jobs that require research and writing skills

Trade Schools, Colleges and Universities

Join Over 1.5 Million People We've Introduced to Awesome Schools Since 2001

Where do you want to study?

What do you want to study?

What's your {{waterMark}} code?

Trade Schools Home > Articles > Jobs for Writers

23 Awesome Jobs for Writers That Offer Real Opportunities

By Publisher | Last Updated September 7, 2022

Here's a news flash: Good jobs for writers really do exist. You can parlay your love of the written word into a paying gig. The truth is that the technology, media, entertainment, public relations, marketing, publishing, and advertising industries all need people who can craft high-quality content. The range of possible writing careers is far broader than you might expect.

But, as with any creative field, it can be difficult to pinpoint opportunities. That's partly because writing jobs, in contrast to other occupations, don't follow a set formula. (If you want to become an engineer, you get an engineering degree. If your goal is to become a nurse, you complete a nursing program. But if you dream of becoming a writer, the path you need to take isn't nearly as clear-cut.)

That's why we've compiled a list of 23 jobs for many types of writers across many different fields. We've also included some tips on how to find legit freelance writing opportunities. And if you're wondering how to support yourself while getting established, you might want to check out our suggestions for day jobs that let you write on the side.

• 23 jobs for writers
• How to find legitimate freelance writing jobs
• The pros and cons of ghostwriting
• Day jobs for aspiring writers

Salary information is based on May 2021 data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program and the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) .

Jobs for Writers

1. Content strategist

Content strategists combine strong writing and communication skills with analytical thinking and marketing know-how to plan, create, and manage online content that achieves specific business goals. They apply principles of search engine optimization (SEO) and study analytics to figure out what kind of content is working (and what kind isn't) so that they can adjust their strategy accordingly. Training in journalism, communications, or technical writing can be a good first step toward this career.

• Median salary: $133,380

2. Communications director

Overseeing various types of corporate communications and making sure the public views your company in a favorable light requires a blend of top-notch writing and marketing skills. In this role, you establish the communications goals of a company and develop branding and style guidelines for press releases, articles, newsletters, email campaigns, advertisements, and other marketing materials. This is a high-level position that requires several years of experience; be prepared to work your way up.

• Median salary: $119,860

3. Technical writer

A key skill for any technical writer is the ability to take complex technical jargon and turn it into plain English. These writers design and develop software manuals, user guides, technical specifications, and other complex documentation. A big part of the job involves drawing useful and relevant information out of software developers, engineers, and other professionals, so solid interpersonal skills are essential. Of all jobs in writing, this one has one of the best outlooks: It's expected to see faster-than-average job growth between 2020 and 2030, according to the OOH.

• Median salary: $78,060

4. Proposal writer

A common fixture in consulting firms and sales departments, proposal writers prepare documents related to pricing, marketing, and product design. They assess requests for proposals (RFPs) and develop responses to help their employers win new business and secure contracts. To succeed in this role, you need excellent organizational and writing skills as well as an eye for detail and a solid understanding of how your company can meet the needs of potential clients.

5. Grant writer

Crafting proposals to secure financial support for foundations, non-profit agencies, and other organizations is a responsibility that falls to grant writers. They are a key part of the fundraising staff in many places. Grant writers are in charge of identifying funding sources and developing written materials that target each potential donor. Flexibility is important; some donors expect a one-page document, while others look for much lengthier proposals.

6. Web content writer

Many companies need writers who are highly skilled in researching and writing digital content like blogs, articles, and landing pages. You might be required to conduct online research or interview subject matter experts to gather information. Having some knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques is very helpful.

• Median salary for a writer or technical writer: $69,510 - $78,060

7. Speechwriter

It's not just politicians and government officials that rely on speechwriters: You could also work for business executives, notable celebrities, or public relations firms. To do this job effectively, you need to be able to write persuasively about policies or principles that you may not always agree with. A degree in journalism, communications, or political science is a good place to start. Joining Toastmasters or observing debates can also be good training.

• Median salary: $69,510

8. Screenwriter

Do you dream of creating the next Hollywood blockbuster? Screenwriters are the creative energy behind films and television shows. You could adapt a novel for the big screen, write an episode of an established show, or develop an original movie script from scratch. You need to understand the basic structure of a screenplay as well as how to create interesting characters and write peppy dialog. You also need to be open to constructive criticism: Making revisions is how screenwriters spend most of their time.

