Get Paid to Write About Anything: A Freelance Writer’s Guide

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Want to get paid to write? You’ve come to the right place. This ultimate freelance writer’s guide covers how to make money writing, how to determine your writing rates, where to find freelance writing jobs, and so much more. In addition I share a detailed list of websites that will pay you to write.

How to Make Money Writing

If you want to make money writing, freelance writing is the best way to get paid to write. First of all, there are numerous types of freelance writing jobs and opportunities available. In addition, there is very little cost to start freelance writing. Lastly, freelance writers have the freedom of working from home and making their own hours. If this interests you, keep reading. This freelance writer’s guide covers the ins and outs of how to make money writing.

What Does a Freelance Writer Do?

A freelance writer is a self-employed writer who writes articles, copy, and various other forms of content. Freelance writers can work for a variety companies, websites, blogs, news outlets, and numerous other clients.

How Much Do Beginner Freelance Writers Make?

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary of a freelance writer in the United States ranges from $45,000 to $70,000. Indeed lists the average hourly rate for a freelance writer at $25.70.

Keep in mind that most freelance writing salary data comes from company job postings. This data does not include salary rates from freelances who actively search for and secure their own freelance writing gigs.

A 2019 survey, from Make a Living Writing, found that almost 30% of responders make less than $10 an hour, and nearly 10% make $76+ an hour. A whopping 46% responded that they don’t earn more because they don’t know how to find good clients.

Thankfully you are here to learn how to get paid to write. You won’t have to settle for low paying writing jobs when you finish this guide.

13 Types of Writing Jobs

There are a variety of ways you can get paid to write online. Keep in mind that some types of content pay higher than others. Longform content typically pays higher than shorter blog posts. Business content, and clients, will pay more than smaller blogs or individuals.

Following are some of the common ways that freelance writers make money writing.

Copywriting

A copywriter is a person who writes text for advertisements and promotional materials. A good copywriter often has a sales background, or knows how to write persuasively and sell with words. Good copy drives an action. You should also be a good researcher, interviewer, and be knowledgeable about your client and audience.

Direct response copywriting might include a social media ad designed to get an ad click, a landing page designed to get an e-mail sign-up, a product description designed to get someone to click that “Add to Cart” button.

Copywriting is a high paying field for writers who can get results. Businesses need and hire copywriters to write advertisements, e-mails, landing pages, brochures, presentations, product descriptions, the list goes one.

If you are good at and love sales, and can come up with clever copy; consider copywriting.

Technical Writing

A technical writer is typically a research based writer. Technical writers take advanced technical concepts and communicate them as clearly, accurately, and comprehensively as possible.

Good technical writing is accurate, complete, clear, targeted, consistent, and well organized. Press releases, reports, memos, manuals, datasheets, business proposals, and product descriptions are a few examples of technical writing.

Like copywriting, technical writing can be extremely lucrative. Businesses need technical writers to write their fact-based company materials. If you are a concise writer, and enjoy research, technical writing might be for you.

Web Writing

Web writing is writing for the internet. A good web writer understands that the internet belongs to the people. Customers respond better to informational and friendly copy versus hard sell copy. Given that internet readers have a short attention span; short pieces of copy that are informative, engaging, and entertaining are necessary for web writing.

Examples of web writing are blog posts, social media posts, and social media setup. Depending on the project, some web writing might be extensive research. However, most web writing is a balance between storytelling and factual information.

Web writing can be a great way to get paid to write as long as you choose your clients wisely. There are thousands of websites that need blog posts and social media posts. However, some are willing to pay more than others. As a beginner writer, don’t continue to accept $10 blog posts after you have a couple of posts or articles in your writing portfolio. It won’t be worth your time and effort. If you can find a $10 paying blog post, you can find a $300 paying blog post.

Creative Web Writing Opportunities

The great thing about web writing is that the opportunities are endless. You can choose to focus solely on blog writing, or you can specialize in social media and helping to set-up (and run) a company’s social media accounts.

In the web world this is known as a Virtual Assistant. Virtual assistants save companies time by doing all of the social outreach for them. They help to build company brands, and promote their products and services. Good virtual assistants are worth their weight in gold.

If you are good at conversational writing, writing short pieces, and researching; web writing might be for you.

Business to Business Writing

Business to business writing is writing for one business who is promoting a product or service to another business. For example, a computer chip company selling their chips to a computer manufacturer. B2B writing is a warm, personal, and informational style of writing. It’s educational versus emotional, and without the hard sell.

Examples of B2B writing include case studies or product success stories, special reports, promo or announcement e-mails, newsletter articles, blog posts, and website landing pages. Businesses often stick with B2B writers that they are happy with. It saves them the time and effort of finding a new writer. This makes B2B writing enticing as you won’t need to keep pitching to other companies once you have a client or two you are consistently writing for.

If you prefer writing informational pieces, give business to business writing a try.

Journalism

Journalism is the collection, preparation, and distribution of news related materials through print and electronic media such as newspapers, magazines, and websites.

There are five types of journalism: investigative, news, review, columns, and feature writing. The purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, communities, and governments.

