As a freelance content writer, finding a gig can be a very cumbersome task, especially since the internet is filled with scams and underpaying gigs.

Below we'll provide a comprehensive list of the job listing and job portals that either specifically cater to freelance content writers or have the flexibility to post requirements for freelance writers and are often focused on native English speakers only.

1. Draft

Draft is a simple and easy to use service that connects freelance writers to companies through an Uber-like platform. As a freelance content writer, you’ll have the ability to claim or reject writing gigs and you’ll get assigned as a preferred writer to the clients who have rated your work very highly. This gives you the option to be the first one to claim the gigs that you are really good at.

Apply to become a Draft writer.

Pros: The fact that you can claim jobs that match your skills the best and won’t have to communicate with the clients directly, makes it a very productive writing platform. You won’t have to deal with any of the busy-work that is often connected to managing the clients’ expectations and so you can just focus on nailing the brief and doing your best work.

Cons: Draft hires freelance writers who are native English speakers from the USA, Canada, (and from United Kingdom and Australia), hence it is not for non-native speakers. Also the platform offers only white label content creation, so most of the time, your name won’t be added to the published content.

2. Upwork

Upwork is a well-known marketplace for freelancers. All one has to do is create a profile and after verification, they can start applying for gigs posted by the seller. A major plus point is that one can pick their own rates and bid for a gig.  

It’s a vastly popular marketplace with bidders from all across the globe and content writing is a very popular service offered here.

Pros: Independence with regards to setting rates and selecting gigs for bidding,

Cons: There is a lot of competition when it comes to bidding and Upwork is very stringent with their verification process so not many profiles get verified if there’s low demand, especially when it comes to freelance writing.

3. WeWorkRemotely

WeWorkRemotely is an online job board for remote workers. They have listings for writing, marketing, tech, development, sales and more.

Pros: The site is updated fairly regularly and they have a decent amount of jobs for copywriting and content writing.

Cons: The majority of the jobs listed are for tech and software development. Writing jobs are primarily for full-time remote positions with freelance opportunities propping up every now and then.

4. Contena

Contena provides full-time and contract jobs for writers through their job portal. They also have a training academy for writers. The job listings are updated fairly regularly and can range from technical, social media to marketing job profiles.

Pros: Contena has a lot of high-paying jobs and gigs for freelance writers that span various genres. This way freelance writers get to choose based on their expertise.

Cons: Contena is highly selective about the writers they work with and there’s a waiting list after one registers. They also charge a fee to start applying for gigs and jobs.

5. DotDash

DotDash is one of the top 20 content publishers on the internet. Their brands include Verywell, The Spruce, The Balance, Investopedia and more. While they are a full-fledged company that is hiring across multiple departments, they also work with freelancers.

Pros: They have many opportunities for freelancers across the United States.

Cons: The hiring process can take a while.

6. Fiverr

Fiverr is a freelancer marketplace that connects sellers to buyers. Here sellers(freelancers) post gigs and services that they offer with a rate and buyers contact them. This removes the hassle of competition and bidding, which is also an option on Fiverr if one chooses to do so.

Pros: Fiverr is a great way to earn some extra income and buyers can leave tips based on the quality of work delivered.

Cons: Fiverr has a high commission rate, around 20%  and it is rather difficult to get started and landing the first few gigs.

7. Angel List

AngelList is a popular job board website that focuses on startups. One can filter listings based on their requirements and then match with the employer to move ahead with the process. AngelList has options for Full-time, remote and contract job opportunities, but it depends on the company that is putting out the listing.

Pros: Search results are highly customizable, and it’s easy to browse through countless job listings that can be narrowed down by company size, location, a remote possibility, job type (full-time, contract), etc.

Cons: There’s a lot of clutter to cut through while looking for a freelance writing opportunity, If one finds a listing that they like, the employer has to show interest and then AngelList ‘matches’ them. This leaves little to no room for flexibility.

8. Cactus Communications

CACTUS is ranked 12th (after a screening of more than 47,000 companies) on the 2017 list of Top 100 Companies for Remote/Freelance Jobs by Forbes. It is a global team of highly skilled freelance editors who are experts in various academic fields

Pros: Cactus Communications pays well for freelance writers and editors.

Cons: It is only for academic writers and editors. They hire people who have specialization in physical sciences and engineering, healthcare, life sciences, medicine and surgery, and social sciences. Unless one has a degree in these fields, there’s no opportunity.

9. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is a curated job listing website that has listings from some of the top companies all across the world. They’ve been around for 10 years and specialize in remote and freelance job listings.

Pros: The jobs listed here are scam-proof and it features listings of all major companies in the world that offer freelance or remote working opportunities.

