What Is Freelance Writing (And How Do I Become a Freelance Writer)?

36 Beginner-Friendly Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (2022)

1. Create a Writing Portfolio That Kicks Butt

Further Reading: How to Create a Writing Portfolio That’ll Wow Potential Clients walks you through everything you need to craft an online portfolio of your work, from portfolio sites like Contently to using your own blog. It also offers tips for building a list of writing samples if your portfolio is a bit sparse.

2. Supercharge Your Writing Skills

3. Ask for Testimonials

Most writers who do freelance work, either due to ignorance or fear, don’t ask for testimonials. Our own Jon Morrow says he’s only had a small handful of writers over the years ask him for a testimonial — even though he would’ve been perfectly happy to give one to them.

Karen offers everything I look for in a freelance writer: Her work is excellent, she finishes on time (if not ahead of schedule), and her attention to detail is wonderful. I enjoyed working with her so much that, as soon as her first article was completed, I asked her if she’d like to write for us again. I happily recommend her.

Note: You can count me among the poor, unfortunate souls who missed out on Jon’s generosity. Before becoming Smart Blogger’s Editor-in-Chief, I was a freelancer. I wrote five posts for Smart Blogger as a freelance writer, which means I passed on five opportunities for Jon to say nice things about me. Don’t repeat my mistakes — ask for testimonials at every opportunity.

4. Learn How to Craft a Killer Author Bio

5. Know How to Write a Pitch

6. Learn the Legal Side of Freelancing

The legalities can seem so scary and daunting that many freelance writers choose to stick their heads in the sand and ignore them — or, worse, give up on their freelancing dreams rather than have to deal with any of it.

Freelance writing has given me a whole new life of living. I take my twins to school, am here when they get sick for weeks at a time and can participate in the reading program at their school every week.

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Hi I’m Elna and I’m a freelance writer and mom blogger. I help people just like you become a profitable freelance writer. Within 6 months of starting my freelance writing business from scratch I was able to earn a full-time living as a part-time freelance writer while taking care of my twin toddlers. Check out my free email course Get Paid to Write Online and learn the steps you need to take to be a freelance writer.

92 Comments

Hi Elna, I am so grateful to stumble across your content. This is Day 1 of researching my idea of becoming a freelance writer so I appreciate learning from your guidance so early in my journey. I’m signed up for the MasterClass and just downloaded your business plan. It’s a great start for today. A bit overwhelming, but satisfying to take my first steps. Thanks again. Respectfully, NikReply to Nikki

hello there Elna…first of all i would like to say i found ur freelance writing journey really inspiring cause since the past few months i’ve been at a loss regarding what i should plan on my future career based on my interests..[which is mainly reading novels and writing poems and other stuff lol] I am surprised why i didnt think of freelancing and content writing before so thank you very much! By the way i would like to know if contents related to psychology and mental health be eye catching for readers or shud i approach a more random topic? pls reply and thank you in advance Elna!Reply to ayisha

Hi Ayisha, That’s awesome you are now thinking of content writing and being a freelance writer. Regarding your question, there are lots of niches you can write about and be an authority too! I have a Booming Writing Niches Guide that tells you all those niches: https://elnacain.com/course/booming-writing-niches/Reply to Elna

Hi Elna.I appreciate for your great and inspiring information on how you started from humble background to become a powerful freelancer writer you are.Am 20 years and currently studying Diploma in ICT in college and have been having interest on reading novels and having greater hopes that l will start writing jobs but wondering how I will get started.ThanksReply to Pauline

Hello Elna thank you so very much for the insightful information you have given me. I’m looking forward to becoming a pro freelancer one day. I am however anxious and nervous a bit. I am at ground level and unsure how to start offReply to Peterson

Hi Peterson, Thank you so much! Taking the step into freelance writing doesn’t have to be hard, but I know it can be challenging with anxious feelings. Just take it one step at a time and you’ll be a great freelance writer 🙂Reply to Elna

Hi , actually I am a teenage girl who was looking for a way to earn money so I can help out my family. Then I found your website and your words inspired me and made me realize that I can become a writer or something like that. Actually.. um.. in the past I made short stories based on quotes and there was a time when I even tried to write a novel but failed to do so because I am bad at making long chapters or to say making something lengthy 😅 I don’t have the right words for this. In the first day my novel got a ton of views because of its description( What I am trying to say is that I can only write short stories) but all the readers left reading as I couldn’t meet their expectations in the long run.And the same thing happened when I tried to wrote a chat story in an app. Sigh!! I know I am asking for more but can I become a ghost writer or something in my current state. Please reply.Reply to Zohra

