Freelance Writing vs. Blogging: Which One is the Best?

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Freelance Writing vs Blogging: What is the Difference?

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On my journey to work from home as a freelance writer, I naturally fell into blogging without realizing it at first. And to further twist it, I’m actually a freelance blogger as far as services since I write blog articles for businesses in the security industry.

If you’re completely confused or have been wondering about freelance writing vs. blogging, don’t worry, I’m about to clear all the confusion up!

Freelance writing and blogging are different, and I love them both, but they also share many similarities. They both allow you to work from home and provide freedom and flexibility. And you make money writing and creating content in both.

However, both are challenging careers, so you may be trying to decide which one is right for you – blogging, freelance writing, or both. Is one more profitable or easier, or are you insane for considering either one? As someone who does all three, I’m here to give you the low down.

I promise you’re not insane, and after reading this article, you’ll understand whether freelance writing or blogging is your perfect work-from-home job.

freelance writing white computer keyboard with light pink desk accessories

What is Freelance Writing?

Freelance writing is probably one of the easiest ways to get paid well to write online. It’s a simple freelance business to set up even if you don’t have the experience, and it costs little to no money to start.

A freelance writer is simply someone who gets paid to write but is not an employee of any company, hence the freelance part. You work as an independent contractor to clients writing any type of content you can think of, such as:

Ghostwriting books
SEO writing
Editing and proofreading
Web content
Blog articles
Case studies
White papers
Video scripts
Emails
Social media posts
Press releases
Research
Technical writing (simplifying complex topics and writing things like manuals, blog posts on tech, science, etc.)

And much more.

One of my favorite things about freelance writing is that you can get paid a full-time income to work part-time. If you choose a profitable niche that makes money, you can grow and scale your business to earn six-figures over time.

The nice thing is that you choose who your work with and what projects you do. You definitely can’t do that working at a traditional job. I can see how that conversation with your boss would go now!

The key is to write well and create high-quality content but don’t worry, anyone can learn. That’s the beauty of freelance writing.

You also start making money much faster than blogging, and freelance writers are in high demand because businesses need content.

In fact, you can start looking for writing clients immediately if you already have a career or educational background in your niche. You can command higher rates when you establish your expertise.

If you want to learn a little more about freelance writing, check out my free email course that walks you step by step through the process of how to start a freelance writing business. Here’s another resource on how to make money as a freelance writer.

woman on laptop with coffee cup and notebooks

Pros of Freelance Writing

You can start making money immediately.
Guaranteed return on investment and time
Make a full-time income working part-time.
Choose who you work with
Set your own schedule

Cons of Freelance Writing

No byline with ghostwriting
Running a business can be challenging.
You’re trading dollars for hours, and those are limited – there’s a limit with how much money you can make.
Topics can be dull.

What is Blogging?

Starting a blog is a whole different ballgame but a fun one! The main goal is to get as much traffic as possible to make passive income from affiliate marketing or sell your own products.

There are a lot of things to learn if you want to be a successful blogger, such as:

SEO – technical SEO, on-page SEO, Off-Page SEO, etc.
Creating content
Designing blog and social media graphics
Affiliate marketing
Social media marketing
Email marketing
WordPress and web design
Traffic generation

And much more.

Blogging is hard work but so rewarding. But it’s also a game of patience. Most bloggers don’t start making consistent income for months or even years because there is so much to learn and implement. It’s not something you start and then let it run on its own unless you have a lot of content and are very established.

Networking is a vital part of growing and scaling your blog. I love networking because I’ve met other amazing bloggers and found opportunities that I would never have without blogging.

As a blogger, you’re also building a community, whether that’s an email list, Facebook group, or any other place online for your fans and fellow bloggers to meet. Building a community creates fans and helps extend the reach of your blog.

The one major downside of blogging is how long it takes to make money, as I mentioned above. It’s also more difficult to control your income because of the nature of affiliate and product income.

Each affiliate pays on a different time frame, so your income is sporadic versus a consistent payment every Friday. Making money blogging takes some getting used to.

But like freelance writing, you can work at home in your pajamas and create your own schedule. If you don’t mind hard work upfront to reap the rewards of passive income down the road, then you’ll like blogging.

Pros of Blogging

Work at home in your pajamas
Create your own schedule
Make a full-time income working part-time.
Network and meet other amazing entrepreneurs
Work part-time while earning a full-time income.

Cons of Blogging

No guaranteed return on your investment of time
There are many things to learn with blogging.
It’s hard work, and you invest a lot of time upfront.
It takes a long time to make a consistent income.

If you want to learn more about blogging, I share tips and tricks on blogging under my freelance blogging category. If you want to learn how to write more content faster for your blog, check out this challenge>> One Year of Blog Content in One Month.

What is Freelance Blogging?

So, interestingly enough, I found that what I did was freelance blogging. Of course, when I started, I didn’t know that!

When you compare freelance writing vs blogging, you’ll see freelance blogging connects the two. It’s a popular sub-category of freelance writing where you write blog articles for other businesses.

Freelance blogging is easy to break into as a beginner, and a popular way bloggers can earn more money. It’s an easy job for bloggers because they understand blogging basics, so writing articles isn’t hard.

Here are some statistics that illustrate why freelance blogging is the perfect freelance writing career.

Companies that use blogs as part of their marketing strategy report 67% more leads per month than businesses that don’t blog.
Blogging costs 62% less than traditional marketing tactics.
59% of B2B marketers think blogs are the most valuable content marketing channels.
80% of all American internet users regularly interact with blogs and social media sites.
In 2018, 91% of B2B marketers and 86% of B2C marketers planned to or used content marketing for their business.

