The economy is in a tough place, but the job market continues to offer writers plenty of opportunities. Just because you opted for an English degree in college doesn’t mean you have to write about literature for the rest of your life.
Freelance writing has become one of the most popular ways to work from home as more and more companies turn to content management systems, search engine optimization and writing guest posts.
Do you know where to find gigs? Here are a few places you can look:
1. Content Mills – If you enjoy the idea of working for pennies on the dollar, you might want to check out some of these sites that offer less than $0.01 per word for your writing services. You’ll have access to hundreds of open requests for writers at all times, but most only pay when your piece is clicked by an audience member or downloaded from their site. Some examples include Associated Content, Text Broker and others like them. Yes, it’s very low-paying work, but you might need to start somewhere.
2. Freelance Marketplaces – Sites like Elance and oDesk bring together freelancers with companies who are looking for part-time or full-time help with their content needs. You’ll have to build up your portfolio – often writing several test pieces so the client can judge your quality of work – before clients will want to hire you full time. But there is a huge demand for good writers who know how to deliver SEO pieces that get ranked high in search results. If you’re just starting out in the freelance writing world, this might be one of the best ways to start building up a portfolio and a customer base.
3. ProBlogger and Freelance Writing Gigs – These two sites let freelancers know about the newest and best paying freelance writing opportunities available on the web now. If you’re an experienced writer, you might start here for some of your best options. Most legitimate companies advertise their jobs here as well as writers who want to build up their portfolios with different types of copywriting that they can use later on when they apply for more lucrative gigs like building landing pages or white papers.
4. Associations and Organizations – As a journalist, I can tell you firsthand how many writing jobs there are at non-profit organizations and industry trade groups (such as the Associated Press). These groups will often advertise for part-time or full-time writers who can help produce copy and content for their organizations.
It is important to remember that these types of freelance writing opportunities are not going to make you rich, but they can be a great way to supplement your income when you’re just starting out in the industry. [ARTICLE END]