Are you interested in finding freelance writing jobs to help you make money writing?
The thought of freelance writing sparks your imagination, but you have absolutely no clue how to start, where to look or how to do this successfully.
Well, I’m here to tell you that starting as a freelance writer is possible, and easier than you think.
I’ve been writing online for clients since 2014. Yes, that’s over 10 years – and I’m still in the trenches working with clients. I’ve seen first hand what works and what doesn’t.
My goal was simple — find out how to attract high-paying clients and build a lucrative side hustle as a freelance writer.
Good news!
As a freelance writer beginner you don’t have to go through all of that hassle.
I want to share with you my tips on how to be a paid writer with ease, even if you’re just getting started.
What is Freelance Writing?
Freelance writing means you’re working for yourself and that means you’re responsible for many tasks like
- invoicing
- negotiating rates
- deliverables
- handling correspondences
With all the responsibility, you can decide how much money you want to make, work anywhere in the world (coffee shop, at home, on the couch, at a resort, on vacation, etc.) and work with only a handful of clients.
Clients pay you for your work – blog posts, white papers, sales pages, social media posts, website copy and anything else they may think of (a client asked me to write an eBook once).
So, let’s check out how to get started.
Best Freelance Writing Jobs You Can Find
And here are all the ways to find a freelance writing job online:
- Start Cold Pitching
- Pitch to a Job Board Ad
- Follow Job Boards on X/Twitter
- Use Your Website
- Use a Business Card
- Guest Post
- Network with Others
- Start Warm Pitching
- Say You’re For Hire
- Visit Local Printing & Design Companies
- Pitch Your Story to Pubs
- Join Facebook Groups
- Ask for a Referral
- Try Journalism Jobs
- Pitch to Sites that Pay Writers
- Try LinkedIn Jobs
- Use a Content Agency
- Use a Freelance Writer Directory
- Use Reddit
- Wow Your Clients
- Use Job Search Sites
- Try Medium
- Look at School
- Remember to Circle Back
- Have a Blog
- Use Craigslist
- Use More than One Portfolio
Just to let you know, these 27 ways to find freelance writing jobs are the ways I used when I first started out as a freelance writer.
So they are proven tactics for beginner writers who want to do this to supplement their income.
If you want to know more about each of these tactics then keep on reading.
1. Start Cold Pitching
Do you know cold pitching is a fabulous way to land recurring gig writing?
There’s much less competition and you’ll have a better chance at landing a gig when you contact clients directly.
What is cold pitching?
It’s when you contact bloggers, entrepreneurs, companies, small businesses or startups and let them know how you – a freelance writer – can help grow their business.
Yes, I know, it sounds hard (and scary) doesn’t it? Especially if you’re brand new to freelance writing. But, you know what?
It’s totally easy to do.
First you need to locate businesses to cold pitch to. Maybe you noticed they don’t have a blog – but should. Or, on Twitter you see they are trying to grow their online presence and you think your content can help with that.
You can even do a Google search for find online writing gigs.
Once you locate these places, spend time researching them.
Some companies are huge brand and it would be difficult for a brand content writer to find a job that way. So get a GSheet and mark some companies, but then niche down to get smaller companies that would need help with your writing. Some examples:
- Cruelty-free beauty products
- Eco-friendly beauty products
- Luxury beauty products
From there, find the right person to talk to (Editor, Content Manager or the owner) and draft up a cold pitch!
This can be the hardest step and takes the longest but in the end you’ll have a list of businesses and contact information to pitch to.
In your pitch make sure to include:
- How you found out about them
- Who you are
- How you can help them
- A writing sample to demonstrate your writing skill
2. Pitch to a Job Board Ad
If you’re new to freelance content writing and you want to find quality freelance writing gigs, responding to a remote job ads is your best bet.
It’s also the main way many new writers use for finding consistent work – including me!
One of my first writing jobs came from a job board for writing about automotive topics!
