In my last post, I gave you the brutal truth about freelance writing in the age of AI. Entry-level opportunities are vanishing, the market’s brutal for generalists, and companies want human quality at AI prices.
Now let’s talk about what you can actually do about it.
I’m not going to promise this will be easy. I’m not going to tell you that following these steps guarantees success. What I will give you is honest, practical advice based on what’s actually working for writers who are surviving—and occasionally thriving—in late 2025.
Step 1: Pick a Niche that Helps You Make Money Freelance Writing
The single most important decision you’ll make is choosing your niche. Not next week. Not when you’ve “gotten some experience.” Right now, before you write a single pitch or create your first portfolio piece.
Here’s what the data tells us about profitable niches in 2025:
The Top-Paying Specializations:
Finance writing: Average income of $73,000 per year according to ZipRecruiter—significantly higher than typical writers earn. This includes personal finance, investing, fintech, and retirement planning.
Tech writing: The vast majority of the world’s most valuable companies are tech companies, which means there’s money flowing through this space. Focus on cybersecurity, AI, big data, blockchain, or other specialized areas, and you’ll earn far more than the average freelance writer. Average salary is $70,000 per year, starting at $47,000 for beginners.
Medical/Healthcare writing: Even without advanced degrees in a health field, pay is good—and if you can become a technical writer in the medical field, you can make a great salary.
B2B SaaS writing: There’s consistent demand for writers who can explain complex software features in user-friendly ways, develop compelling case studies, and create content targeting different stages of the B2B sales funnel. Gartner predicted that SaaS spending reached $197 billion in 2023, up 17.9% from the previous year.
Video script writing: Earn from $200 to $500 per scripted minute—highly in demand for SaaS product demos and YouTube videos. According to the Contena Job Board, rates range from $0.30 to $0.70 per word.
White paper writing: Rates are high—$6,000 per month or more for B2B markets.
Email copywriting: Email marketing has a return of investment of 38:1, fetching $44 for every $1 spent.
Notice what all these have in common? They require either specialized knowledge, strategic thinking, or both—things AI can’t fake convincingly.
The Niche Selection Framework
Don’t just pick a niche because it pays well. You’ll burn out fast if you’re writing about something that bores you to tears. Here’s how to choose strategically:
Leverage Your Background
What’s your work experience? Your passions? Even those niche hobbies hold valuable clues to profitable freelance writing niches.
I spent 24 years teaching high school. That experience gave me insights into institutional dynamics, adolescent psychology, and education systems that inform everything I write. What do you know that most people don’t?
Reality Check Time
Passion is important, but we all have to pay rent. Understanding where your knowledge aligns with client needs is where the smart money is.
Consider Future Growth Potential
Select a niche that’s growing, not dying. Web3 and Metaverse writing are emerging fields with immense potential as these technologies develop.
According to recent data, SaaS, eCommerce, and digital marketing are the top three writing niches—and they’re all high-paying because they’re growing industries with real budgets.
Can You Sustain It?
Imagine writing about this subject for years or decades to come. If the thought makes you want to fake your own death, pick something else.
Step 2: Build a Portfolio That Actually Proves Something
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: nobody cares that you’re a “good writer.” They care whether you can solve their specific problem.
Your portfolio needs to demonstrate specialized knowledge, not just writing ability.
If You’re Starting From Zero:
Create 3-5 spec pieces in your chosen niche. Don’t write generic blog posts—create the kind of content your ideal clients actually need.
For B2B SaaS? Write a case study (even if it’s based on publicly available information about a company).
For healthcare? Write an explainer article about a complex medical topic that demonstrates you understand the subject matter.
For finance? Create a comprehensive guide to a specific financial strategy that shows you understand both the technical and practical aspects.
Quality Over Quantity
Three excellent, specialized pieces are worth more than twenty generic blog posts. Make every portfolio piece demonstrate both writing skill and subject matter expertise.
Show Results When Possible
If you’ve written content that generated traffic, conversions, or other measurable results, feature those numbers prominently. According to Semrush’s Content Marketing Survey, 70% of marketers use traffic as their performance measure.
