The ultimate goal for every freelance writer is to get writing gigs and make consistent money, right?
Well. There are tons of blog posts on the internet—I have also published a number of them here—about ways to land clients. One effective strategy I often mention is getting freelance writing gigs through job boards.
Yes. Job boards for freelance writers. Have you ever heard about them?
If you have, that’s where I got my first client as a freelance writer in 2011, immediately after my graduation from the University of Nairobi. No training. No experience.
There were no trainers and mentors to hold my hand. I had to learn the hard way before I finally figured out. Even several years later I still used job boards when am short of enough writing gigs.
And while I have a training course that can help you get consistent writing gigs, whether you are a trainee or experienced writer, for today, let’s focus on top job boards where you can find freelance writing jobs.
Unfortunately, there are hundreds of job boards on the internet making it difficult for new freelancers to sort out ones dedicated to freelance writing.
You don’t have worry though. I’m going to show you the best job boards for freelance writers where you can make a few bucks to sustain your freelance lifestyle.
Are you ready? Let’s start the countdown.
1. ProBlogger
I said early that I got my first freelance writing job through a job board. The exact name of the job board is ProBlogger.
I just stumble on the site during my Google search.
One thing I liked—I still do—about ProBlogger is that it is one of the free job boards for freelance writers. You don’t pay any amount to access or apply for jobs posted on the platform.
I landed my first client after a few days of sending a few applications and bagged a few more after spending a few weeks on the platform.
It was easier to land a gig on the platform because there were few freelance writers who knew the site existed.
Unfortunately, it is not the case nowadays. Competition for jobs on the platform is very high since many freelance writers know about this job board.
There is a search bars that allows you to search for gigs based keyword and location. This is good news for niche writers.
One of the shortcomings of ProBlogger is that jobs posted there aren’t high paying. But you can make a few bucks to pay some bills.
Also, the platform is a bit competitive since it’s free. So, be prepared to send a couple of pitches in a day to increase your chances of landing a gig on this free job board.
2. Contena
The money I was making from ProBlogger was not enough to pay my bills—by then my main objective was to pay my bills.
My unending appetite to land more consistent freelance jobs pushed me to start exploring paid job boards. That’s how I came across Contena.
I’ve used a few paid job boards for freelance writers and Contena Pro is one of the best by far.
This paid job board for freelance writers publishes the best freelance writing jobs and curates others from other job boards.
They provide an option to sort through job listing by niche or category.
And for this work-at-home dad with multiple jobs for client work to submit and many aspiring freelance writers to train and mentor, this makes it easier to find jobs to pitch.
Another awesome feature on this paid job board for freelance is Contena Academy, a training course for newbie freelance writers. You are assigned a Contena coach when you sign up for Contena Pro and Contena Academy.
Apart from the Contena job board and Academy, another thing you will like is the Contena Community. This is a blogging platform with informative articles posted by Contena members.
If you’re interested in signing up for a membership, I have written a comprehensive Contena Review to help you make an informed decision.
3. BloggingPro
Another free job board for freelance writers is BloggingPro. This platform was established in 2006 to help new and experienced freelance writers become more successful in the industry.
The job board has different categories of jobs—temporary, part time, contract, internet and freelance—making it easier to sort freelance writing gigs.
Honestly, I haven’t landed a gig on this platform, but I know a few freelance writing friends who get their clients through the platform.
As the name implies, the job board was designed for freelance writers looking for blogging type gigs. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find other categories on the platform.
Besides contributing bloggers, other options you can consider include night shift news writers, social media content writers, copywriters and so much more.
Most of the jobs on the job board are remote, so you can send your pitch to clients who live in a different country, region or city.
4. All Freelance Writers
All Freelance Writers is a resourceful site that publishes helpful tips for new and experienced writers who want to succeed in the industry.
The platform also has a freelance marketplace showing companies that pay and a job board for freelance writers that curates freelance writing gigs from multiple sources.
Each job listing has a short description showing about the job and price range.
This helps you sort through different freelance writing jobs based on price, saving you a lot of time.
This is also another free job board so all you need is to sign up and start applying for jobs listed on the platform.
5. Freelance Writing
I landed a few writing gigs on Freelance Writing between 2016 and 2018. By then, this free job boards used to publish many remote jobs for freelance writers, which they sourced from multiple sources such as FlexJobs, Indeed and Craigslist.
Nowadays they also feature freelance writing ads from individuals and businesses looking for experienced freelance writers.
You can browse through various job listings, read the job description and application details. You can also filter job listing results by published date or keyword.
Are There Specific Free Freelance Job Boards?
If you are a niche writer, you might be wondering if there are job boards for your specific niche.
Yes. There are niche-based freelance job boards including job boards for creative writers, job boards for copywriters, job boards for sports writers and more.
Let’s look at some of the best niche-based freelance job boards you can leverage today to find direct clients:
- Sports Collectors Digest, Athlon Paid Contributorship and Indeed: Job boards for freelance writers who love writing about sports and wondering where to find freelance sports writing gigs.
- Copywriter Collective, Cision Jobs and Freelancing Females: For copywriters looking for freelance copywriting gigs
- Cactus Communications, Working Nomads and WebFX: For freelancers looking for editing jobs
- Discover and Health Place: For freelancers who love health writing or medical writing
Best Freelance Writing Job Boards for New and Experienced Writers
There are many freelance writing job boards for new and experienced writers on the internet. Some are free like ProBlogger while others are paid like Contena.
As a new or experienced writer, my advice is to send around 20 pitches in a day. Also, include a link to your portfolio website since it shows credibility and talks on your behalf.
Good luck!
If you’ve used job boards before, tell me which one helped you land your first gig in the comment section below. You can also share the pitching tricks that worked for you.
