How I doubled my freelance income in 2020 — and hit six figures

At the end of June, when I was assessing my finances, I was completely shocked to see that I had basically hit my target income already.

That must be a fluke, right? But it wasn’t. My trusty Google Sheets had the right formula, and I double checked to make sure all my invoices were documented correctly.

“Welp,” I thought to myself, “I already hit $50k” (my target income). “I could just give up on working for the rest of the year.”

Of course, I didn’t. At the time, I didn’t strategize for a six-figure year, but towards the end of Q3, when it was looking more and more likely that I could hit that goal without overworking myself, I thought, why not?

I know 2020 is a strange year to be making money as a freelance journalist. Publications have shut down. Some have entirely cut their freelance budgets. Over the last year, I’ve coached nearly 100 other freelancers, so I am very much aware of how difficult it is to get freelance pitches commissioned — and commissioned at a fair rate, at that.

As I close my books, I want to share my numbers, and a few tips on how I made this possible.

Gross income: $107,000

Net income: $103,300

50% journalism (writing)

19% journalism (fact checking)

16% non-journalistic writing (trade pubs, brands)