Jay Leonard
Now that you’ve got some blogging experience under your belt, it’s time to hit the road and start looking for freelance writing work. Before you get started, here are some things to consider:
What Kind of Writing Work?
Firstly, you need to determine what kind of work you want. If you are a blogger, there are plenty of blogging and ghost blogging jobs (that is, blogging without credit to your name). However, you may feel ready to step out of that box and into brand ambassadorship, writing product descriptions or copywriting. You’ll need experience in whatever area you step into, so if you have any, add it to your resume. If you know of close contacts in these fields, consider offering your services on a limited or low cost basis, once or twice, to get your feet wet. I do not advise making a habit of this but assisting companies and brands is always beneficial.
What Pay?
Pay for writing varies greatly. Some gigs pay by the word, some offer flat fees. Because competition is stiff, newbies may believe they cannot write for anything more than a few dollars. My first gig paid $0.05 per word, which is not great but it’s far more than $5 for 500 words. Another thing you need to consider is that some sites pay revenue share rather than a word count – that is, you get a share of the advertising. Other sites provide reader votes or quantity bonuses, while regular pay is quite low or nonexistent.
While making a few dollars for a post may feel great right now, down the road it’s going to seem like you’ve done a lot of work for almost nothing in return. It worked for me for a short time, but if you don’t feel comfortable starting out with such low pay, instead offer to guest post about a topic you are passionate and knowledgeable about. Contributing to something you care about will motivate you to write well and can establish your reputation. Otherwise, you cannot guarantee that the amount of income you receive will be worth your time and effort, and you may be tempted to write a lower quality piece.
Where to Publish Your Sample Posts
If you don’t have a website or your blog is too personal, you’ll need a portfolio of writing pieces online. Most job ads will request writing samples – allowing you to get a decent gig without much experience. The following sites are great resources for creating a writing portfolio:
- Clippings.Me: This site is professional, polished and targeted for writers. You can load unlimited clippings for free.
- Contently: This site allows you to create a custom URL for your online portfolio.
Where to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
In 2008, I landed my first blogger job after months of applying at some of the sites listed below. I had no prior paid experience, but I did have a track record already as a long time blogger in that niche, SEO and web design experience. Remember to apply to any job on these boards the same way you’d apply to any other job: write an effective cover letter that focuses on the prospective client, upload a professional resume and submit tailored writing samples.
1. Problogger Job Board
Brought to you by the trustworthy folks at ProBlogger, this board primarily lists blogging work and that’s why it’s the first source I go to. In addition, many of the ads here are fairly comprehensive in telling you exactly what you need experience-wise and pay parameters. Jobs are broken out by blog network positions vs. job offers from companies. Offers plenty of blogging advice on the main site as well.
2. Freelance Writing Gigs
This board is updated every weekday. It’s categorized according to section, “Content Writing Jobs,” “Blogging Jobs,” and so on, allowing you to check out writing jobs that are not strictly blogging but in areas such as translation or educational materials. You can also subscribe and have jobs delivered to your inbox. The blog also offers lots of advice for landing jobs.
Visit FreelanceWritingGigs.com
3. Media Bistro
This board is primarily for local work in media, so if you live near a major city or an area they cover, you’ll want to check into these job listings regularly. They do have freelance work and remote jobs from time to time as well, although many of these are full time gigs in all areas of media. This is a convenient place to search jobs by location. This site also offers latest news about media and a host of paid training options.
Visit MediaBistro.com Job Board
4. Journalism Jobs
Similar to Media Bistro, this site also allows you to search by job type (blogger, writer). Don’t be intimidated by the site name; there are local blogger jobs available here. Also offers lots of advice and training in the field, as well as journalism news.
5. Your Local CraigsList
Be very cautious with this one but you can find local and possibly remote work on this site. Often ProBlogger and Freelance Writing Gigs will pick up the quality ads from this site, however, that doesn’t mean you can’t find work nearby through CraigsList. The problem here is that some of these links can be spammy. If it looks and feels like an ad or is simply screaming, “work from home!” you can be sure it’s spam.
6. Morning Coffee Newsletter
This newsletter is subscribed to through FreelanceWriting.com and is an excellent source for freelance blogging work. The weekly email has a short description so that you only need to click on the links that apply to you. This is one of my most valuable resources, so I suggest you sign up right away.
Visit Morning Coffee Newsletter
7. All Indie Writers
This site is comprehensive and lists the pay / professional level before you even click the content, making this one a new favorite. Also includes a writer’s market for print jobs and opportunities.
8. Blogging Pro Job Board
These too are separated by type of hire: blogger, copywriter, editor. Only lists open / recent positions. Also features blogging advice.
9.LinkedIn
Because of its nature as a professional site, LinkedIn is a great place to search for jobs, detail your work experience, collect endorsements and connect with the companies and fields you’d like to work for. In addition, you select what you are seeking from contacts and how you’d like them to reach out to you. While it’s not my top resource for finding work, I have landed some interesting projects through my contacts.
10. Sign up with creative placement firms
This option is going to work best for you if you can take temp jobs on short notice, live near a large city, and are looking for writing work that employs more like full time – that is, working for full days or weeks at a time and most likely onsite for a client. I’ve recently signed up with The Creative Group and Creative Circle.
Where Else to Find Writing Work?
I’ve gotten some of my best work writing for friends and family, for full pay so leave no stone unturned. A new resource I’ve discovered is Ed2010. While these are tailored toward magazine jobs, there is a ton of information, resources and mentorship, as well as jobs and internships. Search for local companies that you’d like to be a part of and hunt for targeted magazines accepting pitches in your niche. In-person events and conferences round out my list of places where I have landed writing contracts.
These sources will get you started in landing your first well-paying freelance writing job and building your skills set.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Jay Leonard.
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