I’ve been a freelance writer for over six years, and practically all my gigs have come from freelance writing job boards. But not all of them are the same. Some tend to have low-quality job posts with below-average pay.
So which ones are worth visiting regularly to find new freelance job leads?
Here’s a list of the eleven best freelance writing boards in 2023 with their reviews, pros, cons, and pricing. Let’s look at the first one on our list.
1. Problogger Job Board
Best for: Freelance writers across niches
Problogger Jobs holds a special place in my freelance writing journey. Through this platform, I landed my very first paid writing gig in 2015. I remember the excitement and accomplishment I felt when receiving that acceptance email. Since then, I have continued to find consistent work and build long-term relationships with clients through Problogger.
This job board has a decent conglomerate of jobs in various niches, including pets, tech, cooking, marketing, and product reviews. You can expect anywhere between 3 to 10 cents per word. Per-hour work sometimes pops up, but it is rarer.
Most other job boards tend to emulate Problogger job posts, so you may as well keep tabs on the source.
Cost: Free for writers
Pros:
- A diverse pool of jobs
- Reputable platform with a long history
- Easy-to-use interface
Cons:
- Requires setting up a writer account for applying for jobs (though this is free)
2. Superpath Job Board
Best for: Freelance writers ambitious to grow into B2B content marketing
Superpath Job Board is for those seeking content strategy, creation, and freelance writing jobs. You’ll find several different industry leaders posting jobs that are of higher quality than most other job boards. Pay varies widely and is usually salaried. I’ve seen everything from 30K a year to 160K.
However, they are almost always full-time, though you will find some remote options. Most are not contract work, which is why I don’t use this board all that much.
Most job postings are unique, mainly because they target full-time workers. But Superpath has recently started incentivizing freelance gigs, so the platform has more such posts as well.
The company also offers a Slack channel— which is probably the biggest content marketing community in the world — and it has a freelance channel that often posts many decently paying B2B opportunities. I consider their Slack channel worth joining, even if you don’t use their job board.
While I haven’t personally secured any freelance writing projects on the Superpath Job Board, I have friends who are content marketers and have found great success on the platform.
Cost: Free
Pros:
- Quality, vetted jobs from top companies
- Curated job postings
- Many unique postings
Cons:
- A limited number of jobs
- Highly competitive
3. LinkedIn Jobs
Best For: Freelance writers who prefer to network via LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs is the official job board of LinkedIn, and it regularly offers a range of writing opportunities. I like the massive amount of filters the job board offers. For instance, filtering out “in-office” opportunities makes finding remote work much easier.
All job postings are also linked to the company’s profiles, so scams are extremely rare. You can see exactly which company posted the gig, and if they seem legit.
If you want to increase your chances of success on LinkedIn Jobs, make sure to optimize your profile by showcasing your writing skills and experience. You can do this by including links to your portfolio or published articles and crafting a well-written summary that highlights your unique value.
For a real edge, you may want to consider LinkedIn’s premium, which shows you positions that you may be considered the “top candidate” for.
LinkedIn Jobs has been an invaluable resource in my freelance writing career. One memorable experience was when I came across a job posting for a content writing position at a reputable marketing agency. I customized my application, included links to my portfolio, and leveraged my LinkedIn profile to showcase my expertise.
This personalized approach paid off, and I secured a long-term contract with the agency, thanks to the exposure and networking opportunities LinkedIn Jobs provided. In my experience, LinkedIn jobs often pay upwards of 7 cents a word.
Cost: Free ($30 for LinkedIn Premium)
Pros:
- All jobs are attached to a company’s profile
- Jobs in almost every niche are available
- Some unique job offerings
Cons:
- Very competitive
- Not many contract jobs
4. Peak Freelance
Best for: Writers who are also looking for a community and guidance
Peak Freelance is more of a writing community than just a job board. It provides many resources, products, and courses to help freelance writers succeed. It was founded by two freelance pros: Elise Dopon and Mike Keenan.
As you might expect, all of this comes at a cost. Peak Freelance requires a monthly subscription to access everything, but their job board is free. You can expect slightly higher rates than Problogger, though most are per project or per hour. $18+ an hour is common.
Peak Freelance also has a members-only Slack group where you can get freelance writing advice and see exclusive job postings.
Cost: Free to access their job board ($49/month for membership)
Pros:
- Many resources to help freelance writers grow
- A curated selection of job postings and courses
- Network opportunities abound
- Variety of templates to help build a portfolio, pitch clients, etc.
Cons:
- A paid monthly subscription is required to access most resources
- A limited number of jobs
5. BloggingPro
Best for: Writers looking for freelance copyediting positions
BloggingPro is exceptionally similar to the other job boards we’ve already discussed. However, I have noticed a significantly higher number of scams on BloggingPro than on other job boards (and spotted one right off the bat while researching this article). You should always be cautious regarding job postings that seem too good to be true. Unless they’re on the Fortune 500 list, very few companies are paying hundreds of dollars for 300 words.
