I’ve been working as a full-time freelance writer for over two years now, and the first half year was pretty rocky financially because I didn’t know where to even begin looking for freelance writing jobs. While other freelancers suggested that I pay a freelance website to find jobs for me, I knew there had to be freelance writing jobs posted online somewhere, I just had to find them. One of the first that I found was Associated Content, which is still one of my favorite places to write for. The freedom of being able to write what I want, when I want, and get paid for it is very nice indeed. However, as much as I love AC, what I make writing for them is not enough to cover all my expenses so I’ve had to expand my horizons so to speak.
Recently a fellow writer here on AC asked me where she could find other freelance writing jobs listed online. And a light went off in my head, I thought, “Hmmm…I’ll bet there are other writers here who would be interested in knowing where the choice freelance writing job listings are.” Hence the birth of this article.
Here are the top ten places I look when I’m looking for extra freelance writing work. Now keep in mind there is going to be competition for these slots, but the more often you apply the more likely you will be to get some extra assignments. Whatever you do continue to write for AC because this can then become your freelance writer’s portfolio. I’ve actually received freelance assignments because of the fact that I write for AC.
1. About Freelance Writing: This is my favorite website when it comes to looking for freelance writing jobs. The lady that runs it puts up new listings every day. She pulls them from all over the internet, and while they are not all the freelance writing job listings you can find online, she gives you a very good start. I look here first before I go anywhere else! You can find her current freelance writing job listings here. She is well worth checking out every morning!
2. Sun Oasis Jobs: Another great place to look for freelance writing work, and hey AC is listed there too! Seriously though they have a very nice listing and I have yet to find duplicates on this list that have also appeared on the About Freelance Writing website. One of the more frustrating things about seeking freelance writing work online is when you go to these lists and find mostly duplicates. This is one reason I love Sun Oasis Jobs, plus they list some good blogging for pay opportunities as well. You can check out the Sun Oasis Jobs list here.
3. Deborah Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs: About Freelance Writing pulls some jobs from this website for their list, but not all, and so I always check Deborah’s website as well. The nice thing about her website is that she lists both regular freelance writing gigs and blogging gigs. So, if you are a regular blogger already and enjoy that sort of writing, checking out her website is a must. She has job lists for both every day, and while they are in black ink and don’t look as though they are links they, all you have to do is click on any job with your mouse and it will pull up the original source in another window. So, be sure and take a look at Deborah’s website here.
4. ProBlogger: Speaking of blogging, believe it or not some freelancer writers actually make their living blogging. Yup that’s write they sit at a computer all day doing blog postings. Not a bad way to earn a living if you ask me. These tend to be ongoing gigs as well, making them especially nice income wise. The key thing to remember with these types of freelance writing jobs is that the employer often wants you to have experience in blogging, usually meaning your own blog that you post to regularly. So, if you have a hard time being disciplined when it comes to blogging you may want to think a bit about this one. Nevertheless, along with Deborah Ng’s website, ProBlogger is another great place to seek out freelance writing gigs. If being a professional blogger is your big freelance writing dream then take a look here.
5. Golden Prose: Click on the Freelance Writing Jobs Center at the bottom to go to their listings. While I haven’t found a lot of jobs to apply for here, there is always a good listing, and seldom are there repeats which as I’ve mentioned before are a pain. Another nice thing about this website is that they have the jobs broken up into categories such as Writer (General), Creative Writer, Proofreader and so son, as well as by category such as Health Writer, Automotive Writer and so on, making it easy to find the type of freelance writing assignments you prefer. This website also has tons of useful articles to help the freelance writer, so it is well worth checking out. Take a look for yourself here.
6. Journalism Jobs: This website is more geared towards those who are journalists but there are occasionally some jobs that are labeled freelance and I’ve even seen the occasional web content request here. If you aren’t interested in professional journalism jobs (not that we aren’t professionals but generally they want people with a journalism degree), they have a small box to the left that has a Freelance Jobs link, if you click on that you’ll be taken to a listing that has freelance jobs. While there are still some professional journalism jobs mixed in, these listings tend to be a little bit more flexible on experience and the type of degree you have, and the sort of writing they are looking for. Since I have found some web content jobs on there before I check them out pretty regularly. You can see what they have here.
7. Craig’s List: I’ll bet you were wondering when I was going to mention this one, huh? Well the reason it’s a little farther down on my list is because the first three job listing websites on this list tend to go to Craig’s List and do most of the research for you. Between the first three they have the main good freelance writer listings linked on their websites already. So, while I do spend some time search there regularly, I’ve found that in most cases they’ve already beaten me to punch line when it comes to findings freelance writing jobs there. Still it’s a great place to look for freelance writing jobs and I definitely recommend looking there fairly regularly. I’m sure most of you already know the website, but for those who might not you’ll find it here.
8. Online Writing Jobs: When I first started out as a freelance writer this was one of the first websites I went to look for work. While they have some nice listings, I found that the majority of the jobs were low-paying. These types of gigs can be a great opportunity for the beginning freelance writer. So, if you are just starting out, this is a great place to take a look. They do have a high-paying job list, but these tend to be fairly technical at least in some cases, and there are fewer current listings than you will find on the low-paying list. While they do have a non-paying list, I don’t recommend you write for nothing. While it can be a nice way to get a portfolio put together, you can do that by writing for AC and getting paid for it! Nevertheless, once in a while there are some good jobs posted here, and they definitely deserve to be on the list here. Also, they have many other resources that are helpful such as links to newsletters that have freelance job listings to name one. Oh, and signing up is free! Check them out here.
9. Freelance Blogging Jobs: Like Deborah Ng’s website, this is a blog that has freelance blogging job listings. There are sometimes some repeats from the first couple of websites on this list, but there are some that are not and as such this is a website that is worth checking out. Particularly if you’ve applied for all those freelance opportunities that you could from the other lists and you’re looking for a few extra to meet your quota for the day or week. I like the fact that there are several listings on most days as this at least gives the freelancer the possibility of finding something new. Visit this blog here.
10. Telecommuting Writing Jobs: This is the sister blog to Freelance Blogging Jobs. It has all the same advantages as its sister blog, and makes a point of only listing writing jobs that are work from home positions. Since most of us that are freelance writers really only want those types of jobs (unless by some stroke of luck we get a full-time one doing what we love that is a short distance from where we live), this is a good place to look. Just so you are aware though, there are some duplicate freelance blogging gigs that are listed on both blogs. You can visit this blog here.
These are my top 10 places to look for freelance writing gigs and they are FREE! There is absolutely no reason that any freelance writer should have to pay someone to get freelance work. While I have friends who swear by some of these websites such as elance.com, and ifreelance.com, one thing to keep in mind with these is that there are a lot of potential bidders on these jobs and it is probably just as competitive on one of these paid for websites as it is if you apply for jobs that have been listed on one or all of these lists.
I hope you find this list useful, and are able to find some extra freelance writing work from some of the websites listed here!
