One of the questions that I’m constantly asked is this: What are the best ways to find freelance gigs?
Everyone has their own ways of finding freelance gigs, including high-paying jobs, and I have my own favorite strategies.
Find Freelance Gigs Through Word of Mouth
My favorite way to find freelance gigs is through word of mouth. This is a strategy that is a little harder to put into place if you are just starting out, however.
I’ve been freelancing for 10 years, so there is a large body of work in my name and my networking has been pretty effective. As a result, most of my current work comes from referrals or people who have heard of me and just want me to write for them.
This is my favorite way to find freelance gigs because it usually means that I get to set my own rate — and it’s a higher rate than what I accept when I have to apply for jobs. I haven’t actually needed to apply for a gig for probably five or six years (although sometimes I do, just to see).
Building up your reputation to the point where you find freelance gigs through word of mouth takes a little more time and effort, but once you reach that point, it’s well worth it. This strategy can also include your social media efforts and your ability to build your personal brand online. The easier you are to find, the more likely you are to land gigs that can provide you with a solid salary.
Places to Apply for Freelance Gigs
If you want to find freelance gigs through websites, there are some reputable places that I like to go to look for work when I’m curious about what’s out there — and places that I used to frequent before I began seeing results from word of mouth.
First of all, I was never fond of freelance marketplaces. I don’t like bidding on work, so you won’t find those in the following list:
- Media Bistro: This is a great site for media professional and freelancers alike. You can usually find high-quality jobs here, and there are other premium resources for freelancers.
- Freelance Writers Den: Joining this site will cost a monthly fee, but it’s worth it, especially if you are looking for higher-paying jobs. The job board weeds out the super-low paying jobs, and there are bootcamps and other resources for the freelancer. You can read my review of the Freelance Writers Den for more information.
- Freelance Writing Jobs: I’ve long liked this site, which makes it a point to aggregate gigs from around the web. You will find low-paying to medium-paying gigs here, and it’s a great place to go if you are just looking to try to land anything.
- Problogger Job Board: This is another place where you will find jobs that range from low-paying to high-paying. It’s a good place to start.
There are plenty of other job boards out there, but if you start with these, you’ll probably have a wide range to choose from.
Online Publishing and Content Marketing Platforms
I’ve recently used online publishing platforms to find freelance gigs. The three that I use are Contently, Skyword and Welcome (formerly NewsCred. All three of these platforms are used by corporate clients to get content for their own blogs and sites. Depending on the client and the work, the pay can be pretty good.
The work might not be regular, but it can be well-paying, and it can be one way to fill in the gaps. Fill out profiles on these sites, and you might be able to land gigs or one-off pieces from interested clients. I’ve developed long-term relationships with clients that started with gigs on these types of sites.
