Top Freelance Writing Jobs Websites that Pay for You to Write Content
If you are a writer or if you have always wanted to make money writing, there is a way to do this. In fact, many publishers, business owners, and websites pay writers well for their quality content. Why? Because high-quality content drives traffic. Sites need targeted traffic to increase their level of engagement and conversions.
Who Pays for Articles?
In addition to website owners, online blogs and publishers need articles that will interest their readers so that they will continue coming back for more. Getting regular readers is the goal of online publishers because they make money from ads that are focused on the content on their sites.
To find freelancing opportunities, you need to know where to look. Many websites and publishers pay writers for their work. But, for the online blogger or writer who wants to make a living writing, it is essential that they focus on the highest-paying jobs. Otherwise, they have to work too hard to make money. Making the most of their time is the critical element to financial success as an online writer.
Top 10 Paid Writing Sites
We’ve scoured the web to find 10 of the best freelance writing sites that you can start with if you wish to make a living writing online. While this is not an exhaustive list, it is a good place to start if you want to make serious money writing.
Crowd Content is a site that has been around for a while now. Based in British Columbia, Canada, they offer writing for anyone who is a citizen of the U.S. or Canada. When they first started out, they had a large number of high-paying freelance jobs on their site. Now they seem to have migrated to a more project-based site that offers regular gigs with companies. They do still provide regular articles from their “marketplace” though. To get jobs on Crowd Content, you have to pass a writer’s test including a grammar and essay assessment. Once you meet the criteria for entry, they start you out on a level they assign, based on your initial assessment. You can then get jobs on that level with an opportunity to move up in the rankings to higher paying projects.
PROS: Crowd Content is considered a “content site,” but they do focus on producing high-quality content, so customers are willing to pay more at the higher levels.
CONS: There is limited work on the site many times, and you must grab the articles immediately, or they are gone.
Writer Access is another content site that offers writing work for expert writers who specialize in specific topics. There is limited work on the lower levels, but sometimes writers can get higher paying projects when they work up the ranks or specialize in key topic areas. They also have “expertise” areas and “elite” status options for writers. Creating a profile of yourself and your biography can contribute to getting better jobs. You can also get regular clients on this site if you pitch to specific clients and impress them with your work.
PROS: Excellent opportunity to develop your writing skills in a specialty area.
CONS: Work is hard to come by, and the site submits new jobs at odd hours like around 4 a.m. CST.
Constant Content is known as the most elite content writing site on the web. Clients and publishers flock to this site to get “the web’s best writers.” This company has done an excellent job of marketing their site as having only the very best writers who are highly specialized in their field. Therefore, you can make a much higher rate per article than on any other site. Additionally, this site allows you to create your content and upload them to their market that is open to anyone shopping for articles. It takes awhile to sell an article if you write one and submit to the general pool. But you can also send specific articles to individual clients who have requested pieces to increase your chance of an immediate sale.
PROS: High-income potential. Some writers have reported that they make between $70,000 and $100,000 per year on this site.
CONS: Work is not consistent unless you find regular clients who need work on a weekly basis. Grammar and writing test is complicated, and only a small percentage pass the test to get in.
TheContentPanel is another “mill style” content writing service that offers a wide range of articles in a similar manner to BlogMutt. Jobs are assigned to writers via an AI that (attempts) to learn the writing style & experience of writers to match them with clients. The AI offers gigs to the most “suitable” writers first, then it slowly opens up the job up to more and more writers until someone claims it to start work on. Like BlogMutt, The Content Panel has a lot of work available, but the opportunity for long term wage growth is limited. Pay ranges from $3/100 words to $7/100 words depending on topic complexity, the amount of research required, and the system’s rating of the writer. Pays out weekly.
PROS: Always hiring writers, lots of work available
CONS: Content mill work, that provides content mill pay
This is not a site that offers specific writing projects like the other three we have reviewed so far. It is not a content site. This site is a “portal site” for freelance writers that attempt to connect freelance writers looking for work to many potential writing opportunities. The freelance writing job board is the best place to go to on this site to find potential writing gigs. The pay varies, depending on the number of words and quality expected, as well as other factors.
PROS: Lots of connections to be made on this site.
CONS: You have to pitch every job which takes time.
6. Guru.com
Guru.com is not a content site. It is a freelance site. Freelance sites are significantly different than content sites because they do not have lists of articles that are available. Instead, they are a project-based site where you can apply or “pitch” to any number of independent freelance projects including freelance writing.
You have to “bid” on these projects to get the job and companies, or individuals look at the profiles and portfolios of various writers to decide who they want to work with.
PROS: There is a variety of jobs available for all types of companies and individuals.
CONS: You have to bid a price that the client will think is fair, which is often hard to predict.
ProBlogger.com is run by none other than professional blogger and affiliate marketer, Darren Rowse. This site features some high-paying writing gigs, and it is set up with a job board format. Writers can look for jobs that fit their area of specialty and then look at the price customers are willing to pay to see if it’s a good fit. Clients wait for emails regarding the job listing and hire the writers they like best. You need to have a good email pitch letter written that you can use on this site. The ones with the best pitches usually win the gigs.
