How To Find Good Vacancies For Freelance Writers: A Quick Guide

Freelance writing can be a really good way to make a living or to supplement your existing income. It offers great flexibility both in how much you work and in where you work from, which makes it a great fit for many people. But if you are interested in making a go of it in freelance writing, you must first understand how to find work.

Use these easy tips to get started:

1. Don’t trust Craigslist. Craigslist is notorious for freelance writing scams, so you should steer clear of it. The biggest risk using this kind of site is that you have no assurances that you will get paid once you submit the work. There are, however, a couple ways to help mitigate this risk. First, if it is a long job, asked to be paid weekly based on the number of hours you worked that week. Or, if it’s a fixed price job, ask to be paid upon 25%, 50%, and 75% completion. Also, if you find a job posting on Craigslist that is local, and you can set up a meeting in person with them, you can help to avoid scams.


2. Freelance websites. There are several excellent websites where clients post jobs and you can submit proposals. These are great places to find work because they draw clients from all over the world, in many different disciplines. The downside, is that there are many writers who are also on there looking for work. That can make it very competitive. Another benefit is that many of these websites also facilitate payment, so you don’t have to worry about scams.


3. Repeat clients. Once you get up and going, repeat clients are one of the best places to find work. This means that you should work hard to make your clients happy, and to maintain a relationship with them once a job is over. When you finish work for them, be sure to email them, thanking them for the opportunity, and letting them know that you’d love to work with them again in the future. If you have a client you work with on a regular basis, and haven’t heard from them in a while, feel free to email them to check in and let them know you are still available.


4. Be Aggressive. This is hard for a lot of freelance writers, but you have to be aggressive and be willing to toot your own horn in order to get jobs.