This question is one of the most commonly asked questions I hear from new writers or writers who are writing at a low rate and I also asked the same question when I started.

Thankfully, I figured out how to do it and as a result, I have become a successful freelance writer.

Are you an aspiring freelance writer in Nigeria or you are already into freelance writing but you are not making enough money like the others?
Do you know that you can make a full-time income as a freelance writer? I am a freelance writer and I am making a full time income running a five figure freelance writing business here in Nigeria.

So, you have made the decision that you are going to step into freelance writing career but how do you get client who need experience writers for their business to pay you to write for them?

This post is a most read if you are really thinking of making money as a freelance writer in Nigeria. You can still get dozens of client to pay you even if you are just starting out as a freelance writer.

These 5 tips on how to make money as a freelance writer in Nigeria will help you become a successful freelance writer if you take action. Remember, if you take action.

[b]1. A Blog
Building your online present is essential for branding yourself as a freelance writer. If you don’t have a blog, it is of no use how good you are as a writer.

One of the reason client want to visit your blog is so they can check out your writing. Your blog is your portfolio where you are to fill great samples for your client to see. You need to have a blog if you want to be seen as a professional writer. Whether the blog is beautiful or not, what clients are interested in is the write-up.

As a writer with a blog, you need to create good post on your blog, do not rush this process. Sit down and create samples that show your expertise. Your client might just visit your blog and will be surprised to see that you have written an article on a topic he or she needs.

Write blog post that when you read it, you will be proud that you wrote something. Remember these posts are your sample that will entice your client to pick you for a writing gig. So, if your blog posts contain grammatical errors, are out of point or not engaging, it will surely chase your client away.

2. Guest Posting
Guest posting can be a powerful tool to getting client quicker if you can use it effectively. Guest posting help you reach out to audience that may take years to reach out to if you are to rely on your outreach.

Guest posting helps you stand out of the crowd of freelance writers. You have a couple of blogs that you always visit, why not pitch them a chance to guest post on their blog?

A lot of blogs accept guest post, familiarize yourself with those blog editors and submit your articles to them for exposure. You can never tell if your first or next client is a reader on that blog. I can’t count how many clients I have gotten just from guest posting in a blog with large audience in my niche.

3. Cold Pitching
As a freelance writer, you should have the confident to pitch blog editors for a gig. I know everyone hate rejection so we just prefer client coming to us to negotiate, but what of if it is taking long for them to come because they are so busy with other things but not welcoming new writers?

The highest you can get is no, but it is worth giving a try. Be clear and concise, and use a great title/subject in your pitch email. It is the first thing editors see before they will think of clicking through to read your message.

If you don’t know whether they need a freelance writer, kindly ask if they do use the services of a freelance writer and you are available for them. Drop links to your samples or a link to your ‘Hire Me’ page which should contain your portfolio of guest posts.

4. Choose a Specialty and Stick to It
You may be thinking that to actually make money as a freelance writer you just have to be a good writer right? You are definitely wrong, being a good writer is what you should before you should even call yourself a writer.

Why am I able to charge client at a high rate and yet they still pay me for my writing services? It is just in one word, ‘Specialize’. When you specialize in a niche, you gain more experience in that niche. This makes you authority writing on that niche and enables you to charge more because client knows that they are working with an authority with lot of experience.

Client will gladly pay you generously to write for them because they know that your writing is from a place of authority.

5. Learn from a Proven Mentors
You must have known people who are already where you want to be in terms of becoming a highly paid writer. You need to get close to those people, the social media has made every closer with each other with just a few clicks.

Subscribe to their newsletter, join their Facebook groups, like their page. Just hang around them and if you have the finance, enroll in their coaching course if they have any or just meet them and tell them you will like them to mentor you.

It is faster if you have someone who will show you the way and teach you what you need to know to avoid you travelling a long journey to arrive in a destination that should have taken you just a step with a mentor.

As a writer, I have so many mentors and coaches that I learn from, do you have? And you call yourself a writer?