9. Novelist

When people think of careers in writing, this is often one of the first that comes to mind. If you can create compelling characters that people want to know more about, and put them in unique situations that force them to tackle a problem or undergo a change, you might have what it takes to make it as a novelist. It's not enough to have a great idea; you also need to develop an outline and work out plot points, dialog styles, and character arcs. Traditionally, novelists have worked with literary agents to market and sell their books, but self-publishing is an increasingly popular option.

10. Advertising copywriter

Creating captivating copy for print, online, television, or radio advertisements is another way to put your writing skills to good use. The ultimate aim of an advertising copywriter is to make people want to buy a particular product or service. Whether you're creating slogans, billboards, radio jingles, or social media ads, you need to be able to say a lot with just a few words. Internships can be a good way to get started in this field.

11. Marketing communications specialist

• Median salary: $63,920

12. Book editor

Suggesting changes and improvements to a manuscript that an author has slaved over for months or years requires tact and diplomacy as well as editing skills. Book editors are responsible for shaping and developing a manuscript to get it ready for publication. Your job is to bring a fresh eye to a piece of text and work with the author to strengthen the fundamentals and structure of the story. Many editors work for publishing houses, but going out on your own as a freelancer is also possible.

• Median salary: $63,350

13. Copy editor

Copy editors are the quality assurance technicians of the writing world. They carefully read through a piece of written material to root out spelling errors, grammar problems, and style inconsistencies. While a book editor deals with the big-picture structure and form of a story, a copy editor gets into the nitty-gritty details and makes sure the text aligns with editorial guidelines. In some cases, copy editors are also responsible for fact checking. You'll likely need an English or journalism degree to snag a copy editing job.

14. Public relations specialist

Cultivating relationships is key to the success of a public relations specialist. After all, you need to be on good terms with journalists, editors, bloggers, and other content producers in order to effectively control and manage the public image of your client or company. The ability to convey a message clearly and succinctly will serve you well in this field. Internships are a great way to get your foot in the door of many public relations firms.

• Median salary: $62,800

15. Social media specialist

More and more companies are realizing they need to maintain a social media presence, which means lots of opportunity for writers who know how to tailor messages to the demographics, text limits, and content styles of platforms like Facebook and Twitter. You could find yourself blogging about the latest high-tech gadget or analyzing metrics on the company's audience and views. Training in marketing or communications can be helpful.

• Median salary: $49,900

16. Translator

If you can write fluently in more than one language, you can seek work as a translator. And you may not have to look far to find opportunities: Employment in this field is expected to grow 24 percent between 2020 and 2030. You could work in areas like law, healthcare, publishing, and education. You need meticulous attention to detail to do this kind of work. Just remember: It won't be your job to make changes to (or improve upon) the text.

• Median salary: $49,110

17. Columnist

Columnists are basically unshackled reporters: They're paid to give a subjective opinion on current events. As a columnist, you're expected to offer persuasive and reasoned opinions and perspectives on anything from city council's latest traffic bylaw to the current state of the U.S. economy. Many columnists also write books or serve as experts on radio and TV talk shows. You need several years of experience in your niche (e.g., politics, humor, fashion, sports, whatever) to be considered for a columnist role.

• Median salary: $48,370

18. Journalist

Whether you focus on TV, radio, print, or the Web (or more likely a combination of those), you will spend much of your time as a journalist searching out newsworthy information and turning your findings into articles, scripts, and podcasts. Most journalists start with entry-level writing jobs as general reporters, but with experience you could work your way into a niche like sports, business, science, or the arts. News can break anywhere, anytime, so be prepared for a non-traditional schedule.

19. Film critic

Being a film critic involves more than just getting to watch movies for free. You get to frame your thoughts as an informative review that draws people in. That means you need to have a thorough understanding of the filmmaking process. You also need to have solid interviewing skills and a knack for finding unique angles that make your story stand out from the crowd, so getting some journalism training will serve you well.

• Median salary: $48,370 for all reporters

20. Proofreader

Proofreaders are the last line of defense for a piece of content. They make sure there are no errors in the grammar, spelling, spacing, or margins of a document. In the publishing world, proofreading is the final step after the copy edit is complete. Proofreaders also check that the table of contents is formatted correctly and that any photos have appropriate captions. A degree in English or journalism can give you the skills you need for this job.