Journalism is fact based and supported with proof or evidence. Many journalists have a degree in journalism or communication. However, there are also journalism courses available for those interested in trying out this style of writing.

If you have an interest in news and current events, journalism might be the path for you. However, keep in mind that at minimum you’ll need to take a course, or do extensive research on the field.

Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting is writing an article or book, usually for another writer, without getting credit or a byline. Some bloggers are simply too busy to keep up with their blog content. Some authors have a great book idea, but not great writing skills. Therefore, they hire a ghostwriter.

The benefit is you get paid to write. However, keep in mind that you don’t get a byline, and usually can’t use the piece in your writing portfolio.

If you don’t need a byline and/or don’t care whether you can use the piece in your writing portfolio then give ghost writing a try. There are a lot of companies and bloggers that need content, but want it to appear as their own.

Grant Writing

Grant writing is crafting a grant proposal for an organization, or group of people that need money. The key here is to be on top of what government organizations and foundations have money to give away. Then create a good match between those, and the groups/organizations that need money.

Grant writing can be as simple as filling out a form and/or additional paperwork, and as complex as writing a detailed report and proposal. Pay for grant writing can be a percent of the grant, by hourly rate, or by retainer. Being on retainer means that you are paid ahead of time to be on the lookout for grants. When you find one that fits, you also get paid a fee for writing he proposal.

Grant writing can be satisfying for those who have an interest in helping others and working in the non-profit sector.

Resume Writing

Some jobs are hard to come by. A polished resume can go a long way towards getting an interview. However, some people aren’t very good at writing their own resume. Good resumes create interest in the candidate and show a potential employer how the applicant will help the company. The resume should be
clear and concise.

A resume should include a summary of qualifications and key skills, past experience, accomplishments, as well as education and awards. Combining these facts with power charged action words should get your client an interview.

Power Charged Action Words

• Orchestrated instead of led.
• Consolidated or decreased instead of saved.
• Accelerated or amplified instead of boosted.

The great thing about resume writing is that you find a formula and stick with it. Once you’ve written a few, they become much easier to write.

Resume writing is an area where having a website, and offering resume writing services, would come in handy. Once you have a few resumes in your portfolio, you can advertise your services on LinkedIn and Facebook boards and groups.

If you are good at outlines and bullet points, you might make a great resume writer.

Greeting Card Writing

Are you good at coming up with witty quotes? Maybe you’re an expert at saying a lot with minimal wording. If so, you might want to consider writing copy for greeting cards.

The greeting card industry is a 7-billion dollar industry. Therefore, there is definitely potential to get paid to write creative copy. It’s also the perfect industry for creative writers and poets. There is no research, outlines, or interviews involved with greeting card writing. However, you must be an empathetic individual and be able to write with emotion – from the heart. Afterall, greeting cards are little gifts that we give each other on special occasions.

Pay can range from $25 to $150 per submission. It depends on the greeting card company. The most important thing is to familiarize yourself with the greeting card company you are submitting to. Your submissions should have a similar tone to what they are already producing.

See my post Greeting Card Writer Jobs for more information on how to get paid to write greeting cards.

Product Reviews

Believe it or not; you can get paid to write product reviews. Create your own product review blog, and make money with affiliate marketing, or you can write product reviews for companies and other blogs.

The key here is to fully test the product you are reviewing, and write a detailed and honest review. Is the product easy to use? What are the best features? Think about what you would want to know when purchasing a new product.

If you enjoy testing out products and writing reviews, this niche is for you.

Fiction Writing

Fiction writing can be a tough industry to get into. However, it is possible. You must read and write constantly to be successful. Check out literary journals to see what type of work they publish, and whether they accept submissions.

Most journals have very specific submission dates and guidelines. The number one mistake writers make is not following the submission guidelines. Don’t fall into that trap. Otherwise, your work will end up in the slush pile.

Personal Essay Writing

A personal essay is a type of creative nonfiction that has a conversational tone and a sense of intimacy. For example, an emotional or frightening experience you had as a child. Personal essays are typically short autobiographical pieces.

Personal essay writing is great for people who want to write creatively, and have a story to tell. However, most writers do not make a living writing personal essays. You can submit personal essays to literary journals, newspapers with a personal stories section, and some blogs.

Professional Blogging

Freelance blogging typically means writing blog posts for a blog or online magazine. Professional blogging
means making money via blogging. This could be freelance blogging. However, professional blogging often includes making money from your own blog through advertising, affiliate marketing, products, and services.

See my Ultimate Blogger’s Guide to learn more about professional blogging.

How to Get Paid for Writing

Now that we’ve covered how to make money writing, we’ll discuss how to get paid a fair wage to write. If you are just starting out, you may be frustrated to find that many blogs and websites do not pay writers very much. The key to being a successful freelance writer is to know how much to charge, and where to find high paying writing jobs.

Know Your Worth as a Freelance Writer

The first step in how to get paid for writing is to know what you are worth. Too many writers undervalue themselves. There are numerous clients who are willing to pay top dollar for good writers. You simply need to ask.

