Freelance writing jobs are everywhere online. However, for beginners, finding the right one can be a little challenging. Thus, we listed down some ways to find the right freelance writing job for you.
Freelance writing has been a cup of tea for most of us. We have been in this line of work for a couple of years now, which is why it is not surprising that a lot of us are bombarded with questions like where to find freelance writing jobs for beginners. And questions like these are normally coming from fellow stay-at-home moms.
We do not mind being asked though, because after all, before getting where we are now, we were once a newbie in this industry, too.
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Oh! And when we say freelance writing jobs though, we do not mean just like any other freelance jobs out there – but good quality freelance writing gigs.
Before you even think it’s impossible for a beginner to land in a good quality freelance writing job. Well, you better think again. We believe it is possible by simply doing the “right” thing. Remember, we’ve been there once, and we are generous enough to make life simpler by sharing with you some ways to find good quality freelance writing jobs at home.
Before we continue, if you are thinking why to consider freelancing, well, here’s a fact worth sharing:
In a report entitled, Freelancing in America 2018, which is an independent, annual study commissioned by both Upwork and Freelance Union, it has been found that most freelancers (freelance writers included) — 77% of them — believe that they get to have work-life balance by working as a freelancer.
To be honest, we couldn’t agree more. Because even if we juggle work and mommy duties, still, we get that kind of balance as compared to working in an office setting.
WAYS TO FIND GOOD QUALITY FREELANCE WRITING JOBS
Cold Pitching
This may sound strange for some of you. Well, that’s fine. We understand that some terms may not be as common as the other terms. But that is why we are here, right?
Before anything else, let us define what we mean by cold pitching.
Cold pitching is the term used when a person gets in touch with bloggers, entrepreneurs, companies, startups or small businesses, and introduce who she is. Well, obviously, introducing yourself as a freelance writer, and how you can help them grow their businesses.
For some, this action may sound scary — especially if you are not the “marketing” or “sales” type of person. However, we assure you it’s not as hard as you think it is. The process is actually very simple. All you have to do is locate a business to cold pitch to. We suggest businesses or startups that do not have a blog. You may also do some stalking over their social media pages and notice how they are trying to grow their online presence.
Once you locate the right prospected clients, draft a cold pitch and send it to them.
When cold pitching, make sure to include the following:
– How you found out about the company/business?
– Who you are?
– How you can help them?
In an article published by Forbes, they shared five steps on how to cold pitch to a prospective client. This include:
- Pitch to the right person
- Write a compelling email subject line
- Personalize and speak to their needs
- Establish credibility with social proof
- Follow up
This may need a lot of work, but this one of the best ways to find good quality freelance writing jobs.
Pitching through Job Boards
For any new freelancers, especially those who are not brave enough to do cold pitching, pitching through job boards is the way to go. It’s basically responding to job ads that you feel like you fit in. Needless to say, job boards are one of the primary ways that many new writers use in finding consistent work.
Pitching through job boards also helps you gain your confidence level as a new freelance writer. It helps you grow — to say the least.
Needless to say, some of these job boards are free and there isn’t any bidding that needs to be done to land a freelance writing job.
Apart from the fact that these job boards are helpful for freelance writers, it is helpful also among entrepreneurs, bloggers, and small business owners as they too use these platforms to post any available freelance writing jobs they have.
Depending on the client, sometimes you may be asked for your rate, or in some cases, clients do have a fixed rate and it’s for you to decide whether or not to give in to their offer.
Some of the job boards that you may want to pitch in are:
- Upwork
- Guru
- Problogger
- Blogging Pro
- All Freelance Writing Job Board
- Contena
Before we move on, in the video below, Kopywriting Kourse shares steps on how to kick off your freelance writing career. We find this really helpful and informative especially for newbies. We highly suggest you take the time to watch this out:
Ask Within Your Circle
This actually has to be first on the list – we thought. But you know what they say, you will never know unless you ask?
One of the best ways to jumpstart your freelance writing career or land a freelance writing job is by asking family and friends or your former workplace if they need any help.
