There are lots of different types of freelance writing jobs out there, and it can be tough to know which ones are best suited to you. In this article, I’ll go through a list of the most common freelance writing jobs and explain who would be best suited to each type.
15 different types of writing jobs are:
- Blog writing
- Copywriting
- Business writing jobs
- Website copy
- White papers and long-form content
- Course writing jobs
- Technical copy
- Video scripts
- Social media posts
- Email marketing
- Product descriptions
- Ghostwriting
- Grant writing jobs
- Real estate writing
- Editing jobs
Below, I’ll talk about each type, and also suggest whether they typically pay on the low, average or high end of the freelance writing earnings scale. After I go through each of these types of freelance writing jobs in more detail, I’ll also discuss what ones pay the best!
15 Types Of Writing Jobs For Freelancers
1. Blog Writing
Best For: Freelance writers with expertise or experience in a particular niche | Earning Potential: Low to Average
Blog writing is all about creating content for a target audience, either to simply bring more traffic to the website or to convert readers into paying customers. Some blogs take on an engaging, personal tone, while others tend to be more informative and formal.
Ultimately, blog writing is all about connecting with the reader. The aim is to write content that the reader enjoys and finds value in, so that they become a follower interested in new articles and other updates on the blog. This builds a subscriber base that then allows a blog to monetize through ads, affiliate links, and various other methods.
Unlike some other types of freelance writing jobs I’ll cover in this list, blog writing can be somewhat subjective and relies on your writing resonating with the target audience. If you can create blog content that connects well, and you have expertise or experience in the niche, you have a high chance of getting the job!
2. Copywriting
Best For: Those with a talent for marketing that want to turn readers into customers | Earning Potential: Average to High
Copywriting is a persuasive type of writing, aimed at using compelling content to drive sales and marketing efforts. As a copywriter, your writing serves one primary purpose – to convince readers to take a specific action. Copywriting is a highly valued skill. If a copywriter can increase sales through powerful and persuasive copy, they’ll be an invaluable asset to their client (which means the earning potential here can be high).
The aim of the copywriting game is persuasion. You need to understand your target audience and what motivates them. Copywriting usually involves fewer words than blog writing.
However, this doesn’t mean copywriting is easy! There’s a lot of “behind-the-scenes” work involved in copywriting. While there may only be a handful of words on the page or product, many hours of research, thought, and strategy has been put into them. This is an ideal choice for writers with a marketing background.
3. Business Writing Jobs
Best For: Freelancers with an interest in the world of business and sales | Earning Potential: Average to High
Businesses in the modern world need to have a solid online presence. This includes creating a decent website, and the many pages that come with it. Businesses especially need landing page content. After clicking an advertisement or search engine result, readers are taken to a business’ landing page.
The content here must be engaging and attention-grabbing. Landing page content is akin to copywriting, as it’s typically designed to make the reader take an action. However, you might also be writing content for about pages and other information about the business itself.
Business writing can take many forms, from simple landing page content to more specific sales or ad copy. The specific job requirements depend largely on the type of business and the industry, but if you are interested in the world of business, this could be the freelance writing job for you.
4. Website Copy
Best For: Generalist writers and those with niche-specific knowledge alike | Earning Potential: Low to Average
This type of writing focuses on a website’s key pages, like the home page or about page. The purpose of these pages is to inform the reader. So, it’s important that this content is easy to read and relates to the target audience. This is especially so for the about us page, where you might share the early stages of the business and the values your company believes in.
For aspiring website copywriters, this is your chance to connect with readers and convey the brand’s message. Like blog posts, website copy can turn a reader into a subscriber or customer, but only if your content resonates with them.
Website copy is a common freelance writing job, and freelance marketplaces typically have lots of buyers looking for generalist content. It typically doesn’t pay the highest of rates, but it can be a good option for beginners or those just looking for some extra work.
5. White Papers And Long-Form Content
Best For: Those with an academic background or that simply like going in-depth on a topic | Earning Potential: Average to High
White papers and general long-form content are on the opposite end of the spectrum to short, snappy copywriting. Essentially, white papers are detailed reports that highlight a specific issue and how an organization is planning to solve it.