You can find some unique, decent jobs, but this job board doesn’t seem as helpful as others. You can expect payments ranging from 3 cents a word to over 10 cents.
This job board tends to have more copy editor jobs compared to other job boards. If you have experience or enjoy editing and proofreading content, this board may offer suitable opportunities.
I’ve had a mixed experience with BloggingPro. While I have encountered some unique job postings on the platform, I also encountered a scam early in my freelance career. It was a valuable lesson to be cautious and thoroughly research each opportunity.
While BloggingPro may not be my go-to job board, I have heard of fellow writers who found success by regularly checking the platform for editorial positions that align with their interests.
Cost: Free
Pros:
- Completely free
- Some unique job postings (especially editorial positions)
- Very basic and easy to use
Cons:
- A higher quantity of scams
6. MediaBistro
Best for: Writers in the food or lifestyle niche
MediaBistro is a job board for “creative jobs.” It’s completely free, but it is a bit more challenging to use than other boards. Many jobs are in-person, though the “remote” button makes finding online jobs easier.
Many jobs listed are more traditional, such as brand directions and customer relations. You’ll find a pay rate between $15 to $60+.
I have found many unique remote writing jobs, and the job board regularly has new job postings. The food niche tends to be particularly popular. Therefore, this website is a great option to add to your usual job board lineup; just don’t expect it to be as writer-focused as others.
One insider tip for MediaBistro is to set up job alerts for specific keywords or niches you’re interested in. This way, you’ll receive email notifications whenever new relevant jobs are posted.
Cost: Free
Pros:
- Many unique job postings
- Ability to create job alerts
- Regularly updated
Cons:
- Requires creating an account
- Tends to contain dozens of postings by the same company
7. Writers Weekly
Best for: Finding hidden gems
Writers Weekly is an older website and has been publishing regularly since 1997 – and their web design absolutely looks that older. At first glance, they seem like a scam. However, they publish their own content and have a regular stream of job postings.
Sadly, many of their job postings are straight from Problogger, if you can find them. They’re buried across their website in several formats. It’s not very intuitive, though it is free.
They do post some hidden gems, though. They even have a paying market search, where you can find new writing markets. If you’re looking for something a bit unusual, consider stalking their blog.
Through this platform, I landed a travel ghostwriting opportunity for an established author, which taught me valuable lessons in collaboration and storytelling. I wrote several articles involving a recent trip I had taken.
In my experience, you can find jobs for $25,000 to over $160,000
Cost: Free
Pros:
- Completely free
- Updates almost daily
- Focuses exclusively on freelance writing
Cons:
- Difficult to navigate
- Few (if any) unique jobs
8. Smart Blogger
Best for: Writers looking for more traditional jobs
Smart Blogger is a newer writer-focused job board focusing more on full-time and part-time writing. You’ll find many big-names posting job openings, including well-known magazines. Therefore, it’s a perfect spot for someone looking for a more traditional writing job.
You will find a few freelance positions, but they are few and far between.
This job board offers user-friendly filters that make it easier to narrow down your search and find jobs that align with your preferences. Take advantage of these filters to streamline your job hunt and save time by focusing on relevant opportunities.
These jobs pay pretty well. I’ve found several postings for over $25 an hour.
Cost: Free
Pros:
- Unique, more traditional jobs in the writing sphere
- Many big-name brands
- Easy-to-use filters
- Regularly updated
Cons:
- Not many freelance positions
9. FlexJobs
Best for: Writers looking for a one-stop job board
FlexJobs offers thousands of job postings, though not all are writing-related. It’s regularly updated with job postings from many top companies and is among the more popular job boards.
However, it isn’t free. You’ll need to pay around $10 monthly to access any of these jobs. This isn’t a lot, but many job postings aren’t unique. You can find them on other (free) job boards, like the ones I mentioned above.
Still, some writers may find the job board’s one-stop-shop style helpful.
Cost: $10/month
Pros:
- Thousands of job postings
- Easy-to-use filters
- Low cost
Cons:
- Focused almost exclusively on USA-based work
- Few per-word or per-project jobs
10. Upwork
Best for: Complete beginner freelance writers who don’t mind the high competition
Ah, Upwork. It’s often one of the first places new freelance writers hear about. After all, it’s based almost exclusively on gig work and is considered one of the top job boards for anyone looking to make a bit of cash on the side.
However, Upwork is notorious for low-paying writing jobs. You will find hundreds of job postings, but most will be bad. Very few freelance writers have made a profitable career using Upwork. Some jobs pay as little as $5 for 1,000 words; you’ll be lucky to find anything over $30 per 1000 words.