Sometimes we tend to look somewhere when in fact, opportunities are just around the corner. Who knows? Maybe your friend needs someone to edit her work or your former boss needs someone to write an article about a recent business venture or maybe need someone to work on the content of the company website. You never know really.
So, before looking for freelance writing jobs elsewhere, make sure to ask the people within your circle first. Consider this as your stepping stone. After all, in order to get the best freelance writing opportunity, you will need experience – and this one’s the best way to gain experience.
Make Use of Your Blog or Website
When finding freelance writing jobs, one of the best things to do is to make use of whatever existing website or blog you have. Make it as your professional site.
You see, the best way to attract high-paying clients is by having a professional-looking website. This will give them the impression that you are worth their money and time.
Your website or blog will serve as your sample work so make sure you post well-written and well-thought-out blog posts.
Note that when starting out, you do not necessarily have to create your website. A free blog site will do. However, if you intend to really make money out of freelance writing, eventually, you will need to build and invest in a self-hosted WordPress site or whatever you want to use.
When making your site, again, make it look like and sound like a professional. Remember, it will serve as your professional portfolio. So, make sure it will look really pleasing to clients or prospective clients.
Network with Freelance Writers
Apart from cold pitching and pitching over job boards, networking with freelance writers is also an ideal way to jumpstart your freelance writing career.
Remember, no one else knows better about this industry but the people who are in this already. After all, we are all in this together! Don’t think about the competition because we believe what we have here is merely a friendly competition.
As we have said earlier, there is a lot of freelance writing jobs — in fact, there’s one for everyone. So, no need to compete with one another, right?
When networking, it does not necessarily mean you know the people or that they are your friends. You can widen your network by joining freelance writer groups on social media pages or you can also join freelance writer organizations within your community.
Once you are in, you will see and experience yourself how generous your fellow freelance writers are, and you will be amazed by the many opportunities available for you.
Of course, once you are already there, make sure to do the same for the new ones coming in. It’s about giving back.
Join Facebook Groups
Facebook is not just a platform to get in touch with your family and friends. Today, Facebook has emerged to much more than that. In fact, you can find potential freelance writing gigs on Facebook! How? By simply joining certain Facebook groups.
You know, once you are already part of the group, you will no longer have a hard time finding consistent work.
When joining Facebook groups though, make sure to interact with the people in there. It’s the key towards finding a job — basically networking too. Join in every conversation that you feel you are knowledgeable about. You may also consider throwing out a question to see if there are entrepreneurs that need help. But, do not be upfront posting you need a job.
To give you an idea, some legit Facebook groups that you may want to join in are:
The Smart Passive Income Community
The Business Lounge Mastermind
Christian Entrepreneurs: Building Your Business With Purpose
Remember, there is no wrong in trying and putting yourself out there. Know that there are a lot of businessmen and women who are not aware of job boards even in this day and age. Some also find Facebook more accessible so they use it to find the person they need or are looking for. Who knows, you might just find your first every freelance writing stint in there, right?
Get a Referral
This one’s applicable to those who have already worked with a client in the past. Otherwise, this one’s not for you (for now).
If you have already worth it for a client in the past, it’s best to ask for a referral. While it can be a little scary for some, there’s no harm in trying, right? When doing this, just keep in mind that there only two things that may happen — either they agree or they decline your request. However it goes, just be ready. Of course, if you do not have a good relationship built with a former client, expect the worse.
You can send an email to your former client, or if you are linked via social media, you may also consider sending him or her a message. Be nice and kind when asking for a referral. They will surely appreciate it.
Some expert freelance writers have generated a lot of money by doing this, and it is really one of the best ways to find a freelance writing job.
- Look for and Pitch in Sites that Pay Writers
Apart from magazines and publications, there are so many existing blogs that pay for your guest post. But of course, this has to be good quality posts.
Although we will be honest here, landing a paid guest spot can be a little challenging as compared to landing a free guest post, which we are going to talk about next.