I tell my course students to do as it helps you gain confidence as a new freelance writer.
A bonus to using job boards over a freelance market place like Upwork or Fiverr to find remote work, is there isn’t any bidding.
Entrepreneurs, small businesses, and start-ups post job ads to freelance writing job boards and you pitch to these ads.
These sites also have a remote gig section so make sure to check those out!
Sometimes you are asked to give your rate; other times the job ad specifies a starting rate for content.
Here is an example of a job board on a free job site, specific for freelance writers.
While this isn’t the entire job ad, become familiar with what the writing job expect from a freelance writer.
There are paid job boards you can use but I would suggest you first start using free job boards. I was able to find my first freelance job writing 800-word blog posts for $100 on a free job board.
Here are the best freelance job boards to start pitching to:
- Problogger
- Blogging Pro
- MediaBistro
- All Freelance Writing Job Board
- Writers Work
- Contena – You can set up a job alert with this platform
Check out my step-by-step guide on an insanely fast way to find freelance writing opportunities using job boards.
As well here are other roundups for more writing job boards that are packed with thousands of writing opportunities:
- 35 Best and Legit Job Search Sites for You
- 53 Places to Land a Writing Gig
- 50 High-Paying Sites That Pay You to Write
Check out one of my pitches that landed me the job and notice that I even quoted a job board that doesn’t exist (boy was I brand new to all of this!)
3. Follow Tweets/X From Job Boards
Did you know social media can be a goldmine for landing gigs? I didn’t know either until it happened to me several times.
Twitter/X is a great place for freelance writers and it’s a great way to build relationships with potential clients.
And by following certain freelance writing job boards you won’t be hard-pressed trying to land a gig during a dry spell. For example, I found this tweet recently:
Want to know which job boards I follow for a remote writing job?
Don’t forget to follow other freelance writers (like me) to get notified of new job postings. I’ll repost or post new jobs I see online to help you!
And while you’re at it, also sign up to the free Coffee & Go Jobs newsletter. You’ll get the latest jobs in your inbox. This is a simple way for beginning writing jobs since it’s free and you don’t need a website to start.
4. Use Your Website
The best way to attract high-paying clients is to have a professional looking website.
And, it’s how I can make a living doing this almost a decade later!
But, if you are just starting out, this may not be an option for you right off the bat.
Maybe you have a personal blog that you’ve built during your spare time. You can definitely use your site to offer your freelance writing services…in the beginning.
Eventually, though, to really ramp up your business you’ll want to invest in a self-hosted WordPress site and create a professional looking writer website.
*Check out my super simple, techy-free step-by-step tutorial to start a blog for your business (there’s even a video to show you how to start your website).
Don’t think a brand spanking new writer can do this?
Just take a look at my course participants’ websites after taking my complete freelance writing course:
And if you want to get away from churning out 500 word posts for a measly $20, this is the route you go.
I teach in-depth the precise pages to have on your site and the type of copy that attracts prospects in my course – since I know having a strong writer website is essential to a successful business.
For many years my little writer website has drummed up hundreds of leads and multiple tens of thousands of dollars.
5. Use a Business Card
Yes, I know the bulk of your work will be online but I strongly recommend sourcing gigs locally.
It’s important – before you leap into freelance writing – to be ready at all times for potential writing gigs in your day-to-day life.
This means creating business cards that you can quickly give to small businesses while you grocery shop or head to the salon.
This was one of the first things I did and got to work with a printing company and a potential newspaper!
I contacted an editor of my local newspaper and they set up a time to meet with me.
I drove to my downtown city and met up with a journalist editor and he told me they needed writers do go to events and write about the events.
While I found this fascinating and a fun freelance gig, I declined since my twins were quite young and I wanted to stay home mostly since our car wasn’t that reliable at the time!
Doing this can help secure your first samples as a new writer.
You may also end up finding another writer in your town! I’ve met two freelance writers where I live and meet up with one of them regularly!
