Whether you want to learn how to make an extra $1000 a month or you need a full-time income, freelance writing jobs are a great way to achieve your dreams. The great thing about them is that you can do them from the comfort of your home.
I’m a great example of how easy it is to become a freelance writer. While my journey didn’t start as a writer, that’s where it landed me, and I’ll never look back. It turns out companies need freelance writers in a big way. Thanks to today’s digital age, there’s a tremendous demand for people who can write.
The best news is that you don’t need special education, specific equipment, or even a college education. If you can craft quality sentences, make your writing concise, and get your point across, you may earn decent side cash or make a living out of freelance writing.
Of course, a few handy tools, such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid, help perfect your writing, but they aren’t required if you have solid writing skills.
Do Freelance Writing Jobs Pay Well?
It’s the question everyone wants answered. After all, we all have bills, financial goals, and dreams, right?
Whether ‘good’ to you means learning how to make 200 dollars in one day, or you need to make a lot more, there are freelance writing jobs that pay well, even allowing you to quit your full-time job.
According to Indeed, the average freelance writer makes $20.21 an hour (based on around 200 freelancers surveyed). Payscale.com states the average (median) freelancer makes $24.22 per hour, but 50% earn more or less than this amount.
How much you make depends on your experience, niche, and how you charge. The beauty of freelance writing is that you set the rates, not the other way around. So ask yourself, how much are you worth? What would make it worth it for you to pursue a career as a freelance writer?
It’s best if you figure out your income needs by converting your salary to hourly pay. It’s easier to determine the right rates when you have an hourly wage you need.
Whether you’re looking to save for a vacation, a down payment on a house or you’re working your way through the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps – freelance writing can be a great way to reach your goals.
5 Best Freelance Writing Jobs
Freelance writers provide many types of written material. Some are in print, and others are online or a combination of the two. Knowing your target audience and the content’s purpose will help you tailor the writing to the client’s needs.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom looking to add a little household income, you’re tired of under the table jobs, or you are a professional looking to change careers, there are freelance writing jobs for everyone.
1. Ghostwriter – Writing Content Anonymously
If you don’t mind not getting credit for your writing, ghostwriting is a great way to make money. Companies of all sizes need someone to handle their content, but they want it to look like the expert words came from the business owners themselves.
It’s best if you specialize in a niche. What area do you know best? You’ll still need to do research, but your writing will look more authoritative, which is what businesses want.
If you choose to ghostwrite, consider creating a separate portfolio of work you can share with potential new clients. Most clients you ghostwrite for will require a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and without the writing posted in your name, there’s nothing for you to show. Create that portfolio before you market yourself, and you’ll increase your chances of getting chosen.
Ghostwriting may mean writing blog content, literature, or even news articles.
2. Copy Writing – Help Businesses Increase Sales
Copywriting has one purpose – to increase sales. A company may hire you to write sales content, write their call to action, or create ad content for specific marketing tools they’re trying, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads.
Copywriters have a witty yet convincing way of writing. They can sell anything to anyone with their words and have the ability to keep the reader engaged from start to finish.
Businesses measure their success by looking at their ROI – how much did their sales increase, or how many more followers did they get? Copywriting includes writing sales pages, ads, and email marketing.
3. Content Writer – Create Content on Websites
Some businesses just need someone to create their static content. That may be the content on their web pages or other articles they want to publish. Content writers must have a solid grasp of SEO techniques, especially if you’ll write website content.
Businesses hire freelance writers to create well-written website content that ranks well in search engines. This is a specific craft that most business owners don’t have time to learn but will happily pay a writer to do.
4. Writing Product Descriptions – Help eCommerce Businesses Succeed
Businesses need quality written product descriptions. The descriptions should be short, descriptive, and SEO optimized. Using a freelance writer helps business owners get descriptions that aren’t biased but rather explain the products effectively.
Remember, SEO is just as important in eCommerce as each platform uses a similar algorithm, ranking products based on the keywords used.
5. Corporate Copywriting – Copywriting for Professionals
If you’d rather focus your copywriting high-income skills in the professional world, consider corporate copywriting. Corporations need writers for a variety of jobs for both internal and external use.
For example, you may write a company’s employee handbook or job descriptions. You may also create promotional content or keep up their blog content, just like a blogger, but in a more professional and demanding fashion.
Where Can Freelance Writers Find Work?