We do not suggest this one as a regular job — because as the name suggests, it’s just a guest post, which means you can send an article but without guarantee, if they will accept it and you will get paid or not.
This one’s a good stint while you are looking for a client to work for.
To give you an idea, here are some sites that you may want to check:
- Cracked
- Funds for Writers
- Motherly (This one’s ideal for moms who wants to share their parenting stories!)
- RankPay
- Make A Living Writing
- Reader’s Digest
- Money Crashers
Guest Post for Free
You will probably wonder why would you guest post for free when you are looking for a freelance writing gig that pays?
Well, it’s part of the strategy towards getting good quality freelance writing job stint.
Apart from the fact that you can include this in your portfolio, writing for free especially on popular sites can open a lot of opportunities for you.
You see, your writing will hit hundreds and thousands of people, and who knows? One of them is the client you have been looking for!?
Again, it’s one way not just to build your writing portfolio, but also, to eventually land more clients.
The reality of freelance writing is that you need your portfolio to earn more. That is why building it up is really important. We are not saying that this is a requirement, but this is one of the best ways to do if you want to land in a good quality freelance writing job.
By now you are probably wondering where to guest post, right? Well, opportunities differ on a day to day basis. So, we suggest you do a quick Google search. Type on the search bar using this formula “niche + write for us” (for example, “parenting blog + write for us” or “pregnancy blog + write for us”) and see the results.
From the results, choose the sites you feel like guest posting. Check their post guidelines and then, pitch your idea!
Do not forget to draft also a short author biography. You may also want to share the link to your site to encourage readers to check who you are by visiting your site. But honestly, if a potential client reads it and finds you fitted on the job they have, then that’s hitting two birds with one stone, right?
Use LinkedIn Job Board
Just in case you are not aware yet, LinkedIn does have a job board, too! Apart from using it as a networking platform, it also has a job board where you can possibly find a freelance writing job stint.
So how do you find a job there? Simply go to their job board and type in under your job “writer” and see what pops up.
Once results are in, you can now decide how you want to approach these businesses. You can do cold pitching if you want to — especially if you are in dire need of a freelance writing job.
Follow Job Boards on Twitter
Some of you will most likely be surprised knowing that you can after all use Twitter to find freelance writing jobs. Well, yes, you can.
You know, social media platforms can be a goldmine for landing freelance writing gigs.
Follow certain freelance writing job boards and be updated on possible freelance writing gigs.
Some of the job boards you may want to follow are:
- @WhoPaysWriters
- @Write_Jobs
- @JJobs_tweets
Check Out Local Printing and Design Companies
Another way to land in regular freelance work is by contacting your local printing and web design companies. Some of these companies, offer freelance writing jobs as well as proofreading and editing gigs. You may also consider going to your business district if you want too, and let your local shop owners know that you are a freelance writer and that you are willing to do writing gigs if they need one.
This one, however, is not that ideal, especially for stay-at-home moms. Apart from the fact that you will need to leave your house (and bringing your kid around is not a good idea), it will also take so much of your time.
But if you are someone who has the time and the energy to go around, you may consider doing this.
Find a Gig on Craiglist
Craiglist is another popular site among freelance writers. Although some find the site to have low-quality writing jobs, we say, it’s all about knowing where to find the quality ones.
When looking for freelance writing gigs on Craiglist, check the Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Miami, as well as Boston sites. There you can find good quality freelance writing jobs.
Know that business in big cities like the ones we cited have big budgets. So, do quick research in each of these cities regularly and pitch!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON FREELANCE WRITING JOBS
When looking for any freelance jobs, it is important to first and foremost, know where to find them. Apart from that, learning from the ones ahead of you in such an industry is key.
As we said, there are so many freelance writing jobs out there, but finding a good quality freelance writing job is another story. That is why to spare you from having a hard time, we share some of the ways we know to help you start off your freelance writing career.
So, of all the options or ways we shared, which one have you already tried doing? How does it go so far?
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