One of the most common questions I get from new freelance writers is “Where can I find freelance writing jobs?”
And a common place for freelancers to start is to seek advertised gigs on job boards and related sites.
Not sure where to start a search of your own?
Let’s explore 15 places where you can find freelance writing jobs, and then let’s talk about why (and how) you can do even better.
Where to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
These are the 15 places to find freelance writing job that we’ll take a closer look at below. There are no ratings or rankings. They’re grouped by resource type.
- All Freelance Writing
- Journalism Jobs
- Media Bistro
- Pro Blogger
- Who Pays Writers?
- Indeed
- Simply Hired
- GlassDoor
- Google Jobs
- LinkedIn Jobs
- We Work Remotely
- Remote.co
- Working Nomads
- Applicant Tracking Systems
Now let’s look at what these resources offer.
Niche Freelance Writer Job Sites
Let’s start with job boards and other job lead sources tailored specifically to writers.
1. All Freelance Writing
If you’re new to All Freelance Writing, you might not know about the freelance writing job resources available here. Let’s remedy that.
Freelance Writing Job Board
First, you’ll find the All Freelance Writing Job Board.
While All Freelance Writing was one of the first sites to put rate limits on advertised gigs, and while some writers loved that at the time, more visitors made it clear over the years that they didn’t need or want someone else deciding what gigs were worth their consideration.
So, to give newer writers more leads and still help more experienced freelancers weed out time-wasters that under-pay for their circumstances, I struck a compromise.
That compromise involves all jobs having a rate range assigned, or an “undisclosed” tag.
These rates can be seen right on the main page of the job board, meaning you can find jobs in acceptable rate ranges (to you) at-a-glance.
There’s also a search form on the job board page that lets you view only gigs in rate ranges you want to see.
And, even better, I’ve set up rate-specific email subscriptions, so you can choose which job leads to receive via email any day new ones are posted.
Writers’ Market Database
While the job board posts immediate-need leads for writing gigs, All Freelance Writing also hosts a writers’ market database you can browse at any time.
These are publications that accept pitches from freelance writers on a seasonal or ongoing basis, such as magazines, blogs, and literary journals.
The market database is browsable by category. But it’s also the data source for a variety of niche and other specialty market lists on the blog.
Any time a market is added, edited, or removed from the larger market database, posts like the ones below are automatically updated to reflect those changes.
- Websites That Pay Writers $100 per Article (and More)
- Print Markets Paying Writers $500+
- Paying Essay Markets for Freelance Writers
- Paying Markets for Short Fiction
- Paying Markets Seeking Submissions from Under-Represented Writers
- Freelance Writing Markets Paying $1000 (or More)
If a particular specialty list appeals to you, make sure you bookmark it and check back periodically.
Search for Jobs | Browse Writers’ Markets
2. Journalism Jobs
If you have a reporting background, the job board at JournalismJobs.com is worth a look.
Freelance gigs are far less common than full-time ones on this site, but you’ll find occasional gems.
To find freelance writing jobs, you can click the link below. Or, visit the main site, hover over “Search Jobs” near the top of the page, and click “View all Listings.” Then look to the left side of the page, and choose “freelance” under the “Job Type” heading.
3. Media Bistro
Media Bistro is another media industry job board where you’ll occasionally find solid freelance writing leads.
You can click the link below to directly access freelance writer roles. Or click “Find a Creative Job” at the top of the site, choose “Writing & Editing” under the “Job Type” list, then choose “Freelance” and/or “Contract” under “Duration.”
4. Pro Blogger
Pro Blogger’s job board features a variety of blogging gigs.
To make sure you don’t miss opportunities, make sure you browse both the featured job ads (with a light blue background) and the basic job listings that come below those.
5. Who Pays Writers?
Who Pays Writers? is closer to a market database than a job board. But it’s unique from those too.
The site features a collection of markets and what they pay, submitted not by the publications themselves but rather by writers who have worked with them.
If you’re building a pitch list and want to base it on pay rates, or if you’re curious about what specific publications pay, this is a great resource.
General Job Boards
While niche freelance writing job sites are a great place to start, don’t neglect more traditional job boards. Here are some favorites worth bookmarking.
6. Indeed
When I curate job leads for you here, Indeed is one of the main job boards I search.
Why?
They aggregate jobs from multiple sources, which can be a huge time-saver.
To search directly for freelance writer jobs, you can click the link below. But I suggest running more specific searches as well depending on your specialty -- blogging, copywriting, editing, etc. Using the "remote" and "job type: contract" filters are helpful for finding freelance gigs.
7. Simply Hired
Simply Hired is similar to Indeed in that the site aggregates job postings from other resources.
There’s no need to use both as you’ll generally come across the same listings.
Choose whichever has an interface or filters you prefer.
8. GlassDoor
GlassDoor is a popular resource for job seekers thanks to its salary reporting data and company reviews.
