Freelance writer earning $275,000/year

Welcome to another post in the $100k Club series. You can see the full series here. This is "My Morning Routine" for content marketing folks making six figures. The goal is to shed light on the skills and habits that enable people to achieve lucrative jobs and help get more people in this club.

These will be anonymous and updated regularly. If you make more than $100k/year and want to contribute, email me.

For more info on content marketing salaries, check out our salary report.

If you'd like to see more info on salary by job title, check out these resources: Content Marketing Manager Salary, Content Strategist Salary, Head of Content Salary, and Content Director Salary.

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What was your first full-time job in content? What was the salary?

$32,000 doing marketing and communications for a non-profit right out of college. It was a great crash course on producing quality content with little to no budget, and I still use some of those lessons today. The biggest takeaway: Relationships fuel EVERYTHING.

How much do you earn today? What's your job title?

Varies annually, but I'm invoicing anywhere between $175-275K per year on average. YTD, I've invoiced $258,170.57. I'm a freelance writer and subject matter expert with a small team 3-4 of subcontractors who help with production and research.

What's the single biggest salary jump you've made? (either from job-hopping or a promotion/raise)

Between 2016-2017 I doubled my income (from about $100K to $200K). That happened when my referral engine really started moving and I was consistently booked with work (and consistently raised my rates.)

What is your most valuable skill?

I think I have a solid grasp on workflows and process, which helps me be highly efficient. This always impresses my clients and is a big reason I get so many referrals. Clients know that in working with me, they can hand off a project and let me run with it (and I'll come back with a top-notch finished product).

What's the best book you've ever read on writing, marketing, sales, business or productivity? (Feel free to suggest more than one!)

Bleck...I honestly hate business books. I can't read them because they stress me out and make me feel bad about things I should be doing but am not. I've read a few Seth Godin books, but other than that, I don't lean into this category too much.

Have you had a career mentor/coach? If so, how did you find them and what have you learned from them?

No, not in a traditional sense. I have a smart partner who gives me lots of great business ideas and have worked with some smart folks along the way, but nothing formal or structured in terms of a coach or mentor.

What skills or habits help you thrive at work?

Organization. Hands down. Not only do I stay on top of every part of my work and business, but if I say I'm going to do something, you better believe I'm going to do it (and do it well.) Nothing falls through the cracks and I'm super proactive when it comes to keeping my workload full to the max.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to join the $100k club?

Pick a niche, become a subject matter expert. Be the go-to person for ONE THING.

What is your gender and ethnicity? Where do you live?

I'm a white female living in Chicago, IL.

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