One of the constant challenges that freelance writers face is where to find gigs. We can’t stress enough the importance of continuing to look for clients, even when you are going through a “feast” time in your freelance writing career. Things can change quickly, and the move to “famine” can happen all too rapidly. To help you, we’ve assembled a list of websites that pay writers. In this list, you’ll find a variety of websites that pay you to write, covering various topics and pay rates.
Speaking of new gigs, you can find fresh writing gigs posted on our website on weekdays. While you are there, please bookmark our page and visit our Resources for Writers section. It’s your place to go for timely and timeless information, whether you are new to freelance writing or ready to take it to the next level.
(Note: This list of websites that pay you to write is updated regularly, so stay tuned!)
Websites That Pay You to Write
Special mention:
Flexjobs: Flexjobs has tons of paid telecommute jobs that are vetted manually, so you know you’re getting quality listings. We’re happy to share their services as our partner as we know you’ll be getting your money’s worth – and more. Check them out today.
1. A List Apart: ALA publishes original articles (600-2,500 words) about web design.
2. Today I Found Out: This site specializes in posting informal, conversational articles. Send a pitch or an article for consideration to submissions@todayifoundout.com.
3. The Diplomat: The Diplomat covers reporting and analysis related to the Asia-Pacific Region. Submissions for the blog section should be 400-800 words, and feature articles are 1,200 words and up.
4. Screen Rant: Screen Rant is always looking for writers who can produce in-depth premium content with expert knowledge in one or more of their featured categories, including movie news, TV news, and reviews.
5. SitePoint: SitePoint is a Melbourne-based website that is at the forefront of web-based technology. Its writers are web professionals who are passionate about design and development.
6. New Scientist: New Scientist publishes science and technology stories appealing to a wide audience, from lay people to physicists and biologists, focusing on the latest developments. Pays per word published, within about a month. Also pays tip-off fees for story ideas.
7. Income Diary: If you are an expert at anything to do with: Creating awesome websites, driving traffic, social media, or making money online, go to this site. Contact them with a quote (Please include examples of previous writing on SEO/Budget: $200 – $500).
8. International Living: Articles on the craft and business of getting paid to travel, whether by writing, photography, tours, or other means. Pay is $150.
9. Learning for Justice: Learning for Justice provides several opportunities for writers to contribute freelance magazine feature stories, magazine departments, short articles, and curriculum materials. All of these require simple, lively, concise writing. They have a national audience of K–12 educators interested in social justice and anti-bias topics. Payment varies depending on the type of content.
10. Money Crashers: Money Crashers is a personal finance site that is looking for writers who wish to write about money management, retirement planning, estate planning, investing, tax preparation, credit and debt, real estate, mortgages, frugal living, and lifestyle. Starting base rate per article is competitive with additional monthly performance incentives based on traffic. Monthly payments via PayPal.
11. Listverse: Do you enjoy writing list articles about things that are unusual or interesting? Can you add a dash of humor? Listverse pays $100.00 per list (minimum of 10 items). PayPal is a must.
12. Athlon Sports: Athlon Sports is seeking talented football writers for paid opportunities. To apply, complete the online form, which includes links to your work and your Twitter profile.
13. LWN.net: LWN is seeking writers with expert knowledge of the free software community. Contact the editors to discuss your interests. Pay range is $300-$350 per article to start.
14. The Sportster: Experienced writers with an interest in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MMA, soccer, wrestling, or entertainment are invited to apply to be a contributor to this site. Published authors receive a byline and payments are made twice monthly by Paypal.
Want to be a sports writer? You need: Associated Press Sports Writing Handbook
15.Profit F: Do you know about Forex or Binary options trading? Submit an application to become part of the ProfitF team. Pay rates are $10.00-$50.00 per article, depending on quality.
16. The Chronicle of the Horse: The Chronicle of the Horse, founded in 1937, is a national bi-weekly magazine. The magazine focuses primarily on dressage, hunters and jumpers, eventing, foxhunting, and steeple chase racing. Pay ranges from $165 to $400.
17. Dogs Naturally: Dogs Naturally is looking for holistic vets, integrative vets, homeopaths, herbalists, TCVM practitioners, natural pet healthcare practitioners, and other canine health experts. They aim to help dog owners find valuable, credible information. Pay is $50-$200 per article.
18. techopedia.com: Technopedia pays “competitive rates” to writers for producing web content for the site on topics geared toward IT professionals.
