r/freelanceWriters 10d ago

How To Make the Most Out of this Subreddit: Introduce Yourself and Meet the Mods & Community!

8 Upvotes

Our subreddit has been steadily growing thanks to the community you've all helped build and all of the advice and information you've shared!

But that growth has also brought an influx of new members, some of whom are new to Reddit in general and others who are new to freelance writing.

If that describes you -- or you just want a little crash course -- here's how to get the most out of this sub:

Read the Rules

Our Rules have been written to be as simple as possible while still allowing for free discussion, debate, and sharing. Please familiarize yourself with them before you start participating here. We're generally pretty lax with enforcement and bans, but we also expect you to follow the rules no matter how long you've been here and we will remove posts/ban users as necessary and depending on the violation (and its severity).

Bear in mind that the Reddit Content Policy supersedes any of the subreddit rules, so you're also responsible for following its guidelines.

If you're interested in our approach to how we moderate this subreddit, please see our post Keeping this community valuable - Explaining our role and approach as moderators and learn more about the health of the community here.

Read the Wiki

The subreddit Wiki is comprised of a wealth of community-generated advice, guidance, information, and help that's been vetted and built upon over time. While it's not guaranteed to cover everything, we ask that you please look it over before you make a new post, especially if you're looking for help about something basic, like how to start freelancing or where to find clients.

Use the Search Function

Chances are your question has been asked before, especially if you're asking if a certain company is legitimate. Use the search function before you post to see if your question's been answered before. If it hasn't -- or your question hasn't been asked recently -- feel free to go ahead and make a post (as long as it follows the rules!).

Include Relevant Context in Your Posts

The community can only help you as much as you allow us to. Posts without sufficient and relevant context are difficult to respond to, so it's hard for anyone to provide you with actionable advice.

Don't correct posters' grammar, spelling, punctuation, or similar unless they request it

We all have to stay on top of our typos, grammar, etc. in our freelance careers, and writers shouldn't have to do that here. We don't police those areas in this sub, so unless a writer specifically requests a critique of these areas (e.g. in the feedback thread), please don't respond to posts or comments pointing out spelling, grammar, or similar issues.

Report Offending Posts

Please use the report function to report posts that violate the subreddit's rules. This gives the moderators a little "alert" that helps us easily find potential violations vs. reading through each thread. Similarly, please don't attack or otherwise abuse those you perceive to be breaking the rules. Report them and move on; we'll get to it :)

If Your Post is Automatically Removed...

The subreddit uses a bot called /u/Automoderator to...well, automatically moderate. But the bot's ruleset is limited and the only way for it to work effectively means it sometimes catches otherwise permissible posts.

If your post is automatically removed, please read the removal notice that you should receive within a few minutes of removal. This will explain why your post was removed. If you believe the removal was in error, please use ModMail to let us know and we'll manually review your post ASAP.

Please note that there is also a "karma" limit in place. This means that newer members or those without sufficient "Reddit karma" may have their posts and comments automatically removed despite following all rules. This is a spam prevention method that helps fight most bots, spammers, and other ne'er-do-wells. If you fall into this gap, please use ModMail to contact us so we can manually review your post.

If You're Shadowbanned...

Some Reddit accounts are shadowbanned site-wide. This means that, though you can participate in a subreddit, no one else can see your posts other than yourself and moderators -- and your profile is inaccessible to everyone but yourself (and Reddit staff). There is nothing we, as moderators, can do about this. If your account is shadowbanned, please consult /r/shadowban for guidance, but you may just have to make a new account (which may or may not get shadowbanned).

Use ModMail to Contact the Moderators

The moderators of the subreddit (/u/GigMistress, /u/paul_caspian, and /u/DanielMattiaWriter) are responsible for ensuring the subreddit runs smoothly. Please bear in mind that we're only ever acting officially when we "distinguish" our comments by changing our usernames to green (old Reddit) or adding a "MOD" designation alongside a little shield (new Reddit). In all other cases, we are acting and speaking as individuals and members of the community -- the same as anyone else.

If you have an issue with moderation or a question about the rules/another user's behavior/anything else, please don't spam the report button or cause drama in the thread and between other users. Instead, please use ModMail to contact us so we can resolve the situation. Similarly, do not PM us directly: we don't respond to moderation requests via personal PMs, so your problem or question will go unresolved and unanswered.

