Freelance Writing in Kenya: How to Start Online Writing

Do you want to be an online writer in Kenya? Online freelance writing is the best portable career you can start in Kenya today.

I’ve been writing online for the past year, and I’m happy I decided to start writing for money.

Yaay! I even have freelance writing and blogging goals for 2020.

At first, I thought freelance writing does not work, but after earning my first $25 writing articles, it dawned on me that it is something worth trying.

I went full-swing into online writing, and I’ve been able to earn as much as $1000 per writing project.

As a freelance writer and blogger, I work from home, and I’m also a full-time mom to two little kids.

Not only am I able to take care of my children without, but also able to contribute to my family’s income. And I bet you want the same thing as a stay at home parent or a college student.

I love mentoring others to start their freelance writing business and also be able to earn a full-time income writing online in Kenya.

If you have been following me, you know that I always advocate for beginners to set up their freelance writing business the right way.

Setting a freelance writing business the right way means that you are ready to invest time and money to grow and earn more.

Many people have the impression that online writing is a get rich quick scheme.

Heck! I’ve received messages from beginners asking how they are going to earn money quickly without doing the work.

In this blog post, I’m going to give you the complete guide to online writing in Kenya. I will help you learn how to start earning money and living the laptop lifestyle in Kenya.

But as always; First things first.

What is online writing?

Online writing also is known by many as freelance online writing is writing web content for money.

You offer these writing services on a freelance basis. In this case, you are not an employee but a business owner.

You don’t get health insurance and all those perks that come with employment. To put it in simple terms, you are a contractor.

It is imperative to develop this mindset because freelance writing is not as easy as it sounds.

Having the mindset that you are going to mine money online quickly through writing, then you are in for a rude shock.

There are days you have no work, especially in the early stages of your freelance writing career. Also, there are days you will meet awful clients.

I’ve had all types of clients, and it only takes patience and a positive mindset to conquer all the challenges in freelance writing.

Different categories of content creation fall into freelance writing or online writing.
You will find terms like blog post writing, article writing, copywriting, web copywriting, etc.

Learning is the only way to help you understand these terms and how to write these types of content.

Read how I earned my first $1k writing online from home.

The complete guide to freelance writing and writing jobs in Kenya.

If you have a good command of English and passion for writing, then you can create thriving professional writing online.

The internet has excellent opportunities for you to explore and earn money doing legit jobs like blogging and freelance writing.

Before we get into the complete guide to helping you start writing online, let’s get the myths out of the way.

Freelance writing myths.

#1—Freelance writing is a get rich quick scheme.

Everyone would be rich if this was true. Freelance writing is a career like any other the demands your hard work and determination to succeed.

Don’t expect to get writing jobs that pay high immediately.

You have to learn the baby steps, but I suggest that you don’t take long at this stage.

Accept the smaller jobs you get and use them as stepping stones to bigger-well-paying projects.

It all depends on your efforts and determination to learn and implement.

Even though it is not a get-rich-quick online scheme, you can make a lot of money from freelance writing alone in the long run.

#2—You can’t make enough money writing online.

This is a complete lie. I write for a living, and I make more money writing part-time. Remember, I’m a mom with a two-year-old kid who needs my attention all the time.

Don’t listen to anyone telling you that writing online in Kenya doesn’t work. Chances are those people who have never tried writing online or tried and failed miserably because they expected it to be a smooth ride.

When you establish your writing business the right way, I can guarantee you that you will earn a good income working from home in Kenya.

You will say goodbye to your 9-5 job and live the life you have always wanted.

Writing online also allows you to have more time with the people you love or do the things you love.

#3—You don’t get high paying writing jobs in Kenya as a beginner.

This is also another big fat lie. I started with a writing job that pays $25/article. Trust me; this was a lot to me since I was a beginner with no experience writing web content.

I moved from $25/article to $150/blog post of the same number of words (1800 words to be exact) two months into freelance writing.

And I started getting high-paying jobs faster than I thought. Seven months into freelance writing, I was writing at a rate of $100/1000 words.

You see, it is possible to get high paying clients as a beginner.
What made the difference between other beginner freelance writers and me in Kenya is that I worked on improving my skills and continuously learning.

#4—There is no way to receive money online in Kenya.

This myth is my biggest problem because no matter how I explain to people, they don’t believe that you can get paid online.

Freelance writing in Kenya means that you receive money online because you will be working with people from all over the world.

You will need online payment systems to receive your payment. There is PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill, Bank transfer, and so many more.

With Paypal, you can link your account with Mpesa and withdraw your money instantly. You can also connect PayPal to your bank and withdraw money hassle-free.

Remember that when signing up for a payment system, your names should be correct to reflect the names in your documents.

Paypal is strict with their accounts, and you may experience issues with linking your PayPal with Mpesa.

#5—You need a degree to be a freelance writer in Kenya.

While it is the best thing to have a degree, I’m yet to meet a client who cares about my degree. I have never had not even a soul ask about my background in education.

Anyone who loves writing can be a freelance writer in Kenya. You only need to love what you do and keep learning.

When I started, I had no idea how to write web content. I was clueless about SEO, but I kept learning.

Don’t hold yourself back that you don’t have a degree. I know several other freelance writers who excel at what they do online.

The right way to start freelance writing in Kenya in 2020.

#1—Get all the information about freelance writing.

You can not wake up and want to get paid to write. Researching and learning more about freelance writing is the best way to start.

Understand all it takes to be a well-paid freelance writer. Explore all the opportunities you can choose to be a successful freelance writer in Kenya.

Ask for help from established freelance writers and learn how they started.

Use google to research and learn about different types of writing. Remember that learning is one thing, and practicing is a whole different thing.

Take the time to practice what you learn. That way, you will be able to see the difference and have some portfolio to show to your potential clients.