Hey Zohra, That’s create you wrote a short story! That’s a big accomplishment that other writers haven’t done yet. As for writing longer content, that will take time. When I first started I couldn’t write 3,000 word in-depth blog content. That took me a few years to practice. So start a blog and practice writing! You’ll discover your writing voice and from there you can start freelance writing!Reply to Elna

Hi I’m interested in becoming a freelance writer I don’t have a degree I just feel that I have as you say a niche for expressing myself kind like a pholosefer if that’s the correct wording for it Lol. I’m a Christian man so I would probably be sharing God’s word and my testimony and other ideas of courseReply to Carlos

Get Serious About Freelance Writing

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Wow, Elna! Your article was highly informative with a touch of inspiring! I’ve wanted to try to get in on freelance writing, but have never really committed to the pursuit. I’m going to try out your ideas, and find myself some extra income while honing my verbal skills to a fine point. If you see this, is there any extra advice you have?Reply to Justus

Hi Justus, Thank you for your compliment! That’s great you want to try freelance writing! It’s a great side gig or for when you work from home! I hope these tips can help you land your first freelance writing job!Reply to Elna

Hello Elna, Good day. I am so happy to stumble into this post. I am one of your students in Ready Set Traffic and I just learned about freelance writing a month ago as I stumbled into a local mom group in my country. I got excited and thought of giving it a try to earn some money, while slowly growing my blog. I got my first client, but she only wants 2 articles per month, and the payment is low per article (40$), but I accepted thinking that it can help build my portfolio. But after writing, I felt that it was not worth it because it took me a very long time to finish the article because I was reading a lot of resources and included a lot of resources, too. Where can I find jobs that pay a bit higher? I would like to enroll in your writing course, but I can’t afford it at the moment. Hopefully, in the future, I can finally enroll.Reply to Julai

Hi Julai! Oh, I hope you enjoyed Ready Set Blog for Traffic over on my Twins Mommy blog! As for your question, in the beginning you might have to do a little work to inch your way to higher paying clients. A lot of it depends on your client and your writing skills. Typically though, starter rates are around $.10-.12/word. My course is called Write Your Way to Your First 800k https://writeto1k.com 🙂Reply to Elna

Hi! Thank you so much for this post! I have a question for you if you don’t mind. I am a college student and I have terrible anxiety, so I have been trying to find a way to make a nice income from home. Do you know if any of these sites (referring to number 6 with guest posts) allow complete beginners to submit articles and accept them? Do you know of any sites that let complete beginners guest post, have a good acceptance ratio, and pay well? I would really like to do this and make a good income, if possible. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you! -ConorReply to Conor

Hi Conor, Thanks for taking the time to read my post on 20 ways to find freelance writing jobs. In theory yes if the complete beginner has some social profiles and perhaps a Medium profile. Some guest sites want to know you have written online content before and will ask for some sample work. Medium is a fine platform to link to. They also may ask for you to link your social profiles too. But not all guest posting sites are like this! So do your research and try! The #6 option you are referring to is not a paid option. There are paid options for sure but the free ones are quicker to get your writing up and published and it can help build your portfolio as a brand new freelance writer.Reply to Elna

Elna, Thank you so much for your reply! I’ve been watching some of your YouTube videos and I found one talking about sites that post jobs. Is it common to find job postings on this site that are friendly to complete beginners? Do you think that is the best way for a brand new freelance writer to start making a good income quickly?Reply to Conor

Hey Conor, thank you Elna for a wonderful post it has been most helpful. I am starting out as a freelance writer hopefully, I was and still am very introverted sometimes. I thought that this made me want to be a writer, so I could survive in seclusion but I am starting to see that it is much more than that! I have no authority speaking on writing especially on how to make money doing it but there is something I would love to share Do not do a job just because of your anxiety, never let fear be the deciding factor for anything in your life! Please try and find a way to deal with this first, there are so many proven methods, have a deeper look at your own religion, study martial arts or even start an improv class Don’t let this control youReply to Shawn

So where should you look for online writing jobs?

1. Freelance Writers Den

A great resource for freelancers, this membership site is so much more than a job board. For $40/month, you get access to more than 300 hours of “bootcamps” that teach you how to make money as a freelance writer and hundreds of forums where you can get any question answered. Whether you want to listen to the expert guests on their podcast, access the 24/7 community of writers, or check out video and audio training materials, the Den has everything a freelancer needs to grow their career — all in one place. Plus, they have direct job referrals to quality writing gigs in the Den 2x program.

