As some of you may know, I started off my online marketing career as a freelance writer. Although that was more than 3 years ago, my freelance writing gigs helped me quit my full time job and launch my Internet marketing business as well. I highly recommend everyone who can write, or want to write, to get a few writing gigs as a legitimate and sustainable way to improve your cash flow.

When it comes to freelance writing, you can basically do a few “jobs”:

1. Become a ghostwriter for other people’s books and ebooks
2. Write articles and web content for website / blog owners
3. Become a regular columnist for offline / online media in various topics
4. Become a paid blogger using paid blogging services like PayPerPost
5. Become an editor / proofreader and help brush up someone else’s work
6. Become a web copywriter and charge for every web copy written

Being an editor requires more of a critical eye and amazing grasp of grammar and writing styles. This is a skill not everyone, even world-class writers, possess. Copywriting is another highly paid skill that requires creative thinking and therefore it not really in the reach of most people. Every other type of writing however, is a great opportunity for anyone who can construct a proper sentence in English.

So lets talk about those other types – ghostwriting, paid blogging and content writing.

Ghost writing can potentially add between a few hundred to a few thousand dollars into your bank account every month, but the flip side to this is that no one will ever know who you are or appreciate the work you’ve done. In the Internet marketing world, lot of information marketers are constantly looking for someone who can help them write ebooks, instruction manuals and other types of documentation.

Writing articles and web content for blogs / websites is another great opportunity, plus in most cases you also get a “byline” for your work. If you’re writing for blogs, you have your author credits on each blog post. This helps other people know who you are, and get addicted to your style of writing, ideas, and personality. For the sake of your freelance writing career, writing on blogs is actually much better than ghostwriting.

The final type of freelance writing you can do is paid blogging or sponsored blogging. I’ve covered this in detail in my Blog Paycheck guide, but the basic idea is you set-up your own blogs and start accepting writing offers in networks like Pay Per Post, Review Me or Sponsored Reviews. Advertisers want to get the word out about their products, and they are willing to pay bloggers to write about them on their blogs. How much you can demand per article written depends a lot on the popularity and traffic of your blogs.

The plus side to this is that technically you own the content you have written, which means you can always monetize your growing blog with Google Adsense or even affiliate offers.

What Do You Need To Become a Freelance Writer?

Very quickly, this is what you need:

1. Passion for writing and good grammar – If you want to write for a living, you must have a passion for it. Nothing puts me off more than a writer who writes purely for money.
2. A good porfolio site that sells you – You’ll find that clients always want to take a look at your previous work before they decide to engage you. If you’re just starting off you can admit that you’re new and you’ll still be able to land jobs if you can give your potential employer a few good samples. However in the long run it’s your portfolio that gets you the high-paying writing gigs.
3. Growing list of contacts – If you only have three potential clients, your potential income is severely limited. Not everyone needs a constant supply of writers so build up your contact list to the point that you can pick and choose which offers you want to take up.
4. A greater plan for your life – Freelance writing is great to get you off the ground, but remember you’re still trading hours for dollars. Find a way to convert your sills into a book, an information product, or a coaching program. You could also aims to leave writing altogether and become a business owner in the particular niche market you’ve served.

However, being just another freelance writer and becoming a “superstar” writer that everyone wants to work with are two different things. Superstar freelancers get paid 5-20 times higher, enjoy more time freedom, get more recognition and ultimately lead a much better life.

The good news is that superstar writers are made, not born. At Freelance Superstar I’ve teamed up with full-time writer and writing coach Monika Mundell to create the ultimate starting guide for future freelance writing superstars.

Register on the site to get free audio interviews and other tips on freelance writing. Remember to also fill-up the questionnaire and let us know your most burning questions about freelance writing. With your input, we hope to make this the most popular freelance writing guide on the Internet.