Own Voice
How to Write With Humor
How to Write Conversationally
How to Write for Conversions & Sales
How to Write Uniquely
How to Write Stronger Sentences
How to Write Like a Journalist
How to Write When You Have Writer’s Block
How to Be a Better Self-Editor
There’s also an extra lesson at the end with some of my favorite writing tools and software that make life easier and help optimize your writing.
4. HOW TO WRITE LIKE A JOURNALIST
This half-hour crash course on writing with a journalistic angle (led by me!) will teach you how to:
Spot and pitch news/trend story angles for your articles
Craft a compelling story lede (+ get into the nuts and bolts of what a good story lede is)
Support your piece with external expertise as well as reliable data and facts
Use the 'inverted pyramid' structure when writing
General dos/don'ts plus insights from editors at some of the publications I write for
If your company (or personal brand) is working to build thought leadership by writing this type of content, or you'd just like some perspective on how journalists approach writing (which is helpful when you’re pitching them stories!) this is the insider info you want and need.
Disclosure: I do have affiliate links included in the links here, but they are all ones I have personally reviewed and can vouch for.