While these are more important to those seeking traditional employment, their job listings are worth a look for freelancers as well.
If you visit the homepage and try to access the job board, you’ll be prompted to create an account or log in. This is free, and by sharing information like salaries with past employers you’ll have access to more data.
However, you can still search jobs without logging in by using the link below.
9. Google Jobs
Google has its own aggregated job listings. You can access them by searching for pretty much anything with “jobs” at the end of your search query.
That will bring up a small selection of leads, and you can click the link below them to access the full jobs interface.
Personally, I find this to be one of the worst general job board options. But you can occasionally find decent leads that don't show up on more popular job boards.
Why is it not a great option?
- You have to sort through a lot of spammy, exploitative listings from freelance marketplaces. Upwork, for example, not only engages in black hat SEO with keyword and link-stuffing, but their garbage litters the results for almost any freelance-related job search in Google’s results despite violating Google’s job listing terms by requiring payment of job-seekers.
- You’ll also find sketchy job lead sources here that post expired listings or are otherwise from untrustworthy sites. With all the recruitment scams going on, be careful not to submit any personal information with applications on any site you aren’t sure is legit. Given these scammy sites tend to scrape other job boards, if you see an appealing listing, search for it elsewhere before giving any personal information.
If you don’t mind wading through some of that waste, you can occasionally find good leads from individual company sites or smaller niche job boards.
But my recommendation is to use Google Jobs just a few times to try to identify those niche resources. Then bookmark them and check them directly in the future.
Social Media Job Leads
You can also find freelance writing jobs via social media. Here are the two top sources I recommend.
10. LinkedIn Jobs
LinkedIn is designed for professionals, so it’s no surprise they feature their own job board.
While there are far more traditional employee roles, you’ll sometimes find freelance gigs as well.
In my experience, using the “contract” filter can rule some out as potential clients don’t always tag their freelance gigs properly. So I recommend focusing on keywords in your search (“freelance writer,” “freelance editor,” etc.) instead.
Choosing the “remote” filter can also help narrow down freelance opportunities.
To find more hidden gems though, also search LinkedIn’s “posts.” You’ll find individuals posting about a need for a freelance writer in their feeds rather than on the job board.
Search for things like “hiring a freelance writer,” and instead of Jobs, click the dropdown to switch to post results.
11. Twitter
Can you find freelance writing gigs on Twitter? Of course you can. You just have to know how to search for them.
You can always run a traditional search for something like “hiring a freelance writer” or “copywriter needed.”
You can also do this by creating a Twitter list and adding accounts (like the All Freelance Writing Twitter account) that frequently post freelance writing job leads.
But a more efficient option is to follow relevant hashtags.
Personally, I prefer to use TweetDeck for this, as you can have separate columns for each hashtag feed. This allows you to browse the latest listings in each feed at-a-glance.
To do this, add a new “search” column and simply use the hashtag as your search query.
Here are some hashtags you can follow for job leads:
- #FreelanceWritingJobs
- #WritingJobs
- #JournoJobs
- #BloggingJobs
- #CallForSubmissions
With TweetDeck, you can also create columns for manual searches. So, for example, you might have a column for each of the hashtags above, but you might also have a column for search results for “hiring a freelance writer.”
Even if you don’t use TweetDeck for anything else, it can greatly speed up your job search by automatically loading the latest results without you having to search repeatedly.
Remote Job Boards
With the recent increase in remote work, remote job boards have become a more valuable tool.
While they’re mostly focused on full-time roles, you can still find some worthwhile freelance writing leads.
12. We Work Remotely
We Work Remotely focuses heavily on technical jobs, but you can search for writing roles as well (or just use the link below).
Writing gigs are scarce here, but you can find an occasional high-paying lead that makes it worth a look at least once in a while.
13. Remote.co
Remote.co is similar to We Work Remotely, but they do have a writing-specific category. Again, these include both freelance and full-time positions, so check that status before applying.
Here you’ll find a handful or so of leads in any given week.
14. Working Nomads
You can also find some remote freelance writing job leads at Working Nomads.
For freelance gigs, make sure you look for leads tagged as “contract” jobs rather than full-time roles.
A Lesser-Known Job Lead Resource
Do you wish there was an easy way to find job leads posted internally by potential clients?
Well, there is.
15. Applicant Tracking Systems
Many companies today use what’s known as an applicant tracking system (ATS).
An ATS helps manage the hiring process. Companies use it to post their internal job listings, accept applications directly, and filter applicants based on the job requirements.
If you know what domain an applicant tracking system uses, you can run custom Google searches to find freelance writing job postings from its various clients.
To do this, go to Google and enter a search string such as “freelance writer site:ATSsite.com” (remove the quotes and enter the ATS link instead of ATSsite.com).
Here are some direct search links for several ATS resources to get you started.