So, blogs play a critical role in making more money for businesses. The HuffPost brings in an estimated $14 million in revenue each month.

Freelance blogging kind of bridges the gap between blogging and freelance writing.

Differences Between Freelance Writing and Blogging

The most significant difference between freelance writing and blogging is how you earn income. Most blogging income is passive, which frees up massive amounts of time, while freelance writing is trading hours for money, and those are undoubtedly limited.

But you can start earning money quickly with freelance writing, which is why many freelancers and bloggers choose to offer writing services while they grow other aspects of their business.

For this reason, I love both blogging and freelance writing. It allows me to make money until I can start earning more passive income from my blog.

Another big difference is that blogging is so much more than writing, as I mentioned earlier. You need to engage on social media, write blog posts, create videos, promote your blog, optimize it for SEO (which is an insane amount of work on its own), and much more.

Plus, with your blog, you are your own boss, and with freelance writing, you work for clients, which can be frustrating.

white tablet on white back ground with desk accessories

Blogging vs. Freelance Writing: Which One is Better

The answer to this question depends on many factors—some people like blogging better than freelance writing for clients and vice versa.

Do you mind juggling clients because, with freelance writing, this is a must? Never put all your income eggs in one basket because if that income stream disappears, you’re screwed.

You also have to consider there’s a steep learning curve with blogging and most new bloggers give up in the first six months because no one tells you how difficult it is.

Blogging also takes a huge investment upfront of both time and money. You can bootstrap your blog initially, but a blog is one of those things where you need to spend money to make money.

You need things like a domain name, website hosting, a fast theme, blogging courses, an email marketing provider, and much more.

But some of the most important things to consider are your future income goals. Do you want to trade your time for money or make passive income? Most of you are probably answering YES!

Blogging income comes from affiliate marketing, creating your own projects, sponsored posts, and other similar passive income streams. But you can also do this with your freelance writing blog. However, that’s when you cross the line into doing both instead of one or the other.

two woman with on in a white shirt with her hands up like she is unsure

Freelance Writing vs Blogging: Should You Do Both?

Well, yes, you can do both, and I do! However, I should forewarn you that this is hard work in the beginning. You need to keep your clients happy AND keep up with your blog, especially if you have multiple websites like me.

BUT and it’s a big one unless you’re superman, one or the other will suffer. And my freelance writing blog and blogging blog both definitely suffer because I can’t keep up with everything.

And I love blogging, so my passion tends to be this blog. But I make sure my client work gets done first before I work on either of my blogs.

I haven’t written a single article on my freelance writer’s website in at least a year (yikes, I know!). But that’s because I want to focus more on the areas where my passion is.

Blogging and freelance writing full-time means you’ll be working 70 and 80 hour weeks, and none of us leave our traditional jobs to work that many hours.

Now that being said, I firmly believe all freelance writers should write and publish blog posts on their freelance writing websites. It’s a free way to market your freelance writing business.

Plus, it shows other bloggers or businesses that need a writer that you can use WordPress which is huge because no one wants to teach someone to do that. It also helps you become a better writer when you publish your own content regularly.

Having a blog on your website also allows you to showcase your expertise which is an important part of finding high-paying clients—businesses like writers experienced in their industry.

Freelance writing is also good for your blog business. Another great way to market your writing business and start a freelance writer portfolio is guest posting. It gives you exposure and connects you to authoritative websites that help establish you as an expert and build credibility.

You also see how large successful businesses are run, so you learn a lot behind the scenes.

My blogging experience has also been very beneficial to my freelance writing business because now I can offer SEO-optimized articles as a service. SEO is a major plus for businesses, so this service is in high demand.

If you decide to do blogging and freelance writing, there are benefits to both as long as you can push through the hard work in the beginning. The more experience you get, the more money you can command for your writing. Businesses will pay $200+ for well-written blog articles.

Freelance Writing vs Blogging – Your Questions Answered

I wanted to address some common questions I hear about freelance writing and blogging, so here we go.

Do I Need a Blog to Be a Freelance Writer?

No, you don’t need a blog to be a freelance writer, but again, I think if you don’t create one, you’re missing a critical, free way to market your freelance writing business. But it’s not absolutely necessary. I just strongly suggest you publish content on your own website for the reasons I mentioned above.

How Do Beginner Blogs Make Money?

The best way for beginning bloggers to make money quickly is to offer services. You could offer writing or VA services. You can also make money with affiliate marketing though this may take some time too. Those are the two easiest ways to make money as a new blogger.

Final Thoughts on Freelance Writing vs Blogging

As you can see there are many differences between freelance writing and blogging, and they both have their pros and cons. If you want to make money faster and learn from successful businesses, freelance writing is a great job you can do working from home. There is also less of a learning curve.

If you want to eventually earn passive income and don’t mind putting in hard work initially, blogging may be for you. When you compare freelance writing vs blogging you see that both consist of building a business and working hard; it’s just easier to start making money faster if you focus on writing for clients.

Many people are like me and choose to do both and I love it! The best thing is that I’ve learned a lot from both writing and blogging that I can cross-apply to the other, which improves my skills and increases my knowledge in both areas. Even starting a personal blog helps you write better.

Whether you choose to do one or the other or both, you’ll find blogging and freelance writing quite rewarding and experience a freedom you never could with a traditional job.

Freelance Writing vs Blogging: Is One Better Than The Other?

Freelance Writing vs Blogging: What is the Difference?