When I started my journey as a freelance nurse writer, I had zero professional writing experience. Yup, absolutely none. And I almost hate to admit it now, but I started freelancing by taking on projects for free.

Was writing for free necessary to my success? Mm, probably not. In fact, now that I’ve been a paid freelance nurse writer for nearly 20 businesses, I firmly believe it’s possible to gain experience without working for free.

But for me, offering my copywriting services at no cost was a way to bridge the gap between my expertise as a nurse and my inexperience as a freelance writer. It made it infinitely easier to explain that I was a seasoned nurse stepping into freelance writing, looking for opportunities to showcase my skills.

So I painstakingly found my ideal clients on the interwebs and offered them free blog content because offering free blog content felt like a really low-pressure and easy way to bring awareness to my brand and build a portfolio of pieces outside the content I’d written for my own blog. And looking back, I don’t regret this move. Those early projects gave me the confidence and portfolio I needed to attract actual paying clients.

While volunteering to write for free as a new freelance nurse writer can have its benefits, it’s not the only way to break out of the classic “experience” catch-22 — where you need experience to land a job, but you need a job to gain experience.

As a new freelance nurse writer, it’s common to feel the need to accept unpaid work to gain experience and build your portfolio. And while that’s how I chose to gain experience, it can really set a precedent that can be difficult to overcome and actually set you back, making it even harder to land paid gigs in the future.

Luckily, there are alternative ways to build your freelance writing career without sacrificing your worth, even if you haven’t formally written online content before. I sat down with another freelance nurse writer, Claire Bonneau, to talk about her experience in using her nursing skills, knowledge, and expertise to build a successful freelance writing business (without working for free). What I loved most about my discussion with Claire is that she and I took a completely different approach to the beginning of our freelance journey (and have both successfully met our personal goals).

So, let’s explore four ways to gain writing experience without working for free so you can take your freelance writing from a side hustle to a full-time gig. Let’s get into it!

Stop Writing for Free and Try These Alternatives Instead:

1 | Start Writing Content for Your Personal Website or Socials

When Claire started her journey as a freelance nurse writer, she didn’t have professional writing experience — just like me. She shared, “When I became a freelance nurse writer, I had never been paid for writing, and I had never written a paper outside of nursing school, but writing snippets for specific niches that I had experience in — like a blog post about diabetes or an email for a skincare brand — helped me find my voice and demonstrate my abilities.”

Looking back on my own journey as a freelance nurse writer, I wish I had realized sooner that my blog could serve as a portfolio to land freelance opportunities. Writing content for your own website, blog, or socials is a fantastic way to gain experience and refine your skills. You get to explore topics you’re passionate about, improve your writing, and develop your unique voice with zero pressure of client opinions and hard deadlines.

If you tailor your content to a specific niche, you’ll not only grow as a nurse writer but also attract an audience genuinely interested in your expertise (a win-win honestly!). Plus, you can use your platforms to create a newsletter, helping you connect with your ideal clients and build a network of potential clients.

Claire and I agreed that it’s really best to focus on quality over quantity when you’re writing and publishing your own content. Publish content that reflects your brand, interests, and goals, and resist the urge to post everything you’ve ever written. A curated, professional presence will attract the right kind of attention from potential clients.

By building a strong online presence through your website, blog, social media, or newsletter, you’re setting yourself up to gain experience, grow your audience, and create a stellar portfolio — all on your terms.

2 | Create a Portfolio With Different Types of Copy

Creating a portfolio is essential for any freelance nurse writer looking to gain experience and land paid opportunities. It showcases your writing skills, demonstrates your versatility, and helps potential clients envision what you can do for them. So if you’re a new freelance nurse writer consider creating spec pieces or mock projects to highlight your creativity and range.

Start by adding content that’s easy for you to write, and then challenge yourself by adding pieces you’re a little uncomfortable writing. Writing more, especially writing pieces outside your comfort zone, will push you to explore new topics and ideas and help you develop your writing skills quickly.

Claire explained, “I created a minimal portfolio with a few strategic samples. I wrote a short blog snippet, an email about a retinol skincare brand, and a piece of web copy. These examples were enough to get started.”

A well-rounded portfolio signals professionalism and attracts clients who value your expertise. “Your portfolio doesn’t have to be huge,” Claire advises, “but it should reflect the kind of work you want to do.”

