If you have saved some money and are 100% certain that you want to invest in a freelance writing course, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you.
To get the most out of a course, you need to know what the course is all about.
Let me cut to the chase. You will find two types of courses out there:
- What-to courses
- How-to courses
Now, I will assume that you have saved money that’s enough to buy only ONE course. And, I want to help you select that ONE course that will help you make the most out of your money.
So, let me explain which type of freelancing course will give you a better bang for your buck.
How-To Courses
How-to courses go into the details of performing a craft. They will teach you the exact steps of the activities you will perform on a day-to-day basis as a freelance writer, such as researching, organizing, writing, juggling projects, time management, finance management, etc.
You can identify a how-to course by looking at the module plan. A how-to course will have hours of material covering only one or two skills.
To learn multiple skills, you might need to buy more than one how-to course. Don’t worry, though! You don’t need to master many skills at once to get started. In fact, you can learn all you need to get started as a freelance writer for free.
To make money as a freelance writer, only two things matter, finding clients and making money. Forget about changing the world and helping businesses thrive with your writing. That will come later. First, you need to make clients happy with your writing project. If clients turn into repeat buyers, you are doing something right.
So, let’s say you have decided what kind of writing you want to do. You can look for an online course that will help you master that specific type of writing.
For example, a copywriting SEO course will have in-depth modules in:
- Copywriting
- On-page SEO
- Research
- Writing simple sentences
- Cutting fluff
- Using analogies
- Inserting jokes
- Using the right tone
Upon completing the copywriting SEO course and getting some practice, you can start offering this service to people.
What-to Courses
What-to courses will speed up your progress and give you a general idea of things you need to learn to begin freelance writing.
Some how-to courses may cover setting up a website, creating samples, signing up on job boards, finding clients, delivering the work, networking, avoiding scams, and many other things that you need to manage as a freelance writer.
Many courses have an add-on community (like FB groups). In the community, you can meet people in the same boat as you and senior writers who act as lighthousekeepers to show direction to those boats.
Albeit, keep in mind that you don’t need to buy a course to join a community. These days you can find an online community built around any interest. You can ask questions, rant, and offer help to people who are a little behind you in the freelance journey.
You can find this information online for free, but you don’t know what you don’t know. For example, if you read an article on “how to become a freelance writer,” it might or might not tell you that you need to learn to handle revisions for projects. Although revisions are an integral part of freelancing, and sooner or later, you will need to decide your revision policy.
There are a lot of skills to be learned and concepts to be understood. You might either stumble upon them by chance or out of necessity. No one magically starts looking for a solution until they have the problem first. And it’s time-consuming. A what-to course will save you time by making you aware of the opportunities and pitfalls in advance – hand-holding you through the process.
If you are busy with a full-time job, family care, or pursuing a hobby, then you can purchase a what-to course.
Lot’s of Information is Available Online for Free
To become a freelance writer, you need to select a niche (or multiple niches), build a website, and start approaching people with your services.
Most of the information is available online for free. Take some time to explore the following topics:
- Types of freelance writing
- How to build a portfolio as a freelance writer
- Do freelance writers need freelance writing (for and against)
- Do freelance writers need to choose a niche (for and against)
- How to set rates as a freelance writer
- How to send cold emails
- How to network as a freelance writer
- How to avoid writing scams
- Should you do free gigs
- Do freelance writers need to learn SEO?
- How to freelance as a full-time employee or mom
Spend one or two days going down the rabbit hole, and you will have enough knowledge to take you through your first year as a freelance writer. Always be on the lookout for courses that will improve your skills and let you command higher prices for your skills.
Words Inbound 