Step 3: Master the Hybrid Approach (Human + AI)
Here’s where I need to be brutally honest about something: the writers making money in 2025 aren’t pretending AI doesn’t exist. They’re learning to use it strategically while maintaining the human elements that create real value.
What AI Can Actually Help With:
Ideation and brainstorming: Need twenty variations on a topic? AI can generate them instantly. Most will be mediocre, but sometimes one sparks something useful.
Research assistance: AI can pull together background information faster than manual googling (though you still need to verify everything).
Outlining: For longer pieces, AI can help structure your thoughts and identify gaps in your argument.
First drafts of routine content: If you’re writing something formulaic (like product descriptions), AI can generate a starting point you then customize with actual expertise.
Editing and proofreading: Catching typos, checking consistency, suggesting alternative phrasings.
What AI Cannot Do:
Provide genuine expertise that clients are actually paying for.
Understand nuanced industry contexts that make content valuable.
Write with the authentic voice and perspective that comes from real experience.
Make strategic decisions about what information matters to your specific audience.
The writers I know who are succeeding use AI to handle grunt work so they can focus on the high-value thinking and writing that AI can’t replicate.
Step 4: Learn to Pitch (Or Stop Wasting Your Time)
Most freelance writers are terrible at pitching. They either:
- Send generic template pitches that sound like everyone else
- Pitch publications that don’t align with their niche
- Give up after three rejections
- Wait for opportunities to find them instead of creating opportunities
Here’s what actually works:
Research Before You Pitch
According to data from several freelance writing platforms, writers charging $0.21-$0.30 per word represent about 29% of writers, while 34% charge between $0.05 and $0.20 per word. Know what publications or clients typically pay before investing time in a pitch.
Customize Obsessively
Every pitch should demonstrate that you’ve actually read the publication or studied the company. Reference specific articles or content gaps. Show you understand their audience and needs.
Lead With Value, Not Credentials
Don’t start with “I’m a freelance writer with 5 years of experience.” Start with “I noticed your recent article on [topic] didn’t address [specific angle], and I have expertise in that area from [relevant experience].”
Have a Specific Idea
Generic pitches like “I’d love to write for you” get ignored. Specific pitches like “I’d like to write a 2,000-word guide to X for your audience of Y, structured around these three key insights” get responses.
Follow Up Strategically
One follow-up email after a week is professional. Three follow-up emails makes you look desperate. Find the balance.
Step 5: Price Yourself Correctly (This Is Harder Than It Sounds)
Here’s where most new writers screw themselves: they price based on what they think clients will pay, not on the value they provide.
Understanding Rate Structures:
Per word: Rates range wildly from $0.05 per word (content mills) to $1+ per word for established specialists. According to Payscale, freelance writers in the US earn an average of $27.25 per hour, though rates vary dramatically by specialization.
Per project: More common for specialized work like white papers ($6,000+), case studies, or video scripts ($200-$500 per scripted minute).
Retainer: Monthly agreements where clients pay a set fee for a specified amount of work. This provides income stability but requires delivering consistent value.
What You Should Actually Charge:
If you’re just starting: Don’t go to content mills paying $0.02 per word, but also don’t try to charge $1 per word with no portfolio. Aim for $0.15-$0.25 per word depending on the complexity of your niche.
Once you have 6-12 months of experience and a solid portfolio: $0.25-$0.50 per word for blog content, more for specialized formats like white papers or technical documentation.
When you’re established (2+ years, strong results): $0.50-$1+ per word, or transition to project pricing where you can often earn more by focusing on value delivered rather than words written.
Remember: Specialized writers in technical, legal, medical, or finance niches command significantly higher rates than lifestyle or general interest writers.
Step 6: Build Multiple Income Streams (Because You Must)
If you’re relying on a single client or income source, you’re one decision away from financial disaster.
The Three-Stream Model:
Primary clients: 2-3 ongoing relationships that provide 60-70% of your income. These are your bread and butter.
Secondary projects: Smaller gigs that provide 20-30% of income. These are testing grounds for new clients and safety nets if primary clients disappear.
