Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners: 13 Proven Ways to Get Your First Paid Writing Gig

Looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners?

There are plenty of freelance writing jobs for beginners out there–you just need to know where to find them.

Once upon a time, I was a beginning freelance writer looking for writing jobs with no clue how to find them.

So I know the struggle to get established as a freelance writer and make money.

It’s frustrating because you want to get paid to write but you either:

Don’t know where to look for work
Don’t know how to market yourself to get freelance writing jobs

And you see other newbie freelancers taking off and wonder, ‘what am I doing wrong?’

Sound familiar?

The good news is, you don’t have to stay stuck in the not-making-money rut. And once you learn how to find freelance writing jobs and eventually reach expert status, the work starts coming to you!

And that’s really where you want to be if you hope to become a six-figure freelance writer and make $10,000 a month or more writing.

But you don’t want to take just any job as a new freelance writer to pay the bills. That way lies low-paying work and lots of stress for you.

So to help you out, I’ve put together a list of the best ways to find freelance writing jobs for beginners that pay well!

Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners: How to Find Paid Writing Gigs

This list of freelance writing jobs for beginners includes things I’ve personally done to find paid freelance writing jobs. So I know these methods work!

And here’s one thing I always say about making money as a freelance writer: it’s all a numbers game.

So the more of these methods you use to find freelance writing gigs, the better your odds of getting consistent work and making money!

1. Start with free writing and remote job boards

Job boards were one of my go-to places to find freelance writing jobs for beginners when I was starting out.

Free job boards that include freelance writing jobs are great because they cost you nothing to use. And when you’re just starting to build your freelance writing business, you may not have a lot of cash to invest in it.

So which freelance writing job boards are the best?

There are plenty to choose from, but here are some of my favorite places to find paid writing jobs online:

I also relied on more general job boards like Upwork to find freelance writing jobs as a beginner.

When searching for freelance writing jobs with job boards, try these tips to make your life easier:

Search for writing jobs using keywords that are relevant to your niche. So if I were searching for writing gigs in my niche, for example, I’d use keywords like ‘personal finance writer’ or ‘money writer’.
Filter your search for online and remote writing jobs only. This can help eliminate writing jobs you may not want to apply to if you’re only looking for ways to make money online.
Don’t limit yourself to low-paying jobs. As a beginning freelance writer, it’s tempting to lowball yourself but that’s a bad habit to get into if you’re trying to earn real money writing.

2. Consider upgrading to premium job boards

Premium freelance writing job boards are just what they sound like: a place to find higher-paying freelance writing jobs for beginners and more experienced writers.

The pro of using a paid job board is that the jobs tend to be better quality and offer a higher pay rate.

The con, of course, is that you’re paying a fee to find them. But if you’re serious about making money as a freelance writer, premium job boards can help you find top-notch clients.

If you need paid job board recommendations, my two personal favorite picks are FlexJobs and Contena.

Both charge a fee to use but they’re great if you want to find writing jobs that pay in the thousands, instead of ones that pay pennies.

⇒Create an account with FlexJobs and start looking for freelance writing work!

⇒Sign up for an account with Contena to find paid writing gigs!

3. Start cold pitching

Cold pitching can be scary as a new freelance writer. But it’s pretty much a must if you’re hoping to land your first writing gigs.

beginning freelance writer — Cold Pitch to Find Paid Writing Jobs

So what is cold pitching?

Essentially, it means reaching out to brands, bloggers or businesses and offering your services as a writer.

Cold pitching might be a little outside your comfort zone but the payoff can be huge. And again, the more people or businesses you pitch, the more your odds of getting a paying gig increase!

If you’re planning to try cold pitching to find freelance writing jobs for beginners, try these tips:

Make sure you’re reaching out to the right person and address them by name, if possible
Keep your pitch short and sweet
Focus on you can help THEM, not on how they can help YOU by giving you a writing gig

4. Polish up your LinkedIn profile

If you’re not using LinkedIn to find freelance writing jobs as a beginner or grow your network, you’re missing out!

LinkedIn has been an invaluable part of growing my freelance writing business.

Over the years, it’s helped me connect with editors, content managers and other freelancers. Not to mention, growing my network has helped me become more visible to my ideal clients.

This is what my LinkedIn profile looks like and it’s been hugely helpful for landing lucrative gigs!

Here are some of my best tips for leveraging LinkedIn to find paid writing work:

Use keywords that reflect your niche and what you do as a writer in your profile
Include a header image (like this one) that includes your website or blog URL if you have one
Update your skills
Build your connections to 500+ by reaching out to other freelancers, editors and content managers in your niche

5. Look for freelance writing leads on Twitter

I don’t spend a lot of time on Twitter these days but if you do, you could find a crop of freelance writing jobs for beginners that are just ripe for the picking.

