The happy rush you feel upon deciding to be a freelance blogger can quickly be consumed by the difficulty of finding decent work.
$5 per post is not what you had in mind. You’re keen to find gigs that pay fair, but where do you start looking?
One of the biggest elements that sets freelance blogging apart from “normal” jobs is that you’ve got to actually go out there and find your own projects. You can’t just decide to be a writer one day and then sit back and watch assignments roll in — but oh, do we ever wish it were really like that!
Fortunately, there are a few great places online that post genuine ads for blogging gigs that pay more than just “exposure”. These are my go-to websites to find blogging job ads that don’t suck:
1. Indeed
Indeed is a worldwide treasure trove of jobs that includes freelance blogging, in-office writing and more. It’s a location-specific job catalogue, so you’ll have to get creative when it comes to choosing the city, state, province or country in which you’d like to search for blogging jobs. I like to frequent the European capitals, like London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome, as well as large US and Canadian cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, New York City, Los Angeles and Detroit.
Search tip: It’s best to search for “blogger” jobs, quotation marks included, to weed out other types of writing jobs that you aren’t interested in.
2. LinkedIn
You’ll need a LinkedIn account to properly search job listings on this site, but that’s a good thing to have anyway, so open a free account if you don’t have one already.
Once you’re signed in, click the “Jobs” tab near the top of the screen and add “blogger” or “blog writer” in the search box. You’ll have to be country-specific about your search results, but there’s no reason you can’t check out blogger jobs in every country listed, if you have the time. At the top right-hand corner of the page, there’s an option to save your search for future perusals.
Search tip: These job resources are riddled with internships and volunteer positions, which are all well and good for others, but not quite what you are looking for. Select “mid-Senior level” on the results filter to clean up the list a bit.
3. The Freelancer Society
The Freelancer Society posts new freelance writing job listings each week, and shares featured jobs with subscribers via a weekly newsletter. You can choose to simply browse through the site’s job listings via topic titles (Blog, Fiction, Green, etc) or sign up via the home page to find new opportunities each week.
Search tip: Follow The Freelancer Society on Twitter and Facebook to hear about new job ad postings as soon as they’re updated.
4. BloggerJobs
There are some great listings on this website, and best of all, it gets updated nearly every day with new blogging jobs. The ads are curated via many different online outlets, so you may see familiar ads, but the majority are high-quality and worth pursuing.
Search tip: You can search through the Job Board, or check in every day to see the new additions via the blog.
5. Write Jobs
Write Jobs is one of the first blogging and writing job boards that I used when I was starting out as a freelancer. Their listings are updated regularly and the job board is seemingly endless. Pay starts quite low, at about $10 per 500 words, but don’t be discouraged. Keep on scrolling and you’ll find decent $50 rates for relatively short blogs.
Search tip: The search bar at the top of Write Jobs pages is not the best way to browse the job ads, since it seems to be stuck in a time warp. Instead, click the tab at the top of the page that says “with pay rates” and search manually through the results. This way you won’t accidentally get excited about a cool blogging job from 2 years ago!
6. JournalismJobs
JournalismJobs has been another one of my long-term go-to websites when it comes to finding new, interesting writing projects. Since it isn’t directed specifically at bloggers or freelancers, you need to do some digging to find the blogging job ads that are relevant to you.
Search tip: Start by clicking “Find a Job” then type “freelance” into the keywords box. It’s rare to find anything listed on this site as “blogging,” but that doesn’t mean the opportunities aren’t there! Check out the freelance listings, and throw in a specialty keyword or two, like “food” or “travel.”
7. SimplyHired
This job search site works a lot like Indeed, except that you can search for specific jobs without having to enter any location. Just click the keywords box and type in “blogger,” and you’re off! This job board gets updated daily, so pop in regularly to make sure you aren’t missing something great.
Search tip: Filter results by clicking “part time”, “contract” or “temporary” to help you wade through desk jobs towards the freelance ads.
8. ProBlogger
The ProBlogger job board is one of the best in the industry, and one of the reasons is that job advertisers must pay $50 to post on it. So what? So, that means they’re willing to put their money on the line to pull in a talented blogger like yourself — and they’ll probably be willing to pay you what you’re worth, too.
Each blogging job ad is categorized according to industry, with most opportunities falling under the Business/Corporate umbrella. Instructions for applying to these job listings are simple, and with most of them you get the opportunity to ask for your own pay rate.
Search tip: This job board shows the most recent job ads at the top. Simply look through the brief job titles and company names until you find one that sounds like a good fit, then click through to read the full details.
9. The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs
Want even more blogging opportunities? We’ve got you covered!
Be a Freelance Blogger’s Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs just got a complete update. The new edition of the Ultimate List contains enough exciting paid blogging opportunities to keep you occupied for the rest of the year – at least.
This new issue took almost a year of research digging into every online publication paying freelance writers, so grab your free copy to scroll through when you’ve finished checking out the job boards!
The Ultimate List can be your greatest freelance blogging tool, with every publication paying at least $50 per post.
These are long-term open calls for writers, so they don’t go out of date like standard job ads. Best of all, with this directory you won’t have to search through endless ads to find your next freelance blogging job – and believe me, these listings DO NOT suck.
Search tip: Click on a niche you like to go straight to the listings for blogs on that topic. When you’re ready to try a different topic, click back to the master list of writing niches.
I hope you’ll let me know how you get on with these job ad resources. Happy blogging!
Fantastic! As a struggling novice freelancer I can’t tell you how much time I’ve wasted on dead ends like Craigslist. Too much effort for very little payoff. Pro tips like these are just what I need. Thank you!
No problem Dana! I have been there before and am happy to help 🙂
Mandy, this is a very informative post and it couldn’t have come at a better time
I will love it if you can point me to the right sources f I am to search for copywriting jobs without experience. thanks
Paul
Cheers 🙂
This is Gold!
Great work Mandy, I am sure that there is no way anyone will go throgh without seeing something suitable.
The most important thing is persistence, so bloggers keep searching!
Totally right Aisha!
This is a great list! I know sometimes writers are warned against job boards, but all boards (or e-books :d) aren’t created equal. Bookmarked for regular use. 🙂 I also appreciate the tips part. I use LinkedIn, but I haven’t taken advantage of it when it comes to actively looking for jobs.
I agree, most people think of LinkedIn as a sort of complicated way to network and find jobs through referrals – but the actual job search part of the site is awesome!
Great list.
There’s a few on there I’m not too familiar with but will definitely be checking them out later today.
I’ve also had some luck with MediaBistro.com. Not so much for blogging jobs but there’s some decent writing projects to be found on there.
Thanks Mandy!
Thanks for the tip!
Thanks also for that tip!
I think that I should try Indeed and probloggers Job board
Great post!! I am so sick of these $5/article ads. It’s very insulting to our practice. Thanks for this!
No kidding! Good luck with the new resources!
Sarah we have to accross the board stop taking them, I’ve drawn a line below which I won’t go. Once you make that mental decision, it really starts to shift. Invest what you can in a good course on upgrading freelance writing career.
It really will start to change. We have to value what we do, and the value we are giving to business and people who hire us.
As someone new to this business , I find this list and these tips very helpful, and will certainly try to act on your recommendations. Thanks Mandy!
Thanks for the list! I knew about most of them already, but there are a couple I haven’t seen. More for my list of sites to check!
Thank you for this!!
So many opportunities out there besides Craiglist!! Lol
Thanks for giving the information! I knew about most of them already, yet there are a couple I haven’t seen.
Great analysis for make a list.
Thanks Mandy!