Hi WriteWorldwide readers!

We hope you’re making good progress with your freelance writing career and taking the steps needed to succeed.

Building a freelance writing career can be tough, and sometimes a few wise words of advice from writers who’ve achieved success are the inspiration we need to keep going.

That’s why we have something special for you to start the week with – an exclusive interview with top freelance writer Jorden Roper.

Jorden has been on our radar for some time. She has a very interesting success story of going from being fired from her old job, to making over $5000 a month just four months later!

She’s also passionate about helping other writers make a full-time living from freelance writing, and has loads of great advice to help you build your writing business.

Read on for our exclusive interview with her …

1. Hi Jorden! Your story is really interesting, and (to use an overused phrase) inspiring. Did you always want to be a writer growing up, or was it simply something you knew you were good at?

Thank you!

I don’t think I necessarily knew I wanted to be a writer, but I was always obsessed with writing and reading. English was definitely my favorite subject in school!

I didn’t really understand that writing could be a solid career until I learned about copywriting and freelance writing. At that point, I knew it was what I wanted to do.

2. Had you been making plans for transitioning into freelance writing for a while, or was it literally ‘I need money suddenly, so I’m going to try this’?

I had wanted to become a full-time freelance writer for a while before I did it, but my boss at my 9-to-5 fired me before I could quit!

That sudden loss of income was a huge motivator for me. I didn’t have the option of growing my business slowly. I had bills to pay, and I needed to find work fast.

Still, I don’t think I ever had an “I need money” mindset going into it. I mean, I did need money, but I made sure to not let that affect the way I ran my business.

I knew that if I was too desperate to make money freelancing, I might end up taking on low-paying clients or using bidding sites, and I didn’t want to do that.

If my freelance writing business had not grown fast, I’d probably have taken a part-time job or something so I could have a steady source of income while growing my freelance writing business the right way. But fortunately, I never had to do that!

Basically, I knew I wanted to run my business like a business – right from the start. And that’s a big part of the reason I was able to scale so quickly.

3. Do you have any tips for freelance writers to stand out from the competition?

Definitely pick a profitable niche, and don’t shy away from marketing your niche expertise. Also, don’t be afraid to be who you really are online! There’s no need to act overly stuffy and business-y if you’re more casual and laid-back.

Sure, you want to be professional – but don’t mask your personality in the process. When you’re authentic, you’ll attract clients who appreciate who you really are, and that’s what will set you up for good long-term business relationships!

4. What books are you reading right now? Do you have an all-time favorite writing or business book?

The last book I read was Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and it’s definitely one of my favorites. I recently got to a point in my business where I felt like I was stretched really thin, and the book helped me gain a lot of clarity on what I needed to do to get out of that situation.

5. You must have had to cultivate a success mindset pretty fast, and in your case, it worked! What tips would you give to ESL freelance writers on flipping their mental script from ‘I don’t know if I can do this’ to ‘this is going to be my greatest success’?

If you can write well, then you can write well – regardless of what your first language is. So if you know you can write well, it’s just about being confident in your abilities and setting your mind to whatever you want to achieve with freelance writing!

6. Your writing style on your blog is very immediate and ‘now’, and it really feels like you know how to connect with the freelance writer in the Internet age, using a lot of visual content like memes and gifs to have a socially relevant dialogue with your audience. Did it take time for you to arrive at that style or was it something intuitive?

I never really made a conscious decision to write like that. I think it was just a natural thing that happened as I injected more of my personality and style into my writing over time!

7. What’s one piece of advice you didn’t get that you wish you had when you started your freelance writing journey?

Find other writers to be friends with, and don’t underestimate the power of finding a mentor/taking the right course/getting coaching!

I didn’t do any of these things when I started out. If I had, it’d probably have been a lot easier – especially finding writer friends to help with the isolation of starting a home-based business!

8. What’s one thing you’d tell somebody just starting out as a freelance writer not to do that you did?

Don’t answer emails immediately after receiving them! It’s a mistake a lot of newbie freelance writers (including myself when I first started out) make because they’re afraid of missing out on work or upsetting the client.

But when you answer all of your client emails within a couple minutes (and answer them after business hours or on the weekend), you teach your clients to expect that kind of responsiveness from you.
Set boundaries from the start, and you’ll be much better off!

9. How long did it take for you to get your first high-paying B2B client after deciding to become a freelance writer?

When I started my freelance writing business, I picked a niche, set up a website, and started cold emailing pretty much right away. The very first day I sent out cold emails, I landed a couple high-paying clients, so it happened quickly.

That’s why I always advise that freelance writers use cold emailing to land clients – it’s a great way to land high-paying work, even if you’re just starting out!

10. What does the future hold for you – are you involved in any writing projects other than freelancing?

Right now, I’m focused mostly on creating content for my blog, Writing Revolt, and helping freelance writers learn how to make a full-time income. Most of my work time is spent creating content related to that.

I also recently created a YouTube channel where I share freelance writing advice, and I’m definitely planning to ramp up my video content creation moving forward!

I’d love to write a book one day, but that’s probably more of a long-term goal. Until then, I’ll probably just be writing lots and lots of blog posts!