Finding work as a writer is a never-ending process. Veteran writers will be familiar with the typical scramble to piece work together. Due to the nature of our field, writers tend to patchwork together jobs. This may look like a few steady clients with large projects interspersed. It may be royalties from fiction work with one-off gigs as supplemental income.
This comprehensive list of 18 job boards for writers will give you a jumping-off point for all sorts of writing gigs, from fiction to content writing.
ProBlogger
ProBlogger is definitely one of the more well-known options out there for writers on the hunt for paid work. Although the name suggests it would focus on bloggers, this isn’t the case. Listings are looking for everything from marketing directors to keyword researchers and content editors to interactive fiction writers.
Freedom With Writing
Freedom With Writing is a fairly frequent newsletter that delivers all the goodies (i.e. jobs) right to your inbox. They call themselves an email magazine and provide useful content beyond lists of companies hiring writers. They include:
- Calls for submissions
- Calls for writers from editors
- Full-time and remote jobs for writers
- Magazines and websites paying writers
- Calls for pitches
- Deadlines for grants and contests
This is definitely a newsletter you don’t want to miss, especially if you’re the type of writer who does a bit of everything Freedom With Writing covers all of its bases.
You can sign up for their email magazine at their website: https://www.freedomwithwriting.com/
Who Pays Writers
So, this is an interesting one. Who Pays Writers is technically just a crowdsourced list of rates for journalistic writing published in publications. Where it makes the cut as a job board, is it gives you insight into what publications are out there. You’ll see who has been paying recently, what they’ve been paying, and how that gig was found to begin with.
This information is golden, people. I want to shout it from the rooftops, run out into the cul de sac and proclaim that Who Pays Writers is the holy grail for writers. I won’t, but just know I want to. That’s how passionate I am about how useful this site is to writers.
Who Pays Writers shows you the following stats:
- Pay per word
- How long it took to receive a payment
- Rights
- Contract (yes or no)
- Level of reporting (little to no reporting, medium, heavy)
- How the job was acquired (Solicited pitch, cold pitch, etc.)
- Type of piece
- Length of piece
- Any additional notes the writer supplied
Where to Pitch?
Where to Pitch is another resource like Who Pays Writers. It’s not technically a job board. Well, it’s not a job board, plain and simple. But it’s just as useful as one, especially if you’re more interested in magazine writing and journalistic writing. Where to Pitch will supply you with outlets and their submission guidelines for any vertical or topic you throw into the search bar.
Working in Content
Working in Content is the new kid on the block when it comes to writing job boards. This is the job board for content strategy, content design, content marketing, content management, UX writing, and technical writing gigs. You can sort by location (major hubs only) or remote. They provide listings for full time, part time, contract work, temporary gigs, and other positions that don’t fall into any of the previous categories.
BuiltIn
Built In is an excellent resource for those who work in the tech and startup area. Check out their ‘content’ and ‘marketing’ tabs for jobs relevant to writers.
Mediabistro
Mediabistro consistently has job listings by big names like Dotdash, Hearst, and other online publishers.
DirectResponseJobs.com
DirectResponseJobs.com, by the American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), is a job board for marketers and copywriters. This job board does require you to be a member with the AWAI. This board will provide listings for freelance, part time, and full time jobs. The work available centers around advertising copy, web pages, email copy, and more.
BloggingPro
BloggingPro is another writing job board that houses all types of listings. You can find everything from freelance to full time work touching on all types of writing work. The list is updated daily and has a few new listings on most days.
Craigslist
Craigslists is a huge hit or miss when it comes to anything. And let’s be real, there are some sketchy listings that get thrown up. But a job is a job. Check the Craigslist listings in your area and the surrounding areas for writing work. You never know what you’ll come across!
Fiverr
Do I give Fiverr a huge green flag? Not really, no. However, there are plenty of writers on this platform that have seemed to find true success. The largest problem you’ll find with Fiverr is its race-to-the-bottom nature. Although, to be fair, that is a problem present within many writing hiring platforms.
Fiverr is set up where the writer (that’s you) will list the services and packages offered. These will then be requested by users for you to fulfill.
