March 6, 2024
When you’re looking for some of the best freelance writing sites for beginners, freelance writing gigs, and freelance writing sites that have freelance work to help you build out your portfolio, this list of freelance sites will help you get started.
The best freelance writing website can help you learn about freelance writing jobs that are available, educate you about the industry, and even help you learn more freelance skills so you can set yourself apart from the competition.
If you’re wondering about the types of freelance writing you can create for these sites, I’ve got you covered.
Whether the following freelancing websites are a good fit for your business or not, you should know about these freelancing sites as part of your career know-how. In fact, they are some of the best freelance writing sites for beginners who are looking to learn more about the industry.
Check these best freelancing site when you’re in a freelance slow season, when you’re looking for the best freelance writing sites for beginners, need to find some fresh freelance writing gigs to fill holes in your schedule, or when you’re looking to try out a new freelance niche.
Upwork is one of the most popular freelance writing gigs websites and well-known freelance writing websites, particularly if you’re searching for freelance writing jobs for beginners. There are tons of opportunities for freelancers, which is why it’s thought of as one of the best freelance writing sites for beginners.
But, it can be time-consuming to apply to jobs, pitch yourself, and find work that you’re excited to do as a freelancer. Here are upwork pros and cons from freelancers.
I was first introduced to this site when they were separate companies, Elance and oDesk that merged together in 2013 and then transitioned to the freelance platform Upwork in 2015. You’ll see a lot of questions on freelance message boards and threads like “is Upwork legit?” and “is Upwork worth it?”
I’m not sure how well Upwork screens the potential clients freelancers can work with but they do offer payment protection so you (hopefully) won’t get scammed by a freelance client who doesn’t want to pay for your work. That’s one of the pros of using these freelancing websites to find work on one of these platforms versus trying to find high-paying freelance clients on your own.
On the other side, you’re competing with a lot of people. One writing website says that as of 2021, there were 12 million registered freelancers on Upwork.
And some of the rates are really low (like one job I found that pays $3 an hour for blog writing–eek!), but it looks like you can specify your hourly rate on your profile. This is one of the freelance writing websites I suggest you approach cautiously when looking for work.
Although this website doesn’t feature freelance writing jobs for beginners, this freelance resource is one all freelancers should check out as one of the best freelance writing website. Founded in 1995, Freelancers Union is a free community you can join for information, discounts, access to insurance plans, and much more.
You can get insurance through them–I have in past years!–get help with taxes for freelance writers, explore their events and webinars, and engage with their community. They have a freelance blog writers can contribute to if you need to get more article clips or want to share your knowledge with the community. Here’s my article for them on how to be more productive in 15 minutes or less.
Fiverr is another one of the freelance writing websites you’ve probably heard of when you started looking into freelance writing jobs for beginners. There are tons of freelance opportunities on this site and freelance writing services you could find jobs for include speechwriting, SEO writing, social media copy, sales copy, blogs, and so on.
Fiverr profiles display your skills and ranking for your services–the more work you’ve done on the site, the higher ranked you’ll be. This is a good thing once you’ve got experience from Fiverr clients, but you will be ranked as a new user until then (which may not align with your actual work experience and skill level if you’re new to the platform but an experienced freelance writer like I am).
It can be a decent starting point to explore as you’re reviewing the best freelance writing sites for beginners. Is fiverr worth it?
According to fiverr’s writing website, one gig is bought every four seconds, with over 50 million transactions since it launched in 2010. While some freelancers consider this a low-paying content mill with a “race to the bottom” for rates–and it can be!–many freelancers are offering their writing, editing, copywriting, and design skills and doing well on the platform.
Fiverr can be helpful for landing a few writing samples with clients that you can use in your portfolio–but then use those to move on to higher-paying clients, whether that’s on their site or another freelance writing gigs site. This content marketing exercise can help you find more clients.
Although I haven’t gotten any business from this freelance writing site, it’s one of the best online freelance writing job sites because I’ve found some great graphic designers for social media on here. I had a freelancer write a blog posts on how to make money on fiverr.
When freelance coaching clients ask me a freelance FAQ about launching a website to showcase their portfolio, I suggest they have their own freelance writing website eventually, but use a freelance website like Contently or ClearVoice or Skyword to host their portfolio for now so they have a live link to share with clients–at no cost!
Contently launched in 2011 as a brand storytelling platform; designed to pair brands with freelancers and other creatives. I’ve been working on Contently as a freelancer for over seven years now and tend to work with health, pet, fitness, and healthcare clients. Rates on this platform tend to be competitive, but there’s also quite a bit of competition on Contently.
One of the reasons this is on my list of best freelance writing sites is that you can get paid right away through their platform once you submit an article (hooray!). But other times, you don’t get paid until the final portion of the article is complete–which can take months. Some freelancers aren’t sure of how to hack the algorithms, so you are more likely to show up as a potential freelancer when the Contently team is gathering names for upcoming freelance writing gigs.
I suggest updating your profile page often with links and keywords. There’s a freelance rates database (I’m not sure how often it’s updated) and occasionally Contently will post about specific writers for profitable freelance niches on their blog–usually finance, tech, and e-Commerce.
