I frequently get asked where I find my work projects. In my case, I have about four regular clients that I work for on an ongoing basis and a number of smaller places that I can write for when I have extra time.
As I was writing this post I was a little bit surprised to find that two of my four regular clients originally came from personal referrals. That is, people who had once with worked with me gave my name directly to the client, and the client contacted me. I am just starting to get a few jobs from readers of this website.
(The number of clients from personal referrals would probably be even higher, except that I have a policy of turning down in-house writing jobs. Since I live near a major metropolitan area, I am contacted about once a year by a local company who, upon finding out that I live not too far from them, wants me to come and sit in their office eight hours a day. I’ve tried to convert these potential project offers into offsite work, but so far I haven’t had much luck.)
The lesson learned from my experience is to get the word out there that you work from home. Make sure that all of your former colleagues, classmates, friends, and family members know that you own a writing business. If you have a writing blog, put the URL on your business card and hand out business cards when you meet people. With enough networking my number one way of finding work, referrals, could become your number one way too.
It’s been a while since I’ve listed sites where jobs can be found, so I’ll provide an updated list of some of my favorite websites and blogs that list jobs for freelance writers and bloggers:
- Freelance Writing Jobs — Deb Ng’s popular job search site is updated nearly every day.
- Media Bistro Job Listings — Find a corporate writing position. Be sure to check out the Freelance Marketplace while you are there.
- All Freelance Writing — Jobs and tips.
- Freelance Switch — A small, but growing job board contains entries for writers and bloggers.
- ProBlogger Job Board — Find a professional blogging position.
- About.com: Weblogs — Another excellent Deb Ng project.
- RentACoder — Not just for software coders.
- Elance — Bid on writing jobs. Features free and premium levels of membership.
- Guru.com — Another bidding site. Free profiles or paid profiles are available.
Another job search tip is to type the words “write for us” or “blog for us” in Google, or another online search engine. Be prepared to sort through a lot of junk to find the best leads. Always read any online job listing carefully. Be sure to get any agreements in writing. If possible, check out the company’s reputation and stability before accepting a position.
Best of luck to my readers!
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Dana // Sep 11, 2007 at
Great advice! I love your ‘write for us’ search suggestion!
2 Laura // Sep 11, 2007 at
Hi Dana! I’m glad you liked the suggestion. It will sure keep you busy. You can also try searching on “writer’s guidelines.”
Hi Yvonne! Actually, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I really only listed the most popular boards. There are dozens of smaller , and probably a few larger, job boards.
3 Matt Keegan // Sep 12, 2007 at
Be careful about using a site like Guru as it is a magnet for people who are looking to scrape the bottom price-wise.
Guru’s free plan is very limited as you can’t bid on the majority of jobs available. Their paid plan runs something like $150 annually; I was a subscriber for two years and let my membership run out this past June.
My highest paying jobs come from referrals or from people who find me directly. I’ve had some success with local Craigslist ads, but that site attracts its share of scam artists too.
BTW, About.com is paying approximately $750 per month for someone who is an expert in their field. Last I checked there were several dozens of openings posted.
4 Laura // Sep 12, 2007 at
Thanks Matt! I think your warnings about bidding sites are well-considered. I did find a decent paying job with Guru.com, but that was several years ago.
The About.com lead is a good one too, if a writer has specialized knowledge in a particular field.
5 Debby M // Jun 16, 2009 at
Just came across your post. I found it informative for me and I’m sure many others. I did also have small trouble subscribing to the blog but figured it out; I’m still a 2-finger typist 🙂 . Thank you and keep your blogging spirit going strong.
6 Nathanael Lindley // Jan 4, 2012 at
Nathanael Lindley…
I loved your blog.Much thanks again. Keep writing….