This is a complete step-by-step guide on how to start online
writing in Kenya and make 100K/month. I also reveal the strategies that you
need to use to start making money ASAP.
For anyone who is interested in freelance writing jobs in
Kenya, this is one of the best guides you’ll ever find on how to take your
career as a freelancer writer to the next level.
Freelance writing is one of the most legit ways to earn a
living online in Kenya. In fact, it is one of the easiest ways to make money on
the side without having to worry about getting scammed.
Most people think freelance writing in Kenya is just for
blogs or content sites. However, there are many other platforms that you can
get paid to write for.
If you are a foreigner in Kenya, this will definitely be the
most profitable side hustle that you could ever start. You’ll also never have
to worry about running out of things to write about.
The highest-paying freelance writing jobs in Kenya pay more
than KES 100,000 per month.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to land such jobs
and start making 100K+ per month as soon as possible.
What Is Freelance Writing?
Freelance writing is a way to make money online by creating
content for clients. In most cases, you are providing services as an
independent contractor for one client or more.
Some of the best freelance writing jobs in Kenya can land
you jobs that pay more than KES 100,000 per month. However, competition is
tough and it isn’t always easy to find a good-paying job that you love.
If you are willing to put in the time and effort, freelance
writing can be a simple way to earn money online without being an internet
marketer or trying your hand at affiliate marketing.
After reading this guide, you will have no problem finding
clients and making more than KES 100K per month.
How to Start Freelance Writing in Kenya
We are going to go through the exact steps you need to
follow in order to get started as a freelance writer from Kenya.
If you already have experience as a content writer, some of
the steps may seem familiar. However, if you are just starting out, this is
going to be one of the best guides on how to start your freelance writing
business.
Step 1: Learn How to Write for the Web
Good freelance writing is about being able to understand
your client’s needs and/or niche. It also involves knowing how to engage the
reader, whatever the topic may be.
What many people don’t realize about freelance writing in
Kenya is that they must learn how to write for the web. Most of us are used to
writing standard paper manuscripts or school compositions, but for freelance
writing, you’ll be expected to write for the web as well.
Writing for the web involves understanding how the internet
works. This includes mastering things like search engine optimization (SEO),
website navigation and keyword research.
In fact, many of the freelance writing jobs in Kenya that
pay KES 100K+ even require you to have at least some knowledge of how to
optimize your content for search engines.
Learn how to write for the web, and you’ll be very close
[to] landing clients online.
Step 2: Understand the Skills and Tools Required to Become a Freelance Writer in Kenya
After learning how to write for the web, you will need a few
skills and tools that will come in handy later on.
First of all, you’ll need basic knowledge about how
computers work and what software is best suited for your needs. This includes
things like text editors, word processors, proofreaders and task management
tools like Asana.
Secondly, as a freelance writer in Kenya who wants to make
real money, you will need basic knowledge about all the social media platforms
out there. This includes things like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This is
because you will need these platforms to find new clients.
Third, to freelance write in Kenya, you’ll need basic
knowledge of blogging skills. This is because most clients want blog posts
written by bloggers who know how to engage the reader.
You should also be conversant with Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) which is a way to make your client’s articles rank betterin
search engines (such as Google).
Step 3: Choose A Niche
With your basic knowledge of how to write for the web,
social media and blogging, you can now search for a freelance writing niche
that fits your skill set.
Find yourself a profitable niche or one you love writing
about, then start searching for clients in that industry. Use Google Alerts and
other tools to help you find new niche markets to explore.
As an example, you can decide to focus on personal finance
or health and fitness. So when a client is looking for a personal finance
writer, they are more likely to pick you than someone who writes about
everything.
Niching down does not mean that you will now get fewer
clients. On the contrary, a niche market will actually help you to get more
clients because you are now able to focus and sell yourself as an expert in a
certain field instead of a general writer.
The most profitable freelance writing niches in Kenya right
now include:
· Personal finance
· Health and fitness
· Online business
· Cryptocurrencies
· Relationships and family
· etc
You can check out this guide for a more
comprehensive list of high-paying freelance writing accounts.
When you have found a niche, try to sell yourself as an
expert in that field. Many clients will automatically assume that you are an
expert if they find your blog or personal site.
So make sure it states somewhere on your site that you are a
freelance writer who specializes in whatever market you wish to enter.
Step 4: Create a Writer Website or Blog
A writer website is where you advertise your services. It
has little content whcih usually includes a landing page to attract clients.
You can also have a few sample articles to use while applying for work.
On the other hand, a blog is more extensive and has several
articles on a certain topic. With a blog, you don’t have to necessarily
advertise your writing services but it makes for a great portfolio when
applying for work.
First of all, your writer website does not necessarily need
to be a very professional-looking website. In fact, many clients expect that
you are their ” friendly neighbourhood freelance writer in Kenya”, so try to
keep your website simple and relatable for them.