Plus, the company takes a portion of your income off the top. They also have stringent guidelines on taking work off-site. In other words, you must continue working on Upwork or pay thousands in fees.
The site has its own rating system for writers, as well. However, this system heavily rewards those who use Upwork exclusively. You cannot factor in work that wasn’t done on Upwork in the rating.
You also have a limited number of “bids” as a freelance writer, directly limiting the number of jobs you can apply for. Considering most of the jobs are not long-term, this is a serious problem.
As you might have guessed, I don’t use Upwork.
Cost: 20% of anything you make
Pros:
- Unique writing jobs
Cons:
- 20% fee for all work
- Extremely low-paying jobs
- Limited number of bids per month
- Very competitive
11. Journalism Jobs
Best for: Those with experience in the news niche
If you’re interested in writing for magazines and news companies, then Journalism Jobs may be a solid option. As the name suggests, this job board focuses almost exclusively on journalism jobs. Many postings are location-specific, though you will find a few remote options.
These jobs are heftier in their requirements than most other job boards. For instance, most require some education and 5+ years of experience. Therefore, this website is not for new writers.
However, I did find tons of unique job postings. Many weren’t on any other job boards, and it’s a nice place for news writers to see many available jobs all in one place.
Cost: Free
Pros:
- Many unique jobs
- Full-time and freelance positions
- Big-name companies
- Practically zero scam
Cons:
- Focuses exclusively on news writing
- Many job postings have significant experience requirements
Newsletters That Share Freelance Job Posts
Now let’s look at some newsletters that also share freelance writing job posts (almost every week). Here’s the first one:
1. Kat Boogaard’s Newsletter
Kat Boogaard’s newsletter focuses exclusively on freelance writing tips and helpful advice. As a bonus, each weekly newsletter includes a roundup of job opportunities. Usually, these include a list of websites accepting pitches, not necessarily “traditional” job postings. However, if you’re looking for work, you may find unique job postings handpicked by a pro freelance writer.
2. Kaitlyn Arford
Kaitlyn Arford posts many freelance job opportunities each week – and it’s completely free. Typically, I expect at least 100+ job opportunities on each post. Often, these jobs are taken from boards I’ve already mentioned, like LinkedIn Jobs. However, a few are “unique” in that they point out websites accepting pitches.
For a low payment of $3, you can get exclusive job offerings with the pay rate listed (usually). She also shares a few tidbits
3. Freelance Writers Den
Freelance Writers Den is a paid online writing community founded by Carol Tice that provides some vetted opportunities. At $40, the cost is steeper than most job boards. However, you’re getting a lot for that price, including pitching templates, writing critiques, and live events.
4 More Websites With Freelance and Consultancy Gigs
1. Wellfound
Wellfound is a job board exclusively for startups. It doesn’t focus on writing, so you’ll find jobs for almost anything. However, some focus on content marketing. Newer companies may be more likely to accept freelance-like positions, too.
2. Twitter
You may be surprised by the number of companies that announce freelance positions on Twitter. Many of the newsletters we mention above use Twitter as their primary source of information. Follow magazines and larger websites in your niche, such as TheDrive, if you write about automotive topics.
You can also follow many of the job boards we’ve listed above, as they often post new jobs. Consider following FreelanceWritingJobs and Write2Earn.
3. Craigslist
Typically, I wouldn’t recommend looking for jobs on Craigslist. Yes, you can often find at least one posting. However, they tend to be lower-quality and low-paying. Plus, you’ll find a lot of scams. (Beware of IAPWE, which tends to post regularly on Craigslist.)
That said, you can use this little hack to make searching on Craigslist much easier. Instead of going straight to Craigslist, type this blub into Google: writer and “compensation: * per article” site:craigslist.org to quickly find higher paying jobs.
4. Indeed
Indeed is more of a traditional job platform. However, I have found quite a few freelance positions advertised. Bigger companies tend to rely on Indeed, especially if they already post their full-time jobs there.
However, expect more of a traditional hiring process and requirements. Many positions may list education requirements (though these are hardly ever strict, in my experience).
Finding jobs is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is type in “writer” or a similar descriptor and “remote”. You can search specifically for full-time or part-time work, too. Pay is often pretty good, ranging from $40,000 to $160,000+ per year.
It’s Time to Apply For a Gig at a Freelance Writing Job Board!
You can spend all day debating which job board is the best. But none of it will matter unless you go and apply for jobs.
Making a living as a freelance writer is mostly a numbers game — at least at the beginning. If you apply for enough jobs, eventually, someone will say yes – and you only need a few yeses. Even if you only get one yes for every 30 applications, that’s still plenty of work for the average person.
