Best Freelance Websites and Blogs for Beginners
If you are at a loss about what to begin with, there are plenty of freelance websites where you can find projects to your taste and abilities.
Even more:
Freelance blogs also give an excellent opportunity to get some useful tips on writing (or whatever you specialize in).
Like what?
A good freelance blog makes spare you hours you will waste on correcting your mistakes. There are many ways to find freelance writing opportunities. This article is going to discuss the most popular ones for future writers.
There is a prevailing opinion that content mills do not give well-paid freelance assignments.
It is not a rare case to meet a professional freelancer who despises them and will advise you to keep away from such job sources. However, there are also those who continue to look for projects there even when they are already experienced enough for more challenging tasks.
So, what’s next?
To decide whether this option suits you, you must first try it.
You may ask:
What content mill is? How is it different from other freelance sites?
A content mill is a place where you should fund your work by paying the site for it to give you the access to available orders.
The customer provides details about the assignment to be completed and places it for a bid unless the site gives an opportunity to assign it directly to a particular freelancer.
The major feature:
Such freelance job sites take a percentage of the client’s payment either in advance or upon the completion of the task. Although this system may be inconvenient for experienced freelancers, it is perfect for beginners.
You should bear in mind that content mills are useless in helping you create your portfolio since they rarely give users a byline.
Why?
They are aimed purely at gaining experience that would allow turning writing into a stable career. Working there, you will gain insight into particularities of the writer’s job and will better understand what your potential customers may look for when they hire a professional.
You will also increase your awareness of:
- wring genres
- styles
- formats
- ways to conduct research
- time management techniques, etc.
Here is the list of the best freelancing sites for beginning writers in this category:
1. Article Document
This freelance platform has a flexible system of payment. Basically, it pays you for the quality of your writing.
What distinguishes it from other websites is that it offers writers a byline, which implies that this option is perfect for you to build your portfolio.
2. BlogMutt
This site has a level system.
When you transfer to higher levels, your income increases both from getting and writing assignments.
What’s the best part?
Another useful feature is that the site guarantees a regular payment. Money is disbursed once a week (on Monday) as soon as you send an invoice.
3. ClearVoice
Here, it is possible to filter and select tasks by your desired conditions.
You may use pay rate, byline, or any other filters that you think necessary. As soon as your customer accepts the provided paper, you get your payment.
The site is user-friendly, streamlined, and reliable, which is good news for beginners who are often afraid of complexities.
4. Hire Writers
At this site, pay rate is directly affected by the quality of your writing.
There is no indication concerning the basic length of the paper; however, the site promises up to $20 for one article if you are capable of providing top-quality texts.
5. Domainite
This is another reliable platform.
Unlike those enumerated above, it has a fixed pay rate ($1.00 per 100 words). Your earnings are paid once a week.
6. Great Content
If you prefer your freelance work to be paid differently for each kind of work, this place is for you.
Here, your fee varies depending on the assignment. So, you may get from $7.50 to $37.50 for a text consisting of 500 words.
7. Online Writing Jobs
There are a lot of criteria that are applied to your work to decide what payment it deserves.
For example:
They include the complexity of the assignment, your expertise in this or that topic, deadline, length of the order, etc. You may expect to get from $15 to $50 per one paper.
8. Content Hourlies
You will be paid weekly for the completed assignments. The amount will be identified individually for each type of work.
The best part?
Due to the popularity of the site, there is a consistent stream of freelance projects, which will make it possible for you to have minimum ten tasks per week.
9. Textbroker
The unique feature the platform possesses is an assessment of your writing samples.
You will get rated and offered assignment of a particular complexity to choose from. The higher your rating is, the more you will be paid (between 0.7 to 5 cents per one word).
10. Writer Access
Here, writers also have ratings, which determine their earnings (between 1,4 and 7 cents per word). Payments are disbursed once in two weeks.
It is also a good idea to start freelancing in a freelance marketplace.
These sites are quite similar to the previous type as they also act and intermediaries between writers and their customers (for which they have their cut).
But here’s the kicker:
The degree of freedom is a bit higher here.
In fact, freelancers can look for particular kinds of work they would like to perform and specify how much they want to get for it. This implies that you will have a bit more control over your writing activities, which is both beneficial and dangerous at the same time.
The system works as follows:
- Clients looking for freelancers come to the site to post their tasks or job offers (also on a freelance basis).
- Users can bid on them, attaching links to their CVs, portfolios, profiles, or any other related information.