2. FlexJobs

One of the top job boards for freelance writing jobs and remote work, FlexJobs enables you to create a custom job search profile to meet your specific needs. Select your categories (there are several under “Writing”), your preferred work schedule, your experience level and more to hone down your search results to those that best fit the freelance writer job you’re looking for. You can also set alerts so you’re notified when new jobs matching your search criteria are posted.

3. SolidGigs

SolidGigs is part job board, part productivity tool. Why? Because their team literally saves you hours of scouring job boards. They hand-pick the best gigs from around the web and compile them into a weekly email, including remote opportunities.

4. Opportunities of the Week

Sonia Weiser’s bi-weekly newsletter has become a must-have for freelance writers. She gathers dozens of calls for pitches from Twitter and emails them to her community twice a week. She offers the service through Patreon, where she asks for a membership contribution of up to $10 (and also offers sponsorships for those who can’t afford it). If you can only make a one-time contribution, she provides an option for that, too.

5. Working In Content

A platform that’s still in its beta phase, Working In Content aims to connect organizations with passionate content professionals. As a bonus, it values diversity, equity and inclusion, and it encourages the employers it works with to do the same.

Whether you’re a UX writer or a content strategist, this site is a great option to find work in content design, marketing, management and more. It offers full-time and contract roles that are either remote or in cities like Seattle, New York City and San Francisco.

6. ProBlogger Job Board

Created by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger, an authority site on blogging, the ProBlogger job board features part- and full-time, contract and freelance writer jobs across a wide variety of locations, industries and writing specialties.

Plus, given ProBlogger’s high profile in the blogosphere, it’s likely you can often find jobs posted by some big-time blogs and employers who have an idea what good writing is really worth. Besides content writing, it also lists a healthy dose of copywriting jobs.

7. Content Writing Jobs

This site content writing job board includes remote, freelance, contract and full-time jobs. To peruse these hand-picked writing opportunities, visit the site online, sign up for daily job alerts or subscribe to its paid newsletter that shares brand new openings once per week for $10/month.

8. Behance Creative Jobs

Behance allows you to upload your past projects to quickly create a visually-pleasing online portfolio, making it a great resource for writers without a website . It has its own job board which you can browse to find your next career move or freelance writing job!

9. MediaBistro

Be sure to check out the freelance job board section of the site, as well, for a wide range of jobs for all experience levels from industries like TV, PR/marketing, magazine and book publishing and social media — a little something for everyone.

10. Morning Coffee Newsletter

With exclusive job opportunities as well as posts pulled from sites like Indeed and Craigslist, the job board consolidates a variety of gigs for everyone from newbie to seasoned freelancers. Save yourself the time of scouring numerous sites and let this newsletter bring the decent jobs right to your inbox.

11. Who Pays Writers?

Who Pays Writers? is a crowd-sourced list of publications that pay freelance writers — and it’s a gold mine. The list has hundreds of publications to explore; it not only shows you which publications are accepting submissions, it also tells you how much they pay per word.

Resources:

https://smartblogger.com/freelance-writing-jobs/
https://elnacain.com/blog/what-is-freelance-writing/
https://elnacain.com/blog/20-ways-find-freelance-writing-jobs/
https://thewritelife.com/find-freelance-writing-jobs/
What Is Freelance Writing (And How Do I Become a Freelance Writer)?

36 Beginner-Friendly Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (2022)

1. Create a Writing Portfolio That Kicks Butt

2. Supercharge Your Writing Skills

3. Ask for Testimonials

4. Learn How to Craft a Killer Author Bio

5. Know How to Write a Pitch

6. Learn the Legal Side of Freelancing

Chapter Two: 16 Hacks for Finding Under-the-Radar Writing Opportunities

Some of the results will be scams, but most will be legitimate. Many will be for remote writing jobs, but some will be location-specific (usually New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, Washington D.C., Dallas, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Portland, Oklahoma City, Greenville, Atlanta, and other major cities in the United States). Just skip over the ones that don’t apply to you.

Want to find guest blogging opportunities (since many websites these days pay for guest posts)? Enter “guest post” into the “this exact phrase” option and you’ll see every tweet written by someone looking to promote their latest guest blogging masterpiece.

2. Follow Leads on Social Media

3. Check Out Agency Job Postings

One of the best potential clients is agencies because they usually have an ongoing need for writers. Instead of only getting paid once, you can develop a relationship with a few and get new freelance blogging gigs for months or even years into the future.
How to Become a Freelance Writer, Starting from Scratch

4. Find (and Woo) Clients on Their Turf

Most members of these groups are looking to be hired, not looking to hire writers. And when someone wanting to hire a writer does come along, the person who raises their hand first is usually the one who gets the job.

Skip the Facebook Groups. Go Straight to the Sources.