When you decide to quit your 9-5 job to be a freelance writer full-time, let your work and coworkers know. They may end up being your first client and can provide you with your first testimonial!
Once your community knows, start sourcing local writing jobs.
6. Guest Post (For Free!)
What? How can writing for free pay off?
The quickest answer is that when you guest post on popular sites hundreds and thousands of people will see your writing.
This is exactly what I did to gain my first samples and that led me to finding freelance writer jobs.
Even several years later, I am still pitching for guest post opportunities.
So far, recently, I’ve guest posted for Good Men Project and Addicted2Success.
And you can bet one of those readers is a potential client.
Pitching to job ads is great, but if you don’t have a good set of samples – especially from pieces published on other people’s sites – it will be hard to land a quality client, but not impossible.
I didn’t have any published articles or samples when I landed my first quality writing gig, so it can happen, but it’s difficult.
So, where do you guest post? It’s up to you. You can do a quick Google search, “niche + write for us” and see what happens.
This is the result for, “parent blog + write for us”
You’ll see roundups of all parenting blogs that accept a guest post and ones that are just the website that is accepting guest writers.
Visit their guest post guidelines and pitch your post idea!
And don’t forget to spend a few minutes drafting your author bio.
This is the best piece of copy you have to convince readers to come over to your site. I use several different author bios depending on where I am guest posting. Here’s an example of an optimized bio.
7. Network With Others (Freelancers and More)
You know, the best thing you can do for your new freelance writing biz is to network with other freelancers like other writers, VA’s, coaches, your current boss, and more.
Remember, we are all in this together and it isn’t a competition!
When I first started, I reached out to a few freelance writers (that I was stalking at the time!) and asked them their opinion on a starting rate.
While most said go with your gut, I was grateful for their interaction and their patience with my numerous questions.
A few months later, I had another freelance writer refer work to me!
How amazing was that? In fact, one writer introduced me to my ideal client and I can’t thank her enough!
I then began connecting with other VA’s and bloggers and landed blog writing jobs from that!
And now, when I’m swamped and can’t take on more freelance writer jobs, I offer my course students first dibs on potential jobs! It’s a win-win when you network.
So, if you’ve been following a freelance writer – ahem, me! – go ahead and reach out them. This can be the easiest way to get started that I know.
But, you can network with friends, family, past bosses and more.
Writeto1k student Ciara Williams broke into freelance writing by letting her friends and family know all about it.
I gained my first clients by sharing my content writing (that soon expanded to include content creation) business with family & friends! I have several friends who own businesses. Two of them are sisters who were in need of content writing & content creation services. I provided content for their blog, newsletters, & social media. I enjoyed the variety & the experience provided me with different types of content to add to my portfolio (I already had writing clips from published work).
8. Start Warm Pitching
Hold up! Didn’t I start this post by telling you to cold pitch and now I want you to start warm pitching. What changed?
Well, to maximize your chances at landing a quality writing gig, you need to work both ends – indirect and direct approaches.
While cold pitching is a direct way to land work, warm pitching, on the other hand, is a more indirect and slower way.
It all centers around creating relationships with brands and business.
For example, when I find a business in my niche, I follow them and Like their Facebook fan page. That way I can keep an eye on them and engage with their posts when I can.
So, if they tweet/x out a post on their blog, I’ll read it and then respond in hopes of getting on a prospect’s radar:
Over time, if I nurture this relationship, I could land a freelance writing job easily.
This approach also plays well on Instagram. I started to use Instagram for my email copywriting service and it has proved to be highly successful in landing work simply by connecting with clients.
As you can see from my DM on Instagram I watched this coaches live and she asked about my email writing service. Oh yay! That one thing brought in a ton of email writing work!
9. Say You’re For Hire
How easy is this?
If you have a social media profile – which you should! – advertise that you’re for hire. It seems obvious but many new freelance writers don’t state whether or not they are for hire.