3 | Attend Writing Workshops or Take Online Writing Courses

I’m sure you, as a new freelance nurse writer, can resonate with Claire as she explained, “For me, I doubted myself early on business-wise because I wasn’t a business person — I went to school for starting IVs, not sending invoices, or knowing what SEO is. But so much of the business side of writing can be learned on the fly or through courses.” Claire adds, “There are also great articles and people on LinkedIn who are willing to share their knowledge. You don’t need to have everything perfectly optimized to start.”

Investing in your education as a writer can really fast-track your success, especially when you’re learning from experts who have already done what you’re trying to do. Online courses and workshops provide valuable learning opportunities, help you hone your skills, and often guide you in building a professional portfolio.

Some popular online writing courses include those offered by LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Coursera, and Skillshare. Personally, I found Alex Cattoni’s Copy Posse incredibly valuable for learning how to put together a professional portfolio. And I wouldn’t be where I am today without the phenomenal website copywriting course, SPRINT, created by Sara at Between The Lines.

But if paid courses aren’t within your budget, there’s also NO shortage of free resources online. Luckily, you have the World Wide Web at your fingertips. I’ve found free online education by Alex Cattoni and Writing Revolt extremely helpful in learning the basics of copywriting, content writing, and portfolio-building.

4 | Sign Up for a Freelancing Site Like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer

Claire so eloquently explains, “It is very easy to undervalue your time and energy early on, and working for free will only set a precedent that your time, energy, and effort are not valuable … If you’re on a platform like Upwork, it changes your mentality. So, even if you’re charging $20 an hour for your work, which is less than what you would make as a nurse, that $20 incentivizes you to put in your best effort so that later, you can increase your rates and charge what your work is actually worth.”

Freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer are great resources for freelance nurse writers to find paid work without having to resort to volunteering to work for free. These platforms allow you to showcase your portfolio, set your own rates, and find clients looking for writers with your specific skills and experience.

But this is where my journey to becoming a freelance nurse writer differs from Claire’s because I haven’t personally used any freelancing platforms, whereas Claire found her footing on Upwork.

She explains, “I went about getting my first client on Upwork very strategically. I was still working full-time as a nurse, so I put together a very minimal portfolio and reached out to as many clients as I could before and after my shifts. I focused most of my efforts on pitching to clients on the platform. My goal was to just land ONE client because if I landed just one client, I knew this would be possible for me, and it worked. I landed my first client about 3 weeks into using the platform.”

These freelancing platforms offer benefits like payment protection and a built-in pool of potential clients. Claire notes, “One of the biggest benefits is that you don’t have to worry about building your own audience. You already have access to a large pool of clients right on the platform who are actively seeking writers with specific skills and experience.”

But Claire also explains, “Freelancing platforms can be highly competitive, with many writers vying for the same projects, making securing work difficult. It can absolutely feel a little soul-crushing because they’re essentially pinning freelancers against freelancers. But again, there’s almost no barrier to entry. You can go on a site like Upwork with little to no client work and still get clients.”

“I’d hop on the platform in the morning before work, take a look, see if there are any jobs, and send out a few messages. I would do the same thing on my lunch breaks and after work. It did take some effort, but I feel like it was a pretty bare-bones setup because I didn’t have any real writing experience, only those few example pieces I wrote for my small portfolio. So, all that to say, don’t be discouraged if you’re new and don’t have experience; you can still be successful on freelancing platforms.”

Claire and I could definitely agree that the competitive nature of freelancing platforms means you need to stand out amongst the crowd. Write personalized pitches that show you understand the client’s needs. Be selective about the jobs you apply for to avoid low-paying or scammy offers. And maaaybe even create a bombdotcom website with connection-worthy copywriting that really sells your writing ability. 🤑

Whether You Work for Free or Not, Just Get Started Already!

Starting something new can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re stepping into a field like freelance writing without prior experience. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to have it all figured out before you begin. Whether you choose to write for free, create a portfolio of spec pieces, or dive into paid work on platforms like Upwork, the most important step is simply starting.

As Claire wisely shared, “Make an Upwork profile, write a sample portfolio piece, and send a LinkedIn pitch. Just give it a try and put yourself out there — you’ll figure out the details as you go.” Waiting for the “perfect” time or process only delays your growth and opportunities. Every piece you write, every connection you make, and every pitch you send brings you closer to your goals.

Remember, as a freelance nurse writer, your college education and hard-earned nursing expertise set you apart. So, don’t overthink it. Take action, start creating, and always keep learning. The sooner you begin, the sooner you’ll build momentum — and before you know it, you’ll be on your way to living out your best life as a freelance nurse writer.