Writers today are increasingly scratching their ends and wondering where they can earn money writing. Writing websites that were once popping have dried to a fizzle. Does that mean that there’s no way to make money writing for a living? Are writing mills dead?
Absolutely not.
It means that we have to branch out. Try new websites. Try different types of writing. Maybe even try editing or another related job. After all, the more skills you have, the more stable your income will be.
Where can you go to branch out and find new jobs and clients?
Table of Contents
16 Websites to Earn Money Writing
Upwork
Upwork, which was formally known as Elance, has been around for many years. In fact, I started my writing career on Elance in 2008. This platform uses a bid system. You pay for a subscription and are allocated a certain number of bids. Then, you make a bid on the assignments that interest you. If you’re very interested in an assignment, you can boost your bid to potentially be one of the first four applications the client sees.
My experience with Upwork is mixed. You can spend a lot of time hunting for new projects to work on. The number of scammers trying to victimize people in need of work is growing. There are also prospective clients who ask you to do a HUGE project without pay as a test. If they like your work over the other writers who are also given the opportunity, you have a job. I’ve always run from these, and I suggest you do, too. These are the types of clients that will work you to the ground for peanuts.
On the other hand, I found my first several long-term clients on the platform. I worked for these clients for years, so I could stop hunting for jobs every day on Upwork. Eventually, I cancelled my membership altogether because I wasn’t using it.
In addition, unlike many of the other websites listed below, Upwork has a wide variety of job types available. This includes just about every type of writing you could think of – resumes, product descriptions, business emails, websites, blogs, news articles, brochures, e-books, books and more. If you want a break from writing, you can try editing, proofreading or others.
Fiverr
Fiverr is currently just as popular as Upwork for finding writing gigs, but it works completely differently. With Fiverr, you create a profile along with a graphic about your talents. The profiles usually have a headshot, a brief description of what the person does and their rate. Your profile is then added to a long list of other profiles for potential clients to browse through. As you might imagine, the most active people get better rankings on Fiverr’s results pages.
You can get jobs directly through Fiverr, including the same wide range of opportunities as Upwork has. You could also send a link to your Fiverr profile to someone interested in working with you. Why would you do this? Fiverr does take a cut of your pay. In exchange for Fiverr’s cut, you protect yourself through Fiverr’s agreements and contracts.
While the client sets the rates on Upwork, you set your own rates on Fiverr. You can have a separate profile for each unique type of writing you do, and you can set a different rate for each one.
Textbroker
Textbroker has also been around for years. This is a true writing mill. The assignments are listed on a big board, and they are divided by the rating and the topic. You can browse through the board and select the project you want to work on next. The client sets the pay and the deadline. If you don’t meet the deadline, the order is returned to the pool.
The rating system is based on your quality of work based on the editors’ reviews. To achieve the highest rating, you’ll also need to pass a grammar test. It’s rather difficult to move up a level, but its very easy to get dropped down.
Textbroker once was brimming with work opportunities. In fact, it was the perfect way to fill in the holes in your workday between better-paying jobs. However, over the last several years, the work has been slowly drying up. Most of the writers have left. The ones who remain largely work with direct-order clients. These are clients that send work directly to you rather than through the public job board.
iWriter
The last I heard, iWriter was not accepting new writers. Before going through the lengthy application process, contact them directly to ask. To qualify, you have to submit a resume and a sample writing piece. This is not a sample of your writing. Instead, you’ll be given a prompt to write about. Like Textbroker, iWriter has a tiered rating system that directly impacts your access to higher-paying jobs.
When you submit a project, the client can decide to approve or reject your work. With some other sites, the client is required to at least send the piece back to you once for a revision before rejecting it.
Be aware that on tiered sites like these, you’ll find far fewer jobs available at the higher pay. Just because you are a 4-star writer, for example, does not mean you’ll find work at your level. You may still have to accept lower-paying gigs to make money here.
WriterAccess
Writer Access is a job board, and it usually has a large number of jobs to review. If you are accepted to as a writer on WriterAccess, you can browse through the available jobs and apply. Writer Access has a star rating system, so only those with the right rating can apply.
WriterAccess also has an open job board. Here, you can claim a job and start working immediately. While you need to be an approved writer on the platform, you do not need to individually apply to listings on the open job board. The rating system applies on the open job board as well.
PeoplePerHour
People Per Hour has an easy-to-use interface and often has many job opportunities for writers. These options run the gamut from 300-word descriptions to 2000-word product reviews and much more.
To get started, create a profile showcasing your skills and experiences. After your portfolio is approved, you’ll have full access to the job boards. This platform has an international user base, so you can expect to find many work opportunities most of the time. To get paid, you’ll create an invoice in the platform. The client’s fee is held in escrow when they hire you, so the buyer simply has to release those funds after receiving your invoice. Typically, you can expect to get paid within hours up to three days after submitting an invoice.
Guru
Guru functions similarly to Fiverr. You’ll create a profile as well as provide writing samples. On your profile, you can list a standard rate, so you aren’t subject to pricing that doesn’t suit your talents. Unlike other websites that take their cut out of the writers’ pay, Guru charges the clients a fee. The hiring companies are responsible for a 2.9% fee on all completed projects.