Writers who have a simple personal blog also tend to get
more work because clients see them as experts in what they do.
Your website can be anything from a free WordPress.com site
all the way up to a custom website designed by yourself or an expert.
This is because your goal should not be to impress potential
clients with a fancy website. Instead, you should be using your site to help
you get more clients and grow your business.
The important thing is that:
· Your writer website should include information about
the topics you are best at writing about
· It should have an email address where people can
contact you
· Your website should be easy to share and link to on
social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+. This includes your
personal Facebook profile as well. Make sure that all of these profiles have
the same name so that people can recognize you online.
Step 5: Write Your First Sample
After setting up your website or blog, you will need to
write your first sample post to show to clients. This is the first step towards
building your portfolio ( more about this in the next section)
Make sure that your first article stands out from the rest.
You want to give a good first impression so that clients will want to work with
you.
In a nutshell, a great sample article should;
· Be about the niche you are best at writing in ( for
example, a health and fitness article if that’s your niche)
· Be 100% unique content, written by yourself
· Have an easily identifiable topic to show people how
you can write for them
· Have a catchy and attention-grabbing headline ( see
our guide to writing viral headlines )
Always bear in mind that this is only a sample. You can
write unique content yourself but you do not need to go overboard with SEO and
the like. Clients will want to hire you primarily for your writing skills, so
keep that in mind as you write.
Step 6: Diversify Your Portfolio
After writing your first article, you will need to write
even more. A good portfolio consists of about 5 articles, which are enough to
convince clients that you are an expert in your niche.
Clients will not expect top-notch writing immediately; they
understand that you will need time to improve if this is your line of business
for the first time.
So write a couple more articles and delegate their distribution
to people you know. It is wise to ask your friends and family to share at least
a couple of your articles online before approaching clients.
There are plenty of platforms where you can publish articles
apart from your own website or blog. For instance, try writing for the
following:
· Medium
· LinkedIn
· Major publications like Forbes or Entrepreun ere
· Guest posting on other websites/blogs
· E-zines like Ezine Articles
· Websites like GoArticles.com and Web2PDFConvert.com
While you might not get paid for guest posts right away,
they are a great way to build up your portfolio. Make sure that all the
articles you publish are relevant to the niche you picked in step 3.
Great! Now you have a wonderful portfolio of your work, it
is time to decide on your rates.
Step 7: Decide on Your Rates
Now that you have a fair amount of content to show to
clients, it is time to think about how much you want to be paid before actually
finding clients.
So how do you decide on your rates?
The best way is to simply charge based on the number of
words your write and the technicality of your niche. For example, you might
charge $0.02 per word for a start.
Remember that the goal here is to make KES 100,000 per
month. This means that you will need to charge a slightly higher rate to avoid
writing a lot of articles each month.
For instance, if your charge $0.03 per word, you will be
paid $30 per 1000-word article. That is about KES 3,000 for one article
(assuming that the rate is $1 equals KES 100).
Now, if one article is KES 3,000, how many do you need to
write to make KES 100,000 per month?
That is 100,000 divide by 3,000 which is around 34 1000-word
articles per month. That seems like a lot of articles but if you can manage to
write at least 1,500 – 2,000 words per day, you can reduce the number
significantly.
As you can see, to make KES 100,000 per month freelance
writing in Kenya, you will need to find high-paying clients. But how exactly do
you do that?
Let me show you how the next step.
Step 8: Start Looking for Clients
Now that you know how much you want to earn each month and
how much you should charge per article, it is time to start looking for
clients.
There are several ways that you can find high paying writing
clients so I’m just going to touch on a few.
If you want a comprehensive list, you can check out this
guide on the best websites to find high-paying freelance writing work in Kenya.
1. Social media
If you are just starting out, social media would be the
perfect place to start looking for clients. In particular, I find three of
these platforms to be perfect for finding writing work fast.
These are:
· Facebook
· LinkedIn
· Reddit
Let’s quickly look at how to utilize each of these
platforms.
· Facebook: The best way to find writing
jobs on Facebook is by joining relevant groups. Be active in the group by
posting relevant content and commenting on other people’s posts. If it is a
‘job board’ group, there is a good chance that some of the members will be
posting jobs. If you find a job that fits your skillset, apply a quickly as
possible and make sure to share the samples you already wrote.
· LinkedIn Job Search: The job search
feature is a great way to get clients fast. However, there are already plenty
of freelance writers that use the job search feature on LinkedIn so you will
need to make sure you stand out. You can do this by posting detailed and
in-depth cover letters for each job you apply to. It is important that you
personalize every cover letter as much as possible so take your time and make
sure it looks amazing.
· LinkedIn InMails: Similar to the above,
LinkedIn INMails are a great way to get clients. However, they tend to be less
effective because most clients will ignore your application. In order to
increase your chances of being noticed, you can create a template and send an
individual message to each client. Being active and posting content relevant to
your niche can also help get you, clients, on LinkedIn. Most importantly,
ensure that your profile stands out by clearly stating what you do.
