Did you know that, according to a survey done by Freelancer.com on 4,300 freelancers, 73% of them are already using AI tools to enhance their writing productivity? To be honest, when I first heard about writing content with AI, I was reluctant, because it didn’t feel right.
However, I learned that if you adapt and start utilizing AI in freelance writing, you will be left behind.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or someone with writing experience, this guide will show you exactly how to start AI-assisted freelance writing and start earning real money.
What is AI Freelance Writing?
AI freelance writing, contrary to what some may think, is not about sitting back and letting ChatGPT or Claude do all the work for you. These AI tools are designed to help you write more effectively and efficiently.
Think of it like having a writing assistant and a research partner sitting beside you, giving you suggestions and ideas, assisting you with research, fixing your grammar, and making sentences more polished and your prose more impactful. They are not there to write for you but are there to support you and provide you with whatever you need to the extent of their capabilities.
AI can significantly cut down on the time spent researching and outlining blog posts, a process that can otherwise consume days, varying depending on your niche and article type. By suggesting relevant information and research that you may not have heard of, it provides you with a better starting point for research. And occasionally, all you have to do is verify the information provided by AI.
Another reason why AIs can’t replace humans is that they can never write like humans, at least not in the foreseeable future. If you have some experience with existing LLMs (large language models) like ChatGPT and Gemini, you will realize that their responses are robotic and algorithmic. Since they cannot understand human emotions and have no human experience, they won’t be able to create content that connects with the audience on an emotional level. And although AIs can generate ideas for creative writing, they can’t originate.
Essential AI Tools You Need
What AI writing tools do you need? You might have thought that you would need to invest in some expensive AI writing tools, but you can start with free AI tools. Paid tools have their advantages; you should invest in them once you start making money.
ChatGPT and Claude
Personally, I believe Claude is the superior option, as its output most closely approximates human writing. However, the free version of Claude only allows limited usage, which may not be sufficient. You can either purchase the paid version or let ChatGPT do the other tasks, such as research and brainstorming ideas, and use Claude only for generating your first draft.
Jasper AI
An alternative paid version you want to consider is Jasper AI. Jasper AI specializes in marketing copy and has templates for everything from email sequences to ad copy. If that’s your niche, you may want to use Jasper AI instead of ChatGPT, and it’s more powerful. It’s pricier, but it pays for itself quickly.
Grammarly
If you have been in this writing space, you will know how important Grammarly is. As you will be polishing AI-generated content and contributing ideas and originality to your content, you want to make sure there are no grammar or spelling mistakes.
That may have been the main function of Grammarly a couple of years ago. However, just like every business, Grammarly has incorporated AI into its system, and its AI tools can generate articles, brainstorm, write emails and marketing copy, and humanize text for free. I haven’t had much experience with Grammarly AI tools, but it does sound like a promising all-in-one AI tool.
Surfer SEO
If you’re writing blog posts or web content, this tool can help optimize content for search engines. Just listing one function of Surfer SEO, it can analyze the top-ranking pages for your target keyword and give suggestions for your content structure, word count, headings, and semantic keywords, which helps you create better content with a higher chance of ranking.
Here’s something most people don’t talk about: You don’t need every tool on day one. Start with ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) and add tools as you land clients who justify the expense.
How to Set Your AI Freelance Writing Business
There is quite a lot of work you should do before looking for a client. The biggest mistake you can make is jumping straight into writing without setting up proper systems.
Step 1: Choose your niche
Niche downing is important in regular business; there are reasons why it’s even more important in freelance writing. There are different AI tools specializing in different fields of content writing, and niching down will help you pick the best AI tools. Furthermore, you can also create better prompts and produce higher-quality content when you understand an industry deeply.
In addition to selecting a niche, you’ll also need to choose the content formats you’ll specialize in. Types of content you can provide, just to list a few:
- Blog posts and articles
- Website copy
- Emails
- Case studies
- User manuals
Step 2: Set up your workspace
Create a folder system for different types of prompts, client templates, and research. When you’re using AI tools regularly, organization becomes crucial. For example, there might be statistics from research that can be cited frequently or a refined prompt that you use for specific types of clients.
This step is not essential if you are just starting out, as you may not fully understand what you need. If that’s the case, slowly build your folder system as you go.
Step 3: Pricing your service
Proactively disclosing that you are using AI in writing your content is generally not required for platforms like Upwork or Fiverr; it’s up to you whether you want to do that. However, if your clients happen to ask you whether you are using AI tools to write your content, it may be mandatory for some platforms.
Some of your clients may want to pay less when they find out that “AI is doing the work.” In this situation, thorough communication is important. One way to address this issue is to use value-based pricing, charging based on results and speed rather than hours needed to create the content, and clearly clarifying that AI writing tools only assist you in writing your content, not handling the entire process.
