If you want to start becoming a freelance content writer, it is important that you learn what current content requirements are. Being able to write an SEO piece is imperative. Knowing what densities are appropriate and what new rules Google and other search engines have in place will help you to better market yourself. If you can market not only good writing, but the ability to find relevant keywords, densities, and more, you will be much more attractive to potential clients.
When you are starting out as a freelance writer it is important that you have a writing sample. This sample does not have to be something that has been published but if you do have a piece of published work no matter what it is you can always include that in your portfolio. The portfolio is where you have your samples. It is what you show potential clients so that they have some idea of what your writing style is before they hire you. Not every writer is a suitable fit for every job and the companies and individuals who hire freelance writers want to know beforehand whether this person seems like a good fit. If you are a student, for example you can include a term paper or short article which you submitted for class if you are very proud of it. If you are a professional you can submit a published feature piece. Any writing sample that you have is better than no sample.
When you start out you want to make sure you fill out all of the pertinent information that the website requires. Different freelance platforms require different information for the same work. Some of them will publish a writers profile so that potential companies and individuals can see what your skill set is what your resume is and what your samples are. Others simply require you to submit relevant billing information so that payments can be released in a timely fashion and contact information so that they can get in touch with you when needed. If you are using a website that publishes a profile you want to make sure that you fill it out thoroughly. Just the same as you would not hire a company whose online portfolio and profile was empty no company will want to hire you if yours is empty.