Some writing jobs will pay per word, per blog post, or per article. Think long and hard about how much you want, or need, to make per hour. Also, consider how long it takes you to research and write. Then come up with a series of rates you would feel comfortable accepting

Pay per Word

The average pay per word is $0.10 to $1.00, with the first number being on the low end and the latter being a rate that an intermediate to more advanced writer might charge. A good rule of thumb is to figure out your hourly rate, and charge accordingly. The average hourly rate, for most freelance writers, ranges from $20 to $100 per hour.

Pay per Post

Some websites, and blogs, will pay you a rate per post, or per article. This can be great, and not so great. If a website wants a 3,000 word post for $200, that might seem fair. However, you need to consider how much time will go into researching and writing the article. If it’s a topic you know well, and you are a fast writer, $200 might be worth it to you. However, if the article is going to take you three hours to research and three hours to write, the $33 an hour rate might be too low.

Pay per Project

Lastly, some companies will pay freelance writers per project. This is more common in business to business writing, technical writing, or when a company wants you to complete a large writing job. For example; a sales email, website landing page, newsletter, etc. These jobs typically start at $500 and quickly go up into the thousands, depending on the scope of the project. Again, keep in mind how long the project will take you to complete.

Writer Bylines Instead of Pay

As I mentioned previously, a byline is a line of copy that mentions the writer and sometimes includes a link back to your writer website.

Some blogs and companies will ask you to write for a byline, instead of getting paid to write. Some writers consider this hoping they might land the client once they see their work. I don’t recommend this option unless you are a new writer who needs writing samples, or the byline is worth something to you in the long run.

For example, if you are a blogger that makes money with your blog; you might consider guest posting for a byline on a high profile website. They should offer you an author bio and “do follow” link back to your website. The worth here is the potential of new website traffic, readers, clients, and the “do follow” link in the eyes of search engines. This is especially valuable if the high profile website is in, or relevant, to your blogging niche.

How You’ll Get Paid

How you’ll get paid depends upon the job and client. You should iron this out in writing before accepting and completing the job. Individual clients, and small blogs and companies, typically pay upon completion of the job. Larger writing jobs might pay half upon completion of a certain portion of the work. Most magazines, and newspapers, pay upon publication. Keep in mind that this could be six months or more after you complete the job. You might get paid to write via check, PayPal, or direct deposit into your bank.

Some companies will offer to pay you in product, for a product review. Think about whether this is of value to you. If you run a cooking blog, and plan to write a cookbook, a new free stove might prove valuable in helping you to reach your goals.

Freelance Business Invoicing

Some clients might require that you invoice them in order to get paid. You can find simple invoice templates online, or create your own. Word has invoice templates, and you may be able to find some in Google Drive as well. Your invoice should include the scope of the project, the amount agreed upon, as well as your contact information, and a payment due by date.

Paying Taxes as a Freelancer

In the United States freelance writers pay taxes on their income. You might even need to pay taxes quarterly. Most clients do not withhold this money from your pay like a standard job would. It’s your responsibility to keep track of your annual income. You can do this in a notebook, planner, text document, or in a spreadsheet.

Tax Write-offs for Writers

While no one likes to pay taxes, freelancers can often write off business expenses related to their work. Things like office supplies, writing books and magazines, writer’s association fees, and more. Keep any and all receipts related to your writing business. It will surprise you when you see the number of items you can write off come tax time.

Want an easy way to keep track of your finances? You can manage your income, and your expenses, with my preformatted spreadsheets. They are specifically for freelancers and small business owners. This is the system I use for my own business.

Your Freelance Writer Portfolio

It goes without saying that the more experienced you are, the more you can charge for your writing. A writer’s website of all of your writing samples, and bylines, will go a long way towards proving you deserve to get paid to write. Your writing portfolio is a resource to showcase your work as well as gain new clients.

How to Build a Writing Portfolio

You can create your own writer website, blog, and portfolio in an afternoon. If you are serious about writing, I highly recommend it. If you don’t have the time, or want to try out freelance writing first, I recommend setting up a LinkedIn profile that can serve as a resource in place of your own website and portfolio.

When you are ready to set up your own writer website, and portfolio, see my detailed post and tutorial How to Start a Blog. In this post I take you step by step through the process.

How to Create Writing Samples

You’ll need writing samples to land freelance writing jobs. If you are just starting out, and don’t have any writing samples or bylines, you can use your own blog and blog posts as examples. If you don’t have a blog, you can write up sample articles and save them a pdf files. You can email, or mail, these files to prospective clients. You can also link to these files on your LinkedIn profile.

Some beginner writers guest post for free on blogs, or take low paying writing jobs to get their first writing samples. There is nothing wrong with this. Just make sure that you move on to higher paying opportunities once you have a handful of strong writing samples you are proud of.

How to Land a Writing Job

The first step to landing a writing job is to be a good writer. It sounds cliché, but there are a lot of bad writers out there. Always practice and work on your writing. This is where having your own blog comes in handy. I also find that reading a lot helps to improve my own writing. Books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc. help me to learn about the different styles of writing. Every time I don’t know a word, I look it up. This helps to expand my vocabulary, and improve my own work.