Indeed
You’re probably familiar with Indeed, but it’s still worth mentioning. While Indeed is not the best option for tracking down one-off gigs, short-term projects, and the like, you can certainly find a part time or full time job. Indeed is a good option for those looking for marketing and content writing positions.
Upwork
Upwork is an oldie by a goldie. This writing job platform is actually a freelancing platform that services all types of freelance work.
Freelance Writing Jobs (FWJ)
Besides having a ton of useful articles and resources, Freelance Writing Jobs (FWJ) provides a job board with listings for positions in everything from journalism to content marketing. Every day they put out a new list of writing gigs. These tend to include at least the following categories:
- Content writing
- Copywriting
- Proofreading/editing
- Grant writing
- Technical writing
- General and misc. writing jobs
JournalismJobs.com
JournalismJobs.com isn’t your typical content writing job board. You won’t find small businesses looking for SEO writers here, no sirree. This is a go-to for reporters, editors, copy editors, and those working professionally in journalism. This is the spot where newspapers and other publications are hunting down skilled journalists who know the journalistic style of writing.
Their current featured jobs include titles like investigative reporter, food reporter, and sports editor.
All Freelance Writing
All Freelance Writing has a solid board of updated job listings with rates from $25 to $1,000+. While you won’t be drowning in options (at the time of writing their board consisted of only a page and a half of listings), the listings are paid. This is beneficial as it does show the listers are truly motivated to hire a writer.
This board has everything from fashion writers to cryptocurrencies writers.
We couldn’t leave social media to our private lives, and thus LinkedIn was thrust upon us. Thankfully, whether you enjoy the near constant updates from your braggy connections or not, LinkedIn is an excellent resource for tracking down writing gigs.
You can set up job alerts for specific keywords to ensure everything lands in your inbox for a more convenient job search process. (Highly recommended)
Additionally, make sure you have your profile set to looking for work. This feature can be hidden from people employed by the current employers You should also use keywords in your profile to help lead potential employers to you.
There are plenty subreddits in existence that focus on freelancing or specific areas of writing. There’s r/advertising, r/contentmarketing, r/technicalwriting, and r/bigseo that focus on marketing, advertising, and the more business-y end of the writing spectrum. Alternatively, you can find mighty-fine resources over on subreddits like r/freelancewriters, r/writing, and r/selfpublish.
Beyond finding writing gigs or being pointed in the option of good leads, Reddit can help you gather more information you didn’t even know you needed to know.
Facebook Groups
Facebook, love it or hate it, does have one good quality–its groups feature. When people band together you get the benefit of sharing and collecting knowledge. Luckily, given we’re wordy types, writers groups are a-plenty on the ‘ole Book of Faces. From game writing groups to romance author collectives, there’s a little something for everyone.
FAQs
Should you pay for job boards?
Paying for job boards comes down to personal opinion. There is nothing wrong with paying for a job board if you find value in it. However, I do not recommend you pay for a job board. Typically job boards make money through employers placing ads. You, as the product they’re after, shouldn’t have to pay to be privy to those listings.
What jobs are good for writers?
There are as many types of writers as there are types of writing jobs. Writers who are more creative may want to work a creative copywriters or scriptwriters. Writers who excel at marketing and SEO may choose jobs in content marketing and content management. There are also technical writing jobs and research analyst positions, both of which are best filled by analytically-minded writers. Essentially, the writing world may as well be limitless. Go forth and find a job that fits your particular skill set.
How do I get a writing job?
Once you find a writing job on a job board that you’re interested in applying for, you should set up a portfolio. Your portfolio is invaluable. It shows that you know how to walk the walk, or rather write the words. Depending on the type of gig, you may have a phone interview or you may land a gig with as little as a look at your portfolio.
What type of writers are in demand?
Grant writers, social media specialists, and UX writers are all in demand. Technical writers are also seeing growing demand as this requires specialized knowledge.
Is there a high demand for writers?
Currently, there is a high demand for UX writers and content designers, which is a specialized area of writing. These wordsmiths aren’t your average content writers (but a lot of content writers grow up to be UX writers or content designers in their later years).
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ‘writers and authors’ as an occupation is expected to grow 9% from 2020 to 230. This is on par with most other occupations.