• Median salary: $43,940

21. Greeting card writer

More than 75 percent of people buy greeting cards based on the connection they make with the text, according to the Greeting Card Association . Whether you're creating a funny happy birthday message or a compassionate get-well card, you need to craft concise verses that touch people's emotions. The key is to come up with something that a broad spectrum of people can relate to. Playing around with rhymes, allusions, and metaphors can be good practice.

22. Travel writer

For wordsmiths with wanderlust, a career as a travel writer may be what's needed to satisfy those creative and nomadic urges. You could develop a wide range of content, from guidebooks and magazine features to blogs and how-to-travel articles. Coming up with original and interesting ways to describe a destination can be a real challenge. This is almost entirely freelance work, which means self-promotion is a big part of the job.

23. Ghostwriter

A ghostwriter is an "invisible" contributor to a piece of content. You write it; your client gets to claim the credit for it. As a ghostwriter, you could be writing corporate blogs, putting out social media updates in a celebrity's name, or transforming a client's ideas, research, or life stories into a book. Ghostwriting can lead to many opportunities, though the field is not without controversy.

• Average earnings: Rates vary enormously

How to Find Legitimate Freelance Writing Jobs

Whether you're a newbie looking for your first paid gig or an experienced professional seeking a bit of side business, going freelance may be right up your alley. But finding legitimate job postings can be a challenge. We've listed a few sites here that gather and post solid opportunities. (And most of these sites won't charge you anything to access their listings.)

• JournalismJobs.com features reporting, writing, and editing jobs.
• Mediabistro lists freelance jobs in areas ranging from magazines to marketing.
• All Freelance Writing includes opportunities for bloggers, journalists, and technical writers.
• Morning Coffee lists jobs related to copywriting, blogging, translation, and journalism. (Sign up to receive the free weekly newsletter or check the online jobs section that's updated daily.)
• ProBlogger features writing jobs in a huge variety of niches.
• Freelance Writing Jobs offers listings for grant writers, copywriters, journalists, and content writers.
• FlexJobs has listings for copywriters, technical writers, news writers, and more, though you do have to pay a fee to see the details of the listings.

Always be sure to read the fine print before you apply for any project. Some sites offer their listings for free but take a cut of any earnings you receive. And beware of content mills that expect writers to churn out articles at a breakneck pace for absurdly low rates (sometimes as low as one cent per word). It's up to you to do your research and decide if an opportunity is right for you.

The Pros and Cons of Ghostwriting

Does the idea of writing under someone else's byline intrigue you? A growing number of executives, politicians, celebrities, and notable professionals are hiring ghostwriters to turn their thoughts into a marketable form of content. Working as a ghostwriter can be a great way for aspiring writers to polish their skills and make some money. But before you decide to become a pen-for-hire, you need to understand the pros and cons.

• You can write about any or all topics without worrying about being publicly judged on the quality of your work, since your name is not attached to the content. If you have an established reputation in a particular niche, ghostwriting in another area can let you experiment without damaging your public brand.
• You get a chance to step into the lives of fascinating people who have reached the pinnacle of their professions.
• You can often charge more for ghostwritten copy precisely because of the lack of recognition you receive for the work. Plus, you usually get paid up front instead of having to wait on royalties from sales.
• Promoting the book is not your responsibility (and sales make no difference to you if you received a one-time payment up front), so you can just move right on to the next project.
• No byline generally means you can't use your work in your portfolio, which obviously makes it difficult to demonstrate your writing chops to potential clients. You can end up relying on your existing clients to refer you to future business, which doesn't always happen.
• Letting someone else take credit for your work can be demoralizing. You will likely have to sign a non-disclosure agreement that specifies you can never imply that the name on the cover isn't the person who actually authored the book. You might even have to watch your client explain to an interviewer how he or she went about writing the words you so painstakingly crafted.
• If the book becomes a best-seller or wins a Pulitzer, you get no part of the royalties or rewards.

Some writers view ghostwriting work as a simple business transaction and wholeheartedly recommend it. Others feel it's unethical to allow someone to purchase content and pass it off as their own. Make sure you do your research before getting involved so that you fully understand the deal.