Research Potential Writing Jobs

The second step is to do your research and look for writing jobs. Check out job boards and see what is available. Pull up your favorite blogs and websites to see if they are hiring. You can usually find this under a hiring tab, contact tab, or about tab. Do an internet search in your preferred niche. For example, “get paid to write parenting articles”. Reach out to your own contacts, and get them to reach out to their contacts. There is no shame is posting on Facebook saying “Hey friends, I have some space in my schedule and am looking for a few new clients. Reach out if you have any writing projects you’ve been putting off. Let your friends know too.”

Research Your Client

If you want to get paid to write, you need to set yourself up for success. The best way to do that is to research the company/site/blog/magazine you plan to submit to, as well as their audience. Submit article ideas that are in line with what they already publish. You wouldn’t want to submit a humor piece to a serious literary magazine, or an article on gardening to a business and finance blog.

Query and Pitch

The third step is to send out query letters, and/or cold pitch, then follow up on those queries a week or two later. So many writers miss out on opportunities because they fail to follow up. Maybe the client got busy and didn’t choose a writer yet. Maybe a writer just happened to fall through. Either way, following up shows that you are a professional and interested in the job.

Set up a Success System

If you want to write and get paid instantly, it’s important that you set up a system. Keep track of submissions you send, where you send them, any responses, as well as dates. If your land a writing gig, make a note of any payment schedules. Some blogs will pay upon acceptance of your work. Whereas print magazines typically pay upon publication. If you land a large scale project, like several pages of a website, you might want to consider a contract that outlines payment periods. For example 20% to start, 30% midway, and 50% upon completion of the project.

Bonus Tip: Follow Submission Guidelines Carefully

Lastly, and I can’t say this enough, follow each site’s query and submission guidelines. Some blogs accept email queries and submissions only, some want everything by mail. Some want you to write a very specific sentence in the subject line of your email. If you follow the appropriate guidelines, you’ll have a better chance of landing the writing job. It goes without saying that you should also always proofread your work, and your query letters, for any errors.

Query Letters that Get Results

A query letter is a way to introduce yourself, and your work, to a literary agent or editor. It’s an email, or letter, that you send out to convince someone that you have a great idea or story. Typically, you send a query letter to a company/blog/website that is currently looking for writers and/or has a submission guideline process. A cold query is a letter you send out to someone who is not expecting it.

Your query letter will depend upon the type of writing job you are looking/applying for. Queries to agents for a novel will be different than a query to a blog, or magazine, for an article. Either way, query letters are short (one page – 300 to 400 words), friendly, and professional.

Parts of a Query Letter

The good news is that a query letter usually follows a pretty straightforward formula. Stick closely to this formula as it’s the industry standard.

Your query letter should include the following:

• Greeting
• Article Hook
• Article Summary
• Your Bio
• Conclusion
• Contact Details

E-mail Subject

If you are sending a query letter via email, you’ll want to put something in the e-mail subject. This is not the place to try and be cute or sell yourself. Editor’s get lots of queries. Make sure you have a good title for your article and put the following in the subject title:

Query: [your article title]

Example:

“Query: 10 Creative Ways to Improve Your Writing Style“

If you are cold pitching you might want to add more information.

“Query – a potential article for your site: [10 Creative Ways to Improve Your Writing Style]”

If you are responding to a request for writing submissions, follow the submission guidelines exactly. They might state what to put in the e-mail subject, as well as the query letter.

Format

If you are sending a query letter via mail, you’ll want to follow industry standards. Your letter should be on white paper (preferably a thicker paper versus standard printer paper), printed in black ink, and Times New Roman size 12 font or similar.

Format your letter with your address at the top of the page, right justified (or top of page centered in one line). Next, type the agent’s name and address, this time left justified. Include the date above the agent’s address.

Greeting

Use a simple personalized greeting where you acknowledge the agent by name.

Dear Charlie Smith,

The Hook

Paragraph one should be your hook or pitch. The first line should get the editor’s attention. Here you’ll include any necessary details like genre/category (for fiction writing), specific section of a magazine to blog, word count, and title/subtitle.

If you were asked to send a query, or you met the editor at an event, this is the place to mention it.

For example:

“A recent study showed that 40% of beginner writers accept low paying writing jobs because they lack confidence in their writing skills. I believe my article “10 Creative Ways to Improve Your Writing Style” is perfect for the Be Inspired section of Writer’s Digest magazine.”

Or:

“I enjoyed meeting you at the NYC Writer’s Conference. I found your discussion on building writer confidence inspiring. Through my own research, I’ve learned that 40% of beginner writers accept low paying writing jobs because they lack confidence in their writing skills. I think your readers at Writer’s Digest would love to hear more about how they can improve their writing style and build more confidence.”

The Summary

Paragraph two should be a quick, but detailed, summary of your article/story/blog idea. You don’t want to be vague. But you also don’t want to write the entire article in your letter either. In addition, you’ll want to mention how you plan to do your research.

For example:

“For this article I will interview several beginner, intermediate, and advanced writers.”

Your Bio

Paragraph three should be information about yourself. Again, make it brief. Include magazines or blogs you’ve written for, any experience or connection to the niche, and any other relevant information.

If you are a new writer, without bylines, you can write something like:

“I’ve read everything written on improving your writing style in the last two years.”

“I’ve been blogging daily about freelance writing for five years.”

