Far be it for me to call myself an accomplished freelance writer, but I have been in this business for a little while now. I’ve learned a few things over the course of this freelancing journey, but perhaps the greatest lesson that I have gained is the ability to run my own business.

Being a professional freelance writer really puts you to the test, because not only do you have to deal with the writing side of things — that is arguably the easiest part — but it’s all the other stuff that goes with it. I want to make it big as a freelance writer, but I also want to make it big as a blogger. These are not one and the same.

Here are five reasons why I believe freelance writing and blogging are different… they may not be mutually exclusive, but they most definitely are different.

  1. Freelance writers are expected to produce on spec. When I am given a job by any given client, whether it be a copywriting project or a product review, there are certain expectations that must be met. They may ask for a particular type of voice, for example. Blogging for yourself, however, you can write in whatever style you want. You can also choose your own word counts, whereas with freelance writing, if the customer wants 500 words, you better not come back with 100 (or 1000) words.
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  3. Taxes, fees, and other concerns. Whether you run a modest blog like Beyond the Rhetoric or a full-blown freelance writing business, you are your own boss. Something that I discovered, in Canada at least, is that if you “sell” over $30,000 worth of goods or services in one year, you have to register for GST (the national sales tax). I’m not exactly sure how that translates to blogging, because you can’t exactly charge PayPerPost or ReviewMe a 6% tax. Those are American organizations, but I’d imagine the same would be true if they were Canadian. By contrast, a freelance writer is expected to charge his or her clients these appropriate taxes. This is no different than if a plumber or electrician charged you tax.
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  5. Freelance writers only make money when they have customers. That sounds obvious enough, but consider the contrast with a blogger. If you have a blog, you can make money any time you want, whether it be through Google Adsense or a sponsored post. A freelance writer, on the other hand, is largely at the mercy of his customers, just as an accountant or lawyer would receive a big fat goose egg if it weren’t for his/her clients.
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  7. Content ownership. Depending on the arrangement with the customer, the content produced by a freelance writer is usually then owned in its entirety by the paying client. The professional freelancer has next to no rights to that writing, because it has been paid for and purchased. The client can then go on and manipulate the text to suit their needs. When you put up an entry on your blog — like how I’m doing now — you own it and all the rights and privileges associated with it. You can choose to attach a creative commons license or not. It’s up to you. With freelance writers, this usually isn’t the case. The exception is ghostwriting, where a premium should be paid if the buyer plans on attaching his/her name to the writing.
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  9. Potential income. Unless you run a prominent (personal) blog with a large reader base — I’m talking John Chow dot Com big — chances are that you will not make much from it. It’s just not possible when there are so many other blogs out there trying to do the same thing. A very small percentage ever “make it”, but it never hurt to try. With freelance writing, however, it can be easier to make a full wage if you put in the effort. You may start out with el cheapo SEO articles for random companies, but with some persistence (and writing ability), you can land ongoing gigs like I did at Mobile Magazine. Ongoing income is great, because it provides a steady flow of income.

Based on these five reasons, it sounds like blogging has a huge advantage over freelance writing in that it offers a lot more freedom in a lot of different ways. This is clearly true, but for me, freelance writing has also been a lot more lucrative than blogging (although some of my freelance writing can be considered blogging for others).

Freelance writing isn’t for everyone, because it involves a lot more than just writing. Blogging, by contrast, is for everyone. I encourage everyone to get out there and let their voice be heard. Just don’t get into blogging for the money. That’s what freelance writing is for.