In the commercial world, companies use white papers to demonstrate how they are solving a problem, usually to impress customers and investors. In essence, white papers and long-form content exist to give a more in-depth take on a matter. It also makes the writing more comprehensive, as usually this long piece allows you to use more data and evidence to back up your arguments.
If you enjoy writing detailed, long-form pieces, writing white papers could be the ideal job for you!
6. Course Writing Jobs
Best For: Writers with expertise in a specific subject area and good communication skills | Earning Potential: Average to High
Course writers make a living by helping people put together courses and other learning materials, and so good communication skills are a must here. You could be creating course material for pretty much any topic, as there are online course websites galore nowadays!
To become a successful course writer, you usually need qualifications or significant experience in a particular field. These freelance writing jobs aren’t the most common type, but they could be a great way to put your niche knowledge to use.
7. Technical Copy
Best For: Subject matter experts with the ability to simplify and communicate complex topics | Earning Potential: Average to High
Technical copy is a mix between white papers and copywriting. But rather than creating persuasive copy aimed at driving sales, its purpose is to provide detailed and informative content for an expert audience. This kind of copy usually contains lots of technical terms, data, and evidence.
You need to be an expert to write technical copy. Because of this, excellent technical copywriters are hard to come by. For those who are masters in a highly specific industry, becoming a technical copywriter can be a very lucrative writing job.
8. Video Scripts
Best For: Freelance writers that enjoy working with multiple forms of media | Earning Potential: Low to High
To produce clean and crisp videos, many people need video scripts to serve as an outline when recording. It could be for instructional videos, how-to guides, story narrations, or even vlogs.
Video scripts typically use a conversational tone, directly addressing the viewer. The goal is to make the script sound as natural as possible when narrating it. So, if you write as you speak, maybe writing video scripts is the job for you!
9. Social Media Posts
Best For: Social media experts and those with marketing skills | Earning Potential: Low to Average
Given its wide reach, there’s a high demand for quality social media content. Most businesses and bloggers use some form of social media as part of their digital marketing strategy.
Whether it’s for Twitter (now X), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn, there’s a real skill in writing for social media and successfully catching the attention of the masses. As a social media writer, your job is to make sure the description under the post is catchy and attracts attention.
This is somewhat like copywriting, but on the shorter side of the content scale. But like copywriting, you will need a knack for marketing and likely some niche knowledge to succeed in this field.
10. Email Marketing
Best For: Marketers and those keen to connect with dedicated audiences | Earning Potential: Average to High
The number of email users is set to grow from 4 billion in 2020 to 4.6 billion by 2025. Email marketing still has the potential to reach a large, motivated audience, and many brands turn to freelance writers to help them with this.
Email marketing is a direct marketing technique that involves sending emails to existing customers and clients, informing them of your latest products and services. There are a lot of similarities with copywriting, except that you’re writing to a more targeted audience, and one that’s already invested in the brand or business.
Email marketing requires an existing subscriber base. As a freelance email marketer, you should be able to write in a conversational tone to these subscribers. Many freelancers who specialize in email marketing make a good income from it. So, if you’re looking for a profitable copywriting-style niche, email marketing may be for you!
11. Product Descriptions
Best For: People that enjoy learning and writing about products with an ability to sell to readers | Earning Potential: Low to Average
From big ecommerce giants like Amazon and Alibaba to smaller local retailers, millions of people use online shopping services every single day. To sell a product to someone remotely, you need convincing product descriptions. Effective product descriptions are usually short and to the point, telling customers what they’re buying in easy-to-understand language.
While product descriptions are more descriptive, they typically still need to be somewhat persuasive too. If you can frame a product in a better light, shaping the product information more convincingly, then you have a better chance of hooking customers to buy the product.
As there is such a wide range of potential clients in this niche, pay for this writing job can vary a lot, from very low to fairly high. It all depends on the products you’re writing about.
12. Ghostwriting
Best For: Those that don’t mind writing (typically long-form) content behind the scenes | Earning Potential: High
Ghostwriting is any form of writing that you’re not credited for. Clients publish these pieces as their own and they own the rights to the content. Many content writing agencies hire ghostwriters to write under a company name.
