Knowing how to write is just one of the many qualities a freelance writer should have. 

You must know how to manage your time, market your business, keep clients happy, and most importantly, understand how to make money out of your art. Just like any other business person, you need a business model and strategy to help you succeed.

A poor model will not bring business your way. Even worse, you might get plenty of work but end up earning peanuts – tired but cashless. Success calls for prudence in choosing a model and implementing it.

Which Business Models Work for Freelance Writers?

Disintermediation

There are plenty of middlemen in the freelance writing world. Content mills and writing agencies fall under this category. The model of disintermediation requires that you eliminate the middlemen and have direct contact with the clients. You will need to reach out to businesses directly or only pitch to writing gigs by business owners on their sites. In turn, you get direct payment for your services.

Crowdsourcing

As the word suggests, you want a crowd of people following you because of your ability to come up with innovative ideas and provide solutions to their problems in writing. The model also allows you to get other writers on board as contributors ideas across niches for free on your platform. 

“Crowds are a hit. Millions of people, connected by the internet, are contributing ideas and information to projects big and small” The New York Times.

Once you have the desired crowd following you, you can now sell advertisement space on either your blog or social media handles. If you don’t have a blog yet as a writer, you should get one now.

Bundling

Bundling will require you to write a bundle of work on a given subject and find new blogs or websites targeting this subject and pitch your pieces to them. The content here can be articles, blog posts, and ebooks all sold together at a discount. 

So, instead of the business getting writers for their content, they get yours and schedule it for their target market. Take note that some businesses will want you to make some tweaks on your work to fit their business purpose.

Customization

Freelance writers are always supposed to offer services per client’s needs. Every customer is unique and treating them so is what will keep you in business. This model guarantees the efficiency and optimization of their content for the target market. The more you can customize for specific markets, the more you can niche down and offer specific writing services. In return, clients will be willing to pay higher for your services.

Brokerage (Become a Middleman)

You can also decide to become a middleman by connecting writers with clients. As a writer here, you will be assessing the quality of content the writers are delivering before you send it to clients. The secret here is ensuring that you or your business become the exclusive channel through which the two parties can interact.

Freemium

The freemium model works in the situation where you offer basic services for free and charge for premium ones. This model can work best when you have a blog. A good example is creating a free ebook and sell a course if you are into training. Or sell specific writing services for businesses after giving them free tips in an ebook.

If you are starting out, it can be an avenue for attracting customers without paying for marketing. Most people get along this model because they have the option of enjoying your services before deciding to pay.

Choose Your Business Model

You need a business model to succeed in any business let alone freelance writing. Selecting the right model will guarantee the growth of your brand as a freelance writer. Remember there is nothing wrong combining a number of models above. Be open-minded in your selection to come up with a model that will suit you.

Which model are you using right now? Here is a comprehensive list of business models you can choose.