Day Jobs for Aspiring Writers

Getting established as a writer takes time, but you probably still have bills to pay. You might want to consider a side job that won't stress you out but will still let you have plenty of time to work on your craft. Here are a few suggestions:

• Retail stock clerk: Unloading trucks and putting items on shelves is physical work, but it's often done at night or in the early morning, leaving you time for creative pursuits.
• Cab driver: This is a fairly low-stress career that lets you choose your own hours. Plus, you can get great material for stories as you meet people from different walks of life.
• Security guard: You might be able to write during long stretches of downtime, especially if you work night shifts.
• Bartender or restaurant server: You can make extra money from tips and meet lots of colorful characters who might inspire your writing.
• Office cleaner or housekeeper: This kind of work keeps you physically active without draining your mental resources.
• Tutor or writing coach: You can keep your creative juices flowing by helping others polish their prose.

Write Your Next Chapter

Now that you know that plenty of jobs for writers are out there, it's time to think about how you can best prepare to take advantage of those opportunities. Do you have the skills you need for the job you want? Vocational colleges and trade schools offer career-focused training for all kinds of occupations that involve writing. So explore convenient programs near you by entering your zip code into the search tool below!

"I recommend using Trade-Schools.net because you can find the program that you are interested in nearby or online. " Trade-Schools.net User

Related Articles

Explore Jobs

• Jobs Near Me
• Remote Jobs
• Full Time Jobs
• Part Time Jobs
• Entry Level Jobs
• Work From Home Jobs

Find Specific Jobs

• $15 Per Hour Jobs
• $20 Per Hour Jobs
• Hiring Immediately Jobs
• High School Jobs
• H1b Visa Jobs

Explore Careers

• Business And Financial
• Architecture And Engineering
• Computer And Mathematical

Explore Professions

• What They Do
• Certifications
• Demographics

Best Companies

• Health Care
• Fortune 500

Explore Companies

• CEO And Executies
• Resume Builder
• Career Advice
• Explore Majors
• Questions And Answers
• Interview Questions

15 Careers For People Who Love Writing

• Types Of Engineering
• Types Of Lawyers
• Types Of It Jobs
• Jobs In Travel
• Best Airport Jobs
• Best Overnight Jobs
• Jobs In Mental Health
• Civil Service Jobs
• Grocery Store Jobs
• The Most Common Jobs In America
• Summer Jobs
• Types Of Doctors
• Is Technology A Good Career Path
• Cannabis Industry Jobs
• Careers In Writing

Find a Job You Really Want In

In a world that tells hopeful writers that their professional objectives are fanciful dreams that are likely to send them on a tailspin of years without sustainable income, it can be quite intimidating to commit to the career path .

Many people tuck away their dreams of a career in the industry because of the heavy fears that their ambitions aren’t realistic enough to support them financially. While there are a lot of negative stereotypes surrounding the field, writing can be an enormously rewarding and profitable profession.

The reality is that there is a slew of different writing careers that come in all shapes and sizes depending on your expertise, preferences, and interests. If there’s a professional writer in your bones who’s just waiting to make it happen, consider some of the following careers for people who love writing.

Key Takeaways:

Great careers in writing include PR specialist , grant writing, and technical writing.

Although every writing job shares similar skills, each job comes with their own special requirements.

Between 2021 and 2031, the writing career is expected to grow 4% and produce 5,900 job opportunities across the U.S

Median Salary: $41,048

A blogger handles the upkeep of an online journal called a blog. This includes things like articles on specialized topics, long-term blogs, and other types of written content online.

Some of a blogger’s responsibilities include:

Conducting ample research on industry topics

Writing articles and other types of content

Editing their work before publication

Implementing SEO keywords to increase page traffic

Responding to reader ’s comments

Skills needed for a blogger: While many bloggers base their careers on running their own blogs, others work for companies to assist them in creating informative and Google-ranking content.

In the digital age, written content online has become much more influential in bringing customers to a business, and a blogger can assist in making that happen. Bloggers often have some experience in marketing as well.

Find Blogger jobs near me

Median Salary : $41,720

Another ideal option for people who have a knack for writing is becoming a reporter . A reporter must stay up-to-date on current news and happenings to communicate this information in a timely and direct manner to their audience.

This can involve stories that happen locally in a small town to world news. Reporters can work on television or the radio, but many work in written formats like magazines and online news sources.

The basic duties of a reporter typically include:

Gathering leads for new stories

Collecting and verifying information that will be on the news

Creating an understandable storyline

Possibly taking photos or videos to accompany a written story

Editing and delivering concise and informative reports

Skills needed for a reporter: While all writing careers require a high standard of communication skills, this is especially imperative for reporters. They’re transmitting crucial recent news to people who are counting on an understandable delivery. This also requires extensively verifying the validity of their sources to ensure that they’re putting out the truth.