· Reddit: Reddit has a massive opportunity
for freelance writers. The best part is, most people don’t know about it yet
(that’s the good news). If you haven’t used Reddit yet, it is a website where
people post links to interesting content. So as a freelance writer, your goal
is to share great and relevant content on Reddit. In order to do this:
Find a subreddit that has an active community of readers. Share some cool
links posted in this subreddit. Post your links at the most optimal time of day
(usually in the morning between 8-12). Be engaged with other users and respond
politely when they comment. If you do these steps, you should be able to get
some clients from Reddit. You should also join subreddits where they hire
freelance writers.
2. Job Boards
Apart from social media, there are also a number of job
boards that have freelance writing jobs. Job boards are sites that list
freelance gigs for an hourly or flat fee. Popular job boards include:
Here are some popular job boards:
· Gigbucks
· MediaBistro
· ProBlogger
· Paid to Blog
· Freelance Writers Den.
· Writers Weekly
· JournalismJobs.
We love job boards because they are a quick and easy way to
find freelance writing jobs. I recommend using multiple job boards because the
competition is lower than social media (where every freelancer usually looks
for writing gigs).
3. Email Cold-Pitching
Cold pitching is where you email a high paying client
directly and ask them for a job. Cold pitching is very risky because you can
end up looking like a scammer so I would not recommend it if you are just
starting out.
However, this can be an extremely effective way to get
clients when your portfolio looks good (and you have been writing for a
while).
To get started with cold pitching, you need to find a
potential client/company that is willing to hire freelancers. You can do this
by searching online or looking for companies that have job listings on job
boards.
When you find an opportunity, send them an email telling
them exactly why they should hire your services. This is the most important
part so make sure you write a great email. Be honest and don’t over-exaggerate
your abilities.
4. Writing Agencies
Finally, there are also agencies that will find you writing
jobs and pay you a percentage for each job. These companies act as your
middleman so the client doesn’t realize that you are working for them. This
method is very similar to how salespeople get clients in business.
To use these companies: Sign up with more than one
agency so you have more opportunities to get clients. Make sure they are legit
companies and not just a scam (you can check their reputation on the Better
Business Bureau).
Most importantly, ensure that they pay you on time and as
agreed because if they do not, they might cut out some of your earnings or even
disappear with them all together.
5. Content Mills
Content mills are content marketplaces where clients post
jobs then writers apply for those jobs. They differ from agencies because in
this case, the client knows who they are giving the job to.
Here is how most content mills work:
· The client post a job
· Writers bid for the job
· The client picks the best writer based on their pitch
and gives them the job
This might seem straightforward but most content mills are
actually very competitive and you might have to bid hundreds of times before
getting your first job.
The most popular content mills in Kenya include:
· Upwork
· Freelancer
· Elance
· PeoplePerHour
· Fivver
· iWriter
While they are great if you are just starting out, I do not
recommend using content mills for long term business because they only pay what
is offered (no negotiation) and the payment is usually low. The platform you
are using also takes a cut of your earnings meaning you don’t get the full
amount offered by the client.
Step 9: Deliver High-Quality Work
After getting your first client, you have to start
delivering good quality content. This is probably the most difficult part
because as a new writer, you may be afraid of not meeting up to the client’s
expectations.
However, this is what separates average writers from great
ones. If you want to succeed in writing then you have to deliver good
quality work every time and stick with the clients until they are content.
In order to deliver high-quality work, you need a personal
writing process that works for you (which is different for everyone). You
also have to constantly research and update your skills so that you can
communicate better with your clients.
To do all this, I recommend creating a strategy and
following it.
Step 10: Keep Learning and Sharpening Your Skills
Learning how to be a better writer should not stop as soon
as you get your first client. It should be something that you do constantly.
Keep learning about topics that interest you and skills that
will make you a better writer. Read books, download e-books, take online
classes, speak to experts, read blogs from writers who are doing well (I
recommend following these)- do anything that will help you get better.
Most importantly, keep practising until you reach a level
where your writing is competing with top writers in the world.
Conclusion: What You Need to Do Now
After reading this guide, you need to start taking action.
Here is everything we have talked about in a nutshell:
· Sharpen your writing skills
· Choose a niche and stick to it
· Create an impressive portfolio of your work
· Get published in at least one major publication
· Polish your social media profiles and start looking
for work
· Get an account with freelancing platforms (Upwork,
Freelancers) and start bidding for jobs
· Create a personal strategy to follow while pitching
clients
· Deliver quality work and be patient with your clients
until they are fully satisfied
· You need to keep practising until you get better.
After all, you are new to this and there is a lot of improvement needed on your
writing skills.
I hope you have learned a thing or two about writing. If you have any questions, shoot them in the comments section below and I’ll be glad to help you out.