Do You Get Paid for Blogging? 11 Sites to Find Freelance Writing Jobs (and More)

By: Rita Cunha | December 3, 2020

Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words? If so, you’re in luck. You don’t have to keep your writing talent all for yourself. There is a huge demand for freelance writers who work from home, which means you could start making some extra cash soon—on your time and on your terms.

This article tells you everything you need to know about getting paid to blog. From freelance blogging jobs (and where to find them) to learning how to set up your own money-making blog, this is the stepping stone to your new hustle. Put enough time and hard work into it and you could even make a full-time income out of your passion for blogging!

Can I Make Money Blogging?

Absolutely! Online businesses and brands are constantly on the lookout for freelance blogger professionals who can craft engaging and informative blog posts and articles. A successful freelance writer can even make a six-figure income after getting their business (and client base) established.

Before making the big bucks, you’ll need to get some experience under your belt. Fortunately, you will find plenty of writing gigs out there. The question is where to find them—so keep reading.

Where to Find Freelance Writing Jobs? 11 Places to Start Looking

If you don’t know where to start, you have come to the right place. These eleven websites will help you make money online writing for all kinds of clients. These platforms are excellent for helping you to get your foot in the door and start making an extra income. All you need are your sharp blogging skills and, in most cases, a PayPal account to get paid.

1) Problogger

Problogger is one of the biggest freelancing job boards out there. It is always being updated and you’re bound to find a writing gig that suits you perfectly. Hundreds of companies advertise their writer jobs there, so be sure to check it out daily.

This is an especially interesting platform for newbie bloggers. If you don’t have much experience, Problogger really is the place to start. Clients often specifically ask for entry-level writers. Brush up your CV and have a writing sample or two at hand so your potential clients can get a feel for your work.

2) Upwork

After checking out Problogger, check out Upwork. This platform is basically a marketplace where brands seek out talented professionals to complete projects for them. Blogging is only one of the many skills you can “sell” there.

What makes Upwork unique is its built-in bidding process. Several aspiring freelancers will send a cover letter to the jobs posted and, after some time, the client will pick their favorite candidate. As a disclaimer, the competition is fierce, so make sure your proposal stands out!

3) Fiverr

Fiverr is yet another talent marketplace. Clients post ads looking for freelancers and then choose their favorite candidate. It’s a great place for new bloggers to get experience and build up a portfolio of quality content, which is why Fiverr is known for not paying high wages. Nevertheless, it will get you familiarized with the freelance writing industry.

4) Listverse

If you’re passionate about writing lists on topics you love, Listverse is perfect for you. This website publishes “listicles” usually related to pop-culture, and they tend to get viral! It can be a lot of fun, not to mention it can pay very well! You will get $100 for every article you turn in that gets picked up and put on the website.

5) BuzzFeed

Now, if you want your writing to reach a lot of people, send BuzzFeed Reader your best piece. This successful internet giant is constantly open to submissions from budding writers wanting to carve out some space for themselves. Its editors accept high-quality cultural criticism pieces and personal essays.

6) Book Riot

Book lovers rejoice: Book Riot is looking for freelance writers whose favorite hobby is burying their noses in a good book. They prioritize funny and relatable content between 600 and 800 words. Do you have a “hot take” about Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Or do you keep track of the latest book news? If so, you’ll love Book Riot.

7) Freelance Writing Jobs Board

Freelance Writing Jobs is (you guessed it!) the go-to place for finding freelancing money-making writing gigs. This job board is frequently updated and has a lot of worthwhile opportunities that will buff up your blogging portfolio. Newbie bloggers are always welcome.

8) BloggingPro

Similarly, BloggingPro is also a job board updated daily. It compiles all kinds of freelance blogger gigs so you don’t have to spend hours looking for them online. Plus, it only includes legit money-making opportunities, meaning you don’t waste any time with clients who aren’t serious.

9) Join Writer’s Groups on Facebook

Social media is a great place to find blogger gigs. There are hundreds of writer groups on Facebook, specifically, where you can connect with brands looking for word wizards. On top of that, it’s also a great place to make connections with other writers. In the long run, those connections can lead to good opportunities landing on your desk.

10) LinkedIn

Another useful social media platform is LinkedIn. It’s known for being a hub for professionals and a great place to find new work that fits your skills. Connect with writers whose work you enjoy and brands you want to work with. Then, browse the job section. You’ll probably find ads looking for bloggers to write a guest post and even full-time positions.

11) Reach Out to a Small Business

If there is a small business you really, really want to work with, shoot them an email offering your blogging services! Showcase your personality and writing skills and you might just get a cool opportunity to be involved in a project you’re passionate about.

Get Paid with Your Own Blog

So far, this article has gone over how to make money blogging for other people. But what if you want to have even more flexibility and work for yourself? Easy, you can start your own blog as your small online business. Here are the different ways of monetizing your blog.

Collect Ad Revenue

Your blog will have ads displayed on the front page and alongside your articles. Thus, you will get revenue from Google Adsense. This is one of the easiest ways to make money blogging.

Write Sponsored Posts

Another money-making option is writing sponsored posts. Reach out to a brand you like and ask about a possible partnership. You could be paid to promote their products or to simply mention them in a post.

Do Affiliate Marketing

What do influencers do? Showcase their favorite products to get readers to buy them. Referral and affiliate marketing work just like this. You review a product, include your affiliate link, and get a commission every time someone uses the link and then buys that item. Easy, right? It’s almost passive income, really. Amazon Affiliate and Swagbucks both have amazing referral and affiliate programs, so definitely look into those!

Create a Product, Then Sell It

If you want to go further than affiliate programs, you could also create your own products and sell them to readers. They could be physical products (such as a shirt) or digital products (for example, an ebook or an online course). E-commerce is a growing industry and there are quite a lot of plugins to help you manage your online sales on your blog.

How Do I Start My Own Blog? A Simple Step-By-Step Guide

Alright, you may not know how to start a blog if you have never done it before. Never fear, it’s way easier than you probably think.

Pick a Niche

The one thing successful bloggers all have in common is they pick a niche—and stick to it. In other words, they choose to specialize in a topic when they start a new blog. Research shows this is a make-it-or-break-it step if you’re trying to bring in good money from your writing.

Handle the Technical Part

Then, you will have to set up your page through a blogging platform. WordPress.com is probably the most popular one and works with a bunch of other platforms (such as Bluehost), but there are dozens more. Whichever one you choose, you will need a domain name to set you apart from other bloggers.

Customize Your Blog Page

Similarly, you must also settle on aesthetics for your new blog. Make it cohesive and pleasing to the eye to guarantee visitors keep reading your content. You don’t need to know HTML, CSS, or any of that. If you have a WordPress blog, for instance, you will find hundreds of templates and plugins, as well as tutorials, to make your website look stunning.

Write High-Quality Content

Of course, a successful blog must have quality content. What pain points are you answering? Who are you writing for? Make your writing stand out and always keep your readers engaged!

Set Up a Mailing List

New bloggers may not know how good mailing lists are for business, but successful bloggers do. Having an email list for your subscribers ensures they come back again and again for more (which means more money for you).

Invest Time into SEO

Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) sounds complicated to a newbie blogger at first, but it’s not too complicated to grasp. Especially since WordPress plugins make the task even easier for you. A good optimization strategy ensures your content appears high on Google’s search results page, bringing in more traffic to your blog.

Promote Your Content on Social Media

New bloggers can do this one pretty easily right off the bat: share their content on social media. You would be surprised at how many clicks an interesting article can get on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so on. It’s an awesome way of bringing in new readers and gaining the hearts of new fans (and money, of course).