Prospects won’t know if you have time to take on more clients so when you tell them you are for hire, it just makes it easier for them to consider you.
Also, it lets other freelancers know that you are available for writing work.
Early on when I first started, I was lucky enough to land online writing jobs from simply saying I was for hire.
A prospect messaged me on LinkedIn and told me another writer had referred me to him.
I had no clue who this writer was, so I messaged her back and asked how my name came up in their conversation. She had replied by saying my “for hire” signature had alerted her that I was looking for work! Presto, landed a gig!
10. Visit Local Printing and Design Companies
Another great way to land consistent writing work is to contact your local printing and web design companies.
Sure, you can go to your business district and let the local dentist or local pet shop owner know that you’re a writer for hire, but this takes a lot of time out of your day.
A quick way around this is to visit only web design companies and let them know there’s a writer available.
These businesses have a full roster of clients that need web content and it’s a fast way for freelance writing jobs for beginners for sure!
This is what I did early on in my freelance writing career and it’s helped with finding consistent work.
11. Pitch Your Story
For many print journalists and writers, when they decide to go online and freelance, they stick to writing for publications and selling their stories
These creative writing jobs are perfect if you haven’t been paid for your writing yet.
Why? Because many trade magazines don’t get many pitches and welcome freelancers or journalists to pitch to them.
While this can be extremely lucrative (for publication you can get upwards to a $1 or more per word), it’s highly inconsistent and it takes months to get paid.
But, it’s still a great option for writers. All Freelance Writing has a library of publications that accept and pay for submissions.
Many sites pay for your story too!
There are two ways to find out how much a publication pays their freelance writers.
The first is to do a Google search for “publication pay submission” or “magazine pay submission” to find out which publications pay writers.
The second way is to use Who Pays Writers.
This is a website that aggregates rates for various publications. Writers put in the rate they got for a publication and how long it took to get paid, how to find publications to pitch to, as well as how they enjoyed working for that publication.
Generally you have to cold pitch your story idea first and then pitch each additional time for subsequent stories. This will help you gain freelance work for writers.
12. Join Facebook Groups
There is a lot of potential for writing gigs and online jobs on Facebook alone!
If you know the groups to join then you should have no problem finding consistent work whether you are a resume writer, copywriter, or even into creative writing!
But, this approach does take time as you are building relationships with potential leads. For me, I belong to several entrepreneurial Facebook groups and I do my best to join in on the conversation.
I might also throw out a question to see if there are entrepreneurs that need help and are overworked.
For example, I might ask, “What’s the one thing you wish was easier in your business?”
From here I’ll take a look at people’s answers and if content writing is mentioned, I’ll respond with a, “if you ever need some writing, I’m your gal!”
Some Facebook groups to join are:
- Millionaire Mindset| Entrepreneurs Club
- Christian Entrepreneurs: Building Your Business With Purpose
- Remote Jobs, Work Anywhere – Inventive Hub
- Female Digital Nomads
It never hurts to give it a try and put yourself out there!
Many entrepreneurs aren’t aware of job boards or just don’t have the time to sift through hundreds of pitches.
In my Youtube video, I share more Facebook groups that are specific to copywriting and freelance jobs for beginners.
If you put yourself out there in a Facebook group, you could very well end up with a gig that hour.
13. Ask for a Referral
Okay, this way means you have to have a client already, so if you don’t, then this may not be a good way for you.
However, if you’ve landed a few clients, this would be a great time to ask for a referral.
I know, it can be scary! It was for me when I first started, but then I thought, the worst they can say is no or they can’t.
You can email a client and ask, or use social media like I have done in the past:
Using this tactic has generated me thousands of dollars in freelance writing income and when I have a spot open for another client, I always first approach my existing clients to see if they have someone in mind for a freelance job.
And since most of my clients are quality clients, I know with confidence they will refer me to another quality client.
By the way, I did end up landing that client and love writing for them.
