Need help building a great profile first?
Updated 12/13/17
This post will help you with Phase 3 in your Freelance Profile Workbook. (Try them all out to see how they benefit your business.)
Not all freelance sites are created equal. If you’ve been burned by a few content mills, don’t toss every site out! Check out this resource from MALW on breaking free from low-paying writing work and get ready to move on to a better kind of client.
We’re living in a period where platforms are popping up every day to meet companies’ enthusiasm to work with freelance writers. That means maintaining profiles on sites like these are a critical part of finding work for today’s freelance career.
Now I’ll be honest with you…I’ve personally found some of my highest-paying and favorite clients through sites like these, but there are some not-so-great gigs out here too. But, if you take the time to refine your niche and develop your own standards, they’ll become a minor inconvenience at most. Just keep in mind that you should check in occasionally and keep your profiles updated to reflect the skill and value you bring businesses, and you’ll find the best way to make sites like these work for you.
Contently
Great for writers, but Contently also has opportunities for a wide range of creatives and freelancers including art directors, cartoonists, audio producers, photographers, researchers, writers, illustrators, and more. The wait can be long here, so set your portfolio up sooner rather than later.
Indeed
Not dedicated to freelancing, but you can find a lot of gigs just by using “freelance” as a keyword.
Ebyline
Another site for writers. Ebyline requires approval though, so you could be waiting a while. I got my first big client here though, so it’s worth a shot.
Fiverr
Much maligned for its low-paying nature and e-commerce slant on selling freelance work, some freelancers have found it useful for testing new services. Their Fiverr Pro platform also shows some potential for connecting with companies who are willing to pay quite a bit more for work. Since it can be used in more of a set-it-and-forget-it mode, it’s worth considering keeping a listing here in case you catch the eye of clients who are out shopping for work.
Guru
This site is good if you’re connected to tech in any way.
nDash
I’m in love with the way this site is organized!
It’s set up so that companies sign up and you approach them with ideas, but they can also request pitches from you (which means you’ll want to take a more active approach here). The fact that they let you pitch to an entire industry (and even are organized by industry in the first place) is really useful for writers who want to pitch ideas to one niche. (If you’re focused on real estate as your starter niche I see quite a few real estate clients pop up there.)
The natural result of their setup is that you get the added bonus of seeing which niches and companies are actually out here paying people to write.
They do require you to use Stripe to get paid but with features like the Assignments area where companies post requests for writers and ideas (letting you see what’s in demand on the site) the annoyance is probably worth it.
The site is obviously still growing (some of the industries are kind of sparse) but their team seems to be pushing their growth and this is one I can see a lot of writers getting solid benefit from, especially over time.
Prose Media
Once accepted, you’ll get the opportunity to have work sent straight to your inbox. You have to move fast though, since the jobs are first-come-first-serve.
Scripted
I’ve tried this but have had weird login issues. Looks like it might be a good platform for general bloggers though.
Skyword
Quite a few big names hire writers here including Lending Tree, Cintas, Paychex, and IBM Mobile. It can take a while to get called to be on a team, so expect a wait (in months) and keep your profile up to date. Pay rates can range between $50 and $250 an article with potential incentives for social media shares (so if you have a strong following, this is another way to get paid).
Upwork
This site isn’t the best for writers all around, but even with recent rate hikes, it’s still the standard starting place for freelancers. (Eventually you’ll want to move past it and only use it to find the occasional client who might just be lost there.) Even if you don’t create a profile, the search tool can be immensely useful in figuring out where demand is. Here are some tips if you’ve had challenges getting results from the king of freelance platforms in the past.
Chic Rebellion
Per the site: “Chic Rebellion is a multimedia agency that empowers women like you to share your story by creating irresistible content for your brand, while you focus on growing your business. We support our clients — who include entrepreneurs, startups, corporate professionals and organizations — with executing a content strategy that aligns with your vision, builds your thought leadership and raises your brand awareness through smart, engaging and consistent content for your web sites, blogs, newsletters and social media platforms.”
They’re in search of experienced writers in a range of niches.
