36 Pros & Cons Of Starting A Freelance Journalist (2024)

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a freelance journalist costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 12 to 11,659.

Rewarding work

Starting a freelance journalist can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

Traffic to your website

A freelance journalist gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you!

No overhead costs

To get your freelance journalist started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

Meaningful business connections

You never know who you will meet as a freelance journalist. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!

High margins

The gross margins for your freelance journalist are typically around 65%, which is considerably high and allows you to grow your business and manage costs easily.

Quick build time

The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 7 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster.

Control of workload

With becoming a freelance journalist, you have the unique ability to choose how little or how much you want to work. You also have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on, and can turn down the ones that do not interest you.

Unlimited income potential

With becoming a freelance journalist there is no cap as to how much income you can make. The stronger your business skills and the more energy/time you put into your career, the more you'll make.

You are your own boss!

With becoming a freelance journalist, you are the one to make decisions for almost all of the operations. Calling the shots can be empowering and liberating!

Simple business model

A freelance journalist has the advantage of a simple business model, which makes launching and building the business more seamless.

Minimal experience required

Becoming A Freelance Journalist requires little experience and no specific certifications or qualifications. To be successful, you need hard work, determination and the desire to achieve greatness!

You get to do something you truly love

With starting a freelance journalist, you get to put your energy into something you are truly passionate about! You'll find yourself devoting as much time and energy as possible into the business to make it successful.

Express your opinions

With becoming a freelance journalist, you can express your opinions and knowledge to your audience, which allows you to build your own reputation and identity.

You can work from anywhere!

Not only can you start your freelance journalist from home, you can also run your business from anywhere in the world. This is the entrepreneur dream.

Easy to Learn The Business

When starting your freelance journalist, there is a ton of information readily available to you online (Facebook groups, Youtube videos, Starter Story etc). This will help you get the business started and answer any questions, doubts or concerns you may have.

You get to inspire others

Your business is one that encourages and inspires others, which in itself, can be very fulfilling.

You establish yourself as an expert

With becoming a freelance journalist, you establish yourself as an expert in your niche, which builds your credibility. In return, customers are more likely to trust you and refer you to other friends and family.

Various different ways to make money

With starting a freelance journalist, there is not just one business model to choose from. This field is amazing in that there are various different ways to make money. Although this may complicate things, it's great to have different options and sources of revenue.

Make money while you sleep

The advantage of starting a freelance journalist is that you have the ability to have passive income and make money while you sleep. This is the dream for many entrepreneurs.

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your freelance journalist, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Constant maintenance of publication

You may find yourself constantly needing to update your freelance journalist in order to stay relevant for your audience and for those searching on google.

Lack of benefits

With a freelance journalist, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Isolation

Often times, as a freelance journalist, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a freelance journalist, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

No safety net

Typically, as a freelance journalist, you do not receive a consistent pay-check and instead earn money based on your transactions each month. During the slow periods, you typically take away less since the job is based on commission. It's important to budget accordingly for the slow times.

Work can be repetitive

You may find creating the same product over and over repetitive and tiresome. One way of avoiding this is to diversify product lines and revenue streams - this will keep things interesting!

Time commitment

With becoming a freelance journalist, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business.

Difficult to build trust with your customer

With becoming a freelance journalist, there can be minimal face-to-face interaction, which means it can be a lot more difficult to establish trust with your customers. You'll need to go the extra mile with your customer to grab their attention and business.

Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone!

Although this is exciting for some entrepreneurs, it can be a big challenge for others! You may find yourself in uncomfortable social and business situations, jumping into tasks and responsibilities you aren't familiar with, and pushing yourself as far as you can go!

You might struggle financially (at first)!

If you bootstrap your business or choose not to pay yourself (or pay yourself less than you were making at your corporate job), this can be financially taxing. It's important to adjust your lifestyle and set a plan for yourself so you don't find yourself in a stressful situation.

Minimal physical activity

A big part of starting a freelance journalist is sitting at a desk for the majority of the day starting at your computer. Some may enjoy this, but others may struggle with sitting for the majority of your day without much physical activity.

Easy target for criticism

Since your freelance journalist has the ability to reach a large audience, you'll need to be able to handle criticism. The internet can be a cruel place, and regardless of your intentions, many people will disagree with you and even take their criticism too far. To survive in this industry, you'll need to have tough skin (or at least learn this along the way).