Find Reporter jobs near me

Median Salary : $42,449

Being a translator could be the perfect career option for individuals who have a few languages under their belt and an interest in writing. As the title implies, the job of a translator is to interpret and convey statements from one language into another.

While some translators work with verbal translations, many strictly create written content such as subtitles for films.

The job responsibilities of a translator can include things like:

Reading through materials in the source language

Researching terminology when needed

Converting written text into the translated language

Preparing translated subtitles for video content

Proofreading all translations for spelling and grammar

Editing translated content as requested

Skills needed for a translator: The role of a translator requires substantially advanced knowledge of all the languages that are being translated, in addition to stellar writing skills. The position has some prerequisites, but it can be lucrative and gratifying.

Find Translator jobs near me

Public Relations Specialist

Median Salary : $43,279

A public relations specialist isn’t the first job that comes to mind when pondering careers for writers, but it involves a fair amount of writing skills .

A public relations specialist is responsible for maintaining and expanding the company’s positive image that they represent. This is done by acting as the organization’s voice through written speeches, press releases, or other forms of public relations copy.

Additional responsibilities of a public relations specialist include:

Developing strategies for a company’s public relations

Enhancing the relationship between an organization and their audience

Acting as the contact point for media requests

Preparing presentations

Researching to analyze the public reception

Organizing events within the corporation

Skills needed for a public relations specialist: Unlike other types of writing careers, the position of a public relations specialist demands dealing with people much more often. It’s great for someone who wants to utilize writing in their professional life and participate in other tasks.

Find Public Relations Specialist jobs near me

Sports Writer

Median Salary: $50,141

The popular passions for sports and the written word come together for a sports writer . This type of writer focuses solely on conveying sports news to readers through various mediums like blogs and magazines.

Since people from all over the world absolutely love sports, the readership for this niche is massive. There is a steady demand for the content, and often, sportswriters are compensated handsomely for their coverage on the matter.

Additional responsibilities of a sports writer include:

Following sports news and watching games according to their niche

Interviewing athletes when required

Conducting further research to verify for their pieces

Writing up and editing sports-adjacent articles

Skills needed for a sports writer: The details of a sports writer’s job can vary greatly between positions. Certain sportswriters only focus on covering the happenings of a single sport, such as baseball or boxing.

Other writers in this niche will work on various games or cover the industry of sports as a whole. The position can also involve interviewing or traveling with athletes to get the full scoop.

Find Sports Writer jobs near me

Grant Writer

Median Salary : $50,377

A lot of companies need to draw their funds from grants that require a fairly extensive application process . The job of a grant writer is to find fitting grants for their organization and prepare impeccable proposals to be awarded the grant money.

The trick to succeeding in this position is a keen eye for researching, a thorough understanding of the company represented, and writing skills.

The standards responsibilities of a grant writer include:

Developing a deep understanding of the history and objectives of the company represented

Researching ideal grants from government and non-government agencies

Preparing flawless grant proposals

Handling the submission of grant proposals

Maintaining a constructive relationship with fund providers

Skills needed for a grant writer: Similar to a public relations specialist, a grant writer’s trade is to be the voice of an organization. The difference lies in the fact that a grant writer acts as the voice in the hopes of landing grant approval, while a PR specialist’s attention is pointed towards mediating the general public’s views.

Find Grant Writer jobs near me

Ghostwriter

Median Salary: $51,420

The individual behind some of the most beloved and effective written work is sometimes a ghostwriter. The services of a ghostwriter are providing written material for someone else to use under their name. It’s basically like selling the words you’ve written for another person to use as their own.

The basic responsibilities of a ghostwriter include:

Evaluating the needs of their client and providing a timeline for completion

Researching the subject of the works if required

Identifying the tone and voice of their client to impersonate it

Drafting up the written materials requested

Going through a process of editing to completion

Skills needed for a ghostwriter: Ghostwriters can work freelance for individual clients or long-term for a company. They also can create a wide variety of materials like full-length books, advertisements, blog posts, copy, or even emails.

Since ghostwriters are supposed to be providing work credited to their client, they must also be able to pick up on the client’s voice and mimic it well. Not every writer is too thrilled to give up credit to their work, but it can be a great way to turn words into profit if you’re not too attached to your writing.

