We receive questions every day about the jobs we post at Freelance Writing Jobs. Since many of them are the same, I thought I might put together some FAQ’s for you. I think I covered most of the usual questions but if you would like to know anything else regarding the jobs posted here, please feel free to ask in the comments.
Enough with the small talk:
The FAQs
Where do you search for the jobs at Freelance Writing jobs?
Jobs come from a variety of sources. Please see 43 Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs for the places we search daily and weekly for gigs.
Why do you post so many location specific jobs? Can’t you post more jobs that are open to everyone?
It’s not that I don’t look for jobs that are open to everyone. The truth is, there are a lot of location-specific freelance writing gigs and I don’t wish to ignore them. I realize they don’t apply to everyone but if some people can apply and they turn out to lucrative, I’m down with that. My goal is to find the universal gigs but high-paying, virtual gigs aren’t as easy to find.
Why do most of the gigs come from Craigslist?
Because that’s where most of the gigs are? Seriously, I troll five to ten job boards a day. Most boards have a job or two worth posting, Craigslist has more. Many writers write off a job as “Oh. It’s from Craigslist. I won’t even look at it.” Unfortunately, they’re missing out. While Craigslist does tend to attract unsavory types, there are also very lucrative opportunities posted there, with legitimate businesses. I posted a couple of gigs from major businesses that appeared on Craigslist, even from a Fortune 500 company.
Why do you post such low paying gigs?
My policy is to post jobs paying $10 and above. No, $10 isn’t a lot but in some areas of the country it’s an OK minimum hourly wage. Do I prefer jobs with higher pay? Absolutely and those are the jobs I look for the most, and encourage the FWJ community to look for the most. If post a long list of jobs paying hundreds of dollars each day, that’s what I would do. When I first started FWJ I posted all the freelance writing jobs, but the dollar jobs bugged me. So I raised it to a $10 minimum. There were plenty of times I offered to raise the minimum even higher but the FWJ community spoke up and asked me to post $10 gigs, so I do. Really, it’s the community who decides what jobs are posted here.
Why do you post so many content site jobs?
I only post jobs for certain content sites. I don’t post the sites paying under $10, profit share, or residual sites, for example. However, it would be hypocritical for me not to. I used content sites quite a bit in the past with good results. I’m not going to pretend I don’t like them or don’t feel them to be a good opportunity. The key is to choose wisely and make sure the ends justify the means. I wrote for content sites at the same time I was writing for a newspaper, and businesses and I know what goes into that type of writing. I used content site clips to land lucrative gigs. If I didn’t feel certain sites to be worthwhile opportunities, you wouldn’t see them here.
How long does it take you to post the jobs each day?
It takes about two to three hours to find and post all the gigs. I try and start at night so I don’t have to spend my entire morning looking for leads. I also strive to have a minimum – say 40 to 50 jobs each day at least – but I won’t post a gig for the sake of getting it on the list if I don’t feel it to be a worthwhile opportunity. I tend to go for quality over quantity.
What jobs make the cut?
Again, I look for jobs that appear to be worthwhile opportunities. Jobs that pay enough to justify the work put into each article. I once came across a gig paying $20 per article (higher than $10, obviously) but the client wanted 300 articles per week and I felt it to be unrealistic. I don’t post gigs for term paper mills, jobs that don’t pay, jobs paying anything other than money, residual site gigs and profit shares. I guess if I wouldn’t do it myself, I won’t post it.
You posted a scam last week. How could you possibly say you look for the best jobs.
I don’t intentionally post scams but every now and then a scammy type gets through. I apologize for the inconvenience.
So? Did I answer all of your questions? If so, let me know your thoughts about the jobs posted here and if you’ve had luck landing any of the opportunities. If I didn’t answer all your questions, here’s your open forum. Ask away…
