Even experienced writers can struggle to find and make use of the best freelance writing websites. If you’ve been making a living as a professional writer for a while now, you probably have some idea of where to find freelance writing jobs.
You’re aware of the obvious sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.
You’re also all too familiar with the race to the bottom that content mills can entail.
These platforms and companies can sometimes provide a good kickstart to your career and earn you some consistent income… but they can also make it difficult to distinguish yourself in an already-oversaturated market. We’ve compiled a short list of reliable websites that will pay you a fair wage for legit writing jobs, instead of demoralising and underpaying you to the point that you want to quit writing. It’s by no means comprehensive, so use this list as a starting point for your own research.
Best of luck!
Reddit might seem like an odd example to begin this list with after all, it’s not traditionally a creative writing centred site, or a job-finding and networking engine like LinkedIn. However, Reddit is not only a great place to find like-minded individuals who can help you hone your craft, it also has specific subreddits (communities) dedicated to freelance writing jobs.
Subreddits like r/HireAWriter frequently feature posts from clients looking to source content writers with experience in SEO and marketing copy, as well as blog posts, resumes, and more. The sub rules dictate that each job advertised must pay a minimum of $0.05 per word, or $15 per hour, and employers are not allowed to ask for portfolios making the sub a good place to find entry-level work. You can get paid to write while building a resume. For advanced work, employers must pay a rate of $0.15 per word, or $25+ per hour.
If fiction is your forte, there are also subs where you can share your writing, the most famous being the horror-themed r/NoSleep. While these subs don’t directly advertise or hire for jobs, readers who enjoy your stories will often look at your profile, where you can leave a link to a portfolio of any work self-published through markets like Patreon or Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
BloggingPro
If you’re a skilled blogger, you should check out BloggingPro for freelance writing jobs. This one is among the more specific of our freelance writing websites, as it does focus solely on blogging (meaning there are no opportunities to get paid to write fiction). On this board, you’ll find paid writing gigs on a variety of subjects. The pay varies, making the site accessible to all levels of experience. Do be aware, however, that the site doesn’t vet clients, so you’ll need to do your own due diligence as to who you take on. But you’ll have plenty to choose from, as there are daily postings.
ProBlogger
For those who want to get paid to write, ProBlogger’s job board (a subsidiary of the original site) is a known and trusted platform for finding blogging work. Rates are competitive, and some of the biggest blogs out there hire writers from this board.
FreelanceWriting.Com
If you’re a freelance writer who enjoys a little more flexibility in your paid writing gigs, you might find FreelanceWriting.com useful. The site offers paid writing jobs covering a variety of topics, genres, and formats throughout different industries. There are different types of work available, including contract jobs for writers, freelance, and on-going opportunities to build lasting working relationships with clients.
Freedom With Writing Magazine
Freedom With Writing Magazine is a free online resource and newsletter alerting you to a wide variety of freelance writing jobs. By signing up to their mailing list, you’ll receive regular, curated lists of both fiction and non-fiction markets that are currently open to submissions, as well as part-time and full-time job opportunities with a range of media outlets, from the intimate and homegrown to the established and internationally renowned. If you have a particular niche, like Sci-Fi, Erotica, recipe writing, or fitness blogging, Freedom With Writing is a good way to find some of the more specific freelance writing jobs out there.
FlexJobs
This site is among the most popular for those seeking part-time writers’ jobs. As freelance writing websites go, it’s highly customisable, and allows you to filter your job search by job types, career level, your work schedule, and whether or not gigs are remote or in-person (or a combination of both). The pay varies, depending on the project and your experience, and the paid online writing jobs available include copywriting, online content (like social media posts or video scripts), technical writing, blogging, grant writing, and more. A subscription is $6.95 a week, or $14.95 for a month. You can also pay $29.95 for three months, or $49.95 for a year.
Freelance Writers Den
One of the better-known membership-based freelance writing sites out there, Freelance Writers Den, involves a subscription model for $25 a month. So what does a freelance writer like yourself get in return? This “bootcamp” style resource gives you access to videos, audio content, guides, and more, all centred on helping you find enough freelance writing jobs to make a living. There are also weekly job postings in a specific and vetted board.
SolidGigs
SolidGigs is one of the unique freelance writing sites on this list, because it also incorporates features of a productivity tool. How so? Well, the site’s team spends hours scouring the internet so that you don’t have to and hand-picks some of the most competitive and well-paying freelance writing jobs out there. However, this service comes at a cost: for $19 a month (including a trial month for only $2), you can have access to not only curated freelance writing jobs, but to interviews with successful freelancers and online business courses.
