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Money or Meh? 7 Middle-Man Agency Platforms Promise Content Writing Jobs
How do you find content writing jobs as a freelance writer?
It’s the million-dollar question every newbie freelance writer wants an answer to (even seasoned freelancers keep coming back to this).
But there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to finding content writing jobs. And to be honest, sifting through job boards, Craigslist, and freelancer platforms isn’t the best way to find great clients.
But wouldn’t it be nice? A one-stop shop to find clients, get assignments, and make money…that doesn’t require a serious marketing effort.
That’s the appeal of middle-man agencies like Upwork, ClearVoice, Contently, and others. Sign up, create a profile, and apply for jobs. Or just sit back and wait for clients to find you.
It seems like every week a new platform that promises content writing jobs is born. So what are some of the newest platforms to find content writing jobs? And do any of them pay well enough to help you move up and earn more?
Check out these 7 middle-man agencies to find out:
Be Prepared: How One Resilient Freelancer Built an Emergency Fund
What’s your game plan as a freelance writer for unexpected events and expenses? Do you have an emergency fund?
Imagine buying same-day international plane tickets to flee political violence with a toddler. It happened to me while I was freelancing in Nicaragua. And those tickets were expensive.
What about an unexpected medical bill? Could you take time off if a family member got seriously ill…or if you were ill yourself?
If your house burned down, could you put yourself up in a hotel and restock your toiletries, underwear, clothes, and food before an insurance payout?
Most people don’t like to think about all the possibilities that could turn an ordinary day of freelancing into a need for fast cash. But it’s bound to happen.
And when it does, being prepared can make all the difference between being stressed out and desperate or nothing more than a minor bump in the road called life.
Here’s how I built an emergency fund as a freelance writer:
It’s Open Pitch Week: Editor’s Tips for Landing a Guest Post
Want to write a guest post for Make a Living Writing?
Now’s your chance to land an assignment. It’s open pitch week around here.
Got something to say or advice to share about the business and craft of freelance writing?
Maybe you’ve had a breakthrough in your business, mastered a new marketing technique to generate leads, or learned to leverage social media to connect with prospects and clients.
Or maybe an epic freelance fail, bad-news client, or claw-your-way-out-of-the-content-mills experience taught you a few things that might help a fellow freelancer.
If you’re a mid-career freelance writer or even if you’re just starting out, there’s a good chance you have some insight, perspective, tip, or technique that can help someone else…make a living writing.
Got some ideas for a guest post brewing now? Good.
Here’s the crazy thing about Open Pitch Week. A lot of guest posts pitches that writers send get deleted because they miss the mark, and some just totally suck. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here’s how to land a guest post assignment for Make a Living Writing:
Writing Copy That Sizzles: 6 Ways to Serve Clients Tasty Content
Ever wonder what the secret is to writing copy that sizzles?
You know, the kind of content that turns that one-off assignment into a long-term client.
When you take on a copywriting assignment, you have to connect with your client’s target market. Get this right, and you’ll be a lot more likely to convert readers into subscribers, and subscribers into buyers.
Think of it like grilling the perfect burger with just the right amount of seasoning and cooking time. Do it right, and your clients will be satisfied, and their audience will be hungry for more.
So what’s the secret sauce to writing copy that sizzles?
It starts before you write a single word. The prep-work you put in to serve your clients tasty copy can make all the difference between bland and boring or mouth-watering and delicious.
Want to learn how to write copy that sizzles? Here are six ways to crush your next copywriting assignment:
Make Money Writing: 14 Business and Entrepreneur Sites That Pay $50-$2,000
Want to make money writing about business and entrepreneurship?
It’s a hot niche where you’ll find industry moguls, start-ups, and innovators hustling to make their mark, generate revenue, and build a brand. (And that’s a good thing if you’re a freelance writer.)
Right now, Amazon-style success is what a lot of businesses and entrepreneurs are trying to replicate in their own niche.
From the solopreneur to corporate CEO, they’re interested in the day-to-day stuff about how to run a business more efficiently, manage people, improve product development and customer service, and establish a business model that will be profitable for the long term.
If you want to make money writing about business and entrepreneurship, there’s no shortage of sites that will pay you to write about it. Here are 15 sites that pay writers $50 to $500 per assignment, and cover a wide range of topics in this niche.
If you want to make money writing for one of these sites, study the guidelines, get familiar with the site and its target audience, and start pitching:
Be Your Own Boss: 10 Free Business Resources for Writers
Want to be your own boss and make a living writing?
If you’ve got solid writing skills and even a little marketing savvy, you’re already ahead of the game.
But there’s more to freelance writing and running your own business than being a great writer and smart marketer.
For a lot of writers, it’s the how-to-run-a-business stuff that makes you go cross-eyed, causes your palms to sweat, or ignites a firestorm of anxiety and self-doubt. Sound familiar?
You might be a great writer, but how much do you know about attorneys, taxes, business licenses, and insurance?
It’s a rhetorical question. But if you’re already feeling a knot forming in the pit of your stomach, there’s a good chance you could benefit from a little help to be your own boss.
Fortunately, help is available. And if you know where to look it’s free or available at a low-cost to help you build your freelance writing business, move up and earn more.
Want to be your own boss? Check out these free business resources for writers:
Is This Inappropriate Emotion Killing Your Freelance Writing Rates?
NOTE: Feel like you’re stuck with low-paying clients that will never pay higher freelance writing rates? This post is for you. Enjoy! -Carol.
