Spotlight on: Kelsey Kryger
Meet Kelsey Kryger, a freelance writer who helps others to hone their craft through her social media content. A prolific Medium author, Kelsey has built a self-employed income by following her passion for writing. Now taking on clients as a content writer, Kelsey is also part of Medium’s partnership program – thanks to the popularity of her work.
Thank you for joining us, Kelsey. For the uninitiated, can you tell us a bit about your freelancing career and social media journey?
I started freelancing 3 years ago shortly after graduating college and leaving the corporate working world after a brief stint. I wanted more time flexibility, control over my schedule, and passion fuelled by the work I was doing daily. I’ve worked as a virtual assistant, social media manager, and writer for a wide range of businesses, brands, and entrepreneurs alike. Earlier this year, I started my social media journey as @kelseywritesnstuff on TikTok, where I share freelancing tips and different side hustle ideas. My goal is to help others get started with making money online and show them that it’s possible for them, too, if they want to make it happen.
Are you able to pinpoint when you knew that you wanted to make a living by writing, was there a particular moment that inspired you?
It may sound cheesy, but I’ve known that I wanted to be a writer since I was 9 years old. I recall being in the 3rd grade and starting to practice writing prompts. During our free reading time, I would personally request that my teacher gave me writing prompts instead so that I could practice. I was constantly writing and storytelling on my own at home, too. After that point, I excelled at any writing-focused assignments in school. Upon graduating college, I read a lot of Mark Manson’s work and it opened my eyes to the possibilities that I could make a living writing.
Is it challenging to balance your own social media output with freelance social media management, given the similarities?
It definitely is challenging to balance both at times. Anyone that has managed another brand’s social media accounts knows first-hand just how much time, energy, and effort is put into that. And when you’re working with several at one time? Combining that with attempting to remain consistent with your own content can be very draining and tough to keep up with.
What is it about a typical 9-to-5 that doesn’t work for you?
It’s always been the lack of autonomy for me. I don’t want to say that I have a problem with authority figures (O.K., maybe a little), but I find it hard to put my head down, grind, and do grunt work that someone is telling me to do all day. There’s no passion or purpose there for me. I’m not saying that freelancing is peaches and rainbows, because it’s not. And not everyone needs to do work that is fuelled by passion. But for me? I want to have control over my time, schedule, work, and load.
Which books should everyone be reading this year?
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson has been my favourite book for several years now, and I will always tell everyone to read it. It changed my life, and I also just love Manson’s writing style. But also, don’t skip The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid or It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. There’s something to be said about curling up with a nail-biting fiction book!
Does the demand of keeping up with trends for your profession impact how you use social media in your down time? In a way, are you always working whilst scrolling through a feed?
Yes, it definitely can feel like I’m always working while scrolling through a feed. If it’s a weekend and I’m just leisurely scrolling through TikTok, I might see something that sparks an idea that I want to remember to use later. I don’t think it’s something you can really turn off once you’re in the creator world. But, I’ve started setting better boundaries with social media by limiting my scrolling in my downtime overall.
What advice would you give prospective freelance writers out there who can’t figure out where to start?
Tap into your personal network. You genuinely never know who is in the market for a little bit of help, and there’s so much untapped potential in your personal network. I got my first couple of freelance clients by making a Facebook post, telling my friends and family that I was offering freelance writing services & to contact me if they or anyone they knew was in the market. Even if it doesn’t pay off immediately, you’d be surprised at how many people keep you in the back of their head and refer you if it comes up in conversation.
Before you go
If you enjoyed reading Kelsey Kryger’s story, be sure to check out Spotlight on: Cess Bornolla! Join skilled writers like Kelsey and start selling your services on a platform that lets you keep it all – join Revolancer.
Freelance marketplace: Revolancer
