Last week we were discussing issues related to single parents and making it as a freelancer. In Which online writing and blogging jobs pay the best? I said I’d come back and tell you where to find those gigs. So…
The same old, same old easy places to hunt: To find higher paying online writing and blogging gigs, you can look in all the usual places. Start with 22 Places to Find Freelance Writing and Blogging Jobs. Even though you may think, “Oh, I’ll never find I good job at a place like Craigslist” you should still look. I’ve scored major gigs on Craigslist. Yeah some are crap, but some jobs are a joke at other job sites as well. If you’re serious about making more money look everywhere. You never know what will pop up where.
Ignore the ads, be brave, and do some investigating: I recently applied for a job for an online magazine. They weren’t hiring that I know of, I just liked the site, and heard from a pal that they pay well. I sent a plain old email to an email address I found at their site. I told them who I was and what I do. They got back to me and I landed a position. My pal was correct about the pay, this gig is one of the highest paying online writing jobs I’ve ever encountered. If I hadn’t taken a chance I wouldn’t have got the gig.
You can apply anywhere. You don’t need an official job ad to give you the green light. Stick to sites that look good and turn out high quality writing. They pay more than poorly designed sites that look like article warehouses.
The glossies online: Most major magazines (and even trade magazines) offer exclusive online content and blogs now. Just be careful, because accepting an online offer from a print mag is not always the best financial call. Example – one glossy I worked with liked a query of mine, but didn’t know where it would end up; online or in print. They offered $400 for print and $150 if online. While $150 a pop for a quick online piece is decent, the print price offered was not great; you can make more. I actually went with another glossy on that piece and made $300 more so don’t assume that you have to accept a lower online price if you think your piece is print-worthy.
It’s easy to find email addresses for online magazine editors with a little web searching. Simply send queries like you would when sending for a print magazine piece.
News and other major media sites:
News sites often pay like the national glossies and yes you can query them. With very little trouble I was able to find email addresses for editors accepting queries at places like:
- The New York Times
- Wired
- USA Today
- And more.
Not all news sites contract freelancers, but many do and if you have a big (well-planned) idea you can score big bucks with these outlets.
Email newsletters:
Plenty of places turn out email newsletters. Company websites, hospitals, news site, and more all have readers who want to subscribe to special email only topics. If you see a site that might benefit from a newsletter, you can also contact them, let them know your ideas, and go from there. I’ve had friends who make $50-$100 per hour writing high quality email newsletters, so the pay isn’t shabby.
Trade websites:
Trade websites are speciality based, i.e. you’ll need to know something about the trade to write for a trade site. The folks reading these sites know their stuff and don’t need writers offering tips they already know. BUT if you have experience in a trade or two contact a site and offer a story idea.
Examples: trade association sites, professional development sites, sites that cater to news about professions, and more.
Other tips:
There are plenty of other online sites that pay for writing. All the text you see all over the web is written by someone. High end blogs, advice columns, health sites, and more hire writers they just don’t always advertise that fact. There’s a lot of potential for work online, it just takes a lot of querying and some outside of the box thinking.
The above places are swell places to start, but in the end, the high pay part is up to you. No matter what a site pays, you’re the person accepting the offer. If you take $3 online article gigs that’s your call. If you seek out higher quality sites that pay a whole lot more than $3 per piece that’s also your call.
Are you actively seeking out high paying gigs online? Where have you been searching?
I only search here and at About Freelance with Anne.
I’m too afraid to go out in the wide world of freelancing and search on my own and get rejected. I feel safe at these two places. All very good tips and one day I will get enough confidence and “fly on my own.”
Thanks.
@Michelle – it’s so easy to stick to those safe places. I’ve been there. It really does get easier though, once you start getting out there and communicating with other prospects. It’s those first steps that hold people back I think. You will get that confidence though, it’s a time thing