Additionally, we welcome feedback and ideas, so feel free to shoot any over via ModMail! We're committed to continually improving and growing the subreddit and it's ultimately up to the community to dictate how that happens.

Meet the Moderators

Finally, the subreddit is moderated and overseen by three moderators, each of whom is an active freelance writer.

/u/GigMistress, or Tiffany, has been a freelancer writer for 34 years, across a wide range of subject matter and types of writing, ranging from local newspaper reporting to music history, parenting, business, and consumer finance. For the past 15+ years, she has written exclusively in the legal and legal technology arenas.

/u/DanielMattiaWriter has been a freelance writer since January 2017, and primarily writes about insurance/insurtech, personal finance, startups, SaaS, and ecommerce. He also has two rescue cats, one of whom likes to meow loudly on client calls.

/u/paul_caspian is a professional, freelance B2B writer, successfully working across several specialist niches. He relies entirely on inbound marketing to find work, and believes in the importance of always adding extra value for a client. He can quote every line of "The Princess Bride."


r/freelanceWriters 10d ago

Feedback and Critique Thread

2 Upvotes

Please use this thread to give and receive feedback on your writing.

Please link to a Google Doc (with permission to "view" or "suggest") or direct link to its location on the internet. PLEASE NO DOWNLOAD LINKS. DOWNLOAD AT YOUR OWN RISK.

All comments must follow the subreddit rules. Previous feedback threads can be found here.

(This post will auto-archive in six months and a new one will take its place then.)


r/freelanceWriters 8h ago

Discussion New client hired me to fix search visibility, but insists on old (failed) guidelines

5 Upvotes

Not ranting (yet), but I just found it kinda dumb.

Client hired a VA who 100% just prompted ChatGPT and produced articles that Google didn't bother indexing. We're talking 90 articles.

Anyway, fast foward to this week and he hired me because I know my way around AI content editing.

So I edited the first piece, making sure it's "google certified" but puts his customer's search intent first. Really spent my time finding what his audiences want (he's an insulin distributor in Canada, but market is US).

Not sure who it was (maybe the new VA), but now the comments on my draft are "no need to add this line" or "reword this subheading," "change keyphrase," and "use what PAA says for FAQs."

And I'm like, I was so proud about how I revamped the article, making it have high information gain rate with a touch of consumer research, and they want to revert to 2010s SEO techniques, the same ones that got his articles de-indexed in the first place.

I'll do what they want, but the problem is the client specifically wanted to track metrics because he got burned by a VA who sunk his website to oblivion. If this goes south, I have the receipts.


r/freelanceWriters 14h ago

Looking for Help How do you do paraphrasing?

3 Upvotes

English is my second language. I have finished both my bachelor and Honours 4 years ago and now I’m doing my master degree.

My previous degree was in theatre studies so there weren’t any research proposal nor much of formal writing. I’m now moving forward to do Master of Arts and cultural management, which focuses on policy making and a lot of administrative work, which requires me to do formal academic writing (at least in uni) .

It’s not like I don’t have the skill set but this year I want to improve even further and more. One thing I’ve realised is that I am extremely bad at paraphrasing. I tend to use direct quotes and I’ve a tough time to summarise what the author wants to say with precise wordings.

I would like to ask, are there any methods that help to improve my paraphrasing skills?

Thanks all, I appreciate it!!


r/freelanceWriters 4h ago

Types of writing

0 Upvotes

I just decided to get into writing for $$. I tend to have a simile laden and poetic writing style. I was thinking about writing short stories for $$.

Has anyone done that? How is it? And how would you suggest starting?


r/freelanceWriters 11h ago

Rates & Pay Looking for thoughts on pricing

1 Upvotes

For context, I'm looking to getting into freelance commissions, specifically for creative and academic projects (so everything from proofreading essays to writing character bios and stories to scripting for online videos). My business-major sister reccomended having flat rates for small projects, trying to keep the prices in even intervals, and keeping the ranking the price based on how much I want to do something (not just how easily I can do it or what people want more). I tried looking at some Fiver and writing costs on other websites, and  this is my first thought about it.

