Freelancer Vs Blogger - Which is best Career Option for you?

A blogger can be a freelance writer, but a freelancer writer cannot be a blogger. This statement is true to an extent, and in today’s post I will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of being a freelance writer over running your own blog.

Freelance writing is one of the easiest ways to earn money online. If you have good writing skills, you can join any of these freelance writing websites, grab some writing jobs, and earn money. The same is not true for blogging, as managing your own blog requires more than writing skills.

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of both types of work.

Advantages and disadvantages of freelance writing over blogging:

• Freelance writing and blogging have much in common:
• Can be a part-time job or a full-time job
• You can work from home or virtually anywhere
• You can be your own boss
• You can work in your jammies

That is the common ground between these two types of online work, but there are also vast differences between them in terms of revenue, branding and much more.

Today’s post will be especially useful for freelance writers who are planning to start a blog of their own.

Short-term money or long-term recurring money:

This is where a major difference between freelance writing and blogging enters the picture. With freelance writing you take an order for a particular piece of work, you finish it, and you get paid. With blogging, on the other hand, you need to constantly be writing and updating your content, and the money can come from various sources, but it will take some time to see that money.

Freelance writing is research and writing, while blogging presents a larger source of your expertise:

A freelance writer usually writes about various topics by researching information and then putting that information together in his own words and offering his sources, etc. Even if they have no inherent knowledge of a particular topic, freelances writers can write about anything, according to the client’s needs. Here is a nice guide by Daniel on how to make money Freelance writing & you can use platform like ContentMart to hire freelance writers.

Blogging requires you to be an expert in a particular field. In blogging the writer is not anonymous. Your blog posts have a face and a name. You write in the first person and offer your expertise with opinions, reviews, advice and guidance. And you continue to write about that subject or related topics over time.

There are niche-based freelance writers (for example in the tech niche or the financial niche), and these freelance writers tend to earn more money, because they have expertise and insight to offer about the topic at hand.

If you are a freelance writer and should you decide to remain one, we would advise you to try to develop expertise in particular niche, as this will help you to earn more money from future freelance projects. More on this concept at the conclusion of this article.

Blogging is more than writing:

One of the major advantages of freelance writing is the fact that it is a more simple process than blogging. When you run your own blog, you need to tend to a multitude of important factors including (but not limited to) the following:

• Regularly updating your blog
• Promoting your blog
• Engaging with audience
• Content planning
• SEO of your blog

Freelance writers accept a writing job, finish it, and get paid. They do not have to deal with the many and varied management issues of a blogger.

Freelance writers may end up working as ghost writers:

This is one of the biggest disadvantages of being a freelance writer. Most of the time your article will not be published under your name. This is known as ghost writing. Your client usually publishes an article written by you under his name, or under a pseudonym (“pen name” or fake name). In this way, a freelance writing may miss out on the opportunity to brand himself or herself, and this removes all potential long-term advantages for the writer.

Tip: When you are ghost writing, try asking for more money.
Other differences between freelance writers and bloggers include:

• Freelance writers do not require original inspiration, as they are given a subject and a deadline.
• A freelance writer’s expertise is writing, and they can write on almost any topic.
• Over time freelance writing may become monotonous and boring – with the propensity to have to write on similar topics over and over again.

Which is better for your future: blogging or freelance writing?

I have worked as a freelance writer, and I know for sure that freelance writing is great when you need quick money. I have earned around $150-$300 for a single post, and that is excellent compensation when compared with the time spent writing the post. Articles which I have written as a freelance writer are based on information pertinent to the niche in which I have expertise, and I was paid so well because I understand this particular niche very well (for example, SEO and WordPress).

The major disadvantage of freelance writing is that it offers a single cash infusion based on work you have been offered. But when you are not working or writing, there is no income.

When you are the creator of your own blog, you can continue to make money on a recurring basis, based on various monetization techniques. Your ads will be running on your old blog posts, and will continue to make money for you, even when you are not actively writing.

To make sure that cash flow continues from the present into the future, we would suggest that you consider starting a blog along with your freelance writing job. Launching and maintaining a successful blog will require time and effort, but over time you will learn more about the various money-making opportunities within the profession of blogging, and you will earn more and more money over time, according to what you learn and what you create.

Some things to remember:

1. Your blog should be about one topic (stick to a niche). Choose a topic about which you are passionate.
2. Maintain a regular flow of updates on your blog. Depending on your schedule, you could publish one article a day or one article a week. Try to write evergreen content, instead of time-sensitive content.
3. Starting a blog is quite easy. Read my previously published guide on how to create your own WordPress blog. In addition, my WordPress guide will give you sufficient knowledge on how to use WordPress, and you can also watch these WordPress videos to learn more.

Advantages of having blog for a freelance writer:

Having a blog allows you to establish yourself as someone who has expertise in your niche, and the blog itself acts as a sort of portfolio for you over time. Not only will this assist you in getting better writing jobs, but you will also find more jobs in your particular area of interest. Once you have created a name and profile or brand for yourself with your own blog, other bloggers will want to use your name rather than asking you to be a ghost writer for them on their blog or website. You will also be more highly valued and thus paid more money for your work.

Tip: A blogger can add a service page to his or her blog, and take freelance writing jobs to earn extra money.

The hardest part of the process of making a transition from freelance writer to blogger, is to get out of your comfort zone and work in the direction of the change. Once you have made this change, however, and you have started to work on your blog, you will be creating a far more significant asset, and thus a better future for yourself.