With these ATS sites, that technically gives you a little more than 15 places to find freelance writing jobs.
But exactly how much should you rely on job boards and these related resources?
Not as much as you might be inclined to.
Moving Beyond Job Boards for Freelance Writing Gigs
Given that I run a freelance writing job board, you might be surprised to know I don’t advocate using them. At least not regularly, and not past the early stages of your freelance writing career.
Why?
As I’ve reminded freelance writers for years…
The best freelance writing jobs are rarely advertised.
Why is this?
Simply put, companies that pay well and seek out professionals don’t need to.
More than that, if a company advertises and discloses pro-level pay rates, they get bombarded with applications. And not only from qualified candidates.
I’ve worked as a hiring editor for clients, and I’ve seen hundreds of applications come in within the first day.
When I couldn’t take on a gig for an existing client and didn’t know a specialist to refer them to, I let them post a job ad here to find someone. They had dozens of applications in the first two hours and asked to pull it down.
Many clients simply don’t have the resources to sort through that mess, especially when most applicants aren’t qualified.
What do clients do instead?
It’s far easier, and generally more successful, for clients to seek out qualified professional writers quietly.
This is often via search (why SEO is vital for any new freelance writer, or any writer not focused on a pitch-based marketing strategy).
It also often happens through referrals, where clients ask their current writers or colleagues for recommendations.
Why “Where can I find freelance writing jobs?” is the wrong question:
Look. I’m not completely anti-job-board. If I was, I wouldn’t host one here. They have their place. For example:
- Job boards can help new freelance writers find initial gigs to build a portfolio.
- Advertised gigs occasionally turn up hidden gems from clients who haven’t figured out better ways to find freelancers yet.
- Searching job boards can help you fill unexpected gaps in your schedule if another client pulls out of a project or you haven’t built consistent demand for your services yet.
But far too many writers ask where they can find decent gigs. And that’s the wrong question.
What’s the right question?
“How can I land quality freelance writing gigs?”
Like I already mentioned, the best gigs are rarely advertised.
Instead, there are two basic strategies for landing higher-paying freelance writing work:
- Pitching / queries
- Attracting prospects to you
The first strategy is most common in freelancing for magazines. It would also include cold calling and other direct marketing often done by copywriters.
My preference has always been for the latter – a combination of PR and inbound marketing so prospects come to me rather than me having to spend time seeking them out, writing queries, etc. I’ve long referred to this as “query-free freelancing.”
While I’m not an advocate of pitch-based freelancing, there’s certainly nothing wrong with it.
I’m a specialist with an extensive PR background, so query-free freelancing is a perfect fit for me. If querying isn’t something you enjoy or feel comfortable with, it might be a great fit for you too.
If you like querying, that style of networking, and hand-picking each target publication or client, then a pitch-based strategy is probably for you.
There’s also no reason you can’t combine the two.
If, or when, you’re ready to move beyond job boards and advertise freelance writing gigs, visit All Freelance Writing’s sister site, Freelance Writing Pros, where I share more advanced business and marketing tips for more experienced freelance writers.
There you’ll find more tips on attracting clients rather than seeking them out by building your professional platform.
Start here: Freelance Writer Platforms 101
Still want to find freelance writing jobs on job boards? Keep it simple.
A little planning and organization can keep your search under control.
There are many places to find freelance writing gigs beyond the list of resources I’ve provided. And searching all of them regularly can be time-consuming.
An easy way to simplify the process is to create a link list with all your favorite job boards and custom Google searches saved.
Then each day, each week, or however often you plan to search, all you have to do is click each link and see what’s new.
You can use your browser’s bookmark folders for this. But my preference is to use Start.me for my browser’s new tab page.
You can add a variety of widgets to customize your page if you go this route.
I keep a section for the job links I use when curating leads. And I also have link lists on my Start.me page for other sites I visit regularly (like business-related services and a section of login links for my web properties to speed up maintenance).
Whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking for leads to fill a gap in your schedule, I hope these job lead resources help you find a few gems.
Want to simplify the process even more and receive job leads in your inbox? Subscribe to the All Freelance Writing job board.
What I like about your approach is the diversity of types of resources. Often, one or two main job portals is what we use when looking for a job. When I was going to live in another country for a while, I made up Excel table with the contacts of the places I could work in being non-citizen, simply after researching Google maps. Then I mailed to each potential employer with a CV tailored specifically to each place. And even though not every mail was answered, in the end I got an invitation for a job interview! So, never give up. Oh, and as a remote Contenteam copywriter I want to tell you that agencies often post their vacancies in social media communities, so check it out from time to time.
Hi Meriem. Are you perhaps talking about full-time remote roles? That’s very different from freelance writing jobs, which is what this site is about. In freelancing, you generally don’t provide a CV or go through traditional job interviews. A company even requesting one is a red flag as it shows they aren’t familiar with working with freelance professionals (who are independent business owners).