Freelance Writing Jobs From Home

Whether you dream of becoming a professional writer in the future or simply want to earn some extra income by contributing articles, freelance writing jobs from home give all the flexibility you need.

I've hired freelancers to write articles, and I've also been paid to write for others in the past. I know my writing style isn't perfect, and I often feel apprehensive about writing unless I'm completely confident in the topic.

Similarly, it's disappointing when a piece I've paid for turns out to be unusable due to poor quality. However, this isn't entirely negative – I can learn from others' mistakes and be more critical of my own work.

Depending on the niche or topic that you’re writing, it can be really hard sometimes to provide a ‘quality’ article. You are requested to write about a specific subject, you think you can write about, so take the order and start researching, only to find out that the subject is a lot deeper and more complicated than you initially expected it to be. Your time is running out… But you know, submit an article that’s less than satisfactory and you can wreck your reputation.

To Build Reputation and Confidence

If you're providing writing service for the first time and want to build a reputation and your confidence, then start by offering the cheapest rate. Some clients merely ask for an information package; it doesn’t matter how well it’s written. Some are happy as long as the content is original and grammatically okay. Whatever purpose they need your article for, understandably these clients are not prepared to pay much.

If you offer your service for the lowest rate, i.e. a cent per word or even less, these clients are fairly happy to get what they pay for. And if you are a fast writer, you can serve as many clients, not only to get paid at a quick pace but also to receive as much positive feedback as possible. That is possible. But then of course, quantity over quality is the last kind of thing you want to provide - you'll gain no sustainability or integrity in your writing career that way.

Human Touch

Now that AI can write pretty much anything, we all need to focus on our unique human touch, right? We need to personalize our content.

AI can spit out general stuff, but it can't replicate your personal style or experiences. People connect with stories and perspectives that feel real and relatable.

Specialize - whether it's a specific industry, style, or content type, being a go-to person for something makes you stand out. Also, knowing the latest trends and topics in your niche keeps your work fresh and relevant.

Networking is super helpful too. Connecting with other writers and potential clients can lead to opportunities AI can't provide.

Don't forget to add a human touch to your writing. Empathy, humor, and personal insights are things AI just can't replicate as authentically as a human can. So keep these tips in mind and you'll do great. Remember, AI is a tool, not a replacement for the unique flair you bring to the table!

Time Management

It’s ridiculously important to set your writing schedule and finish well before the deadline. That includes the time to research, to write, and to finish - the time it takes, and also the time of day.

Not so much of a problem if you only have one writing job at a time. But when you have several orders from different clients, you don’t want to leave any of your article delivery until the last minute before the deadline. Especially the clients are from different countries, because of the time differences.

Soon after the delivery, they will likely to come back to you. Your client might ask you for a revision, request to correct errors or clarify some part of the content. You want to be available when they do, and respond reasonably swiftly. If you don’t think you’ll be able to, you can message the client to say, “Here is your article. I’ll be unavailable for approximately 7 hours from now on, but will respond as quickly as I can.”

You should consider all that - from start to finish of each writing job, set a schedule, and stick to it so that you won't lose track of any of your clients' orders. Freelance writing jobs from home can give you freedom of flexible hours. But it's actually an actual work schedule based on the number and urgency of client orders which requires you to be flexible!

Read Also: Make Money by Writing a Blog

How Much Should I Charge?

I mentioned charging the lowest rate for your article writing earlier on, but that’s only if you’re not confident with your skills just yet, or if you consider the beginning as a test period. You can charge more, and you can change as much as you want. Only you can determine how much you wish to receive by checking;

• What the standard rates are - The “standard rates” vary based on the type of articles, topics or kind of clients (e.g. individual webmasters, corporate publishers). You can find them out by checking what other similar writers are charging.
• How much you need - The minimum charge that you would accept, after figuring out what your weekly/monthly expenses including all the bill payments are, how long it takes you to write one article, and how much time you want to spend each day for work.

These two factors can help you to set your financial goal. For example;

• Other writers seem to charge $45 - $100 per similar 500-word article that I write.
• I need to earn at least $800 per week.
• I don’t want to work more than 5 hours a day. (i.e., 20-25 hours per week max.)
• I can write 2 articles per day. 3 if I push myself. (i.e., 10-12 articles per week.)

Then you can form the idea like this;

• If I charge $80 per article x 2 per day x 5 days a week = $800 per week.
• If I’m very ambitious and write 15 articles per week but charge less, say $60 per article. 15 articles x $60 = $900.

And don't forget, this scenario is only based on the idea that the demands are always there. It's never the case. Start advertising your service today and it may be weeks before you receive your first order. For that reason, you may have to charge a lot less in the beginning, but at least you set your goal this way. You'll work around your goal, learn to handle the schedule, and scale up your business this way in due course.

Where Can I Sell My Work?

Here are some of the services that you can sign up with as a writer and start contributing your work upon approval.

Writer Access

Writer Access will pay by the word, ranging from 2 cents up to $2 per word, depending on the quality of your work and your feedback ratings.

Fiverr

Great to start off with Fiverr, though it's very competitive. Fiverr takes 20% of your fee.

Constant-Content

Many professional/semi-professional writers are registered with Constant-Content, it takes 35% of your fee.

Compose.ly

Compose.ly doesn't specify how much the standard charge is, but it charges customers approximately $65 per up to 500-word article. 

Express Writers

Express Writers offers its clients variety of contents, including long (1,500-word) article, email sequence, product description (100-250 words), social media posts, etc. How much transaction fee is deducted from you is unknown but it may be worth trying for you to start with.

Ghost Blog Writers

With ghostblogwriters.com, you are promised a guaranteed payment each month because the clients are in contract with the company. But how much you can make is unknown. Ghostwriting has pros and cons though.

Freelancer.com

When advertising at Freelancer.com, you specify how much you want to get paid per hour regardless of the length of the article.

iWriter.com

Another good place but it's not accepting new writer applications right now.

How Can I Prove That I'm A Good Writer?

So there are many services that provide freelance writing jobs from home. Great opportunities for you to write and get paid. But at least at the beginning of your career as a writer, you need to appeal that you are a decent writer. Most of the services mentioned above require you to submit a sample article or two to review your application. Even so, how do they know that the sample article you've submitted is actually written by you? It takes time for anyone to trust you - just like every other circumstance in life!

There's a better way - in fact the best way to prove your excellent writing skills instantly; have your own portfolio website.

Your website can be about any theme. Your hobby, your career, or even about writing itself. The main thing is you have an "about me" page so that anyone who views that page will know who you are and your writing style. And regularly publish your blog whenever you have spare time.

Blogging Skills And SEO Knowledge

When I say 'your own website', I don't mean just a free blogging platform. I mean, build your website with your own domain name, e.g. johnsmith.com. It will add an extra credibility to your career as a writer. It will allow you to;

Create Your OWN Website For FREE

So here's a great deal that you can enjoy. Create your own WordPress website in the next few minutes. You'll see there's no technical skill required just to create a site. And you can take the first 10 basic training lessons for absolutely free.

You can stay free forever, but a premium option is also available for $49 per month (or $30 p/m if paid yearly in advance), which will allow you to learn a lot more; about SEO and how you can improve your money-making site with better affiliate marketing methods. The decision is entirely up to you but it will definitely boost your profile.