After reading one of her posts and admiring her writing style, I connected with Henneke Duistermaat of Enchanting Marketing through a humble blog comment. The same was true with Syed Balkhi. I connected with Pamela Wilson via Twitter. For Jon Morrow, the man who would one day hire me at Smart Blogger, I got on his radar by becoming a student in one of his online courses.

When you’re their student, an influencer is invested in your future. Your success is their success. You’re a walking, talking testimonial. So many — not all, but many — will do everything they can to help you succeed.

5. Pitch to Software Company Blogs

You want to work with businesses that have money to spend on marketing. Chances are, those companies are subscribed to various apps for email marketing, analytics, and so on. Most software companies in the marketing space (like HubSpot, Sumo, PayPal, Ahrefs, etc.) also publish a great deal of content. So, who better to write for? You’re instantly getting in front of thousands of the right clients. Many of these blogs will also pay you to write for them, so in many cases, you can get your first client while also prospecting for clients.

e-Commerce companies with blogs tend to publish a lot of content. After all, every article they publish tends to pay for itself (and then some) thanks to the traffic it brings to the website — traffic that often leads to sales of their product.

6. Don’t Be Scared of Ghostwriting

You mean I get to spend weeks pouring my heart and soul into a piece of content, infusing every syllable with my very essence to the point I no longer know where I begin and my words end, and no one will ever know I wrote it?

7. Find Clients Who are Already Hiring Successful Freelance Writers in Your Niche

Types of Writing a Freelance Writer Can Offer

Magazine articles – this type of writing is more formal and journalistic in nature.
Site content – businesses have websites with many pages. As a freelance writer, you might be assigned to write an About page or Products page. This typically falls under copywriting. – emails are short pieces of content between 500-1,000 words and many businesses rely on emails to grow their income.
eBooks – many businesses use eBooks to attract people to their newsletter. Most eBook writing is ghostwritten, but it’s a great experience to have under your belt. – These are lead generating professional articles for small businesses. – Like white paper writing, case studies are a high paying service to offer. You are interviewing customers and clients of a company and sharing the results of their success using the client’s product or service. – did you know there are dozens of short writing projects that pay hundreds of dollars? These are fast projects to write (under an hour) and they pay well. For example, a team page on a company website is made up of several bios. A freelance writer can write those bios and for $250 a bio, that’s not a bad service to offer!

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6.2.4 Supplying Our products and services to you (please note that We require your personal data in order to enter into a contract with you);
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6.2.6 Replying to emails from you;
6.2.7 Supplying you with emails about our courses and services (you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the ‘unsubscribe’ link in the email)
6.2.8 Market research;
6.2.9 Analysing your use of Our Site and gathering feedback to enable Us to continually improve Our Site and your user experience;

Resources:

https://smartblogger.com/freelance-writing-jobs/
https://elnacain.com/blog/what-is-freelance-writing/
https://www.writersbureau.com/writing/what-is-a-freelance-writer.htm
https://thewritelife.com/find-freelance-writing-jobs/

36 Beginner-Friendly Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (2022)

1. Create a Writing Portfolio That Kicks Butt

2. Supercharge Your Writing Skills

3. Ask for Testimonials

4. Learn How to Craft a Killer Author Bio

5. Know How to Write a Pitch

6. Learn the Legal Side of Freelancing

Share this post with your friends!

About The Author

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

92 Comments

Get Serious About Freelance Writing

Share this post with your friends!

About The Author

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

769 Comments

So where should you look for online writing jobs?

1. Freelance Writers Den

2. FlexJobs

3. SolidGigs

4. Opportunities of the Week

5. Working In Content

6. ProBlogger Job Board

7. Content Writing Jobs

8. Behance Creative Jobs

9. MediaBistro

10. Morning Coffee Newsletter

11. Who Pays Writers?

36 Beginner-Friendly Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (2022)

1. Create a Writing Portfolio That Kicks Butt

2. Supercharge Your Writing Skills

3. Ask for Testimonials

4. Learn How to Craft a Killer Author Bio

5. Know How to Write a Pitch

6. Learn the Legal Side of Freelancing

Chapter Two: 16 Hacks for Finding Under-the-Radar Writing Opportunities

2. Follow Leads on Social Media

3. Check Out Agency Job Postings

4. Find (and Woo) Clients on Their Turf

Skip the Facebook Groups. Go Straight to the Sources.

5. Pitch to Software Company Blogs

6. Don’t Be Scared of Ghostwriting

7. Find Clients Who are Already Hiring Successful Freelance Writers in Your Niche

Types of Writing a Freelance Writer Can Offer

Share this post with your friends!

About The Author

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92 Comments

2 – Information About Us

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