Jennn Fusion on: Becoming a freelance writer

[A guest post from jennnfusion and another perspective on the freelancing life. -- Ed.]

Here’s a novel idea: instead of searching Craigslist and Elance for freelance writing jobs, why not create your own ad outsourcing your services? That’s precisely what Jennn Fusion (jennnfusion) did. While Fiverr is a great place to launch a freelance writing career, it can also be a place for established writers to advertise and expand.

Prior to joining Fiverr, Jennn Fusion had been piecing together a full-time income from freelance writing jobs for 7 years. She got her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and English from SUNY Geneseo, spent several years living and writing for music magazines in Toronto, and came home to roost in Buffalo, New York with enough solid copywriting clients to call it a life.

The path to becoming a freelance writer wasn’t easy. There were many days of fishing through the seat of the car for change to buy a $2 falafel (hence the term “starving artist”). There were many times where a major client’s budget suddenly dried up (so don’t put all your eggs in one basket!) There were shameful pro bono gigs done mainly for exposure and underpaid jobs writing for USA Today and the Houston Chronicle. There will be clients who are overly demanding of your time, ones who are wholly inarticulate and others who micromanage every last detail. Yet, there are also clients who are genuinely gracious for the work you do, who will surprise you with bonuses and referrals that make becoming a freelance writer truly rewarding.

 

Jennn Fusion’s work in the real world is valued much higher than anything on Fiverr, but she thought she’d create a gig to drum up new clients during a slow month. To her surprise, there was no shortage of freelance writing jobs on the site. To date, she has made nearly $2,000 promoting through the site. She’s covered every topic you can imagine – from DIY woodworking projects, local real estate markets and the wedding consulting industry to superfoods, solar panels and Nike shoe releases.

She has also used the site as a springboard for other work. Her 200-300 word blog gig has led to article, press release and regular blog freelance writing jobs, as well as side jobs in brand management, social media consulting and search engine optimization.

More on Fiverr freelancing with fluffybunny.