Cons: FlexJobs charges a membership fee from any freelance content writer looking for a job through their portal.

10. WalletHub

WalletHub is a personal finance company that’s headquartered in the USA. They have openings for freelance content writers to work with them and the scope of work includes writing for topics such as credit cards, credit score, etc.

Pros: They offer flexible working hours and competitive pay in the range of $40,000 to $60,000 a year.

Cons: Although the listing is for freelancers, WalletHub requires writers to put in 50+ hours a week, which pretty much limits writers to them full-time.

11. HubPages

HubPages is a platform for writers to generate passive income. It’s an opportunity for any freelance content writer to earn from their content while they sleep.

Pros: HubPages gives writers the flexibility to write what they want at their own convenience. It is a great source for passive income generation.

Cons: It won’t be a regular source of income for writers as they only get paid when people click on the ads that are there on the blog posts written by them.

12. Talent Inc

Talent Inc connects writers to help professionals draft resume. While this is not a traditional content writing job listing, it’s a great medium for someone who’s into resume writing. They require people with experience in resume writing.

Pros: Talent Inc gives writers the flexibility to set their own hours and claims to have a regular inflow of work for the entire year.

Cons: The listing is only for experienced resume writers, so if someone doesn’t have 3+ years of experience, they won’t be considered.

13. Morning Coffee Newsletter

What better way to learn about new gigs than having them delivered to your email address. Morning Coffee Newsletter gives out new listings for freelance writers

Pros: They send a newsletter every morning to writers with new listings.

Cons: Most job listings are for the US only, so even folks from Canada are not eligible.

14. Skyword

Skyword connects contributors to top companies all across the world for their content marketing needs and is a transparent marketplace.

Pros: The gigs offered by Skyword are regular and high-paying.

Cons: They are connected to a social influence gauging technology so one needs to link their Twitter to start the process.

15. Freelancer

Freelancer is a crowdsourcing marketplace like Upwork and Fiverr that lets companies post a requirement for a freelancer. There’s plenty of opportunity for copywriting and content writing.

Pros: There are a lot of content writing opportunities for writers who have a specialization in various fields.

Cons: The payment process is long and can take upto 14 days with a fee of 10% to 20 %.

16. Achieve3000

Achieve 3000 is an educational website for kids. They hire academic writers on a contract basis to help create content for 6th to 10th-grade students. They are currently looking for Academic Science Writers with education in educational content writing.

Pros: They offer flexible working hours and if interested the option to transition into full-time.

Cons: The writer needs to have a degree in Education and should be a subject matter expert.

17. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a popular social network for professionals all across the world. Every professional has their profile and resumes on LinkedIn and it offers a job portal where people can search for jobs. There’s a filter for freelance and remote opportunities along with the ability to search using keywords.

Pros: LinkedIn is a very popular website and all major companies tend to post their job requirements on LinkedIn, hence it becomes easy for a freelancer to look for jobs simply using a filter. They can also set alerts for their search.

Cons: LinkedIn is too popular, so here can be more than 200+ applicants for a good listing making it becomes difficult for someone to stand out.

18. Freelance Writing Jobs

FreelanceWritingJobs is specifically for Canadian freelance writers. They have many listings for jobs for freelance writers online and their website is updated regularly.

Pros: It’s easy to apply through this website as most listings have direct email addresses and freelance writers don’t have to jump through multiple hoops just to get started.

Cons: There is no option to filter or sort by date or requirement and the interface is a bit dated.

19. Who Pays Writers?

Who Pays Writers? is a unique crowdsourced listing, wherein people share their experience with working for various publications. They share information like rate per word, overall experience and the time taken to pay.

Pros: Through this website, freelance writers can learn about various publications that hire freelance writers online. They can also learn some useful information regarding pay and how fast do they complete the payment process.

Cons: There is no direct way to apply to these publications and one has to search for the means to apply if they want to work with a particular publication.

20. Indeed

Indeed is a job-listing website wherein employers post a requirement and applicants can filter them based on their needs and apply for the same. There are many keywords and location tags that any kind of freelance content writer can use, such as freelance, remote, work from home, contract, etc to look for jobs for freelance writers online.

Pros: Indeed is a mainstream job-listing website with new listings by the minute. There’s no shortage of jobs to sift through.

Cons: For a freelancer, finding a listing is heavily dependent on the keyword search and there’s enough noise that progressing in a job application can be a complete toss-up.

In Conclusion

There are countless job portals available offering jobs for freelance content writers , but these are the ones that are the most consistent, have the cleanest track record and are the most beneficial to job seekers.

While there are many more portals and companies that hire freelance writers online, they may or may not be genuine. It’s crucial to thoroughly research different options before investing considerable time into any particular job listing or portal.

Good luck!