Conclusion and Contact Details

Paragraph four is where you ask for the job, thank the editor for their time, and sign off.

For example:

“I would love to write this article for you. If you’re interested in showing your readers how they can improve their writing style and build more confidence, please contact me. I look forward to discussing this piece with you.”

If this is an e-mail query write:

Sincerely,
Your Name

Your e-mail address
Phone Number
Your Name
Your Address

Do not include any writing samples via attachment in an e-mail. Most people won’t open them. If samples are necessary, or requested, put them in the body of the e-mail after your letter. (This is where a writer’s website with links to your work can be helpful.)

If this is a by mail query letter write:

Sincerely,
Your Name

(2) Enclosures: 1 pg Sample Article, SASE for mail

The last line means that there are 2 enclosures. One sample article, and a self-addressed and stamped envelope. An SASE helps to ensure you receive a response, and that your samples are returned.

Where to Send a Query Letter

To get a writing job, it is crucial that you send your query to the correct contact person. Never send a query to a general mail or e-mail address. It will likely get lost. Also, don’t write Dear Editor. Your query might end up on some random desk in the mail room.

You can find contacts and editors by:

• Looking at a magazine’s masthead. (Within the first few pages of the magazine.)
• Looking at a company/website/blog’s contact page.
• Doing an internet search.
• Looking in the Writer’s Market guide.

You can even call the magazine and say, “If I’m pitching a piece on [your topic], who do I want to send that to? Okay, and what’s the email address? And is that a him, her, or they?”

As you can see from the example above, you might also want to confirm whether Charlie Smith is a male or female. Never assume the gender of the person you are submitting to, and never use Mr. Mrs. Ms. etc. unless you are sure. When in doubt it’s best to go with Dear Charlie Smith.

The Art of Pitching

Pitching is the act of presenting an idea to another party. The goal being to persuade that party to accept your idea. In writing, pitching is presenting an article, blog, story, or book idea to an editor. The pitch should be brief, one or two sentences about your idea, and is usually verbal. However, you can certainly send out a brief pitch email as well.

Warm Pitching vs Cold Pitching

Warm pitching is when the other party is aware of an upcoming pitch. For example, your friend tells her boss that you are a writer looking for leads. Her boss asks you to contact him. He is expecting your call, and a potential pitch.

Cold pitching is pitching to someone who is not expecting it. For example, contacting a company/blog/website that does not have submission guidelines and/or has not indicated they are looking for writers.

Cold Pitching Tips

Cold pitching is less predictable (and successful) as you don’t know if the company/website/blog has a need for writers. You can increase your chances by researching the company to see if they already have in house writers. If they do, you might want to move on.

While it’s not impossible to get a writing job from a company that has a writing team. Especially if you have experience in that niche. You might have more success with companies that don’t have in house writers. If you see a website/blog that seems out of date or has errors; chances are the company could use a writer. Those are the ones you should cold pitch to.

Query Letters vs Pitching

Query letters and pitching are similar – written with the goal of getting a writing job. However, query letters are formal, professional, letters sent to editors. They may have a “pitch” paragraph, but are often longer than a pitch.

How to Become a Freelance Writer with No Experience

First of all, if you are a beginner writer, and we were all there once, you may need to take some low paying freelance writing gigs to build your writing portfolio. You can either write guest posts for free, or consider writing for content mills and bid sites.

Recruit Friends and Family

Secondly, you might want to ask friends and family if they could use your writing services. Ask them to ask their friends and family. This can be a great, low risk, way to practice working for a client. You might even end up with a paying job, or a long term client.

Look Within your Community

Lastly, look within your own community. Does the school PTO need content for their website? Maybe your town has a small newspaper that you could contribute to. Each of these examples are opportunities to build your writing portfolio, and will lead to higher paying jobs down the road.

Get a Byline

If you choose to write guest posts for free, make sure that you choose a high traffic blog and that you get a byline in your article. (Remember, a byline is your name, and sometimes a small blurb about you, at the end of the article.) You also want to ask the blog owner to link back to your website, LinkedIn profile, or a specific social media account.

How to Get Paid to Write for Beginners

If you would prefer to make some amount of money, rather than working for free, you might want to consider content mills and bid sites.

Content mills are companies that provide low-cost content to clients, and compensate their writers even lower rates. You sign up for an account and accept writing jobs that interest you.

Content Mills

• Contently
• ClearVoice
• Ebyline

Bid Sites are where clients post a job, and writers “bid” for the job. The client then chooses the writer they want to work with. Typically, the lowest bid is the top choice.

Bid Sites

• UpWork
• Fiverr
• Freelancer

Writing for Medium

Some beginner writers choose to write for the website Medium as a way to start out and build a portfolio of articles. With Medium you can easily post an article on any topic, and connect with millions of readers instantly. You can also make money on Medium by joining their partner program.

How to Get Paid to Write for Medium

Writers are offered two ways to make money on Medium: member reading time and referred memberships. The more time Medium members spend reading your content, the more you earn. In addition to the content you publish, you can refer readers to become Medium members and get half of their membership fee, net of standard payment processor fees, for as long as they remain a member.

