Dirtbag Writer

Finding Paid Writing Gigs: Paying Online Writing Jobs for Beginner Writers

Posted on 27. Oct, 2009 by Writer in On Writing

Are you an aspiring writer looking for experience and sick of writing for free?  The following publications are great for beginning freelancers looking to gain skills and earn a little bit of cash.  The pubs can also be great for experienced writers looking to hone their online skills and network with other writers and publishers.

Demand Studios

Demand Studios is a content distributor that produces content for sites such as livestrong.com, trails.com, and You Tube . I have written for demand studios since August 2009 and so far my experience here has been good – you get paid twice weekly and consistently via Paypal and the feedback from the editors and community has been helpful.  You choose the articles you want to write from a pool of titles and have a week to complete each article.  Assignments range from 150-500 words and payments range from $7.50-$20.

I can make about $20/hour writing for the site but can only realistically write these types of articles for an hour or two a day.    I do realize I am only making around $.02/word (YIKES) but I see this as a way to prolong draining my savings and get a lot of practice refining my voice and gathering research efficiently.

Advice for getting accepted as a Demand Studios writer:

• Browse the sites that Demand Studios provides content for and create your application highlighting your experience relevant for that site.
• I thought my writing and life experience best suited the trails.com site so I created a resume highlighting my hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing experience as well as providing relevant clips and got accepted the first time I applied.

Suite101

Content sites like Suite101 receive a lot of criticism, but I found my brief stint at Suite helpful for learning the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and networking with other writers.  Suite uses a residual income model meaning that your articles make money as long as they are on the site.  You earn a percentage of the income derived from people clicking ads while viewing your articles.

Advice for getting accepted as a Suite101 writer:

• Apply for topics that you have the most experience with.  Once you are accepted you can write about any subject that you would like, but start out by applying to topics that you already have published clips or a college degree.
• If your application is rejected – try, try again.  My first application was rejected and then I applied a second time using different writing samples and was accepted.

Examiner

Examiner is a newly launched site that focuses on content for local and category-specific topics.  Examiner covers more than 100 US cities and is just starting to branch out into Canada, the UK, and Australia.

I worked briefly for Examiner when the site was in its early stages.  I couldn’t really keep up with the 3 posts that they required weekly and also felt that I had enough experience to move past these type of content sites.  I know several people that have been happy with their experiences at Examiner and it seems like a great place to learn some online writing skills and make a little bit of cash.  Find out how to apply here.

Have any other suggestions for paid writing gigs that are great for beginner freelancers?

RELATED POSTS

Freelancing for Adventure Magazines: 5 Adventure Travel Publications Looking for Contributors

Freelancing for Travel Magazines: 10 Online and Print Publications That Want to Publish Your Work

Tags: Demand Studios, Writing Leads