7 Qualities of a Good Freelance Writer

Have you ever thought about becoming a freelance writer? If so, you might be wondering if this job would be a good fit for you. What skills do you need to be a freelance writer? What are the qualities of a good writer? While anyone who puts forth the time and effort can be an accomplished freelance writer, there are certain traits that contribute to becoming successful in this profession.

The Qualities of a Good Writer

Wondering what these writing traits are? Here are seven qualities of a good freelance writer.

1. Hardworking

The harder you work, the more likely people are to hire you, and the more they will be willing to pay you for your writing services. Freelance writing can often be difficult and time-consuming, which means that having a strong work ethic is one of the most important qualities that a writer can possess.

Not only that, it takes hard work to drum up clientele, meet client style guide requirements and manage a freelancing lifestyle. Hard work is the name of the game, though, and the best content writers have this quality through and through.

2. Detail-oriented

Successful freelance writers must be very detail-oriented, as SEO content writing requires a high-quality end result. Even the smallest of mistakes, such as a misspelled word or a missing comma, can make you look unprofessional and inexperienced. As a result, freelancers must pay attention to minor details in order to perfect their writing. Being detail-oriented is a quality of good writers the world over.

The details really come into play when writing for clientele with very specific style guide requirements. Whether it’s meeting formatting guidelines, citation guidelines, hyperlinking guidelines, keyword recommendations or other, there can be a lot to go through when trying to nail a brand’s voice and look in written text. You may have the best-written content in the world, but if you’ve missed the details surrounding the presentation of it, you may get negative feedback.

3. Curious

Because freelancers must write about a variety of different topics, being curious about life and people can be extremely beneficial. Curiosity gives you the motivation to learn and become an expert on the topics you have been given, which comes through in your work. This will also help you be extremely thorough and accurate in the articles you are composing.

Curiosity is also a helpful writing quality when it comes to content topic creation. What kinds of topics are driving engagement? What topics haven’t been written about a million times already? Let your curiosity as a writer take you down creative roads to really make a mark with your writing.

4. Humble

Although humility may not seem like it has much to do with writing, it has a lot to do with improving yourself, no matter your occupation. As a freelancer, you need to be able to accept feedback and direction for your work.

Humility really comes into play when you’re first starting out as a writer. Having the patience to work your way up the freelance writing ladder leads to a writing career with a lot of longevity.

On the other hand, even the most experienced and skilled writers have room to improve, and being able to receive and apply advice will only increase the respect that your clients have for you. Humility is an incredibly important quality of a good writer!

5. Punctual

As a freelance writer, you will almost always be working on a deadline. This means that if you can’t submit your customized content on time, your clients will hire someone else who can.

Since most freelance writing jobs are done remotely, you are the master of your own time. With no supervisor keeping you accountable for your schedule, it’s up to you to master this quality of good writing. In order to be punctual, you’ll need to have time-management skills so that you can plan out what tasks you’ll be able to complete each day.

6. Professional

Successful freelance writers not only are professional but they also develop long-term relationships with their clients. How can you do this? Meet them in person if possible, ask for their opinions, provide them with leads and check in with them even when they do not need any work from you.

If you work for a content creation company and don’t rub elbows with clients directly, it’s still helpful to form strong relationships with the company managers. Keep your communication professional and seek to slightly exceed expectations and you’ll master this quality of good content writing.

7. Committed

Being a freelancer is not always easy. There will be times when you will want to give up or when you think you are not good enough. However, if you stay committed even when things get tough, you’ll become even better at what you do.

Understand that becoming a great freelance writer is the long play: there aren’t shortcuts when it comes to quality writing. The harder you work and the more experience you get along the way, the better you’ll become.

Do You Possess the Qualities of a Good Content Writer?

If you possess the qualities of a good freelance writer, then this profession will probably be a great fit for you. Comment below with more traits you believe make a successful content writer.