Struggling to find the writing jobs of your dreams in a diminished job market? Need to earn money fast? Finding freelance work online provides opportunities to both build your writing portfolio and earn some much-needed money.
A recent study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that self-employment rates are rising in the UK. Between 2001 and 2017, the number of self-employed workers in the country increased from 3.3 million to 4.8 million, a figure that includes freelance workers.
The challenge is that freelance work can be hard to find. For example, a 2012 study by the Artists Information Company found that 65 percent of work in the visual jobs market is unadvertised—so, often, freelancers have to put real effort into finding work for themselves.
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To build up a client base, online agencies and listings are a great place to start as they provide access to clients in a range of locations, offering plenty of different freelance assignments to choose from.
To help you make more money as a writer, below we present several of the best writing sites for finding freelance work so you can kick-start your writing career today!
So, in no particular order, we present the best sites for finding freelance writing jobs below!
13 Top writing jobs sites for building your writing portfolio
1. FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a job board that lets professional writers find potential clients and writing gigs. The advantage of FlexJobs is that all its freelance listings are screened and verified.
This means that freelancers need not worry about scams or low-paying gigs. The site is based in the United States but advertises freelance work from all over the world.
Also, many of the jobs are remote so as long as you have an internet connection you can work anywhere in the world! In addition, all users can tailor their profiles to meet their specific employment needs!
But if you want to access FlexJobs wide range of assignments you will need to sign up and purchase a paid subscription with the site. It’s possible to browse job listings for free, but you have to sign up to apply for work.
A one-month subscription cost $14.95 a month, a three-month subscription will cost you $29.95 and a one-year membership to FlexJobs costs $49.95.
Although a subscription isn’t cheap, in our opinion FlexJobs is a great place to find freelance writing work as you can guarantee that all the listings it posts have been screened and verified!
As the website caters for freelancers from all over the world you can also find work that suits your geographical location and physical availability! You do have to pay to fully access its listings and apply for work but in our opinion it’s a wise investment!
2. Contently
Contently employs over 140,000 writers, filmmakers, designers and editors, all of whom create unique content for clients.
Contently prides itself on hiring and nurturing talented writers, so if you are keen to establish a freelance writing career, it’s worth checking out!
Contently has an agency that connects its writers with brands that need help promoting their products.
Contently is a great website to get involved with as a freelance writer as the company pays its talent well, offering hundreds of thousands of dollars per article.
This year, Contently went a step further, setting up its own Freelance Advisory Board which helps the company do its part to support its writers and identify what Contently can do to improve its already great relationship with its freelancers.
The only downside of Contently for freelance writers is that only the best will be allowed to work for this popular and dynamic web-based platform. So, if you think you have what it takes, there’s no harm in trying!
3. Journalism.co.uk
Journalism.co.uk is a great site for any of you freelance writers that specialise in journalism. Journalism.co.uk has a database of freelance journalists available for hire.
These listings include each journalist’s name, location, skills, specialisations, the publications they contribute to on a regular basis, any other relevant information, examples of their work and contact details.
Journalism.co.uk is a common haunt for freelance writers although the website’s job section features many permanent positions, by listing their specialisations and location, writers can inform publication editors where they are and how they can contact them, leading to hires for one-off stories and ongoing, regular work!
The benefits of paying £60 a year to register with Journalism.co.uk include exposure for a reasonable price, exclusivity, a branded email address and a listing on Twitter.
But the problems with Journalism.co.uk that might put many of you freelance writers off include the fact that the website is dated, difficult to navigate, and not useful for writers outside of journalism or content writing.
4. SolidGigs
This gig finding service scours the internet for only the best writing jobs. The best part? You sit back and receive an email once a week with a list of jobs to apply to. How much easier can it get?!
Additionally, SolidGigs has a library full of resources to up your game. According to Kimberly, a freelance copywriter, “The training and education inside SolidGigs are absolutely top-notch. No matter what your skill level or how many years of experience you have, you’ll find something here to uplevel your freelance career and help you earn more.”
Try out SolidGigs for only $2 today.