To be eligible for the Medium partner program you have to publish at least one story, gain 100+ followers, and stay active on the Medium website by publishing at least once every six months to keep earning.

Where to Find Freelance Writing Jobs

You can find freelance writing jobs in the next section. I list numerous websites and blogs that pay well, in addition to other resources. I will continue to update this guide as I come across more companies, and new ways to get paid to write.

If you’d like to do your own research; following are some of my top suggestions.

Freelance Job Boards

Freelance job boards like ProBlogger and Freelance Writing both list a variety of writing jobs. Both sites update regularly, and most jobs pay well. Keep in mind that these are both popular websites. Therefore you may face some strong competition when applying for writing jobs. To ensure success, apply to newer listings and follow the listing directions exactly.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a great site to connect with companies looking for freelance writers. You can search for writing jobs, and research various companies to cold pitch to.

Whether you have your own website or not, you should consider setting up a LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a website, LinkedIn can serve as a place to share your skills and writing samples.

Content Mills and Bid Sites

As mentioned above, you can look into content mills and bid sites. Just keep in mind that pay can be low. However, if you need to make money quickly; you can do so when you get an account set up.

Some top content mills are: Contently, ClearVoice, and Ebyline.

Some top bid sites are: UpWork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.

How to Get Paid to Write about Anything

There are so many niches, topics, blogs, and magazines; that you can get paid to write about anything. Think about topics you know a lot about and enjoy. You’ll have more success with writing what you know. If you don’t mind doing research; look into niches that pay more, or jobs that require more research. Not all writers enjoy the research process.

The next section is an extensive listing of websites, blogs, and magazines that will pay you to write.

Websites that Pay You to Write

Following is a huge list of websites that will pay you to write. The list is broken down into categories that freelance writers often have interest in. Each website, and blog, has its own submission guidelines. Make sure you follow these submission guidelines carefully. Many writers miss out on freelance writing gigs because they fail to follow the guidelines.

How to Get Paid to Write Articles and Blog Posts

If you simply want to write articles and get paid, then this list is for you. Here I cover a variety of higher paying blogs and websites by niche. Once you start submitting your work, you’ll find that writing articles for money comes easier over time and with experience.

Writing Blogs

If you have an interest in writing about blogging and writing, these blogs are for you. They offer opportunities to write on a variety of writing topics.

Make a Living Writing accepts 500 word guest posts about writing, blogging, and topics that relate. They pay writers $75 to $150 per post. Check out their website for more submission guidelines and tips on how to get an article acceptance.

Women on Writing accepts how to submissions on a variety of writing and publishing topics. They pay $50 to $75 for basic articles, and $100 to $150 for more in depth articles. Typical word count is 1,000 to 3,000 words.

Writer’s Digest accepts submissions on a variety of writing topics. Sections in their magazine include Inkwell, 5 Minute Memoir, Author Profiles, Writing Technique Articles, and Market Reports. Payment is between $50 and $100. Manuscripts are 30 to 50 cents per word.

Copyhackers accepts submissions on copywriting, marketing, and branding. Pay is $300 to $1,000 per accepted post.

Writer’s Weekly publishes feature articles, marketing secrets, and author backstories and book backstories. Features articles are 600 words in length and pay is $60. Marketing secrets are 600 words in length and pay $60. Author and book backstories are 600 to 800 words in length and pay varies.

Travel Blogs

Do you love to travel? Travel blogs are a great way to share your experiences and expertise. Following are several travel blogs that are accepting submissions.

Transitions Abroad accepts a variety of travel related submissions. They prefer in depth articles of 1,250 to 3,000 words and pay $75 to $150 per post.

Escapees is a magazine and blog about RV travel. Payment is between $100 and $200 for feature submissions. They welcome submissions on all phases of RV life and for all age demographics.

MotorHome magazine is written for, and by, mature and discerning RVers. Per their Editorial Guidelines, they pay between $500 and $900 per post.

Wanderlust accepts a variety of travel related posts. They have a very detailed submissions page on what they accept. Pay is £220 per 1,000 words. Fact pages (approximately 750 words) are paid £90 per page.

Great Escape Publishing publishes articles on the craft and business of getting paid to travel. They do not publish straight travel pieces. If you have been successful in travel writing, photography, or running your own tours;they would like to hear your story. Great Escape Publishing pays $150 for interviews, personal stories, and any articles.

Country Magazine publishes stories about trips readers have taken in the United States. One page stories run 400 to 500 words. Pay is $100 per accepted post.

Business and Finance Blogs

If you have business and/or finance experience, writing for a business or finance blog is a good fit for you. Following are a variety of business and finance blogs that accept submissions.

Michelle Pippin is the founder of Women Who Wow. She is dedicated to educating and empowering female entrepreneurs, and does this through her online membership and community. She is looking for original content from experts with first hand experience on a variety of business related topics. Payment per piece ranges from $50 to $150.

iWorkwell is always looking for expert HR professionals/consultants/academics and employment or labor attorneys with deep expertise in any area of HR. They want writers that write/edit instructional articles that are action oriented, include checklists, and help a reader complete a task. They pay up to $195, plus bonuses, for 1,500 to 3,500 word articles.