19.Theme Park Tourist: Theme Park Tourist publishes entertaining and unique articles about theme parks. Pay is $50/short-form article plus bonuses.
20. SQL Server Central: SQL Server Central accepts articles on any SQL topic; length is not specified, but you should cover your topic in-depth and with clarity. Pay starts at $150 per article.
21. Military Benefits: If you have experience with the US military (current service member, veteran, spouse, or family member) and are a great writer, MilitaryBenefits.com is interested in hearing from you. This website is seeking writers who can communicate effectively on topics about military benefits. Pay is per article (500-1,000 words).
22. TutorialsPoint.com: Tutorials Point is looking for writers who can deliver great content on IT topics, as well as academic and general interest topics, such as resume writing. Pay ranges from $250.00-$500.00 per tutorial.
23. Open Road Journey: Open Road Journey pays writers to share their experiences about motorcycle touring, traveling, riding motorcycles, and road trips. Payments are made via Paypal on completion of the article. Authors receive a six-month Pro membership as well.
24. Doctor of Credit: This site pays $50.00 for guest posts on topics related to credit scores and credit cards. Submission of articles is preferred, but you can submit a query for consideration. Regular contributors are hired from guest posters whose articles are particularly well received. Pay for regular contributions is a flat rate plus a performance bonus.
25. Horse Network: Horse Network is always seeking fresh content about the equestrian lifestyle and the sport. Pay is $50.00 and up per article, plus bonuses for social shares.
Visit our resources for more job hunting tips.
26. Hypergrid Business: Hypergrid Business compensates writers for assigned, feature stories, and reported news. First, you must be an expert on OpenSim, XR, or AI — or be interested in becoming one.
27.High Ground Memphis: Higher Ground Memphis is an online media outlet looking for feature stories focusing on trends affecting Memphis. This site is also interested in Q&As with influencers and disruptors and shining a light on positive news. Send a query letter to the editor to request an assignment.
28. Asian Scientist: Asian Scientist Magazine is seeking contributions from students, journalists, researchers, and interested parties. All stories must have a focus on Asia. Send queries or completed manuscripts to the editors for consideration. They are also offering a reward for any information that they can verify and that leads to a published article.
29. The Boundary Waters Journal: BWJ publishes in-depth articles that help readers enjoy their trips to canoe country. Subjects include detailed wilderness canoe trip journals, fishing how/where to, camping advice, hiking trips, wildlife profiles, history, natural resource issues, fiction, wilderness essays, hunting, winter camping/activities, and interesting area people. BWJ will pay $200-$500 for feature-length articles (2,000-5,000 words). Payment is made within 30 days of publication.
30. RankPay: RankPay’s audience wants to learn about SEO, content writing, and social media. This site pays for original articles that it publishes.
31. In The Know Traveler: Do you have a particular interest in travel writing? Check out the submission guidelines posted here. ITKT has six travel-focused sites looking for bloggers. One of these paid opportunities may be a good fit for you.
32. Elite Personal Finance: ElitePersonalFinance is a highly trusted finance blog with content from some of the best in the finance sector. They are always looking for talented writers who want to share their guest posts on our site. They pay $300 per post.
33. TutorialBoard: TutorialBoard pays up to $150.00 per tutorial to writers on topics such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe AfterEffect, Autodesk Maya, or any other standard CG software. Tutorials must be original and not published elsewhere on the Web.
34. 5 Best Things: Do you enjoy researching and writing list articles? 5 Best Things may be a site where you would like to contribute. It is looking for contributors interested in posting lists on software, electronics, and web services topics, as well as product reviews. Other available categories for list articles are cities, restaurants, world, food, recipes, health, science, entertainment, and more. Pay starts at $15.00 and tops out at $65.00 for full product review articles.
35. Sex, etc.: All of the stories on this website are written for, and by, teens. Pay is $75.00 for every published story.
Visit the FWJ Job Board for more jobs
36. LadyQs.com: LadyQs.com provides trusted answers to questions from women around the world. They pay contributing writers for original unpublished nonfiction. The content should loosely fall into one of the pre-existing site categories, although spectacular pieces outside these categories will also be considered. They publish nonfiction and fiction. Standard pay is $50 per article.
37. Casual Money Talk: Casual Money Talk welcomes personal money stories. Payment is $100-$125.
38. AuctionBytes-Update: AuctionBytes-Update is a free twice-monthly newsletter that is distributed to new and experienced users of online auctions. Regular articles are compensated at a pre-negotiated fee; stories about collectibles pay $20.00. All story ideas must be approved in advance.