An easy way to find potential freelance writing opportunities on Twitter is following job boards. For example, you could check @Write_jobs to see what I mean.

But another way to find freelance writing jobs on Twitter is simply searching the platform using these kinds of hashtags:

#writerswanted
#bloggerswanted
#freelancewritingjobs
#getpaidtowrite

It’s an easy way to see who’s looking for writers and connect with potential clients!

6. Market yourself through a freelance writer website or blog

I would much rather have clients come looking for me than have to chase after them. It makes getting paid to write so much easier!

freelance writing jobs — Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners

If you’re a new freelance writer, one way you can start attracting clients is by creating a writer website.

A writer website or blog can do a few things for you as a beginning freelancer:

You can use it to build an online portfolio that showcases your writing skills
Writing on a blog of your own is a great way to develop a writing routine
The more content you write, the more you can improve your writing skills
Writing a blog can help you become an expert in your chosen niche
It can help you appear more professional to would-be writing clients

If you’re wondering what the difference is between a freelance writer website and a blog, it’s kind of a fine line.

A writer website can be static, meaning you just have pages and not blog posts. But a blog can be updated with new content regularly, plus maintain pages for things like your portfolio or a ‘Hire Me’ page.

So which one do you need as a new freelance writer?

It depends on your goals. If you want to simply have a place to keep your portfolio, then a writer website works just fine.

But if you want to get into a regular writing habit and potentially even monetize your site, then a blog is the way to go!

How to Start Blogging as a Freelance Writer (and Why You Should)

7. Blog for someone else (for free)

Another smart way to find freelance writing jobs for beginners is through guest blogging.

Guest blogging means you write a post for someone else’s blog.

You don’t get paid for it. But if you have a blog of your own you can get a backlink, which can help build authority for your site.

So how does that help you make money as a freelance writer? Especially if you’re working for free?

It’s more of an indirect route but this can help you make money writing if:

You’re able to create a high-quality writing sample that you can use to attract clients
Someone who reads your guest blog post decides to click through to your site or contact you

So how do you start guest blogging?

It’s actually pretty easy.

You just go to Google, type in whatever your niche is + “write for us” and see what pops up.

For example, here’s what I get when I search for guest blogging opportunities in my niche:

If you’re going to try guest blogging to find freelance writing jobs for beginners, here are my best hacks:

READ THE GUIDELINES. Seriously, do not skip this step or else you’ll just end up wasting your time writing something that doesn’t fit what the site or blog is looking for.
Pitch more than one idea for a guest post so the site owner has a few things to choose from. This is also a way to show off your range as a writer.
Make sure the finished piece is your best work. Proofread and spellcheck, then proofread and spellcheck again.

Also, make sure you’re writing your bio in a way that’s going to give you some link juice if you have a blog or website.

Make sure to use keywords relevant to your niche so people reading the post know what you do as a writer. And be sure to include a link to your blog, website or social media profiles.

8. Look for paid guest blogging gigs

While you could guest blog for free, there are plenty of sites that will pay for guest blog posts. So why not look for those while you’re checking out guest blog opportunities?

You’d search for them more or less the same way you’d search for free guest posting opportunities. Only, you might change your search slightly to “get paid to write for us” and include your niche.

The rules for paid guest blogging are the same as free guest blogging.

And in case you’re wondering what a good rate is for a new freelance writer, I recommend sticking with gigs that pay at least $0.25 per word or $100 per post to start.

This is a good baseline to work with. And the more experience you get, the more you can start raising your rates.

9. Join Facebook groups for writers

Facebook groups for freelance writers can be a great place to learn more about the art of writing for money.

And they can also be pretty darn handy for finding freelance writing jobs for beginners, too!

make money freelance writing — Make Money Freelance Writing

When joining Facebook groups for writers, remember to read the rules. For example, if the group doesn’t allow you to self-promote and drop your blog link or DM other members, don’t do it!

That’s an easy way to get kicked out and potentially miss out on some prime writing job opportunities.

If you’re looking for some recommendations for freelance writing groups to join, here are a few of my faves:

10. Search for writing jobs on Reddit

Reddit may seem like an unlikely place to find freelance writing jobs for beginners but it’s a great place to look for work.

It all comes down to using the right subreddits to find work. Here are a few of my faves for finding paid gigs:

Remember to follow the same rules for finding freelance writing jobs for beginners on Reddit as you would anywhere else.