The point I am trying to make is that whether you are using AI or not in freelance writing shouldn’t affect your pricing structure; it will still depend on your expertise, experience, and your competition. The only difference AI makes is the speed of creation and the quality of your content.
Step 4: Build a portfolio
If you’re just starting out and lack a portfolio of past writings, you will have one. This is non-negotiable. Without reviews or social proof, potential clients have no reason to choose you unless you are offering your services at massive discounts.
However, when you do that, it will devalue your service and suggest lower quality. And still, nobody will pay for your services.
What you can do is write some samples and showcase them on your chosen platforms. Alternatively, you can reach out to your niche and offer to write for free, and then build your reputation and collect reviews for your portfolio.
Where to Find Your First Client
Once you are ready and have a portfolio to convince your potential clients of your competence, you can start looking for your first client and make some money.
Upwork and Fiverr
Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr are obvious starting points. These platforms provide exposure so your clients can find you, not just you actively looking for clients. Once you have set up on the platform of your choice, there are also discovery features you can use to proactively reach out to your clients.
Another way of advertising for yourself is to utilize LinkedIn. Through LinkedIn, you can get discovered through search engines when you optimize your profiles for SEO, showcase your work, and connect with potential clients to build long-term relationships.
Cold outreach
Just like how you reach out to clients and offer to write for free, you can do the same even after you have built your portfolio to get paying clients this way. Cold outreach may not have the highest conversion rates, but it is certainly worth it. It should be one of your strategies to gain clients until you have built a solid client base.
Networking in online communities
Facebook groups, Discord servers, Reddit, Quora, and industry forums are all possible places to find clients. Perhaps not your first client, but you can stumble into someone who needs your service, or you gain exposure that way.
But be helpful first, share your knowledge and build rapport, and then offer your services to them without hard selling.
Quality Control and Human Touch
As we’ve emphasized, AI shouldn’t do all the work. Not only will it be obvious to your readers or clients when you present AI-created content, but there’s also a high chance of plagiarism. You should:
- Never submit first-draft AI content: Never submit AI-generated content without editing it. AI tools often confidently present completely wrong information or make up statistics that don’t exist. Therefore, you have to verify the information and find the source.
- Add personal insights and experiences: AI can research and structure, but you have to add originality to your content. For instance, sharing personal anecdotes, industry insights, or your unique perspectives.
- Use plagiarism checkers: The best way to ensure that you are not plagiarizing others’ work is to use plagiarism checkers for every content you create. Since AI uses data and information from others’ work to generate content for you, there’s a high chance of plagiarism. Even after you have edited and humanized the AI-generated draft, you should use plagiarism checkers, such as those from Grammarly or Scribbr, to be 100% sure that you are not stealing others’ work.
Mistakes to Avoid
AI writing tools have certainly made it easier for freelance writers who understand their proper use. However, everything has pros and cons. While AI writing tools provide many benefits, new challenges also emerge.
Over-relying on AI
AI tools are assistants, not replacements for writing ability. When you are over-relying on AI, you make a mistake in developing your actual writing skills. Asking AI to refine your sentences and paragraphs without attempting them first, or simply copying and pasting the refined paragraphs without learning from its suggestions, is a terrible move. While you are learning and using AI to help you create content, aim to become fully independent in your writing one day.
Poor Client Communication
Most clients would want to know if you are using AI or how you are using AI to write your content, while others don’t care. You don’t necessarily need to declare to everyone that you are using AI to assist you in writing your content, but you should definitely not hide it from them.
Be honest with your clients if they ask about AI use, and explain how you use it. You don’t want to lose them after they discover you’re using AI when you’ve claimed otherwise.
Underestimating the importance of industry knowledge
AI can research topics, but it can’t replace a deep understanding of client needs and industry nuances. That’s why choosing your niche is an important step. You don’t want to choose a niche that you know nothing about. It can be very obvious to others when you are writing about something you don’t truly understand; it’s like you are just trying to put words together and have no idea what they mean.
If you happen to choose a niche that you are interested in but have no profound knowledge of, make sure that you understand everything AI suggests and what you write before giving it to your clients.
Neglecting the business side
Writing is only part of freelancing. There are things that AI tools can’t do for you yet, such as handle contracts, invoicing, taxes, marketing, building relationships with your clients, and more. Understanding the business side is equally important as creating excellent quality content.
Conclusion
There you go! That’s how you can start an AI freelance writing side hustle in 2025. Using AI writing tools to create content will slowly become the standard of how writing is approached. Now is the best time to start, so you can gain a competitive edge before everyone else catches up.
Stop waiting and start your AI freelance writing side hustle today!
