I have been blogging for two and a half years, and before that taught writing, which is a lot of writing experience. Along the way, I have been fortunate enough to get paid writing gigs for various companies. Here are some great tips on how to land awesome freelance writer jobs!
For those of you on my email list, you already know I recently got paid to write an article for a garden magazine that is circulated nationwide. I am very proud of this achievement! This did not happen overnight though.

Below are some of the steps I took to make it possible to get hired as a freelance writer with various clients and companies. Your journey may look a little different. You can let me know how you landed freelance writer jobs in the comments section below.
Write, Write, Write
To get paid as a freelance writer, you need to prove yourself first. To do this, you want to start practice writing articles. These can be articles on various topics that you enjoy that can be written on Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
Another great platform to practice your writing on is a blog. I mention this in a little more detail below.
Start a Blog
I had no idea all the doors of opportunity that would open to me when I started this blog back in April 2017. Starting a blog is a great way to practice writing, getting a response from readers about your writing, and having a platform to show potential clients your writing style.

You can start a blog for free, but if you plan on making money with your blog, you want to pay to use a self-hosting service. My blog is self-hosted with Bluehost, and I love them! I blog with WordPress too and have had a great experience with them!
Pick or buy a nice theme for your blog and think of a topic that you want to write about. I know some bloggers who blog several times a week! I have jobs during the day, so found that blogging at least once a week works best for me.
Pitch to Magazines
After you have some experience blogging on your site, you want to reach out to others to show off those writing skills you have! There are several ways to do this.
One way is to pitch ideas to magazines. There are many that pay for writers to write articles. That is how I was able to have an article in a recent The American Gardener magazine.

It never hurts to ask! Yes, you will get many “no thank you”s and silence, but if you ask and pitch enough, you will eventually get a yes?
There are other ways to get paid as a freelance writer as well.
Apply to Freelance Sites
There are many sites that pay writers to write articles and blog posts as freelancers. Some do not pay well, but are a great way to gain experience as a writer and build your writing portfolio.
There are many of these sites that pay well, too. Many freelance writer sites require you to take a writing test and submit a short article. These can be time-consuming, but once on these sites as a writer, you can get many paid side gigs!
I write articles on many topics for various clients. I work mainly as a ghost writer, meaning my name is not put on these articles when published, but they do pay well and frequently!

Tell Your Writing Friends
Let other bloggers and freelance writers that you know that you are interested in finding ways to get paid as a freelance writer. They may have some ideas on where to find paid writing gigs.
In the meantime, spread the word about your writing skills to as many as possible. You can do this by guest posting on other blogs. Use your social media platforms to let other bloggers know you are interested in writing guest posts.
Practice Writing
No matter how you become a paid freelance writer, keep writing, even if its just for yourself. Find topics you enjoy. Or write blog posts for your readers online.
You can also ask family, friends, and other bloggers for honest feedback on your writing skills. The great thing about writing is that there is always room for improvement.
Land Freelance Writer Jobs
These are just a few ways to land freelance writer jobs. Are you a freelance writer or thinking about becoming one? How do you get your paid gigs?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Sarah says
This is exactly what I needed to read! I have been thinking about getting into freelance writing, and while I have looked into it several times, I always felt like I couldn’t just dive into it. But, reading through this, I now feel confident to do just that. What freelance sites would you recommend signing up to?
Ann says
Freelance writing is a great way to make extra money from home! One of my favorite sites is writersaccess.com You have to take a test, but once you are on their writer list you can get a pretty steady stream of gigs. Problogger.com has a job list that I’ve gotten a few writing jobs from too. Good luck!