Freelance Writing Jobs Online: How To Get The Best One

Where to find freelance writing jobs: content mills vs private jobs

Two of the most common ways of finding freelancing jobs through the Internet are either through content mills or private jobs. Content mills are generally websites that allow clients to post a wide variety of jobs, which freelancers then bid on. There are various advantages and disadvantages to going down this route. The benefits include having a large source of jobs that you can choose from, without needing to spend too much that time searching for clients.

Despite being easier than looking for private clients, one of the main drawbacks to sourcing work through content mills is that the pay is generally considered to be a lot lower. However, this is not always the case and is possible to find some well-paid work with this approach.

Due to these disadvantages, many writers try and source their own private clients. This will generally involve finding magazines, publications or even private companies, then producing a proposal as to how you can help them. It may be that you’re writing an article for a local newspaper, or you may write web content, brochures and a wide variety of other content for private companies.

How a portfolio can help you to find work

To help you to win jobs, it is important you have a portfolio of your work to produce. Although you may not have a huge amount when you first started out, you can at least have any samples of writing that you may have produced at university, for example. A portfolio is important so as to demonstrate your expertise, as well as give any potential clients an idea of your style of writing.

Knowing how to charge for the work you do

An important part of the freelance writing process is being aware of how much you should charge. Many people who are just starting out as a freelance writer may be tempted to lower their rates, so as to help win more work. This isn’t necessarily the wrong approach the take; however, the aim should be to increase the rates to an acceptable level as quickly as possible. Things to take into consideration include any overheads that you may have, as well as any time that you spend looking for work, which needs to be factored into the costs. You have to remember that you are unlikely to be working as many hours as you would in other full-time employment, simply because you need to find the work in the first place.