How to Survive as a Struggling Freelance Writer (Without Shame)
If you're feeling like you're barely holding it together as a freelance writer, this is for you.
You're saying yes to low-paying gigs because there's no buffer, and you're wondering how everyone else seems to be thriving while you're stuck in survival mode.
I am writing this because I've been there. I've said yes out of fear of not making rent. I've watched others post about $10K months and felt the sting of comparison. Why them and not me?
And then I managed to become that freelancer making $10k per month, so now I get it. I get the full picture. And I realize I was wrong.
Let’s talk about it. To normalize the struggle. I’ll also share what helped me and I hope this can help you too.
Why No One Talks About This
Freelancing comes with a feast-and-famine cycle which is really hard to avoid in the first couple of years.
This means we often alternate between 2 scenarios:
Scenario 1: When we’re busy with client work, we don’t have time to market. And when a client drops? It hits hard. We end up in scenario 2.
Scenario 2: When we don’t have clients, we need time (and money) to land new ones. So we’re tempted to say yes to low-paying jobs. If we’re short of time and money, we end up too busy to market ourselves. Back to scenario 1.
It’s a vicious cycle.
And then on LinkedIn, you mostly see wins from established freelancers. They’re not all devils. Some of them only want to inspire you and show you what’s possible.
Obviously, we don’t talk about the struggles publicly because it feels shameful. As freelancers, when we post on LinkedIn, it’s typically with the hope of attracting clients, so admitting we’re struggling doesn’t really feel appealing…
I would also like to point out that behind every big win you see online could be:
Late nights
Long hours
Huge marketing expenses
Years of slow grind
And that’s why you shouldn’t compare yourself or think less of yourself.
You Are Not Failing: You're Surviving
If you’re struggling to find clients or barely scraping by, it’s not your fault.
Sometimes you say yes to underpaid work because rent is due and you can’t afford to wait. It doesn’t mean you’re not good at what you do.
Low rates are everywhere, sure, but this market is not your fault.
I’ve been there too. At the start, I accepted low-paid jobs so I could build a portfolio and collect testimonials to help with the next steps. Eventually, I reached a more comfortable income level thanks to SEO anchor clients. So when they went on holiday over the summer, I thought, That’s fine. I gave myself a relaxed July and August, assuming I’d get back to work in September. Except it took three months before they got back to me, and I ended up accepting low rates again. That’s when I thought, nope, I’m not going through this again. I knew I had to come up with a plan.
What helped me get through it and reach some stability
When I started, I had no clue what I was going to do as a freelancer, but I did give myself some time to figure it out. This means I had savings set aside to cover the first year, though in the end, it took me about three months to get my first clients in 2022 (bear in mind it was probably less competitive back then).
Still, I highly recommend starting with a safety net if you’re a full-time freelancer. It plays a huge psychological role when you know it’s there, and not having to figure everything out immediately.
Two additional important points:
Before I started, I also had over 10 years of experience in healthcare marketing behind me
Although I do not have another income provider to help me, I was travelling as a digital nomad, so that I could pick locations with a lower cost of living when I needed to pivot.
When I did have a $10K month, I realized it wasn’t sustainable. I was so exhausted that it took me a full month to recover. So I started focusing more on my average income over 3 to 6 months instead.
Looking back now, as I’m completing my third year of freelancing, here are the steps I’ve followed.
I’m not saying you should take the exact same path, but this is what I started doing at the end of my first year of freelancing and what worked for me in the long run (and truthfully, I’m still working on it):
1. I stayed present and consistent on LinkedIn.
I showed up from the start, when I was still figuring it all out. It was scary, yes. My posts didn’t get any likes, yes. But that consistency paid off after years of building visibility and trust on LinkedIn. If you need money quickly, though, this is not what’s going to help you: this is a long-term game. Getting inbound leads saved me so many times that I decided to help other writers build up this habit (with my help) during free writing challenges.
2. I built a mentorship program, even when I knew it wasn’t going to be profitable yet.
At the end of my first year of freelancing, I worked long (and unpaid) hours to create something I truly believed in. I spent time reflecting on my natural strengths and what I had missed during that first year. I realized I missed being part of a team and helping others. What I truly enjoyed and valued in my previous life (and where my strengths lay) was in building community and teaching people from diverse countries and cultures.