PROS: Lots of high-paying jobs and many other resources for writers and bloggers.
CONS: Highly competitive. Sometimes hard to get the jobs due to the high level of competition.
Blogging Pro is another writing site (not to be confused with Pro Blogger). This site is set up more like a general job board, but it focuses on writing jobs. You can find the type of writing job you want to do and click on the links to learn more. The name of the company is displayed under the title of the writing job so you can research who you’ll be writing for.
PROS: Lots of jobs with a high variety of options and companies.
CONS: You must sign up for a job search membership with WorkForce Now to apply for jobs.
9. iWriter.com
iWriter.com has recently improved its software and platform, after many customers and writers alike complaining about the lack of user-friendliness in the past. The improvements make the site look better, and the interface is easy to navigate. However, there is a problem with this site. It seems that many of the customers think that the writers on this site produce poor quality content. So they are fast to reject or cancel orders that a writer may work several hours for. This discourages more talented writers from joining. But if a writer contacts the customer before writing for them, this seems to improve the results somewhat.
This site is a content site which means there are several jobs listed at any moment, but it’s based on a level system that you can easily get knocked down from after only one bad review or rejection or two. This site is excellent for picking up a few extra articles but don’t depend on it for regular income.
PROS: Lots of articles available to high-level writers.
CONS: Clients are too quick to reject articles, which lowers your rating.
10. FlexJobs.com
Flexjobs.com is not only a great freelance writing job board; it is a job board for any job. There are plenty of full-time, as well as part-time jobs available on this site. The site partners with several job resources that offer a wide variety of freelance writing job, design jobs, and more.
It’s free to start, but after a month, you’ll need to pay the $14.95 fee to remain a member of this site. You’ll find lots of jobs all over the country, and you’ll be able to see their approximate pay range and many other details about the companies.
For the serious writer who wants to write for a particular company rather than freelance, there are plenty of opportunities on this site, as well. You do need to have an active writer’s portfolio handy and a fresh resume and cover letter. This site’s job postings feature bigger writing jobs that may last longer than the average freelance jobs so it is most suitable for someone looking for a consistent long-term job.
PROS: Lots of jobs to choose from, many which pay a regular high rate of pay.
CONS: Highly competitive; similar to a job interview in the real world.
11. BlogMutt.com
BlogMutt.com is a content “mill” that offers hundreds of articles from specific companies. The problem is that, while the company charges up to $29.95 per post for a 300-word piece, they only give the writer $8 per post. The site is non-competitive which might be attractive to the beginning writer but not to the seasoned professional writer. There is plenty of work available, however, so if you’re willing to put up with editors that overdo it, this might be a place to try your wings.
PROS: Endless articles that you can write at your own pace.
CONS: Meager pay with only limited opportunities for pay increases.
How to Choose the Best Job Sites
The key to making a living (or even a part-time income) with writing is to locate those clients, businesses, and publishers that pay the most for your time, your expertise, and your work. This means connecting with only those opportunities that recognize and appreciate your talents. Don’t waste time with the low ballers because you’ll find it takes a whole day to make a buck. Instead, focus in on those writing jobs that are in your niche or specialty area, then pitch your resume and writing portfolio to them to get things started.
Overall, sites like Constant-Content.com are the best because they pay the highest dollar for quality articles. As a side note, Textbroker.com is also a reputable site with hundreds of materials available at any time. The pay on Textbroker.com is about in the middle when compared with other writing sites, but they pay weekly, on time, and consistently.
As in any profession, you have to pay your dues if you want to create a career for yourself with freelance writing. Start with some of the low ballers, prove yourself, then move up to the higher-paying clients and publishers.
A Word About Self-Publishing
Consider self-publishing, too as this allows you to write on any topic you choose and demand your price. Sites that allow you to create a writer’s profile such as Constant-Content and others will help you to get more business.
Alternately, you may also want to check out sites such as Digitalpoint.com, another writer’s market that allows you to write and upload articles. One perk about digitalpoint.com is that there is no editing. So the items that you write go straight from your hands to the market automatically.
Whichever way you go, it’s a good idea to try a little bit of everything at first so that you will have enough work for that “rainy day” when your main client doesn’t have enough jobs to keep you busy. Figure out what works best for you and don’t forget to also publish under your name with Kindle eBooks and your blog. This will help you create a name for yourself since this is something you cannot do as a ghostwriter for other sites.
In the end, you get what you put into it. So start writing some sample articles on sites like LinkedIn.com which now allows you to post blog articles. This is an excellent way to present your writing talent to potential customers and clients. You may even find some customers on LinkedIn, as well.
Try these sites and see how you do and make writing a way of life. It will pay off if you stick with it! We’ve come to the end of this article, and we hope you have learned something to help you on your journey. Let us know how you do but give yourself time to build up your writing business.
Now quit reading and start writing!