As is true with other writing platforms that allow you to create a profile and submit writing samples, showcasing your full range of talents and skills is essential for success. Guru is a crowded platform, so you’ll have plenty of competition. Spend ample time making your profile stand out from the others. Also, choose your best writing samples, and ensure that they’re presented in a professional way.
Behance
Behance is affiliated with Adobe and is a reputable platform to find a freelance writing job. After creating your account, you can use Adobe-quality design tools to create a professional online portfolio highlighting your career and writing samples. This is ideal if you don’t yet have a writer’s website. However, Contently and others also offer this function.
By creating an account, you have full access to the job board. The job board is generally full of opportunities from reputable companies, and you can apply directly. Be aware that this website also posts jobs in graphic design, web development and other unrelated fields.
LinkedIn Jobs
LinkedIn job listings are open to all users with an active profile. As a major professional networking platform, LinkedIn always has new openings. In addition to browsing for open positions, you could receive offers from companies to apply for specific positions. LinkedIn also sends updates to your inbox when new jobs meeting your requirements are posted.
Through LinkedIn, you can connect with previous employers and co-workers. Staying in touch with these professionals can open doors at times that you were not aware existed.
Freelance Writers Den
Freelance Writers Den functions as both a professional development site and a job placement site. The access fee is $40 per month. Normally, you should steer clear of any website that makes you pay for the honor of looking for a job. This is usually a surefire sign of a scam. However, with this fee, you can 300 hours of tutorials and lessons as well as a podcast and several hundred forums. Direct job referrals are available through the Den 2X program.
Freelance Writers Den is well-known among experienced writers and has a great reputation. If you’re just trying to decide if freelance writing is a good fit for you, it may not be worth paying $40 per month. However, once you decide to get serious about your writing career, the resources provided are well worth the membership fee.
Toptal
Toptal is an exclusive writing platform with strict requirements. In fact, only 3% of applicants make it through the tough screening process. This is a 5-stage process that includes a detailed, tough English evaluation as well as a project assessment. Those who are accepted as writers often have extensive professional expertise in key areas, and they include website designers, product managers, financial executives and others.
Passing this 5-step process gives you access to the Toptal job board. There, you can apply directly for jobs that interest you. Writers get the full amount of the writing fee. The platform’s fee is charged to the client.
Freelancer
Freelancer can be compared to Upwork as it’s a job board. Here, you’ll find projects as well as direct-hire positions for smaller and larger companies and individuals in need of skilled workers. Freelance Writers can create an account at no cost. Like Upwork, Freelancer has a bid system, and you are given only six bids each month through the free account option. Be aware, however, that writers are responsible for a fee on the work they do. The 10% fee (which is capped at 5%) comes out of the writer’s income rather than the client.
On Freelancer, you’ll find a variety of writing assignments. These range from basic proofreading and editing to writing articles, blog posts, essays and more. While there is something for most writers on Freelancer, the bid system makes this a competitive environment to find work.
ProBlogger
Many writers swear by ProBlogger as a way to find jobs. This is a job board that you don’t have to fill out a huge application to view. Instead, you provide a few details when creating an account, and you’ll receive immediate access to the board. I didn’t use ProBlogger years ago, but my limited recent experience with it and my review of users’ comments shed light on what it offers at this time.
The job listings are limited. As in, a few new postings are added each week if you’re lucky. One of the few listings available recently is for a writing mill. This means that you’d not directly apply for a writing job. Instead, you’d apply for an opportunity to view another job board. Nonetheless, since some people have had success here, it’s worth a shot.
Scripted
Scripted is a writing mill with solid pay for both new and experienced freelance writers. The compensation is more than $22 for a 500-word article. This website allows you to bid on jobs posted on the job board, and numerous industries are represented.
You can also create a portfolio on Scripted. Clients can browse the writer portfolios and read writing samples to find skilled talent that suits their needs. They can then contact you directly for a job or ask you to submit pitches. Many writers develop long-term relationships with clients through Scripted.
ServiceScape
ServiceScape is an elite writing platform that hires only experts in their fields. Writers have at least a Bachelor’s degree. They hail from Reader’s Digest, PBS, Art+Design Magazine and others. Approved writers set a per-page price and create a detailed portfolio. Their portfolio pages have analytics showing the type of work they do and their star rating from previous clients.
If you meet the incredible requirements to write for ServiceScape, you could expect to receive anywhere from $10-$60 or more per page, based on what current writers demand. However, this isn’t the place for high volume. Many of their top writers have written less than 15 pages throughout their time on the platform.
BloggingPro
BloggingPro is a job board, allowing you to search for and find listings for both contract work and direct-hire. I’ve found that many of the listings on Blogging Pro are also on ProBlogger. While several of the websites mentioned here are subject to scams, BloggingPro attempts to tackle this through an upfront fee for businesses. Businesses must pay $199 when listing a 30-day add. In addition, BloggingPro actively verifies business information before posting the listings.
What can you find on Blogging Pro? Most of the gigs here are for blog writing and content writing. On average, a 500-word piece will fetch you $15, but there is considerable variation from job to job.