14. Try Journalism Jobs
If you’re interested in doing journalism for news reporting sites as a freelance writing job, then check out Cision jobs. Cision is also HARO – Help a Reporter Out – where they connect journalists with sources, but they are sided with Gorkana Jobs.
This freelance writing site is perfect for high-paying writing jobs.
Cision jobs does US and UK only. Two other journalist job sites for job listings are:
Businesses in big cities often have big budgets for creative writing jobs. So do a quick search in each of these cities a couple times a week and get pitching!
15. Pitch to Sites That Pay Writers
Besides publications and magazines, there are hundreds of blogs that pay for your guest post.
What? Why did I tell you earlier to guest post for free when you can get paid to guest post?
Landing a paid guest spot is a bit more challenging than landing a free guest spot.
So, while you’re building your portfolio with guest posts, you can also pitch to job ads and paid guest blogs to earn some cash and gain beginner writing jobs.
To get started as a job seeker, check out this post on 50 High-Paying Sites that Pay For Your Writing. You can also go on Pinterest or search in Google for blogs that pay for guest posts.
Personally, I never used this approach only because it’s a one-off gig. You write the piece, pitch, wait to see if it’s approved, then get paid a few weeks later. Then you do it all over again.
I’d rather pitch to guest posts for free while pitching to job boards and landing recurring gigs for more consistent pay.
16. LinkedIn Jobs
Did you know LinkedIn has a job board for writing opportunities?
I never did until recently. I have no idea why because I do spend a considerable amount of time networking on LinkedIn.
Go to their job board and all you do is put in your job (“content SEO writer”) and see what pops up.
You can be more specific too – freelance resume writer or freelance technical writer – to see more results.
You’ll find blog writing jobs, content writing jobs, copywriting jobs, and other online writing jobs on LinkedIn.
From here you can decide how you want to approach these businesses – use a warm pitch or a cold pitch. If you have the time to invest in building a relationship and you have clients already, I would use a warm pitch approach. But, if you are itching to land work now, go ahead and add these places to your list to cold pitch.
But, as a freelance copywriter, what I typically did was network on Instagram or even LinkedIn and then sent a DM asking if they have a sales funnel in place.
Another way you can use LinkedIn to attract new clients is your LinkedIn profile.
Check out this video to see exactly what I mean (and subscribe to my YouTube channel when you have a chance!).
But, in a nutshell, what you want to do is first optimize your LinkedIn profile so that you are speaking the right language to the right type of client.
This means:
- Using more than one freelance title to show exactly what you do (ex: B2B SaaS writer, SEO writer, blog post writer, etc)
- Fully fill out your About section by detailing who you serve and the types of deliverables or writing projects you do for clients
- Take advantage of the featured section and put your best writing samples to showcase
- Fill out your experience with only past writing jobs or guest posts to show new clients you are a freelancer
The next thing to attract new clients with your profile is to have an eye catching LinkedIn banner. This banner can act as an elevator pitch where you can state your name, your writing niche and your value proposition as a way to get the attention of prospects.
Finally, engaging on LinkedIn consistently can win you a writing job, even if you neglected it for a while. This is what Sabahet Amjad did.
It was back in mid 2019, I decided to check out my long lost LinkedIn profile and posted a few things – BAM!
17. Use a Content Agency
Okay, I don’t mean any content agency like a content mill (like Writer Access).
The big ones usually don’t pay well and the work isn’t the greatest. Instead, as a freelancer you want to look for smaller content agencies.
For example, Tom Ewer of Leaving Work Behind, has a small content agency called WordCandy. They’re in the WordPress space and are always looking for technical writing articles.
The advantages to working with a small content agency is:
- Usually better pay
- More job opportunities in your niche
- Better training
- 1:1 support
- More consistent pay (but the pay isn’t that great)
For more information, you can check out my Youtube video for more content agencies.
Free Course on Getting Paid to Write Online
18. Use a Freelance Writer Directory
Did you know these exist? They do! Well I only know of one but it’s a good one and you never know right?