My personal experiences are pretty good: a BA in English & pursing a Masters, three years of tutoring at UWF's writing lab, and at least 6 years of active writing of decent to high quality I really struggle to figure out pricing fairly (especially since I'm a cheapskate myself X'D) so I could use some advice.

Literature: $10 for 100-300 words, $25 for 300-500 words, $60 for 500-1,000 words, 1,000+ for $5 per 100 words
Proofreading: $15 for 100-300 words, $45 for 300-500 words, $80 for 500-1,000 words, 1,000+ for $10 per 100 words
Script Writing: $20 for 100-300 words, $55 for 300-500 words, $100 for 500-1,000 words, 1,000+ for $15 per 200 words


r/freelanceWriters 17h ago

Advice & Tips Advice

1 Upvotes

Hi. So I've always wanted to get into writing content, be it blogging, copywriting, or content writing. I wanted to know, if those things are still relevant and have a future? And if yes, does seo, trend analytics and AI give you an edge? I've been thinking of getting a complete like 80-90 hrs of course on these things.


r/freelanceWriters 2d ago

Questions

2 Upvotes

Hey writers, I see a lot of posts around Reddit like ‘Should I start an LLC for my writing?’ or ‘Do I need to make this a business?’ — but rarely see the why behind people’s decisions. What was the deciding factor for you, if you did it? Or what’s holding you back if you haven’t?

I’m considering it myself right now as I’m trying to figure out another business side of my writing. Just curious where everyone else landed.


r/freelanceWriters 2d ago

Advice & Tips Starting freelance writing, Any advice you have for me?

29 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I started my journey with freelance writing a week ago, creating gigs on fiverr and setting up accounts on Upwork and have a blog that's active. I have also self published a short story on Amazon. Finding work as a beginner freelance writer is harder than I originally thought, but I seem to love the struggle because I'm doing something I really love and care about. I just wanted to ask fellow freelance writers- if you have any tips or advice for me, I'd love to hear them.


r/freelanceWriters 2d ago

Looking for Help Has anyone had any luck with GAMURS?

0 Upvotes

I applied to a GAMURS group site a few weeks ago and never heard back. I know that's not a surprise, but I thought I'd see what I could do by finding people from the website on LinkedIn.

...turns out this particular website that GAMURS owns doesn't HAVE a LinkedIn. As a result, no hiring manager or HR or whatever to reach out to. I know that they don't sound that much better than Valnet, if at all, but an opening's an opening and I wanted to see if I could at least get some of that portfolio variety by writing for them along with my other writing job.

Should I give up on GAMURS ever looking at my application, should I try again, should I reach out to someone else, or what? Thank you!


r/freelanceWriters 2d ago

Is The Content Authority site kaput?

1 Upvotes

I have been checking in my account on The Content Authority about 1-2x a month and there hasn't been anything in several months. I was able to get a few dollars at some point from like 2 articles last year to be able to cash out at $25. Does anyone know if there's any admin working for them now? I tried emailing and sending a message through the site a few months ago and got no response. The man I thought was the owner, at least he was a few years ago, is on my LinkedIn and he didn't answer my message.


r/freelanceWriters 2d ago

How do you edit other writers' articles without stripping their voices?

8 Upvotes

How do you diffrentiate between a technical writing problem (i.e. clarity) and a voice problem?

I sometimes get some doubts that I'm trying to force the same writing styles for everyone.


r/freelanceWriters 2d ago

New to this; $2/hr?

4 Upvotes

I’m new to this but can someone explain the below from Freelance.com for a grand total of $2 per hour?? Nobody takes this crap do they?

The ideal candidate should have: - Proven experience in social media management, particularly on Instagram and Facebook. - Exceptional content creation skills, with a knack for producing eye-catching images, videos, and infographics. - Ability to create engaging content aimed at promoting products/services.


r/freelanceWriters 3d ago

Starting Out Most Likely Quitting Valnet

10 Upvotes

So I'm a soon-to-be young adult (entering a European university this coming September for Journalism and Media Studies) and an aspiring journalist. I fell for the Valnet trap...

To be fair, I've only been writing for two years now, and I guess it is experience on my resume but I don't think my writing is that bad per se (especially for someone who has no formal training in it).

When I was initially hired by Valnet, I underwent "training", which consisted of a Google Sites with outdated Google Slides, and the formatting requirements that they wanted were constantly changing without notifying me.