- The customer looks through all the applications and selects the one that he/she likes best. (Try to find an exhaustive freelance blog to study the peculiarities of the system. Good freelance blogs reveal information that marketplaces prefer keeping secret).
To increase your chances to be chosen, you must provide as many details about your writing experience as possible.
Describe what types of work you have done, what your strengths are, what jobs you have had, and what projects you would like to work on. Your profile should function as a kind of freelance advertising of your merits.
Do not enumerate skills and achievements that you do not have. It’s important to be honest to win your customers’ trust and loyalty. Your task is to make them realize that your work will contribute to the success of their project.
Another thing to be considered at such freelance job sites is never to apply for jobs that are too complicated for you even if the pay is attractive.
Why?
First and foremost, you cannot guarantee high quality in such cases.
Second, your customer will wonder why you decided to apply if your portfolio does not have anything on the topic.
Finally, they may file a complaint if you fail to satisfy the requirements.
The majority of writers start to use freelance markets after they have already tried another freelance portal (such as a content mill) and continue working with them throughout their career, only becoming pickier about the orders they select.
However, you should bear in mind that such sites typically have a no-tolerance rule if you decide to cooperate with customers outside the platform.
These are the most popular freelance sites you may choose from in this category:
11. Freelancer
This site offers different pay rates depending on the type and complexity of a project.
Here, you may also find numerous extra money-making chances.
12. Guru
The platform has a status system for its members, which determines how much you will pay to the site.
If you decide to pay a monthly membership fee, your transaction payment will be considerably lower.
Guru has a friendly searching system enabling easy search and application. However, it must be admitted that it is rather difficult to get used to its interface. Guru fees are based on your membership status (if you pay monthly as a member, the transaction fee lowers).
13. People Per Hour
The most convenient feature of this resource is the ability to create your “hourlies” for completing tasks.
There is a flexible payment system that allows you ask for a down payment or payment upon completion depending on your personal preferences.
14. Upwork
It is now a common trend to be an Upwork freelancer.
It is no wonder:
Sites like Upwork have a convenient free structure that is comprehensible even to newcomers.
The fee structure depends on the length of your cooperation with this or that customer (may constitute from 5% to 20% of your earnings).
The longer you stay with the customer, the less you have to pay to the site. Another attractive service is payment protection. Each transaction usually takes approximately 5-7 days to process.
If you feel that you are already sufficiently experienced in freelance work, you may switch to job boards, which have more requirements for applicants that the sites described above.
You must have an excellent portfolio to succeed here. That is why many beginning freelancers find it necessary to start with a marketplace or a content mill before they dare approach a job board.
Nevertheless, you should not be discouraged to try it even if you do not have such an experience behind you.
Want to know why?
There are hundreds of offers on the board, so you may find a freelance company that is looking for a beginner:
If the organization wants to outsource freelance projects, it often opts for beginners to save money (as they are paid less than seasoned professionals).
Local freelance companies are more likely to be tolerant in this respect than international ones. Anyway, you do not have to pay for trying your hand in this if you are sure that you know what you will write about.
You should always remember that applying for positions that are beyond your expertise may lead to failures that will earn you a bad reputation and lead to the loss of your employer’s trust.
You should first apply for easier tasks to make sure that you may continue developing in the same direction. When you have already collected at least five high-quality articles, you may offer them to clients to assess your style. (If you are at a loss how to compose a portfolio for it to be appealing to customers, you may try Clippings.me).
Here are the best freelancing sites classified as job boards:
15. Blogging Pro
The site is updated every day, which enables you to receive hundreds of offers in all areas of experience you may select from to apply.
16. Craigslist
Local freelance jobs are posted here alongside with offers from companies from abroad. So, it’s quite easy to find something to your taste.
Customers place plenty of jobs every hour, which makes it rather difficult to make the right choice. However, this will make it possible for you to compare requirements of different clients.
18. Indeed
This is one of the most popular hiring websites.
You should be careful with searching since it also offers a lot of office jobs.
This is important:
Remember to add “remote” to your search to make sure that you will get only freelance options. You may create a resume on the site; so, make sure that it presents all your strengths.
19. Pro Blogger
There are many freelancers who consider this job board the most convenient one since it offers only quality freelance jobs.
You may check it yourself.
20. Work at Home Adventures
Here you can find writing gigs, distant work offers, and many other types of work to your preference.
21. Work from Home Happiness
The site has a search engine by keyword, which makes it easier to filter the results. The owner adds new offers as soon as she finds them, which happens rather often.
There are many websites that feature a “write for us” tab for writers.
