Finding Online Freelance Writing Jobs Without Content Mills

Online freelance writing jobs continue to grow in spite of economic conditions around the world. The Internet provides a means for new aspiring writers from all genres to get paid for their words. Magazines, newspapers and publishing houses are now only an email away. Content sites, bloggers, websites and other private clients also post ads on free job boards offering online freelance writing jobs.

One of the first places many new writers land work is at up-front pay content mill sites. At least that is where many started until late 2011 when Google waged war against thin content and mass-produced content. Many sites fell victim to the ongoing algorithm changes. Some up-front pay content mills are no longer accepting writers or have simply closed their doors. There are a couple of content mills attempting to restructure their business model. Unfortunately these are the same content mills that are keeping scores of freelancer on a yo-yo without any work. This is why serious freelance writers need to find freelance writing gigs with private clients, websites and blogs.

Freelance writing is a wide open market. Some of the best paying writing jobs are with online and offline magazines. Of course this requires marketing on the writer's part as well as querying the editors with story ideas. Highly lucrative, but it takes some time to begin seeing income rolling in on a regular basis.

Many writers turn to free job boards to find clients and freelance writing jobs that although not the most lucrative, put money in the bank account to pay bills. Just do a simple search for “freelance writing gigs” and you will get scores of results from blogs and websites who aggregate freelance job listings from around the Internet.

Some writers also use bidding sites to find writing work. This is a little more difficult to get started as many of the people looking for writers often do not want to pay what you are worth. However, there are plenty of writers who do make a full-time income at bidding sites, mainly due to their reputation and networking.

While most free ad boards allow the opportunity to find hundreds of freelance writing gigs, they also provide an avenue for scam artists who only want free content or your email address. It used to be easy to distinguish between scams and legitimate opportunities, however the scammers are getting better at disguising their ads. There are some signs to look for though that will help you eliminate most of the scammers from job search.

• Detailed Job Description – Most legitimate companies and individuals will provide details of the writing job when posting. This saves them time by eliminating some of the unqualified applicants. Scammers on the other hand are going to give short descriptions, because they know there are writers out there hungry for work.

• Asks For Free Samples – Scammer ads will often ask for a sample article on a subject or keyword. Legitimate ads will ask for samples, but are looking for previously published work or samples that you have on hand. Afterall the reason for the sample is to know how well you write and is a reflection of your writing style.

• Look For Pay Rates – While many people do not post pay rates for a variety of reasons, some words to look out for are “internship” and “commission” as well as outrageous offers of $5 per word for an entry level position.

Above all sometimes you just have to go with your gut. If it doesn't feel right, don't answer the ad. There are plenty of online freelance writing job opportunities available. There really is no lack of work. It does take some time though to sort through ads and it also takes time for real clients to get back to you. Don't be discouraged. Continually look for freelance writing work and provide your customers with your best writing. You'll soon find yourself working less and making more. Afterall, that's why you wanted to become a freelance writer in the first place.