Get paid to write: Become a psychology freelance writer
How to transition from therapist to freelance writer (or start a side hustle as a freelancer)
I became a freelance writer because I was motivated by this question: how can I get paid to write? I enjoyed writing and as a psychologist working in mental health, I had specialised knowledge, skills and experience that many general freelance writers did not have. Being a blogger for so many years, I also had experience in a conversational-style of writing and liked being able to take complex concepts and make them easily accessible to the general public. Academic writing was not my forte, but blogging was.
In this post, I share tips on how to become a paid freelance psychology writer. These are the steps I took (in no particular order!) to improve my writing skills and technique, find clients and grow a business that allows me to combine my psychology degree with my love of writing.
10 steps to become a paid psychology freelance writer
Start writing
I have come across so many professionals over the years who like the idea of writing or being a writer but come up with excuses not to get started. The most common fear is the worry that they’re not a good enough writer, or that people won’t be interested in what they have to say. As therapists we know the more we avoid something we fear, the bigger the fear becomes!
It’s also very tough to get a paid writing gig when you have no writing experience or portfolio to demonstrate your skills.
So, just start writing. You don’t have to write with the expectation anyone will read it, yet.
2. Learn to write
I’m a firm believer that anyone can learn to write (at any age!). Like with any skill it takes practice. Once you begin writing, you’ll get a sense of where you need further development. This may be sentence structure, planning an article, the overall structure of an article, conciseness, or presenting a clear argument. Or perhaps the academic writing model we’re taught in higher learning means your writing is staccato and formal.
There are ample writing courses available to help writers hone their skills in a variety of writing avenues. The Australian Writer’s Centre has plenty of freelance, feature writing and copywriting courses available, as do many local state-based writing centres.
You don’t have to nail every writing technique before you become a paid freelancer. Simply work on one thing at a time and like with any profession, ongoing professional development is essential.
3. Set up your portfolio
Compile any of your writings, published or not, so that you can share them with prospective clients. Start your own blog to showcase your writing style and the type of content you’re interested in writing.
If you have a website, you can include the links to your blog posts or other published pieces.
Don’t have anything published yet? See step four.
4. Use your network
Let your network know that you’re a freelance writer and see if anyone will let you work on their business content or website. As you start out, you may work on more general content that is unrelated to your psychology or health background but it is still a helpful way to build your portfolio and gain experience in the industry.
5. Find paid gigs
Look at sites that pay for articles in your area of expertise. You don’t need to be limited to print magazines and newspapers as there are a multitude of online opportunities available to you these days.
6. Pitch your ideas
Pitch your ideas to publications. You can find instructions on how to pitch your psychology article here.
7. Set up your website
Having a social media presence is a good idea but you do need a website, too. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, simply a way to communicate what you do and how people can contact you. Read more on why it is important, here.
8. Think outside the box
It can be tricky to pitch a mental health article to a mental health publication because you need a good hook and angle to interest an editor. Having a mental health background won’t be enough.
I didn’t have environmental writing experience but I pitched a psychology angle about SMART goals to 1 Million Women and they published this piece: How to set goals toward a planet friendly life that you’ll achieve every time.
Why not pitch a wellbeing article for campers to a camping publication? Or the mental health benefits of pets to a pet publication? Think outside the box and you can find a home for any idea you have.
9. Strategy
When you’re starting out, it’s not uncommon to receive a lot of rejections. Most writers experience this even later in their careers. A strategy will help you stay motivated as well as keep track of opportunities and submissions. Keep a table of submission open and closing dates, the names of the editor and the date you’ve sent it off. Then have a plan to follow up on your submission two weeks later. Keep moving forward with your ideas- the best way to overcome the nerves as you wait for a response is to begin working on your next pitch. Allocate time for pitching, time for writing and time to market yourself and network. People can’t find you if they don’t know where you are or what you do.
10. Find paying clients
Don’t want to work for media publications? Then find paying clients that need content. This could be blog posts, website page content, email marketing, ebooks, patient handouts, online courses or even hypnotherapy scripts- I’ve worked on all of these types of projects! Again, reaching out to your professional network is a great starting point but also checking job boards and job opportunities on LinkedIn.
Promote your services and who you want to serve. Choosing a niche and picking what you want to write about (or who you want to write for) is a crucial first step. I work on content for other therapists and health professionals, that’s my niche. Yours might be men's health, parenting, or adolescent relationship difficulties, no matter what it is if you present yourself as the go-to person on these topics, then people will find you.
Become a freelance psychology writer
If you follow these ten steps you’ll become a psychology freelance writer who gets paid to write in no time!
Need help getting started with your blog? Check out my blog templates and 101 blog prompts ebook for therapists, health and wellness professionals in my online store.
Or, get in touch for my 1:1 coaching and mentoring packages for therapists who write (or want to!).