One, Two… That's It: How to Launch Your Freelance Writing Career

getting started

There's a fundamental misperception among aspiring nurse-writers about how the freelance writing world operates compared to the nursing world.

In nursing, you prove your competence through education and lifelong learning. You obtain a degree, pass a rigorous licensing exam, earn certifications, pursue advanced education, and complete continuing education regularly. This is how you demonstrate to employers that you know what you're doing.

But that's not how freelance writing works.

In more than a decade as a working freelance health writer, I have never once been asked by a prospective client whether I hold a college degree, any writing certifications, or continuing education credits.

In freelance writing, you don't prove your competence through education. You prove it through doing.

Consider:

Did Peyton Manning earn a college degree in quarterbacking? No — he just went out and did it.

Did Ina Garten earn a certificate from Le Cordon Bleu? No — she just went out and did it.

Did Ernest Hemingway earn a journalism degree? No — he just went out and did it.

That's how freelance writing works.

What clients actually expect from you

Your clients will expect exactly two things:

The ability to write a grammatically correct sentence. The ability to put several grammatically correct sentences together into coherent paragraphs.

Beyond that, your client will specify everything else:

Which keywords to use and how often. Whether to use the serial comma. How many sources to interview, if any. How to use subheadings. How many bullet points per list.

Every client wants something different, which means there is no universal standard to master in advance. You simply ask when something isn't specified. Clients don't expect you to read their minds.

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So what do you actually need to do first?

Launching your freelance writing business comes down to two steps:

Get some writing samples. Volunteering your talents to a worthy local nonprofit is an ideal starting point — they get excellent content, and you get professional clips to show prospective clients.

Start soliciting clients. Locate prospective clients and send letters of introduction. Lots of them.

That's it. You simply jump in. The freelance police are not going to appear at your door demanding to review your writing license.

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Elizabeth Hanes BSN RN is a nationally recognized nurse writer and health communication educator with more than a decade of experience at the intersection of nursing and professional writing. Her bylines have appeared in WebMD, Verywell Health, PBS NextAvenue, Cardinal Health, and dozens of other major healthcare brands and publications. Through RN2writer, an accredited provider of Continuing Nursing Education, Elizabeth teaches nurses how to expand their income, advance their careers, and sustain themselves through the power of intentional communication. Her students and readers span every nursing specialty, degree level, and career stage.