11. Post your writing on Medium

Medium is a great free platform you can use to build your brand as a new freelance writer and drive traffic to your blog or website.

Plus, you could even monetize your articles on Medium to make money writing!

This method of finding freelance writing jobs for beginners is one that seems to be getting more popular. So if you’re not using Medium to promote your writing yet, check out this guide on how to get started!

12. Use Thrive Global to attract writing clients

Thrive Global is another site you can use to boost your freelance writing profile and potentially land clients.

This site works similar to Medium, in that you can sign up for free to become a contributor.

From there you can start creating posts and building an audience. Even if this doesn’t help you get freelance writing jobs directly, it’s a solid way to add to your portfolio of writing samples.

Get started with Thrive Global now!

13. Ask, ask, ask

I saved this for last because it’s truly one of my favorite ways to find freelance writing jobs for beginners.

Because if you don’t ask for work, you could be missing out!

So who do you ask for help with finding paid writing gigs?

I’m all for casting the net wide and asking friends, family, people you go to church with, local businesses or just about anyone else you know for referrals.

And on the other side of the ask coin is reaching out to editors, other writers and bloggers to feel out where writing opportunities may lie.

For example, if there’s someone in your LinkedIn network who writes for a site that you’d like to write for, you could always send out a friendly ask to see if they’re hiring more writers.

And if you don’t think you know them well enough to ask directly, you could always mention that you’re available and looking for work.

Asking is a little more direct but it can be one of the best ways to find paid writing gigs, especially if you’re hitting dead ends everywhere else.

freelance writing jobs for beginning writers

Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners FAQs

When you’re just getting started with freelance writing, it’s natural to have a LOT of questions.

So I’ve answered a few of the most frequently asked questions here to help you get started on your way to making money as a writer!

How do I start freelance writing with no experience?

This is a question I get asked all the time.

And the first thing I always tell people is that you don’t need a journalism degree or a background in writing to be successful as a freelancer.

Here’s what you do need to become a freelance writer:

A laptop and internet
A way to get paid (I prefer PayPal)

Once you have those two things you can work on the bigger stuff, like:

Choosing a niche
Creating some writing samples
Building an online portfolio
Growing your freelance writer network

All of those things can help you earn more money writing.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one guide to how to become a freelancer, I’ve got a free course that can help!

It’s called the Freelance Launch Plan and it covers everything you need to know to start making money as a freelance writer!

Which freelancing job is best for beginners?

As a freelance writer, I’m partial writing of course. But there are other related skills you can also use to make money as a new freelancer.

So some of the best freelance jobs for beginners include:

Content writing
Copywriting
Blog writing
Article writing
Editing
Proofreading
Becoming a virtual assistant
Graphic design
Social media management

If you’re interested in freelance writing jobs for beginners or any other kind of freelance work, ask yourself these questions:

What skills do I have?
What do I enjoy doing?
What am I willing to learn how to do?
What skills are in-demand?
Which ones pay the most money?

You can use your answers as a guide to narrow down what type of freelance work is best for you.

How do freelance writers find work?

Finding work as a freelance writer can be a challenge in the beginning. But there are plenty of ways to find work–or attract it to you!

So to recap, some of the best ways freelance writers can find work include:

Cold pitching and warm pitching
Guest posting
Freelance job boards
LinkedIn
Networking with other writers and editors
Asking for referrals
Starting a blog to build your brand and portfolio
Leveraging Twitter and Facebook groups
Offering pro bono services in exchange for a referral

The more ways to find freelance writing jobs you try, the more opportunities you’re likely to unlock.

If you’re new to freelancing, you may want to try one or two to start. Then once you’re comfortable with cold pitching or guest posting, you can branch out to networking or using LinkedIn to find paid writing gigs.

How much do you charge for freelance writing?

One of the biggest mistakes new freelance writers make is setting their rates too low.

What happens is that you end up having to take on more work to make money. Which can quickly lead to burnout if you’re writing for pennies.

As a guide, I always tell new freelance writers to set their rates at $0.10 per word at a minimum. So for a 1000-word post, you’d make $100.

Once you start gaining more experience, you can gradually increase your rates.

For example, if you’re charging $0.10 cents per word you might double that to $0.20 or $0.25 cents per word.

Then you can double it again to $0.50 per word, then $1 per word.

And don’t be afraid to walk away from clients who want to pay you pennies. Understand that your time and skills are valuable and be confident in charging what you’re worth.

Now, what tips do you have for finding freelance writing jobs for beginners?

Head to the comments and tell me, then don’t forget to pin and share this post!

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