However, the majority of freelancers feel that their experience and skills are insufficient for editors to accept their submission. This delusion is rather common and has nothing to do with the real state of things.
In fact, if your article is: attention-grabbing, free of errors, and well-structured, you have strong chances to be published even if you only begin to write.
The most important:
If you aren’t sure about the quality of your writing, you can look for a freelance blog that would specify the requirements and give useful tips for those who want to try submissions (other helpful freelance blogs will be discussed further in this article).
The only considerable disadvantage is financial:
You will not get paid if your article is rejected.
This implies that you work for free until you have already been published for a couple of times. To overcome this problem, you may pick only one day per week or two to spend on this kind of freelance work and devote other days to more profitable activities.
It may seem to you that the game is not worth the candles.
If you manage to have your submission accepted, no one will be interested in your writing experience. You may earn a quick success without spending months on other sites. If you encounter a freelance developer who will love your work, you may consider yourself a lucky person.
Here is the list of websites you may address to try your luck:
22. CollegeHumor
Here, you may get from $35 for your submission if the site accepts it. There is only one condition: it must be related to college life and be written in a humorous tone.
23. Cosmopolitan
The site requires an essay (up to 800 words) on your college experience and offers $100 to those who manage to impress them.
Moreover, you have a good chance of being offered another assignment if your first one is published.
24. Income Diary
This website covers numerous categories of articles (ranging from social media to content writing); so, you will be able to find what suits you best. As well as other sites from this list, it pays only for accepted articles.
25. Listverse
This is another humorous site that is ready to pay $100 for a funny story that would manage to align with its general writing style.
26. Money Pantry
This freelance site is ready to pay up to $150 for an accepted submission, which is rather good even for a professional writer.
No experience is required. The topic is earning money. You may also write how you manage to save.
27. Starting Business
Here, you may earn $50 for a good freelance project related to practical ways of starting and maintaining a business (regardless of the sphere).
The popularity of freelance job sites is on the rise as more and more people are eager to work independently staying at home. However, despite the scale of the freelance movement, it requires a considerable adjustment to succeed.
First and foremost, you cannot dispose of abundant resources that companies can afford.
Second, you have no team that would support you in the areas, in which your own knowledge leaves much to be desired.
Third, working along may turn out to be rather stressful since you are a writer, CEO, and marketers at the same time.
The key idea is that you need to be well-prepared to become a successful freelancer. Even if you visit and register at all the best freelancing sites on the Internet, there is no guarantee that your freelance services will sell. Thus, it is highly advisable to look for blogs with recommendations.
Here are the most popular ones:
28. Freelancers Union
This freelance network may help you to get access to various benefits that your new job may bring you. All the posts are precise and contain only useful information.
29. Millo
The site is maintained by real freelancers and freelance consultants and provides plenty of articles on all related topics.
30. Flaunt My Design
If you feel that creativity is your strongest feature, this blog was created for you.
It is concentrated on the success of creative freelancers and suggests numerous business strategies and method to help you fulfill your potential even if you are a newcomer.
31.
The project was launched to provide a deeper insight into the profession. It offers many videos and posts that will definitely assist you in boosting your productivity.
32. Help Scout Blog
If you have already collected a good portfolio but still have problems communicating with customers, you must read this blog.
Here, you will find not only recommendations on your service improvement but will also learn more about clients’ psychology, which is necessary to achieve their highest satisfaction and win their trust.
33. Fizzle
Although the premium account is not free of charge, it is totally worth the money.
Articles you can find there cover the whole freelance business: online hiring process, business development, creativity, etc.
34. The Freelance Report
This project is run by the Millo team and contains tons of useful content (especially for those who are short of time and cannot spend long hours learning).
35. The Freelancer by Contently
The blog is popular in big cities as it also provides reviews on public places.
36. Double Your Freelancing
The creator of the blog is Brennan Dunn, who offers advice how to double your pay rate and find the most profitable offers.
37. Work Made for Hire
The blog provides unique information on contract negotiation, financial and legal aspects of freelancing that are often overlooked by beginners.
The only disadvantage is that it is not updated as frequently as the other similar sites.
In our age of technologies, you do not need a degree in philology, business, or fine arts to become a freelancer.
There are now millions of freelance specialists having no higher education whatsoever. So, it does not matter whether you are a writer, a freelance graphic artist, a teacher, or a photographer, the only things you really need for a start are to have a freelance talent and to love what you do.
Use this guide and other Cool.Club articles to find the best projects and increase your income!
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