Income Diary accepts guest posts on a variety of business related topics. From creating awesome websites, to driving traffic, social media or making money online; there is likely to be a topic you can cover. Income Diary pays up to $200 for their top articles.

The Dollar Stretcher accepts “living better…for less” type posts for their newsletter. Payment is at the rate of 10 cents per word for 800 words or less. The majority of their articles are in the 500 to 700 word range.

Technology Blogs

Technology blogs are extremely popular. If you are up to date on the latest tech, share your knowledge by writing for a technology blog. Following are sites that are accepting submissions.

WPHub has a focus on the WordPress development community, specifically toward theme developers, plugin authors and customization specialists. They accept related articles 800 to 1,2000 words long and pay $100 to $200.

SitePoint covers HTML and CSS. They pay $150 for articles and $200 for tutorials.

Tuts+ is looking for writers with strong development skills as it relates to web development and technology. Rates start at $100 for a quick tip tutorial to $250 for a regular tutorial article.

Parenting and Kids Blogs

If you are a parent, there is a good chance you have some great parenting advice and stories. Following are some of the best parenting blogs that pay for articles.

FreelanceMom pays $75 to $100 per 900 to 1,500 word article. Articles must be original and should offer current practical and actionable advice and tips on being a freelance mom. Three types of articles that do well on the site are personal articles, research based articles, and education based articles and guides.

A Fine Parent is looking for articles on parenting wisdom. They believe that great parents are made, not born. Original articles should be 1,500 to 3,000 words in length. Accepted articles are paid $75.

Zift pays $100 for 800+ word evergreen parenting articles. Their most successful articles are 1,500 to 2,000 words. They also accept list posts and infographics.

Cricket Media publishes a variety of magazines for kids from age 6 months to 14 years. They accept article submissions of 300 to 800 words. Pay is 25 cents per word.

Family Story accepts personal essays and opinion pieces that are 600 to 1,200 words long. They pay $100 per post.

Art, Crafting, and Design Blogs

Knitty pays for knitting patterns and tutorials. They pay $100 to $200 per published submission. Submissions must be original, new, and not published elsewhere.

Pixlr is looking for articles on photography, graphic design, and anything else that fits their site. They pay $200 per post and more for longer tutorial type content.

The Abundant Artist accepts posts relating to art marketing and sales. They pay $150 to $300 per article.

Early American Life covers a diversity of topics, all centered around America from its founding through the mid-1800s. Topics include architecture and decorating, antiques, studio craft, and travel. Articles run 750 to 2,500 words and pay is $500.

Gardening, Adventure, and Outdoors Blogs

The American Gardner is the official publication of the American Horticultural Society. Feature articles run 1,500 to 2,500 words, and pay is $300 to $600 upon publication.

Bee Culture is the magazine of American Beekeeping. They pay $150 to $200 for 1,500 to 2,000 word articles. Pay for cover photos is $50. Articles can cover anything as it pertains to bees and beekeeping. However, you should read articles on their site to see what they are looking for and if your idea has already been covered.

BirdWatching (formerly Birder’s World) is a bimonthly magazine for people with a broad interest in wild birds and bird watching. Feature articles are 1,750-2,250 words long, “Attracting Birds”-type features are 700-900 words. They pay $400 for most features and less for shorter pieces.

Hoof Beats Magazine is the world’s most widely read harness racing magazine. Topics of interest include unique horse stories, veterinary care, tips on equipment or feed innovations, historical perspectives, unique first-person perspectives, and stories on issues or trends. Payment is made upon publication and ranges from $100 (departments) to $500 (features).

Fishing and Boating

Sport Fishing Magazine is geared to serious saltwater fishing around North America and at times beyond. Feature stories run 1,800 to 2,400 words, including sidebars. They pay $750 per article. Keep in mind that Sport Fishing pays over/above for images (contributors who have great photos for their manuscripts can earn up to $1,500 per longer feature). For digital features, they pay $200 for up to 1,000 words and $300 for more than 1,000 words.

WoodenBoat is the bi-monthly magazine for wooden boat owners, builders, and designers. Feature articles run from 1,000 to 4,000 words. Pay is $250–$300 per 1,000 words.

Maine Boats, Home, and Harbor Magazine is the magazine of the coast of Maine with a strong focus on boating. Manuscripts submitted for feature consideration should be approximately 700-1,200 words in length. They also encourage sidebars. Departments (“A Letter from Home”, “My Boat, My Harbor”) are shorter: 500-750 words as a general rule. Their rates vary with each individual submission and range from $250 per item for shorter pieces up to $400 for feature articles.

How to Get Paid to Write Reviews

You can get paid to write reviews a few ways. Create your own blog and write reviews of products you’ve tried and love. You can make money this way via advertising and affiliate marketing. You can also create a review website, where all you do is write reviews. Lastly, you can cold pitch companies and offer to write a detailed product review or testimonial for their website. You can also sign up for review sites. However, pay will vary and often depends on your rating as a reviewer. Following are two sites to consider.

Influence Central is a website that connects influencers with brands. They pay influencers to write reviews on their blogs and social media. Pay varies depending on the brand and scope of the project.

