1) Craigslist

When I first began my journey as a freelancer, I was surprised to learn that Craigslist has a plethora of gigs available for writers of all experience levels. While some do try to lure people in with free exposure, there are plenty offering solid rates for exciting work.

Here’s how to use Craigslist to your advantage:

First, try searching in all the major cities across the United States.  Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle are a few of the most highly visited locations.  Being able to work remotely is one of the highlights of the job, so take full advantage.

Next, search for either ‘writing gigs’ or ‘writing jobs’ within each city. Contact as many job posters as you can. Keep in mind that including a writing sample in the initial message is critical, so it’s wise to have some published guest work available or an online portfolio to send to the job poster.

As with any job (especially those that are “work from home”), you’re guaranteed to be up against stiff competition.  Fortunately, the initial pitch doesn’t have a word count requirement… so keep it short and sweet.

2. LinkedIn

If used correctly, LinkedIn is ripe with clients willing to pay well for quality writing. It’s a powerful tool for freelancers, and can potentially land you some of the best work.

As with any social platform, you’ll want to make sure your profile reflects your unique voice and what your business stands for.  While this mentality may be difficult to appreciate early on… yes, being a freelance writer means you are running your own business.  You are the CEO, marketing department, customer service representative, accountant, and most importantly… the writer!  Your LinkedIn profile must reflect your competencies, skills, and professionalism.

In addition to crafting a stellar profile, you’ll want to network like crazy. Find companies in your niche (or individuals who handle marketing within said companies), and connect with them.  Follow their profiles, comment on their posts, and introduce yourself.

As the networking takes hold, you’ll start to receive a bunch of new connections which marks the perfect time to showcase your portfolio. Whether the previous work was paid or unpaid is completely irrelevant.  It’s all about presentation.  Highlight exactly what you achieved and walk clients through your process step by step.  This will help personalize your work even further and simultaneously solidify your authority.

Once the foundation has been laid, you’ll finally be ready to pitch the individuals you want to work with.

3. BloggingPro

BloggingPro is a freelance job board that has a wide range of work that pays well. It is updated frequently, so you always have new projects to check out.

This platform operates similarly to Craigslist in that you reach out to the job poster directly. The more written content and previous work you have to share, the better.

4. Problogger

As you might have guessed from the name, this site is very similar to BloggingPro. It isn’t updated quite as often, but the work remains solid.  Plenty of opportunities to establish a long-lasting working relationship with clients.

5. Upwork

Another option is to build an online portfolio on a site 100% designated to freelancing. Upwork is free to use but takes a portion of your profit as a fee for using their service.

To get started you simply need to set up a freelance writing portfolio and apply to jobs that fit your niche or previous writing experience. A lot of these projects are only found on Upwork, which should provide some variety compared to the other job board sites.

While the fee is certainly an inconvenience (especially on small projects), Upwork can definitely pay dividends over time.  As you build up your reviews and reputation, it will become easier to win over clients.

Additional Resources

As always, there are plenty of other options not listed in this article. There are numerous writing gigs posted daily on Indeed.com, Freelancer.com, Freelancewriting.com, and a multitude of other websites.

Regardless if you are a novice or a seasoned veteran, consistently making an effort to bring in more clients will ensure that you aren’t subjected to long stretches of dry spells. Yes, freelancing can be inconsistent at times, but the only way to break free is to continue to push and increase your exposure.

Try a variety of job boards, keep building your LinkedIn profile, check in on Craigslist, and you will see your venture evolve into a profitable business.