The point is, when you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, you need to put yourself out there if you want more employment opportunities.
So by guest posting, pitching, being on social media and in directories, you are everywhere at all times. This increases your chances of a prospect finding you and hiring you!
ProBlogger has a free Candidate Dashboard where you can create your online freelance writing resume.
Here’s Kara Fortier’s profile:
This might be worth a shot for you so give it a try! Make sure to be specific with the type of writing you to: technical writing, article writing jobs, or even academic writing jobs.
For a paid option you can check out the Freelance Writers Den. It is a subscription-based program with training, forums and support.
19. Reddit
Reddit is another social media site where you can find more freelance writing opportunities and post that you are a writer looking for gigs.
And don’t think you’ll only find low-paying gigs on Reddit. I recently saw this on their subreddit /r/HireAWriter.
Other subreddits to pay attention to:
- /r/ForHire – a place for companies and entrepreneurs who are hiring for project based work. This isn’t specific to freelance writing so you’ll have to sort through the postings. You can also advertise your services in this subreddit.
- /r/WritingOpportunities – is where you can find publications that pay writers for submissions. If you’re a junior copywriter you can even find gigs for landing page copy, email and more.
Check out how one Writeto1k student is using Reddit for freelance writing.
Aaron says you can find even gaming writing jobs too!
“For role playing games, videos games, book series, etc. Companies simply need a foundation for their characters and events. Including detailed map jobs for artists, they need writers for with descriptions. Including Character descriptions. The opportunity for WRITING is endless! Just gotta be at the right place at the right time.”
20. “Wow” Your Clients and Make More Money!
I’ve talked a lot on my blog (and over on FreelancerFAQs) about wowing your clients.
If you can free up time for your clients or make them more money with your content, you’ll probably make more money too.
How?
Well, one of my clients asked me to write for several of his other blogs not because I produce the best content, but because I also format my content for easy uploading and readability, I provide the most up-to-date stats and facts in my posts and I’m easy to work with!
I have clients telling me all the time that I’m their go-to writer. Because of this, I don’t have to pitch every day; if I wow my clients, they’ll give me more projects.
It’s as simple as that if you want to be a successful freelance writer!
21. Use a Job Search Website
While the twenty ways I’ve shown you are a mix of hustling, looking and pitching, you can also do most of your prospecting for some writing work by simply using job search sites!
From Indeed to We Work Remotely to Zip Recruiter and more, there are dozens of websites waiting for you to sign up and start looking for writing gigs.
These are the traditional job sites I’m sure you know but there are ones that are for remote workers, freelancers of all kind and of course, writing and copywriting jobs for you!
Many of these job sites have you sign up to their platform for free and have you upload your resume (which I suggest you create one yourself that is for your writing business).
22. Use Medium
Medium is a solid way to create writing samples and have a portfolio for prospects to look at your writing and hire you.
You can also use your Medium articles to share and get in front of your ideal clients.
Many of my Writeto1k students have shared their Medium articles on LinkedIn and have caught the eyes of new clients and landed writing gigs!
If you are unfamiliar with Medium, it’s a free content platform for writers, authors, bloggers, celebrities and business owners.
It’s free to sign up, but if you want to submit your articles to publications you do need to sign up to the Medium Partner platform, which costs $5/month.
23. At School
Are you in college? You might be able to land a freelance writing job if you are connected with your network.
This is what Ashlyn Needham had happened to her.
I had a very unique way of landing my first client! I was a junior in college (an English major), and the department chair sent out an email to every English student informing us about a company in Connecticut looking for students to intern remotely with them as freelance writers. The email had an attached application, so I filled it out and was hired as one of their writers! I wrote pet articles for $30 an article and did this for about two years.
24. Circling Back
Look –
Landing that first freelance writing job takes persistence.
You have to keep on pitching and keep on circling back.