39. Cincinnati Parent: Cincinnati Parent is dedicated to being a local resource for the community. Some stories that it publishes are suitable for a national audience, but for the most part, they have a local flavor. To be considered as a freelance writer, send an e-mail to the editor outlining your interest and experience.
40. iPhoneLife.com: Writing for iPhoneLife.com gives writers the opportunity to build their credentials, get free iOS gear and apps for review and press passes to major tech conferences. To propose an article for iPhone Life magazine or iphonelife.com, email Editor-in-Chief Donna Cleveland or Senior Web Editor Sarah Kingsbury.
41. DesertUSA.com: This is an online publication that focuses on wildlife, travel, geology, desert lore, and natural history in North American desert regions. Pay is $50.00 per published article with photos.
42. The Upper Room: The Upper Room is meant for an international, interdenominational audience. They want to encourage Christians in their personal life of prayer and discipleship. They accept submissions for meditation. Pay is $30/meditation upon publication.
43. Cosmopolitan UK: Cosmopolitan is looking for pitches in various topics and forms. They pay $250 per 1,000-word post.
44. Capitol Startup: Capitol Startup is always looking for independent journalists who cover Washington DC startups, whom they compensate for their stories.
45. I Love Free Software: This site is looking for writers who would be comfortable reviewing the latest software offerings and sharing them with readers.
Start selling your photos online. Click here!
46. craftbits.com: Submit your proposal for a craft or a picture of a finished project to the e-mail posted on the website for consideration. Payment for each accepted and published submission is USD$35.00. Complex projects can be negotiated.
47. Creative Loafing Charlotte: Creative Loafing Charlotte is always on the lookout for what it describes as the next great story. If you can write stories and reviews with a local flavor, send your pitch for consideration. Pay varies in scale, generally 10 cents per word to start.
48. Learn Cake Decorating Online: Cake decorators who would like to write about their techniques are being recruited by this site to write about their area of expertise for pay. The site is looking for projects, tutorials, and articles (with images).
49. Christian Courier: The Christian Courier publishes content that is divided into three areas: Features, News, and Opinion. Content does not have to be of an overtly Christian nature to be considered. Writing should appeal to readers of all ages. Rates range between $30.00-$70.00 CAD, depending on type and length of submissions.
50. Skilled Survival: If you have experience in the survivalist area, this website would like to see examples of your work. Submit samples of your best efforts for consideration. If you are a good fit, you can expect competitive pay (per word) for quality work.
51. Loaded Landscapes: This website publishes a wide variety of types of articles that are related to landscape, nature, wildlife, and travel photography. Articles include tips and tutorials, guides to locations of interest, showcases for inspiration, and interviews. They pay their regular writers $20-$150.
52. Zift: Zift is always looking for people who can write knowledgeably on parenting, particularly where parenting intersects with technology. They pay $100 (via PayPal) for published pieces.
53. Earth Island Journal: Earth Island Journal is always looking for compelling and distinctive stories that anticipate environmental concerns before they become pressing problems — stories that scan the horizon for the next big threat to our environment. They pay writers 25 cents/word for print stories. You can expect to earn about $750-$1000 for an in-depth feature story (about 4,000 words). For online reports, the fee is $100.
54. The Christian Science Monitor: The Christian Science Monitor publishes articles on international/national news, People Making a Difference features, A Christian Science Perspective, and more.
55. B. Michelle Pippin: Get paid $50-$150 per piece related to business. You must be an expert on the subject with first-hand experience.
Improve your freelance writing business with tried-and-tested business tips
56. Guideposts: Guideposts publishes true stories about people who have attained a goal, surmounted an obstacle, or learned a helpful lesson through their faith. Payment for full-length stories (about 1,500 words) is made when the story is accepted for publication.
57. FreelanceMom: FreelanceMom is a community for moms who believe that women can still be who they are after becoming a mom. They pay between $75-$100 via PayPal.
58. Tor.com: Tor.com accepts pitches for non-fiction – essays, think pieces, list posts, reaction pieces, and reviews in the 1000-2000 word range.
59. FreshBooks Blog: The FreshBooks blog is an active daily resource for Small Business Owners and FreshBooks customers. If you’ve got a story idea or area that they’re not currently covering and absolutely should, send your pitch.