Clients I got freelance writing jobs from this platform include:
Chewy, CareCredit, Thumbtack, CareCredit, SleepNumber, MattressFirm, Philips, Beachbody
ClearVoice is one of the freelance writing sites you can also use to host a free portfolio of your articles and freelance projects. They were founded in 2014 and acquired by fiverr recently, which they say allows them to offer up more world-class freelance teams to clients. I suggest creating a freelancer profile on as many of these platforms as you can so you have more opportunities for work to come your way. I think ClearVoice can be one of the best freelance writing sites for beginners.
I worked with ClearVoice as a freelance editor on one technology client project and wrote some freelance articles for a few of their clients. In general, I find their clients pay less than Contently or Skyword in the health and beauty industries but, they named me a top beauty writer on their freelance writing website and that’s helped me get some freelance work.
I find it to be one of the best freelance writing sites for beginners as a place to showcase your freelance writer portfolio. Their Resources Center has a lot of good content that freelancers should read to stay up to date on industry trends.
Clients I got freelance writing jobs from this platform include:
LeanFit, 24HourFitness, Cengage, 8×8
Skyword is another one of those freelance writing gigs websites that usually pay decently. Skyword is a content marketing services company founded in 2010 that boasts having high-end clients to pair with freelance writers and content marketing writers or editors.
The freelance platform has over 2,000 freelance profiles on its website which is why I included it on a list as a best freelance writing website. Their back-end platform is easy to use and upload articles to and payment is usually within 45 days, direct deposited.
Whether you’re looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners or are an experienced freelancer looking to toss your hat in the ring–post your profile and portfolio on their site–this freelancing website can be a great option when looking for work, particularly with brands that are “household names.”
That’s why it’s a site I share with freelance coaching clients and students who are looking for the best freelance writing sites for beginners
Clients I got freelance writing jobs from this platform include:
Aveeno, Neutrogena, Massachusetts General Hospital, AllRecipes, Reader’s Digest, Cynosure
Putting “freelance writer” in your bio is necessary to be found in the right searches. You can also search for “freelance writer” or “freelance writing jobs” under the jobs section when you’re trying LinkedIn for freelancers searches and trying to find some better-paying freelance writing gigs.
If you want to learn how to connect with potential clients check out this LinkedIn templates guide.
LinkedIn also offers a lot of courses you can take to enhance your freelance skills and make you more marketable to clients. I like to use this as one of my go-to freelance writing websites when I want to find any editor’s name to pitch to. Check out these successful freelance article pitch examples as a guide for what should be in your email.
Clients I got freelance writing jobs from this platform include:
A skincare client, a nutrition client, freelance coaching clients, editorial clients, SoFi, Tom’s Guide
Type “freelance writer” in the job search field on this freelance writing website that features over 29,000 hand-screened work-from-home jobs or flexible schedule jobs to find freelance writing gigs. FlexJobs was started in 2007 and as you can imagine–remote work has changed and grown so much in that time!
This freelance website tends to feature a lot of remote jobs (hey, that’s a great option if you want a full-time job that allows for more flexibility so you can freelance as a side hustle), but they also have helpful articles, events and webinars, and resources for someone who wants to work from home which is why it’s one of my top picks as a best freelance writing website.
While many of these jobs are full-time positions, when business is slow, I like to browse the listings for ideas of magazines and freelance clients and businesses to send pitches to. There’s a tab at the top of the site specifically for “freelance jobs”–to me, that shows just how far our career path has come!
JournalismJobs was founded in 1998 and they have strong connections and relationships with big companies. Save job listings and follow up with potential freelance clients with letters of introduction emails in the future, even if they no longer have a freelance job listed.
I’ve been using Mediabistro since the early 2000s when I was searching for full-time magazine editorial jobs in New York City. I also used the platform to take courses to brush up on editing, writing, and freelance pitching skills. That’s why it’s one of the best freelance writing websites in my opinion.
This is one of the OG freelance writing websites many magazine freelancers and magazine editors know about for writing freelance jobs. It was founded in 1999 and they have a robust job board whether you’re looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners or remote work-from-home jobs in the writing and media fields.
You can even create a freelance profile on their website. That’s why it’s one of the best freelance writing sites to browse regularly and learn from.
Clients I got freelance writing jobs from this platform include:
WeightWatchers.com (I got my first editorial job after applying through the site!)
This is a freelancing site started by one of my editor/media friends, Amanda Pressner Kreuser and her business partner Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich. It’s a full-service media company that freelancers can apply to on their website for a chance to work with some of their top-tier clients.
A “masthead” is the group of editors and writers listed on an inside page of the magazine–the editorial and advertising/marketing staff that worked on that magazine’s issue.
Pay for this content marketing agency is competitive, comparable to some of my Contently clients, and they are often looking for writers with specialty freelance skills for B2B clients, like retirement planning, life & health insurance, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals.
Types of freelance writing they often need include blogs, articles, eBooks, white papers, and technical manuals at times.
Clients I got freelance writing jobs from on this platform include:
Reebok, OXO, Excedrin, GlaxoSmithKline, Dropbox, AlexandAni, Dropbox
Where do you look for freelance writing jobs and what are some of your top picks amongst the best freelance writing sites for beginners?
What are some of your best freelance writing websites that I should check out? Share in the comments below.
Tags: freelance, freelance writer, freelance writing, freelance writing advice, freelance writing tips, freelancer, freelancing, writing tips
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