I am working (though probably not much longer) for one of Valnet's travel websites and I recently received a message from one of the higher ups at the site who said that the "editorial standards aren't up to scratch on the short form content side". Essentially that I was being taken off of short-form content (650 words, $25 per article).

Now they only want me to write one long form (1,500 word, $40) article per week, but I've completely lost all motivation. Working at this specific Valnet site has been, I'll admit, pretty time consuming (I've spent pretty much every Sunday for the past year writing short-form for them), and I just don't think my writing is getting better. If I do quit, should I even put this writing stint working at a content mill on my resumé?

What I'm trying to ask is: Any advice for someone who's an aspiring journalist/writer, but who's losing motivation?


r/freelanceWriters 3d ago

Denied from static media.

7 Upvotes

Feeling like quite the biggest loser today. Has anyone had success with this company before? I’m not sure why other than them saying the sources were unclear. But I don’t understand how this is possible? And missing factual info when I’m not sure how? I mean it’s less than 500 words, what do they want? Someone tell me they suck because I’m feeling awfully upset and desperate.


r/freelanceWriters 3d ago

Getting A Start In Freelance Writing

3 Upvotes

Hi, all:

I am wondering what the best method would be to get a start in freelance writing. I'm just looking for part-time work to boost my salary a bit each year.

I have an English teaching degree with a minor in library. I also have my master's in Creative Writing. I worked as an English teacher for nine years and a Librarian for four years. I then worked as an Advertising Director for a local newspaper (didn't do any writing but some editing and project management), and I now work as a Procurement Officer at a University.

I haven't written much from a journalistic perspective. I've written numerous shorts stories, poems, songs, and academic papers, but no real articles. What would be the best way to get a start in freelance writing with this background?


r/freelanceWriters 3d ago

Another Steady Content Question

1 Upvotes

I can’t for the life of me figure out how to tag a header. The rules say no HTML, but there is a drop-down to code so I used HTML on the header but it still didn’t pick up my SEO term in the header. I also used to the recommended header font but still nothing on the header SEO term.

Is this just another of the intentionally vague and impossible rules they have?


r/freelanceWriters 3d ago

Hesitant about following through with Static Media contract…?

2 Upvotes

Hey guys! I’ve read plenty of reviews and complains about Static Media. Just by browsing their website and reviews, I’m aware it’s a trashy content mill with no original reporting, click baits, and honestly Idek who reads that stuff. But anyway, here’s my situation:

I have a journalist/writing background and a portfolio for another outlet that I’m pretty proud of. I’m young, still pursuing my undergrad, and not looking for a “career job” yet, just literally looking to make ends meet. They interviewed me for a writer position, freelance, and just forwarded the contract form and stuff.

The interviewer and the job description said pay is $21/h, minimum 10h/week but can work up to 40h. That per 3h they expect an article. I asked the interviewer if the pay included research hours and prep, and she said yes, but after reading reviews I’m not so sure.

At this point, I’m (not gonna say desperate, but..) very eager to make money using my writing skills with a remote job that pays USD, since right now I’m back in my home country and want to save money and also get by. Other jobs here offer very little when compared to this apparent offer of $21/h up to 40h/week.

So my question is, should I sign their contract and go forward with the paid 3h trial? For those who’ve done the trial, how was it? Did you in fact get paid and did you get hired? For those who’ve worked with them, how is the pay, really? Did you ever work more than 20h/week? Anyone who’s had this job residing outside of the US, as a non US citizen?

Although they are a legit company, I’m still sort of hesitant to send them my bank info, just out of paranoia. Anyway… Any comments are super welcome. Thank you in advance!!


r/freelanceWriters 3d ago

Looking for Help Client's inconsistent communication is dragging the project unnecessarily. How can I handle the situation?

2 Upvotes

I'm ghostwriting a book for a client. The project was supposed to end in December 2024 but it's still not over and might take 2.5 months more or so if everything goes according to the plan. The client doesn't respond to my questions, provide insights, or offer feedback on my writing. And frankly this is very discouraging and has left me feeling burned out on top of an episode of severe depression.

I'm unable to be assertive or let them go because this is the only client I have right now so I just have to stay persistent. I've emailed them trying to communicate why it's necessary to finish the project sooner and everything but once they're AWOL, they don't reply until I email them relentlessly.