Want to make money from home as a freelance writer? I’ve got a question for you today, writers. How do you feel about your freelance writing rates and your book of clients?
I ask because today’s topic is just that — the feelings we have for our clients. Because business isn’t all dollars and cents. It’s also relationships. Our clients are people, too.
Some of the feelings we have for them are appropriate and useful feelings, such as enjoying a client’s easygoing personality or the feeling of satisfaction that comes from successfully completing a complex writing assignment.
But some feelings freelance writers have are sadly misplaced, and really hurt your ability to earn higher freelance writing rates. Check out what a couple of writers said to me recently, and I think you’ll start to see why I’ve put that big-eyed dog up as the photo for this post:
12 Proven Ways You Can Still Earn Well With Article Writing
Has your writing income dwindled in recent years? If so, it’s a good bet you’ve been earning much of your money through article writing.
You may have noticed many local newspapers and magazines are shrinking their article wordcounts–and their pay. I meet a lot of sad former staff journalists who’re worried about how they’ll earn in the future.
That’s not an irrational fear, either. A recent study I did of about 250 established freelance writers showed 70 percent of them were article writers. And that article writing was one of their best-paid gigs.
What did that pencil out to, in dollars, this great article-writing pay? Nearly half said they earn under $20,000 a year from writing. Another 20 percent earned $20,000-$30,000. In all, most of these article writers weren’t earning much.
Gah! This makes me hopping mad.
That’s because article writing can be seriously lucrative — it’s the bulk of the work I’ve done as a freelance writer, including years where I earned six figures. But you have to know where to look for better pay.
Use the Grandma Method to Win at Video Script Writing
You’ve probably watched a million how-to tutorials, explainer videos, and commercials to promote a product or service. But did you know you can make money doing video script writing?
If you’re a quick thinker who loves coming up with new ideas, video script writing might be perfect for you.
From TV commercials to training videos to Internet marketing spots, opportunities are growing in this diverse, well-paying niche.
But if you haven’t done this type of writing before, you probably have a bunch of questions, like:
- What kind of clients need video script writing?
- How do you find them?
- And how do you write a video script your grandma could understand, and still motivate, persuade, and educate a client’s target audience?
We caught up with two creatives and video script writing pros to get the answers. Here’s what you need to know:
Essay Contest: Tell Me About Your Most Hellish Freelance Writing Jobs
Ever had a client who was a total nightmare? If you do even a handful of freelance writing jobs, it’s bound to happen.
They don’t know what they want. Their deadline is yesterday. You’re getting gang-edited by a team of five.
Since I’ve been at this a long time, I’ve pretty much had every flavor.
But what’s your worst story? I’ve decided to collect them all here on the blog comments (yes, they’re open again for this post!), so other writers can learn the red flags to watch out for.
What’s in it for you? You could win a free year in my freelance writer community, among other goodies.
Contest rules
How do you win? Here are the rules:
Keep your essay to 100 words or less
Describe your worst client experience
Post in the comments below, or on Facebook or LinkedIn (look for the post graphic from this post on both social-media platforms and comment on that thread). Rules and prizes…
End the Dry Spell: 7 Habits of a Fully-Booked Freelance Writer
Are you sick of those dry spells that make you go back to begging for work as a freelance writer?
It happens. One day you’re flush with work, cranking out copy, and making a decent income. And then you realize your freelance marketing efforts haven’t been all that great.
Projects come to an end. You get paid. And then you’re scrambling to find more clients that need a freelance writer.
Been there? Done that?
If you’re that kind of freelance writer, it can get exhausting. It’s kind of like trying to make your way across a desert without any water. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
If you want to be a fully-booked freelance writer, there’s a few things you can do to always have a steady stream of work. The marketing techniques I use as a freelance writer have helped me increase demand, raise my rates, find better clients, and make more money.
Ready to end the freelance-client drought once and for all? Here’s how:
Use This Easy Reddit Storytelling Strategy to Get Freelance Writing Jobs
Need more freelance writing jobs?
You might be using traditional methods likes queries and letters of introduction. But are you tapping into social media channels to connect with more people?
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter get a lot of love for helping freelancers connect with prospects and land freelance writing jobs. But they’re not the only social channels out there you can leverage to get more work.
Ever heard of Reddit?
It’s cleverly branded as “The front page of the Internet.” This social media site has an estimated 12 million users, and they’re not all looking for funny cat videos.
In fact, with just a little bit of effort, you can use Reddit to connect with people in your niche to generate leads and land freelance writing jobs.
If you’re good at storytelling and like to write, you can do this. It’s not that hard. Here’s how I got over 30 leads on Reddit with a single post:
Looking for writing courses & community support?
Our online community, Freelance Writers Den, was founded in 2011. Since then, we’ve helped 14,000+ writers connect with peers, improve their skills, and grow their freelance writing income.
Our lively community is stuffed with useful tools and career-building resources. Use our 24/7 forums to get your questions answered by pros. Tap our 300+ hours of self-study trainings to learn new skills.
The Den has live events and multi-week bootcamps where you can tap experts’ knowledge, an exclusive job board, accountability buddies, live chats, and more. Also, if you want feedback on your writer website, LinkedIn profile, or article draft, we’ve got you.
Visit the Freelance Writers Den site to see if we’re open for new members right now. Sign up on the waiting list if we’re not, and you’ll be first to join when we reopen (plus, you’ll get useful free resources in the meanwhile).