5. Freelance Writing Jobs
The clue is in the name! Freelance Writing Jobs offers writers a variety of job opportunities and resources to help kickstart and establish a freelance writing career.
Every morning, the website has a post advertising current freelance writing jobs available online.
Freelance Writing Jobs also offers freelance writers’ guidance through its blog and has a partnership with FlexJobs, offering its members 30% off membership with the latter site!
The plus side of Freelance Writing Jobs is that it offers a wide variety of resources for anyone who already does, or wants to make a living from writing or editing.
The only major flaw with Freelance Writing Jobs is that most of the website’s jobs are based in the United States which may be a problem for anyone not living Stateside.
6. Copify
Copify offers its writers ‘hassle-free writing jobs,’ so once your application has been approved, the site lets you begin working instantly!
Copify specialises in supplying website content, blogging, ecommerce content, article writing, press release writing and also has an email writing service.
One of the site’s major pros is that it allows its writers to accept work when they want without the hassle of contracts or commitment.
Copify also gives writers clear briefs, provides full administrative support and does not require writers to bid on work or submit proposals.
Another benefit of Copify is that it pays its writers immediately when a piece of work is completed via PayPal, eliminating the need to provide invoices or concerns about not being paid for work!
7. Constant Content
Constant Content describes itself as “one of the largest and most established platforms for facilitating connections between big brands and you—the best freelance writers online.”
By creating a profile on the Constant Content website, you can apply for writing projects with a wide range of prestigious companies including Uber, Zulily, The Home Depot, CVS, eBay and Walgreens.
Another attractive feature of Constant Content is that freelancers can write full articles on any topic they like, set their price, and advertise it to companies looking for content through the website!
But be aware that Constant Content is a website that focuses on recruiting freelance copywriters specialising in SEO and the majority of jobs advertised are for businesses looking for online content, articles or blogs.
8. FreelanceWriting.com
Online since 1997, FreelanceWriting.com presents a comprehensive list of current, available freelance writing jobs on a daily basis. Whether you are a beginner or an expert in the freelance writing field, FreelanceWriting.com will have something for you!
Offering freelance writing jobs in a range of disciplines including journalism, content, copywriting and blogging work, FreelanceWriting.com offers its members exclusive job opportunities and also presents the best opportunities for freelance writers posted on other, general job websites, such as Craigslist and Indeed.
Those seeking work via FreelanceWriting.com can search the opportunities available by sorting them by the date they were added to the site, the source the job comes from, the skills required, and the location where the company is based.
So, if you don’t want to work from a company in another country or to use a certain website, such as Craigslist, you don’t have to!
Another great feature of FreelanceWriting.com is the resources it offers to writers including its daily newsletter Morning Coffee eNewsletter which features new and updated information about the company’s freelance writing jobs.
It is useful for writers as it provides a summary of a wide range of freelance writing jobs and editing jobs from all over the web with competitive pay rates.
Signing up to the Morning Coffee eNewsletter is that it saves you the time of looking around numerous websites for work and brings the right writing jobs right to your inbox!
9. WriterBay.com
Based in the UK, WriterBay offers freelance writing opportunities to freelancers and companies based in that country.
Nevertheless, the website offers jobs from clients all over the world, and the opportunity to choose writing jobs in a wide variety of subjects, depending on your own strengths as a writer.
Additionally, the writing jobs include academic writing, creative writing and freelance writing in general. WriterBay also has its own Writer Support Team which offers help and support to its writers 24/7!
One of the cons of WriterBay is that it seems to be skewed toward the academic writing end of freelance writing so if you specialise in another area this may not be the website for you.
Another is that you need to complete a test to prove that you are qualified to seek work with the company.
10. Freelancer
Freelancer began life as GetAFreelancer and offers all kinds of freelance work, not just freelance writing jobs!
With 1350 different categories available, the most interesting to us freelance writers, are its article writing, ghost-writing, copywriting and SEO categories! Freelancer caters for all skill sets and can help anyone find a client.
There are a number of advantages of using Freelancer including the fact that it provides writers like you and me with massive jobs, with some even requiring the writer to create over 500 articles at once!