Find Ghostwriter jobs near me

Median Salary : $51,516

In most writing processes, the work produced is the collective effort of multiple people. One of the last lines of defense that a written work must go through before being deemed perfection is a pass-through by an editor . The responsibility of an editor is to confirm that a piece meets the quality standard of the company that’s publishing it.

The basic responsibilities of an editor include:

Reading through the written drafts of writers

Modifying content when required to produce the best copy

Managing content production

Creating ideas for future content

Skills needed for an editor: While the tasks of an editor aren’t directly writing, they still must have above average skills in writing, grammar and spelling. They’re expected to comb through every word of a blog post, book, or other written document and make changes when necessary to produce the best version of the draft.

Additionally, writers are commonly promoted within companies to become editors if they constantly turn in flawless work.

Find Editor jobs near me

Resume Writer

Median Salary: $55,123

A well-structured resume opens the door for eager job seekers to land their next great job. However, many professionals feel that they aren’t great at creating this type of alluring resume that’s sure to get them an interview. That’s why they turn to the expertise of a resume writer to generate an incredible resume for them.

By communicating extensively with their clients, a resume writer formulates a resume to make the best first impression on recruiters and hiring companies in their professional field.

The general responsibilities of a resume writer are:

Speaking with clients to understand their background, skills, and professional goals

Researching the client’s industry

Determining the most effective way to showcase a client’s abilities on a resume

Editing the resume for correct grammar and spelling

Preparing clients for potential interviews

Skills needed for a resume writer: In addition to creating resumes, a resume writer might also assist job seekers with updating their LinkedIn profiles. The job involves a great deal of writing, but it also demands in-depth knowledge of the hiring process and how to put a client’s best foot forward in their specific industry.

Technical Writer

Median Salary : $63,000 Job Openings:

Many people don’t look at the lengthy manual that comes with their brand new camera or an organization’s quarterly reports and immediately picture the writer tediously scribing every word of it.

However, this is the job of a technical writer . Technical writers create guides for various subjects, standard operating procedures, business plans, and more.

The tasks of a technical writer involve:

Evaluating the needs of a technical project and presenting the information in the most understandable way

Coming up with ideas for technical content that is still engaging

Communicating with experts on the topics to provide accurate information

Writing the content in the proper format

Going through a reviewal process of technical work

Skills needed for a technical writer: Some technical writers build a career from completing one-off projects freelancing, and others work directly with a company to create all of their technical content.

An important facet of their responsibilities is translating complex subjects into a digestible format that anyone can follow. Once again, this relies heavily on concise communication skills and an ability to be direct.

Find Technical Writer jobs near me

Median Salary : $68,124

A copywriter focuses their writing on the world of advertising. They provide effective and engaging writing called copy to draw in the desired audience. This can mean different things depending on the specific focal point of a copywriter.

For example, a copywriter for a food website hoping to drive up their traffic might create content about healthy recipes per SEO standards and marketing tactics to bring in readers.

In addition to websites, copywriters can also work with magazines, social media accounts, publishers, television studios, or even government organizations.

The quintessential responsibilities of a copywriter include:

Fostering a clear understanding of their company’s brand

Research marketing analytics around the company’s needs and their target audience

Being a constructive member of a collaborative creative environment

Writing innovative and engaging copy

Revising copy at the request of the company

Skills needed for a copywriter: The goals of a copywriter often demand a high degree of collaboration with other marketers or professionals within the company that they work for. In addition to writing savvy, having good teamwork is essential.

Find Copywriter jobs near me

Median Salary: $68,279

When listening to the siren-esque string of symphonies that are matched with expository lyrics of popular songs, most people assume that the musician is the person who created the piece.

While plenty of music artists write their own material, many others utilize the prowess of a professional songwriter to create their hits. Sometimes these individuals are also known as lyricists or composers.

The job of a songwriter involves:

Pitching ideas to potential clients

Discussing objectives with clients to formulate a plan of action

Researching music industry trends to create a popular tune

Understanding the nuances of various genres

Writing original lyrics and melody to songs per the client’s requirements

Making changes according to client feedback

Skills needed for a songwriter: Several songwriters may work on a cohesive team to formulate the next #1 single for extremely popular artists. Songwriters can also work on a freelance basis instead of working as staff members.

Find Songwriter jobs near me

Video Games Narrative Writer

Median Salary: $71,292

Within every video game is an entire world with an abyss of interesting narratives. The chronicles of video games are devised by a video game narrative writer. These professionals are involved in the entire creative process of video game creation, from brainstorming the initial plot to writing out the final dialogue.