This means that you’re not allowed to post or share this content elsewhere, including your writing portfolio, unless you’re specifically told you can by the client. This can be off-putting for some writers, especially beginners that are looking to build up their writing portfolio.
But if you’re happy writing purely for money rather than exposure (although you might still get some word-of-mouth referrals), and you don’t mind missing out on the credit, ghostwriting can be very profitable. You could also ghostwrite books for authors, which can be very lucrative but clearly this involves a lot of work.
13. Grant Writing Jobs
Best For: Those that want to help people and organizations get funding | Earning Potential: Average to High
Grant writing jobs offer a unique opportunity for freelancers to contribute to the success of nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, research projects, and other initiatives that rely on funding from grants. Freelance grant writers play a crucial role in helping these organizations secure the financial resources they need to carry out their missions and make a positive impact in their communities.
As a freelance grant writer, you can work with a diverse range of clients, including nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies. Your primary responsibility will be to craft compelling grant proposals that effectively communicate the goals, objectives, and impact of the organization or project seeking funding. This involves conducting research, understanding the grant requirements, and presenting a persuasive case for why the project or organization deserves financial support.
Grant writing requires a combination of skills, including strong research abilities, excellent writing and storytelling capabilities, and attention to detail. You must be able to gather and analyze relevant data, articulate the organization’s needs and goals clearly, and demonstrate the potential impact of the proposed project.
14. Real Estate Writing
Best For: Writers with interest and expertise in the world of real estate | Earning Potential: High
As a freelance real estate writer, you can work with various clients, including real estate agencies, property developers, mortgage lenders, industry publications, and even real estate blogs. This niche allows you to combine your passion for writing with a deep understanding of the real estate market and its related topics.
Real estate writing encompasses diverse types of content, including property descriptions, blog articles, market reports, neighbourhood profiles, and investment guides. Your role as a freelance real estate writer will involve researching and writing engaging and informative content that appeals to different audiences, such as homebuyers, sellers, investors, and renters.
To excel in real estate writing, it’s important to stay up to date with industry news, market trends, and regulations. Honing your storytelling and persuasive writing skills can also help you create captivating property descriptions and engaging content that resonates with potential buyers and investors.
15. Editing Jobs
Best For: Freelancers that prefer to tweak other people’s content rather than write the bulk of it themselves | Earning Potential: High
Finally, a job that still involves writing but also a lot more, we have editing jobs. As a freelance editor, you could have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, including books, articles, blog posts, academic papers, and marketing materials. Your role as an editor is to enhance the clarity, coherence, and overall quality of the written work, ensuring it meets the desired standards.
Freelance editing requires a keen eye for detail, a strong command of grammar and language conventions, and excellent communication skills. You will need to review and revise content for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure errors, as well as assess the flow, consistency, and overall effectiveness of the writing.
If you enjoy optimizing content more than being the sole creator, editing jobs could be worth looking into!
What Type Of Freelance Writing Jobs Pay The Best?
The earning potential in freelance writing can vary depending on several factors, including your experience, expertise, niche specialization, and the market demand for certain types of content. While rates can vary significantly, some freelance writing jobs tend to pay higher than others.
Freelance writing jobs that typically pay the best include:
- Medical writing ($47/hour)
- Technical writing ($36/hour)
- Copywriting ($26/hour)
- Legal writing ($26/hour)
- Financial writing ($24/hour)
- Ghostwriting ($19/hour)
Which Type Of Freelance Writing Job Is Best For You?
As you can see, there are many types of freelance writing jobs available out there. As a beginner freelance writer, it’s wise to try a few different types of writing jobs to understand what they involve and which ones you prefer. Over time, you’ll naturally develop a niche and be able to charge higher rates for your expertise!
Chris is the creator of Freelance Ready. He originally started freelancing (on Fiverr) while at university, writing and editing website content. He created this website to share his freelancing experience and help others on their own self-employed journeys. He is now a freelance SEO consultant and content editor. You can learn more about Chris here.
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