There are fantastic websites and blogs you can get tons of free valuable information about freelance writing.

Google offers free courses like Google garage to help you learn digital marketing. There are also SEO Institute to help you learn SEO.

Influential bloggers like Nail Patel and Brian Dean share excellent information also about content marketing.

Read this blog post to learn all the resourceful websites for freelance writers in 2020.

I will be honest, and those are the sites that helped me understand about freelance writing and how to get started.

#2—Get the right tools for your freelance writing business.

A freelance writer needs the right tools for their writing.

I feel sad when I see someone ask me if they can use their phone to write professionally.

Understandably, you may not have access to a computer, but using your phone to write will not work.

That being said, anyone in Kenya looking to start a freelance writing career must invest in the right tools to begin online writing.

You need;

• A working computer.
• Good internet connection.
  Access to writing programs like Microsoft Word and Google documents.
• Image editing programs.
• Time management tools.
• Additionally, you may need grammar checking tools to help you create crispy content that delivers the right message to your readers.

I recommend having a Grammarly. It is free to sign up for an account.

You can also use the Hemmingway editor to write.

#3—Create an online presence for your business.

This is very important for anyone thinking of starting a freelance writing business.

Before you start applying for writing jobs, make sure that you have a robust online presence.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have huge followers or connections on LinkedIn.

It is crucial to create your social media presence and have an account with at least Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Use a professional profile picture because most clients will use your social media presence to gauge your competency as a freelance writer.

Remember that clients need someone who they can trust with their content creation and not someone who will ghost them after receiving the work.

When I started, I went to a professional photographer to take pictures of me. The current signature photos of me in a yellow blouse.

I use this image across the web so that people can identify me quickly.

Another essential thing to do is to optimize your LinkedIn profile.

My LinkedIn tells prospects that I’m a freelance B2B writer for hire and blogger. Anyone who visits my profile will immediately know who I am and what I do.

#4—Create a website for your freelance writing business.

It is very hard these days to use freelance writing accounts as a Kenyan freelance writer.

I get emails every day from freelance writers who are having a hard time getting writing jobs on Up-Work or any other freelance writing accounts.

I-writer doesn’t accept Kenyan writers anymore. I had an I-writer account sometime back in 2018, but it was blocked with no valid reason.

I’d earned $4 and never withdrew the money. What’s more, I know of many other freelance writers who have lost their writing accounts.

To help you avoid these problems as a freelance writer, pay for hosting, and create your writer website with WordPress for free.

You don’t need any web design or coding skills to create a website.

Also, you can get hosting in Kenya for as little as Ksh 1500.

The best place to learn how to set up your blog in Kenya is the WordPress Beginner blog by Sayed Balkhi.

When you have a website, you will have an easy time marketing your services to business owners.

Unlike a freelancer depending on a content mill to get writing jobs, you will be able to get direct clients who are willing to spend more money on your services.

You can also use your website as a blog and monetize it to earn passive income.
Remember that with a blog, you have the power to monetize it, and it can be a lucrative venture.

Disclaimer;

I don’t discourage anyone from using content mills, but I’m sharing with you what worked for me. Content mills never worked for me, and I succeeded on my own.

Please explore all the options and see what works for you.

Remember that you don’t own a writing account. It can go down any time, and you will have no source of income as a freelance writer.

I will advise you to focus on creating connections with business owners who can give you work even without Up-Work.

#5—Build strong relationships with other freelance writers.

I have a whole blog post to help you learn the importance of networking and why you should create connections as a freelance writer.

As a beginner freelance writer in Kenya, it is crucial to connect and create professional relationships with other freelance writers.

You will get to learn more and possibly get recommendations when an opportunity arises.

Another thing is that you know the trends in freelance writing and how to market your services.

You can join online forums, groups, and attend webinars to meet other freelance writers.

Visit the following Facebook groups and start building professional connections with other freelance writers.

• Freelancer’s Den.
• Remarkable Freelance writers in Africa.
• No-Fluff Freelance Writing Group.

#6—Build your writing portfolio.

The easiest to get hired as a beginner freelance writer is to have a portfolio of writings that displays your skills and expertise.

Creating samples is simple, easy, and fast.

If you have a website, you can start publishing content and use them as your samples.

You can also apply to publish on other blogs and get a byline.

I highly recommend guest posting because it helps you build substantial credibility, and potential clients can trust you.

Guest post any time you get an opportunity.

Learn how to use guest posting as a way to land freelance writing jobs in this post I wrote on how to get freelance writing jobs.

How to get freelance writing jobs in Kenya.

You may be thinking that getting freelance writing jobs online in Kenya is not easy. On the contrary, freelance writing jobs are only a click of a button away.

Don’t be lazy and expect someone to send you jobs without putting in work.

Get online and start applying for writing gigs.

The best places to get good writing jobs are
Job boards like;

• All freelance writing.
• Pro blogger.
• Blogging pro.
• Freelance writing.
• All Indie Writers.

You can also check for freelance writing jobs on social media like Facebook groups, craigslist, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Google search.

Freelance writing in Kenya made simple in 2020.

Ready to earn income as a Kenyan freelance writer? It is very easy to start if you follow the right route.

Have the "I can do" attitude and focus on improving every day.

Don’t give up because things aren’t working at the moment.

Nothing comes easy, and anything that sounds too good to be true is a scam. There is no free money in freelance writing.

It is a profession like any other that needs your hard work and intelligence.

Market yourself all the time, and you will succeed.

Ready to earn online in Kenya today?

Start with my free freelance writing email course and learn about working online as a freelancer.

Have excellent freelance writing tips you want to share with us? Let’s uplift each other as freelance writers in the comments.

I can’t wait to learn from a fellow freelance writer.

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