SlicethePie is a review site that pays reviewers for their feedback. Pay is based on the quality of the review and your star rating.

How to Get Paid to Write Fiction

Fiction writing can be a tough industry to break into. However, literary magazines make it possible. You’ll need to read each magazine to get a feel for what types of stories they are looking for. Then you’ll need to follow their submission process. Following are a variety of literary magazines that pay for fiction pieces. You can also see the how to get paid to write short stories section below for additional listings.

The American Scholar is a quarterly magazine of essays, fiction, poetry, and articles covering public affairs, literature, science, history, and culture. They pay up to $500 for accepted pieces and up to $250 for pieces taken only for their website.

Crazyhorse welcomes general submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Payment for accepted work: $20 per page of layout with a maximum $200 payment.

Carve Magazine accept short story, poetry, and nonfiction submissions. They pay fiction contributors $100.

Room Magazine publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art by folks of marginalized genders, including but not limited to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. Pay is $50 CAD per page up to $200 CAD.

How to Get Paid to Write Short Stories

It’s almost every writers dream to make money writing short stories. While short story writing is different than web writing, you can still give it a try if your goal is to get paid to write short stories. Following are sites that accept short story submissions.

Cricket Media publishes a variety of magazines for kids from age 6 months to 14 years. They accept short story submissions 300 to 1,000 words long. Pay is 25 cents per word.

Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine is an established market for science fiction stories. Asimov’s pays 8 to 10 cents per word for short stories up to 7,500 words, and 8 cents for each word over 7,500 words.

Clarkesworld Magazine is an Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine that publishes short stories, interviews, and articles. They pay 12 cents per word for 1,000 to 22,000 word stories.

Fantasy & Science Fiction accepts stories that surprise, either by the character insights, ideas, plots, or prose. The speculative element may be slight, but it should be present. They prefer character-oriented stories, whether it’s fantasy, science fiction, horror, humor, or another genre. They publish fiction up to 25,000 words in length, and pay 8 to 12 cents per word.

How to Get Paid to Write Poetry

If you are a poet, you can get paid to write poetry. Following are some sites that accept poetry submissions.

Rattle publishes unsolicited poetry and translations of poetry. Contributors in print receive $200/poem and a complimentary one-year subscription to the magazine. Online contributors receive $100/poem.

The Three Penny Review is a quarterly national magazines that accepts articles, poems, and short story submissions. Critical articles should be about 1200 to 2500 words, Table Talk items 1000 words or less, stories and memoirs 4000 words or less, and poetry 100 lines or less. Pay is $400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece.

Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes poems that tell a story. A Chicken Soup for the Soul poem does the same job as a story. The reader goes away having learned your story, just through poetry instead of prose. They pay $200 per poem, one month after publication.

Cricket Media publishes a variety of magazines for kids from age 6 months to 14 years. They accept poetry submissions up to 20 lines long. Pay is $3 per line with a $25 minimum.

How to Get Paid to Write a Book

Want to write a book? You have a few options. You can write an ebook and market it via your website and/or social media. And you can get paid to write a book by self publishing. Sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble allow sales of self published books. Lastly, you can also get paid to write a book as a ghostwriter. Following are some resources for book writers.

Amazon Kindle Direct enables you to self publish ebooks and paperbacks for free with Kindle Direct Publishing.

Barnes and Noble Press also enables you to self publish print and ebooks.

Writer’s Market is the most trusted guide to getting published. It’s the ultimate reference with thousands of publishing opportunities for writers, listings for book publishers, consumer and trade magazines, contests and awards, and literary agents—as well as new playwriting and screenwriting sections, along with contact and submission information.

How to Get Paid to Write About Your Life

Want to get paid to write about your life? Consider essay writing, or writing a memoir. You can self publish a memoir, or look for an agent and publisher. If you are interested in essay writing, following are magazines that accept submissions.

Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes inspirational, true stories about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences. They pay $200 per story, one month after publication.

Reader’s Digest accepts true stories of 100 words or less for publication in their print magazine. They pay $100 for each story published.

Narratively publishes untold human stories that surprise, delight and captivate readers. Pay is $300 to $400 per article.

Freelance Writer’s Guide

As you can see from the listings above, you can definitely get paid to write about anything. Simply choose a niche you know well, and start sending submissions today. Following are some additional resources to help you to grow as a writer, and land more writing jobs.

How to Improve Your Writing

If you’d like to continue to work on your writing skills, and learn more about how to make money writing, my Writing Tips and Tricks page is the hub for all things writing on this site. You’ll find all of my most recent writing posts, as well as numerous resources for writers.

Freelance Writing Resources

If you’re interested in learning more about how to get paid to write, or you are looking for additional websites and magazines to submit to, check out my deep dive guide How to Make More Money with Your Craft. It includes an extensive list, and links, to a variety of resources for writers.

Professional Blogging

If none of the above options are a great fit for you, you might want to consider starting your own niche blog. You can earn money with your writing through affiliate marketing, advertising, and your own products. See my detailed guide Professional Blogging for information on how to start a blog, and how to make money with your own blog.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. If you did, please share it with your friends via your social media channels. Know of any other great sites that pay writers, or have a favorite writing resource? Share them in the comments section.