However, be warned that you have to bid on work to get it on Freelancer, and, as one of the most popular Freelance websites out there, there’s still competition!
11. Fiverr
Based in Tel Aviv, Italy, Fiverr was founded in 2010 and, since then, has become the world’s largest freelance services marketplace. It offers a large platform for freelancers to advertise on as it offers services to customers from all over the world.
Fiverr offers freelance work from a wide range of industries such as graphic design, digital marketing, writing and translation work opportunities!
It also covers writing jobs including articles and blog posts, website content, UX writing, product descriptions, resumes and cover letters, translation, eBook writing, proofreading and editing, scriptwriting, creative writing, research and summaries and so much more!
Although Fiverr is not exclusively for writers, it is well worth a look for its wide range of freelance writing job openings alone!
12. Blogging Pro
Blogging Pro is focused on blog writing jobs but covers a huge range of areas and posts both freelance and contract work. This gives freelancers the opportunity to accept one-off writing jobs or apply for a long term job in blog content writing.
If you have an interest in a certain area, Blogging Pro could be a way to build a portfolio and dip into many different interests such as mom blogs, gardening, auto, recruitment, TV, and beauty.
The only negative is that Bloggingpro only publishes blog writing opportunities which is limited but is not limited to any country or area.
13. Guru
Guru is another freelance writing website that allows you to create profiles, attach tags to your profile and upload previous work so that clients can make an informed decision on a freelancer.
Not only does it include writing jobs, it also allows freelancers from web design, translators, app design and photographers.
Companies are able to search for freelancers using the skill and location as well as post jobs. This increases the potential of finding a writing job as you can consistently check the job postings or be approached directly.
The only downfall is that there is a lot of competition so you might have to be quick with the job postings!
14. Vollna
Vollna is a freelance job site that’s built to be unique. By setting up a job filter specified to your needs, Vollna’s job listings sort through all the top freelance job sites and compile them into one. Created by a fellow freelancer, you can get email notifications based on your filter so you don’t miss another opportunity.
Top Tips for Finding the Best Writing Jobs
So now that you have an idea of where to look for writing jobs, you need to start applying! Here are some top tips to help you find the best writing jobs.
Find a Niche Board
If you have a particular skill or interest that you write for then niche job boards could provide more success than general writing job boards. This is because there is so much competition and a huge amount of freelancers looking for work too.
Network
In any industry, networking is essential to build relationships and increase the likelihood of landing and being offered jobs.
Therefore, network with potential companies that are hiring or that may hire in the future, as well as other freelancers. This can include freelancers outside of your niche as they can refer you to writing jobs they can’t complete.
Networking can also include joining freelance groups on Linkedin and Facebook to meet people within freelance writing, as online networking will be very important. You could also attend events that potential companies and peers will attend to make stronger connections in person.
Pitching
Pitching can be included in your networking as you reach out to companies especially. Contact established businesses, entrepreneurs, blogs or start ups and suggest how you can contribute to their business.
For example, if you notice their website doesn’t have a blog, you could suggest how a blog will help grow their business and how you can help.
Social Media
In addition to job boards, companies often advertise any vacancies or freelance work on their social media profiles. Keep an eye on hashtags and potential companies for any posts.
Do not forget to build your own social media presence as potential hirers can see your work online.
So, there you have it!
12 great websites for helping you establish yourself as a freelance writer and search for writing job opportunities. We hope that all of you, regardless of writing strengths and expertise can find at least one match in this comprehensive list of websites to grow and develop as a freelance writer!
Some platforms such as FlexJobs, Fiverr and Freelancer offer opportunities for all kinds of freelance specialists while others such as Copify, Constant Content and Freelancewriting.com focus on freelance writing exclusively.
Others such as WriterBay and Journalism.co.uk go even further focusing on specific kinds of freelance writing, such as journalism or academic writing.
So, take time to think about what kind or kinds of writing you want to do and consider which websites are likely to best cater to your strengths. Also, don’t be afraid to sell yourself and post examples of your work online.
It’s a competitive market out there and you need to put yourself out there to get work.
These are some of the best websites out there to kickstart your freelance writing career. Happy writing!
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