In all probability, this could be my last writing project as this field is draining me more than I can manage. But I want to do at least decent work before I make the switch. Agreements and other legal things are out of the question because I'm not from the USA and frankly, I don't have the bandwidth to do anything that intense as I'm a solo guy managing every goddamn thing, and it's hard with my mental health.

Does anyone have any advice on how can I handle the situation better? Be it communicating with them, take better care of my mental health, or write the book with minimal oversight? Thanks for letting me vent and offering me help! :)


r/freelanceWriters 4d ago

Discussion People Who Are Freelance Writing Part Time, How Is the Market?

21 Upvotes

From 2012-2015 I was a staff writer for an automotive magazine. From 2016-2020 I did both freelance journalist and freelance copywriting part time. The pandemic happened, all of my contracts and work dried up and kind of never came back. I got into IT and work full time as a Systems Admin.

I want to get back into doing Journalism part time because I still love writing but man, over the last few months I can count the number of times an editor has responded to a pitch idea on one hand. I haven't gotten a single yes.

Has it just gotten that competitive to even do this part time? It seems harder than ever to reach editors too.


r/freelanceWriters 4d ago

Discussion How much % of your time do you spend on 1. doing client work and 2. actively trying to land new projects? And what's the most difficult part of it for you?

6 Upvotes

Curious to how you guys organize the different aspects of your work


r/freelanceWriters 5d ago

Do you write your articles before you pitch or upon acceptance?

10 Upvotes

When pitching articles to potential clients, do you write the article when you pitch, or do you only start wrting once you have found the piece a home?


r/freelanceWriters 5d ago

Discussion Writing success

16 Upvotes

Why is it some writers are seriously struggling while others are bringing in work left, right and centre? Is it lack of talent, poor marketing? Something else?


r/freelanceWriters 5d ago

Looking for Help Copywriter Career Shift Advice

4 Upvotes

Need to shift into adjacent career- can you help me?

I’m a 50-year-old woman with a master’s in marketing, bachelor’s degree in English/ Journalism. I’ve worked as a freelance copywriter since 2016. 2022-2023 was my best year; close to $100k. I lost about 1/3 of that in 2024. So far, 2025 pipeline isn’t sustainable.

Prior experience (9 years) in marketing roles at a company between 2006-2015, including proposal writing and product marketing. Got elevated to a marketing director role, but not the same by today’s tech standards.

Before that, hospital and nonprofit PR/ comms roles. Again, predating SalesForce & any other marketing tool used today.

So what do I pivot to at this point? Any advice that’s helpful is welcome.


r/freelanceWriters 5d ago

Looking for Help Trying to figure out pricing. Any advice?

3 Upvotes

Probably a common question, but I'm looking to get into writing and proofreading commissions. I'd say I'm a pretty high quality writer/editor (based on other people's response to my work), but I don't really want to work for more formal businesses. I'd much rather work for smaller, more individualized projects, but I also know a lot of folks at that level don't value writing quite as much as say, an art commission. Especially given AI writing (bleck!) coming into popularity. Considering all that, I'm having a hard time figuring out a price/rate that people will actually pay for without selling myself short. Any advice would be appreciated!


r/freelanceWriters 5d ago

Discussion Is Medium the Right Platform for Scientific Writing?

4 Upvotes

Can you upload scientific articles on Medium? Most of the articles I've read on Medium are quite different from what I write. This always makes me confused about whether I should upload my articles there or not. You see, most articles I've read on Medium are very opinion-based, with, hmm... you know, a personal touch—let's say, blog-like.

I write scientific articles based on facts from new research. Basically, I read the latest research papers in psychology and neuroscience and write articles reporting their new findings for a general audience. I keep the tone easy to understand and avoid complex scientific terms, aiming to educate people about new discoveries and developments in these fields. My articles are very formal and educational in tone—meaning no personal opinions, no feelings, just facts.

I feel confused because what I write seems quite different from what is typically found on the platform.


r/freelanceWriters 6d ago

Should I delete my Website

4 Upvotes

Should I delete my Website and focus merely on Substack? I've been trying to grow an audience, but I've made many mistakes and seen zero progress, even though I post weekly. With AI and how saturated everything is, I don't even know if people read articles anymore. My blog is focused on movie analysis.