I had it all. A great paying job doing what I loved at a successful startup in Boston. I was Head of Content Marketing, which meant I was in charge of the entire content strategy. I got my creative juices flowing with topic ideation and execution but was also analytical in ensuring content met the business goals and KPIs.

As Head of Content, I wrote and hosted webinars and podcasts. I worked to build out an internal team as well as freelancer support. Most importantly, I had the autonomy to test out new ideas to drive content performance forward.

So why did I ditch an ideal scenario for a world of instability know as freelance content marketing? Three words: I got pregnant.

When my husband and I found out we were expecting, we were over the moon with the news. However as time went on, I became more and more upset with the prospect of leaving our son all day, five days a week. I know plenty of parents do it and their babies are perfectly fine, well adjusted humans. But I just knew in my heart it wasn’t the right choice for me.

The Allure of Freelancing

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Having a baby is just one of the many reasons to venture down the freelance content marketing road. Here are some other compelling reasons that make freelance content marketing so desirable:

• Flexible Work Schedule: A flexible work schedule also allows you to pursue other passions you wouldn’t otherwise be able to if constrained to a typical work schedule. Couple this with the fact that creative peaks and troughs know no time of day, and it’s easy to see the allure of not adhering to a typical 9-to-5 schedule.
• WFA (Work From Anywhere): Thanks to modern technology, it’s fairly easy to stay connected from virtually anywhere on the globe. Freelance content marketing allows you to satisfy your adventurous spirit while maintaining a solid career. Or, if you’re like me, the ability to stay home with my son while earning a living.
• Diversify Experience: Freelance content marketing grants you the ability to work with a wide array of clients so you’re not stuck writing about the same thing. More importantly, though, it helps diversify your portfolio in a very compelling way. Being able to write effective, lead driving content about a vast array of topics is nothing to scoff at.
• The Sky’s The Limit: With any freelance career, you are completely in charge of your own destiny. Whether you’re looking for a means to and end or a lucrative, long standing career the choice is yours — you just have to be willing to work for it.

Steps to Ensuring a Successful Transition

All of the above sounds pretty appealing, but like any freelance career, it’s easier said than done. Getting the courage to venture down the freelance path is half the battle. The other half? Acquiring work.

Below are the four steps I took to build a successful freelance content marketing career:

1. Lay the Groundwork First (Earn Your Content Stripes)

Due to the four very appealing reasons above, it seems everyone these days wants to be a freelance content marketer. All of that’s good and fine, but if you’re lacking true experience in the content world, good luck building up clientele.

You need proof of concept that you are actually good at content marketing. Do you have experience in the the following?

1. Inbound methodology
2. SEO
3. Content amplification
4. Diverse content creation (longform, infographics, webinars, podcasts)
5. Hitting content KPIs like organic traffic, social views, content leads to conversions (just to name a few)

These days, everyone claims to be a writer. But that doesn’t mean they’re any good, and it certainly doesn’t mean they know how to produce content that drives business results.

That’s why you need to lay the groundwork first with an actual in-house job (or two) as a content marketer.

Do your time honing your craft. Join a content team and learn the ins and outs of producing high quality content. While it’s certainly not brain surgery, there is a method — and skill set — to effective content writing.

Having tangible experience in content marketing at a reputable company will validate your place in the oversaturated freelance content market and make it much easier to obtain quality jobs.

2. Put Your Skills To Work (Build A Content Hub)

Once you’re ready to take the plunge into the content world, it’s time to put your skills to work for you. Build out your own personal content hub that showcases your work. If you’re looking for an example, here’s mine.

It’s a huge competitive advantage if you show that you can do more than just write. Content marketing has evolved past blogs to include rich media like videos and podcasts. Most in house content jobs will expose you to this.

3. Tap Into Your Network (Content Amplification)

Once you’ve created your online portfolio, it’s time to do some content amplification. Treat your portfolio as a new content asset you’re launching. How would you normally go about promoting it?

Social Posts: Just like with the launch of a new content asset, take to your social media accounts to spread the word about your new venture with a link to your portfolio to start creating some organic interest.

Networking: As content marketers, we reach out to influencers and thought leaders all the time for co-branding opportunities. As a freelance content marketer, reach out to everyone in your network it makes sense to:

• Contacts who have reached out in the past about a job opportunity
• Previous clients, co-workers, and friends within the content world
• Companies you feel your content background is well suited to help

4. Join Relevant Groups and Networking Events (Guerilla Marketing)

Image Source: Boston Content

Are you part of any alumni groups from college or previous jobs? Or are there any relevant networking events happening in your area?

Just because you are a remote worker, doesn’t me you should be a recluse. Now that you’re on your own it’s even more important for you to get out there and make connections. Become an active member of alumni groups and attend key networking events. Remember, you get what you put in.

5. Know Your Worth (Quality Over Quantity)

A few years back when content marketing was a fairly new idea, companies could get away with offering pennies for blogs. I’m happy to say that thanks to content proving its weight in gold, the market has since shifted and this is no longer the case.

I am a firm believer in “you get what you pay for” when it comes to content. If a company is low balling you and only wants to pay say, $100 for an 800 word blog post my suggestion would be to move along. This company either doesn’t understand the value of content marketing, or worse, is trying to game you.

Know your worth. Do some research and figure out what companies are paying their freelancers.

For me, I asked several of my peers in the content world what they paid their writers and combined it with my previous experience as Head of Content Marketing to come up with my standard rate.

Here’s some more great information about figuring out your market value.

Just like with a solid content strategy — less is more. It’s better to take on less work that is more difficult at a higher rate than to easily churn out crap. In the long run, you’ll be much happier, and your value will only increase as you build out a strong portfolio.

6. Be Consistent

This last point may seem obvious, but having worked with many freelancers I’ve been exposed firsthand to inconsistencies.

You must treat your freelance content marketing work as you would a fulltime job.

What exactly does this entail? Don’t use freelancing as an excuse to waiver from professionalism. For starters, much like with a full-time gig, there is no excuse for missing a deadline (barring any extenuating circumstances, of course).

Be consistent — Stay focused and timely. Deliver on time, high quality work. Don’t waiver and your opportunities shouldn’t either.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it — a noob’s guide to transitioning to freelance content marketing. It can be scary venturing down the freelance road, but also very exciting. As a content marketer, you already have the valuable skills you need to drive awareness to your personal brand, you just have to be willing to put them in action.