Behance Creative Jobs
It can be tough for writers with English Literature, Language, Creative Writing, or Arts degrees to find jobs in which they get paid to write. Luckily, Behance Creative Jobs provides an accessible online creative platform for like-minded individuals to easily display their work, meaning you can create an appealing portfolio even if you’re not the most tech-savvy. It also has a built-in job board, making it easier for you to get paid to write!
Talent Inc
Talent Inc departs a little from the other freelance writing sites in this list; instead of applying for, and working, one-off gigs, writers work (digitally) “in-house”, honing and perfecting resumes sent in by job seekers. If you have a talent for writing the perfect cover letter, or streamlining CVs, this opportunity could be for you. They pay $20 a resume, and you will enjoy a consistent stream of steady work. This is a lucrative opportunity if you budget your time well and can work efficiently to deadlines!
The Penny Hoarder
Are you known for your household budgeting skills? Do you have work experience as an accountant? Or are you simply a whiz at math? The Penny Hoarder pays for articles (700 words minimum) on the theme of money management. Their goal is to help readers earn more, spend wisely, make good investments, and see their fortunes grow. You can pitch to them via their website, by including a suggested title for your article, your angle, thesis (or argument), a short biography of yourself and your experience, and a link to three previous publications.
MediaBistro
MediaBistro is a resource centred at writers working in all forms of media. If you write about film, theatre, book publishing, fine art, or TV, you’ll find plenty of marketing and content-writing gigs available in their job board. MediaBistro also provides access to lots of different online tools and courses to help you build your freelancing career.
BONUS #13…!
Relay Publishing
Instead of slogging through endless sites, lists, and job boards, looking for short-term, underpaid gigs, why not have a look at available opportunities ghostwriting, outlining, or editing for Relay Publishing?
You will enjoy better pay, writing for a more competitive rate, and will be able to rest easy knowing that you’ll be working with one client over a sustained period. No more juggling different demands and projects every week! Better yet, Relay allows you to play to your strengths: do you have a flair for historical romance, or do you prefer gritty legal dramas and suspenseful thrillers? Whatever your preferred genre, you can enjoy long-term assignments with in-house project managers and editors to guide you, while working from anywhere in the world. Many writers, like the legendary Paula Hawkins (author of The Girl on the Train), get their start ghostwriting for Relay, which allows you to get paid while honing your craft and building connections.
Three Tips to Land Awesome Writing Gigs
As an added bonus, here are five tips to remember when applying for jobs to help maximise your chances of landing your dream writing gig!
- Use the AIDA formula in your response
What’s the AIDA formula? Well, AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. When replying to a job listing, structure your message to include an opening that grabs the employer’s attention (meaning they become aware of your existence). You then want to combine this attention by gaining their interest. What about you, specifically, makes you the appropriate writer for this job? Once you have their interest, you want to capitalise on this and turn it into desire. What in your experience or style makes you an irresistible candidate? You can end on a call to action, which can be as simple as a sign-off that includes some variation of “I’d love to talk over Zoom or Skype to discuss this opportunity further”, or “I hope to hear from you soon and can be reached at [your contact details here].”
2. Don’t rush to be the first applicant!
It’s far better to take the time to customise and curate your response than to send in a rushed, copy-and-pasted proposal recycled from your previous work. Similarly…
3. Repeat the job requirements in your application to show you’ve read the job description and use key words that the company or client has included. This lets them know that you’re not just sending out hundreds of applications without any real commitment or interest.
As you’ve seen, freelancing, even for established writers, can involve a lot of legwork and drudgery. Instead of scouring job boards and racing other writers to the bottom, why not enjoy the security of working with a respectable agency like Relay Publishing, all from the comfort of your own home? There is even a $200 referral fee for anyone who refers a suitable freelancer.
Harry Wallett is the Founder and Managing Director of Relay Publishing. Combining his entrepreneurial background with a love of great stories, Harry founded Relay in 2013 as a fresh way to create books and for writers to earn a living from their work. Since then, Relay has sold 3+ million copies and worked with 100s of writers on bestselling titles such as Defending Innocence, The Alveria Dragon Akademy Series and Rancher’s Family Christmas.
Harry oversees the creative direction of the company, and works to develop a supportive collaborative environment for the Relay team to thrive within in order to fulfill our mission to create unputdownable books.