During a few months (it took me a long time only to think about it), my income dropped significantly as I could only cover my regular SEO client work. But I knew that was the cost of pivoting and building something I would enjoy even more in the long run. After that, I had to go back to prospecting and reinforcing my base of SEO clients. The mentorship program only gained traction a year later - so again, not something to do if you’re expecting short-term gains.
Trying to figure out what I was going to do next (Bulgaria, 2023).
3. I became an SEO editor.
Part of what allowed the mentorship was also to start working as an SEO editor instead of a writer with one of my anchor clients, and hiring 2 freelance writers (with approval from my client). This decreased my income, but it freed me time to work on the mentorship program and gave me the experience I needed, as I started mentoring these writers as an editor. Working with other writers is also how I started to realize the knowledge I’ve accumulated so far, as I had only been doing SEO health blogging. This helped me fight imposter syndrome and reminded me that there are writers out there who would genuinely value the kind of mentorship I had in mind. As a side note, I was also offered a well-paid project as an SEO editor six months later, which allowed me to hit a $10K month.
Here is the early feedback I received as an SEO editor (and honestly, what kept me going):
“After just a few weeks of working with Val, I landed my best client yet who will play a huge part in helping me hit my income goals for the next year. On our first call, he asked about my process for SEO and I shared what Val taught me. He replied “The angels are singing!” and offered me the job.”
3. I built SEO writing as my safety net.
Some of my anchor clients have stuck with me for years thanks to the SEO foundation I built. That consistency brought a level of stability I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Even though my base shifted quite a lot in 2025, I managed to maintain my income as inbound leads came in from LinkedIn, and I had regular mentees by then.
In short: I accepted that pivoting takes time and income drops were part of that.
Switching gears in your business isn’t seamless. It’s messy. You often earn less before you earn more. I knew I was playing a long game, and I leaned into that, even when it was very uncomfortable and scary.
It wasn’t glamorous. But it’s what helped me survive. That and marketing myself at least on LinkedIn and with outreach sprints from time to time.
The Small Steps You Can Start Taking Now To Create Better Stability in the Future
This is going to be very unpopular advice, but if you’re a full-time freelancer and you’re struggling now, without a network of previous clients to activate, here’s what I think may really help you:
1. Consider taking on temporary or part-time work (without shame).
If you need money now, do what you need to stay afloat. This might mean taking a part-time job to keep working on your freelance project. This doesn’t make you less of a writer. It makes you someone who’s committed to staying in the game and building something sustainable in the future. I’ve seen excellent, dedicated freelancers take this route, and I respect them for it.
2. If you say yes to income, stay strategic.
If you have to take on low-paid work temporarily to pay your bills, try to balance that with a few actions that move you forward: updating your profile, collecting testimonials, applying to better gigs, or sending at least one thoughtful pitch a day. One solid client can change everything.
3. Keep marketing yourself - even if it’s 10 minutes a day.
In marketing, you want to aim for consistency over perfection. A quick, valuable comment on LinkedIn. A short post about your process twice a week (daily if you can). A message to someone you’d love to work with. You need to keep planting seeds but you don’t need to do it all at once.
4. Reach out to your network (and build one if you don’t have one).
Let people know you're open to work. Fellow freelancers are not the enemies. They can be the best source of leads: many of us get inquiries we can’t take. If you haven’t built those relationships yet, start now, but don’t ask them for work. Focus on building genuine connections. You’ll find that many are open to having a chat and sharing about what they do. And finding a small community can make the journey feel a little less heavy.
5. Redefine success for yourself.
Forget about $10k months (or whichever financial goal is high for you). Right now, your win might be paying rent without panic. And no one is going to blame you for it. The path is slower for some of us, and that’s okay.
Final Thoughts: Survive First, Thrive Later
As much as you shouldn’t believe in magic tricks, try not to let other freelancers make you doubt your abilities when you see them thriving.
And do believe this: you can get there too.
Keep marketing yourself. Go find that ONE client who will help lift you out of the grind (and keep marketing yourself after that to avoid falling back into a famine cycle !!).
These clients ARE out there.
And I’m sorry if I’ve ever given you the impression that I had it all figured out. I’m learning too.
You’re not alone. You’re not failing. You’re learning.
Val ✍🏼
About the Author
Valérie Leroux, MSc, is a bilingual SEO health writer and founder of Bioty Healthcare since 2022, helping health brands and medical writers create high-ranking, trustworthy content backed by science and empathy.