Freelance writing is one of the best jobs where you work alone. Whether you’re an introvert or just want the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped businesses grow, freelance writing is an excellent career for those who prefer the solitude of their own home.
But where can you find the jobs? Check out these great resources.
LinkedIn – A Writer’s Showcase
If you aren’t on LinkedIn, you’re missing out. Its benefits are twofold. LinkedIn’s main objective is to connect professionals with companies in need. Many companies hire freelance writers on LinkedIn, and it’s a great resource.
There’s another way, though. You can showcase your writing here too. Grow your network, and while you do, publish pieces you’ve written to your feed. What better way to get people to hire you for freelance writing jobs than to show them what you can do? I’ve brought in many clients this way.
Facebook – A Great Place to Connect
Facebook is more than a place to connect with old friends – many freelancers connect on this social media platform to network. Check out the Write Life Community, Writers Helping Writers, and Inner Circle Writers Group for starters. They may turn you into other groups, too.
Indeed – Great for Job Listings
You’ve likely searched Indeed before when looking for a 9-to-5 job, but today, there are many freelance writing jobs on there, too.
It takes a little digging to find what you need and remember. No one is double-checking the legitimacy of these listings, so the due diligence is on your shoulders. It’s worth checking out, though, as many businesses stick to the routes they know to post jobs, even if they’re looking for a freelancer.
Craigslist – Use with Caution
You either love or hate Craigslist. Even if you don’t use it to buy or sell products, there are often great writing gigs on there. Like Indeed, you have to wade through the fake ads, or the people you know won’t pay, but it’s worth the legwork.
Check the job listings under the ‘writing’ heading, but don’t skip the ‘gigs’ section. There’s a tab for ‘writing’ that many companies list their jobs under. Use your intuition and research abilities to make sure the opportunity is legitimate, though.
Freelancewriting.com – A Catch-all for Freelancing Writers
The name says it all. Freelance writers have used Freelancewriting.com as a resource for more than 20 years. You can get the ‘reader’s digest’ version by waiting for their Tuesday email, called Morning Coffee, or peruse the job boards at your leisure.
ProBlogger Jobs – A Great Site for Bloggers
If you’ve chosen blogging as your niche, don’t skip ProBlogger! It’s been around since 2004 and has provided professional bloggers with thousands of jobs. A quick search through their database reveals that they add jobs daily, often multiple times a day.
That is one site where you must have narrowed down your niche. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of so many companies hiring bloggers, but you should stick with what you know and where you can excel – make a name for yourself!
Freelance Writer’s Den – An Incredible Resource for Freelance Writers
A big part of being a freelance writer isn’t that you can write but that you have the resources to update your skills continually. At Freelance Writer’s Den, you’ll find legitimate (vetted) job listings plus a ton of resources to keep you updated.
There’s a monthly fee, but consider it a business expense and use the resources to your advantage. The webinars, live seminars, and various training opportunities they offer are beyond what you’ll find anywhere else.
Upwork – A Marketplace for Freelancers
Upwork is more of a marketplace than a place for listings. Companies list their writing needs on the job board. Interested freelancers then bid for the work. You bid based on your experience, knowledge, and rates.
Companies list their budget, but you can bid however much you deem fit for the job. Keep in mind that each listing gets many bids (sometimes hundreds), so find a way to make your listing stand out either with its price or with your expertise—show the company how you’d provide more value than your competition.
Fiverr – Create your Own Gig
Once you establish yourself, start your own gig(s) on Fiverr. Similar to Upwork, companies come there to find freelancers. On Fiverr, you create a gig, and if buyers are interested, they buy it.
You set all terms for your gig, including the price, any extras you offer (extra words, faster delivery, etc.), and the delivery time. As buyers review your gig (hopefully with five stars), you work up in the rankings, getting more exposure and eventually more sales.
Is Freelance Writing a Good Career?
Today, there’s a high demand for freelance writers. Even if you’ve never written a blog post in your life, there are freelance writing jobs out there for you to get money now. If you’ve mastered the craft of writing, I suggest that you practice a few blog posts or sales posts if copywriting excites you more after viewing what others do.
Use the internet to your advantage and create your own little business as a freelance writer. The sky’s the limit to how much you can earn. I quit my full-time job and made a great living out of it, and you can, too.
This article originally appeared on Your Money Geek and has been republished with permission.