This is how Writeto1k student Caitlin Lemon had to do to secure her first writing client.
I’d been talking to a company about freelance work. They talked about possibly doing a trial piece for free. But then their writer bailed two days before a deadline. So I asked them to pay me to do the piece. And they agreed.
25. Have A Blog
While a writer website is the best tool to have to land writing projects online, a great second way is having a blog. This can be attached to your writer website or be a second website you have (like me. I have my Innovative writer website and this blog).
Clients have told me that they found my blog post, read it and contacted me for blog writing or SEO writing.
And I’m not the only one where a blog has attracted the right client.
Freelancer Nsisong Pro said,
I had a blog where I wrote regularly, they loved my work and reached out.
Your blog can have blog posts topics that is your writing niche or not.
This blog is not my writing niche (digital marketing) but prospective clients read my content, see how engaging my writing is based on comments and shares and see my writing skills in action.
26. Craigslist
Yes, Craigslist isn’t the first thing you think about when you are trying to find a writing work. But, it’s these types of sites and places that can be a goldmine for a new freelancer. This is exactly what happened to Lizzie Davey.
My first official client was through Craigslist of all places ? but I worked with them for about 18 months and I really enjoyed it! My actual first client was my ex-boss who I did some freelance work for just after I quit.
Craigslist definitely has freelance work for writers so make sure to check the listings more consistently.
27. More Than One Portfolio
I have a secret to tell you –
This is something I tell my students so this is a big one!
If you want beginning writing jobs then you need to APPEAR everywhere online.
Why? Because it will make you look established and prolific – even if you are new writer.
And a simple way to appear everywhere is to have more than one portfolio site.
This is where you house your writing samples and while the BEST portfolio is on your writer website, feel free to set up a portfolio on:
- Contently
- Writers Work
This way you will attract a bigger pool of potential clients that want to hire you and you can gain work as a writer! Simple and easy for sure!
12 Tips for Landing an Online Freelance Writing Job
Still unsure if freelance writing or landing a freelance writing job is for you?
Check out these crucial tips to help you decide!
1. Freelance Writing Jobs are Legit
I’m not going to lie here – but, there are job scams out there as well as sucky clients.
Common red flags to look out for include a job ad wanting bulk writing projects or want you to write like an influencer or popular person in the industry.
These types of freelance jobs don’t pay well and the client doesn’t value your worth as a writer. They see you as a commodity instead of a value perspective.
Another red flag is if they want you to write a free sample.
This can be their way of gathering unique content for free. If a job ad asks for a unique sample (not one you already have), ensure they pay for it or you write one that is under 500 words.
But, overall, the majority of writing jobs out there are legit! In all the years of freelance writing, I’ve never ran into a scam or client that never paid.
2. What Kinds of Freelance Writing Jobs are There?
There are many types of writing jobs out there and that is a good thing for you!
Some popular types are:
- Ghostwriting – these types of writing jobs are credited to another person. These can prove to be highly lucrative writing gigs.
- Blogging jobs – blogging jobs are the easiest and most recurring type of writing job there is.
- Copywriting jobs – write sales pages, landing page copy or a company’s next marketing campaign.
Emerging writing jobs are:
- AI optimize content jobs – clients hire a writer to take an article written by an AI (artificial intelligence) writing tool (like ChatGPT) and humanize the content.
- AI editing jobs – clients will hire a writer to edit all AI content on their website.
You can also offer other types of freelance services and gain other jobs like: transcription jobs, proofreading jobs, editing jobs, and typing jobs.
3. Typical Pay for a Freelance Writing Job Varies
Freelance writing jobs are so varied in the type of work that’s being asked, so the pay for article writing vary drastically.
Typical blogging gigs run anywhere from $50-$1,000 a post.
Email writing jobs average a few hundred per email.
Ghostwriting an eBook can start at $15,000.
The higher the rate, the more established you are to command that type of freelance rate.