Passive/semi-passive income: 10-20% from things like affiliate content, your own digital products, or teaching what you know about your niche.
According to research, while AI won’t make you the go-to freelance writer in any area, it can help you create additional income streams that keep money flowing in even if you need to take a break or struggle to land enough clients.
Step 7: Stay Current (Or Become Irrelevant)
Your niche knowledge is your competitive advantage. If you stop learning, you stop being valuable.
Practical Ways to Stay Sharp:
Subscribe to industry publications in your niche. If you’re writing about SaaS, follow SaaS industry news religiously.
Take short courses to gain niche-specific skills when needed.
Join professional associations related to your niche (not just writing associations—the actual industry associations).
Network within the industry by attending relevant events and conferences.
Monitor what successful writers in your niche are doing—what topics they’re covering, what formats they’re using, what angles they’re taking.
SEO knowledge is a must-have in the 2025 freelance writing landscape. Most clients want someone who understands and can write SEO-driven content, and the rules of this game change frequently.
Step 8: Know When to Walk Away From Bad Opportunities
This might be the most important step of all.
Red Flags That Mean “Run Away”:
Clients who want you to use AI to generate content they’ll just publish under their name (this devalues your work and the entire market)
Rates below $0.10 per word unless you’re literally just starting out
Clients who expect unlimited revisions
Projects that require you to sign away rights to everything you create
Anyone who says “this will be great exposure” instead of offering actual payment
The most successful freelance writers report having 1-5 clients at any given time, with copywriting projects being short enough that it’s manageable to handle five clients without getting overwhelmed.
But quality matters more than quantity. One great client paying fair rates beats five terrible clients paying poverty wages.
The Reality Check You Need
Let me be honest about something: following these steps won’t guarantee you’ll make six figures freelancing. According to recent data, the average freelance writer earns around $42,000 per year, with 24% earning more than $50,000 annually.
Those are the averages. The range varies dramatically based on specialization and AI integration.
Some writers—particularly those in high-paying niches like technical writing, medical writing, or B2B SaaS—do very well. According to ZipRecruiter, finance writers make about $73,000 per year on average. Tech writers start at $47,000 and can earn $70,000 or more.
But many writers struggle. The median pay for freelance writers hovers between $23 and $27.25 per hour according to various sources—which isn’t much when you factor in the time spent pitching, managing clients, doing accounting, and all the other business tasks that don’t generate direct income.
My Final Advice
After spending time researching what’s actually happening in the freelance writing market in late 2025, here’s what I’d tell someone asking whether they should pursue freelance writing:
Don’t do it if:
- You need immediate, stable income
- You’re not willing to specialize deeply in a specific niche
- You can’t handle rejection and uncertainty
- You’re looking for easy money
Do consider it if:
- You have genuine expertise in a high-value niche
- You’re willing to learn continuously and adapt quickly
- You can survive financially during the 6-12 months it takes to build a client base
- You understand that this is running a business, not just writing
The writers succeeding in 2025 are the ones who’ve accepted that the market has changed fundamentally. They’re not trying to compete with AI on generic content—they’re offering something AI can’t replicate: genuine expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to understand what information actually matters to specific audiences.
Is there still money in freelance writing? Yes. But it’s concentrated in specialized niches where expertise matters, and it requires treating writing as a business rather than just a skill.
If you can do that—if you can niche down, build real expertise, learn to work with rather than against AI, and approach this as a business owner rather than just a writer—there are opportunities.
Just don’t expect them to be easy to find or easy to keep.
Hey, I’m 77 and I’ve Got Stories…
Stories about what it’s like to navigate life at this age (spoiler: it’s weird, wonderful, and occasionally terrifying). And stories about collaborating with AI to write books in ways that would have seemed like science fiction when I started putting words on paper. Stories about the daily realities, unexpected surprises, and hard-won wisdom that comes from three-quarters of a century on this planet. If you’re curious about authentic aging, writing innovation, or just enjoy good storytelling from someone who’s been around the block, subscribe to my weekly newsletter “Old Man Still Got Stories.” I promise to make it worth your time.