60. High Country News: High Country News is an award-winning nonprofit magazine that tells the ongoing story of the modern American West through coverage of its environment, natural resources, and diverse communities and in the belief that the West holds lessons of national and global importance. High Country News will consider pitches for well-researched reportage, analysis, opinion, essays, or criticism on issues vital to the West — especially under the broad frameworks of science and nature; conservation and preservation; food and agriculture; health and well-being; water; environmental justice and racism; etc. Pay is $.25 – $1.50/word; kill fee is 25 percent.
61. Aish.com: Aish.com accepts freelance submissions. Articles should convey Jewish wisdom in a positive manner, preferably with interesting first-person accounts that show how Judaism is applicable to everyday life. Articles should be geared for Jews of all backgrounds. Suggested word count is 800-1200. Send article to article-submissions@aish.com.
62. The Nation: The Nation is a left/liberal opinion website. It covers both national and international affairs.
63. Eureka Street: Humane, ethical analysis or commentary on politics, religion, popular culture, or current events in Australia or the world are accepted. Payment for freelancers is $200 per article, paid for exclusive first publication rights upon publication and invoice. They also pay $200 for first publication rights of short fiction and creative non-fiction up to 1,000 words.
64. Reader’s Digest: Renowned for their 100-word story submissions. If your story is chosen, you get paid $100.
65. Barefoot Writer: Barefoot Writer Magazine pays $100-$300 per published article. See site for topics.
66.MusicTuts+: Write a Quick Tip, or mini-tutorial of around 500 words related to audio/music and get paid $50 if published.
67. Tuts+: Tuts+ is looking for authors with strong web development skills – both front-end and back-end. This includes anything and everything from PHP, Ruby, server-side JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, document-based database systems, and everything in between. Rates are from $100 to $250.
68. WOW Women on Writing: WOW! welcomes queries from its audience of women writers. Make sure you’ve read through their articles on the home page to get an idea of the style and tone of the publication before submitting a query. Pay ranges from $50-$150.
69. FundsforWriters: Articles must be stories about your success as a writer, thoughts and/or advice about some aspect of how you earned funds through writing. Payment is via PayPal, $75. For reprints, $25.
70. WritersWeekly: They publish feature articles, marketing secrets for freelance writers and authors, and author/book backstories. Pay is via PayPal, $30-$60.
71. UXBooth: If you’re knowledgeable in UX and design, and you’ve ever had the goal to make the world a more user-friendly place, try sending a pitch to UXBooth. Articles are 1,200-1,800 words long.
72. Anxiety Foundation: This site for help, information, and advice for anxiety is interested in anybody who would like to share their experience, knowledge, or tips about mental health. Articles are 550 words minimum and paid $50 if published.
73. BookBrowse: BookBrowse reviews both adult fiction and nonfiction, and some books for young adults. Reviewers also write a “beyond the book” article for each book they review. Writers get a byline and “modest payment”.
74.LiisBeth: LiisBeth welcomes queries from professional and emerging feminist writers and artists anywhere along the gender continuum. They prioritize submissions from womxn, trans, queer-identified writers, community voices, and journalists. Pay ranges from $250-$2000.
75. LightHouse: The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco is putting out an official call for submissions. They are in search of the best and brightest writers who are blind or have low vision, to contribute stories for publication on a paid ($100), freelance basis.
Find writing gigs every day
76. Modern Love – NYT: The editors of Modern Love are interested in receiving deeply personal essays about contemporary relationships, marriage, dating, parenthood…any subject that might reasonably fit under the heading “Modern Love.” Ideally, essays should spring from some central dilemma the writer has faced in his or her life. It helps if the situation has a contemporary edge, though this is not essential. Most important is that the writing be emotionally honest and the story be freshly and compellingly told.
77. Adoptive Families: Adoptive Families is the leading information resource for parents before, during, and after adoption. The award-winning quarterly digital magazine and website provide independent, authoritative adoption parenting advice and real families’ stories. Pay for articles varies.
78. IWA Wine Blog: They are looking for posts that have a sophisticated, well-educated tone. The IWA audience includes wine collectors and connoisseurs who store hundreds of bottles in their home cellars. They aim to publish the work of writers who are true wine experts, not beginners. Pay is from $20-$50.
79. Knitty: Knitty is a site for all things knitting-related. They accept tutorials and patterns. Pay ranges from $175-$200.
80. Vibrant Life: Vibrant Life is a bimonthly lifestyle magazine that promotes physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual balance from a practical, Christian perspective. They pay $100-$300 per article.