4. Can Anyone do Freelance Writing?
I believe most people can be a freelance writer even if you know nothing about content marketing. Of course, if you hate writing or you struggle with writing, then this isn’t for you.
But, if you’ve always enjoyed writing, are creative and are able to work on you own and be your own boss, then you can definitely be a freelance writer.
5. How Much do Freelance Writers Make?
Yes! I was able make my first $1,000 within months of starting and after years of doing this, I’m still able to stay home, keep my husband home and make a living as a writer!
6. What Happens After You Land a Writing Gig Is Important
Typically the process of landing your first freelance writing job goes like this:
- You pitch to a job ad
- The marketer responsible emails you back and asks for more information (like your rate and if you two could chat)
- You negotiate a good rate for yourself and either accept the gig or give them a service agreement (some writers also ask for half their pay upfront for each project).
- You’re given a deadline and either a topic idea (or one you have to come up with) and you get writing!
- When done you proofread it, use an editing tool like Grammarly, proofread it a bunch of times, properly format it and send it off (or upload your piece to your client’s WordPress website).
- You email your client that you submitted your piece and ask for feedback and let them know you will invoice them.
- You invoice them and get paid!
7. Who Pays for Freelance Writing?
Many types of businesses and people hire freelance writers.
The most common are small business owners and big brands.
They post a job posting mainly for blog writing.
My main type of client is a small business person or solopreneur. Many of my clients own multiple sites as well.
Some freelance writers only work with coaches, while others only work with credit card companies or brands.
8. The Highest Paying Jobs For Someone Who Loves Writing
If you’re interested in freelance writing jobs online, the highest paid writing are ones that are specialized forms of writing or need specialized skills to write on those topics.
For example, copy writing jobs are one of the highest paying writing positions, but you have to learn the art of selling and write compelling, but also, conversational writing for businesses. Companies hire copywriters to write landing pages, email funnels, sales pages, brochures, press releases and more.
But, you can learn how to write specialized forms of writing and you know what? I can help you with that on my blog. Here are some beginner posts on how to write white papers, case studies, and press releases. All of these freelance writing jobs are high paying and can start at $1,000.
9. Do You Have to Have a Degree to Be a Freelance Writer?
Nope.
I know college students who are already freelance writing as well as adults with only a high school diploma as successful freelance writers.
Look –
Businesses hire writers because THEY can’t write.
They don’t know how to write effective copy to connect with their audience. So they hire a freelance writer – you – as the expert.
And, being an expert in something doesn’t mean you have to have a degree in it! With new titles like Youtuber or Influencer, there are plenty of ways to have a side hustle without having to have a degree.
10. What to Charge for a 500-Word Article
Currently, the length of the average blog post is around 1500-2,000 words.
If a client is asking for a 500-word article, I would wonder if they just want cheap writing.
In any case, I would give them my standard rate but for a new writer I would suggest $.10-.12/word.
11. Do You Need to Have a Freelance Writing Contract?
Yes and no.
Most business that hire freelancers have their own contract that you can sign. This is probably the most typical way you will see regarding a freelance writing contract.
If you are hired by a start up and they don’t give you a contract to sign before you write your first article, you can give them a contract but it does have to be legal. Otherwise a summary of services is okay to give to a client to ensure both of you are on the right page and no extra assignments or tasks are slipped in.
12. Good Rates for Content Writing Jobs
Your freelance rate is based on many factors like your location, your writing niche and the client or business hiring you.
If you work for a startup, expect to get paid little for your writing. However, if you land entry level writing jobs with companies that have 50 employers or more, then your rates will be higher.
I typically tell my students to charge between $.10 – $.12/word. For the standard you can check out the latest freelance writing stats.
Get Serious About Freelance Writing
I just showed you legit ways to get started with not just any jobs, but good paying ones.
Are you ready to take action and kick some butt?
If you enjoyed this post and found it super helpful, please make sure to Pin it! 🙂
Over to you – tell me which ways you’re going to start this new path!
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