The tasks associated with being a video games narrative writer include:

Developing intricate plot ideas

Productively collaborating with other video game designers

Researching potential plot ideas

Writing out the dialogue that occurs between characters in the game

Making dialogue edits when required

Directing recording sessions of voice actors following the written script

Skills needed for a video game writer: Becoming a video game writer is an attractive career option for people who want to blend their professional life with embracing their creativity. It can also be quite fun to watch their work eventually come to life in a game.

To ensure that the video game’s world comes together smoothly, creative writing and collaboration skills are a must for these writers.

Median Salary : $77,190

Becoming an author is often the first thing that pops into people’s minds when someone says, “I’m a writer.” Authors typically create written content that eventually goes on to become a book through a publisher .

They can also work for outlets like magazines or television. An author is a captain who steers the ship of a story. They decide on all story elements, including the overall plot, every character, the general theme, and the writing style.

The role of an author generally includes:

Generating interesting story concepts

Outlining all of the story elements

Progressing the plot of a story coherently

Coordinating with publishers, graphic artists, and other professionals involved in the process

Negotiating published contracts successfully

Making edits to finished drafts of work

Skills needed for an author: While many authors work freelance or are self-employed , some work long-term directly with a publishing house or other type of content producer . It’s another position that allows writers to flex their creative muscles.

Find Author jobs near me

Screenwriter

Median Salary: $78,611

Screenwriters have comparable responsibilities to an author. However, they solely work on screenplays that are used for television or films.

They either produce original scripts that they will hopefully sell to a network or adapt existing screenplays. Screenwriters also often work on a team with many other writers and film industry professionals.

The typical responsibilities of a screenwriter include:

Researching possible ideas for interesting screenplays

Creating original scripts

Effectively framing a story in the form of a screenplay for movies or TV

Adapting specific sections of a script if required

Cohesively working with other members on a writing and film production team

Pitching proposals for screenplays to TV and movie executives

Developing a story that translates on screen

Skills needed for a screenwriter: Being a successful screenwriter can be one of the most lucrative writing careers, but it’s also a very competitive vocation. Individuals hoping to create a long-term profession out of screenwriting must be devoted to the craft and adept at taking rejection constructively.

They also need visualization and editing skills to ensure that their work makes sense to viewers of their television show or movie.

Job Outlook For Writers

According to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS), between 2021 and 2031, the writing career is expected to grow 4% and produce 5,900 job opportunities across the U.S. The BLS does not differentiate between types of writers, but you can use this knowledge to know that, in general, the need for writers is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook.” Accessed on September 18, 2022.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

Recent Job Searches

• Registered Nurse Jobs Resume Location
• Truck Driver Jobs Resume Location
• Call Center Representative Jobs Resume Location
• Customer Service Representative Jobs Resume
• Delivery Driver Jobs Resume Location
• Warehouse Worker Jobs Resume Location
• Account Executive Jobs Resume Location
• Sales Associate Jobs Resume Location
• Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs Resume Location
• Company Driver Jobs Resume

Related posts

The 15 Best White Collar Jobs

9 Temp Jobs That Pay Well (With Salaries And Examples)

Best Career Paths For ENTP Personality Types

Best Career Paths For ISTP Personality Types

• Career Advice >
• Job Classifications >
• Writing Careers

A Seriously Long List of Jobs That Involve Creative Writing

Who says you can’t make any money from creative writing?

Okay, so a lot of people. But they’re wrong. If you’re a creative writing major, have a degree in writing, or simply identify this skill as the best thing you’ve got to offer the world, there are a ton of ways to build a career with your talents.

In fact, writing skills are way more valuable than your Uncle Richie realizes (or whichever relative scoffed at your dreams last Thanksgiving). Anyone with a gift for words has the ability to communicate vital information, motivate others into action, and help others feel seen and understood.

The survival of many industries depends on their ability to connect with human beings. They need brilliant wordsmiths. And here’s the really exciting part: not everyone can do what you do as well as you can do it.

So no, being a writer does not mean you’re sentenced to a life as a “starving artist.” 

That said, some creative writing jobs are easier to snag than others. There’s also a difference in pay across different writing gigs. Some jobs will be easier to fill with AI in the future, and—the important detail—some will be more in line with your vision for your writing career. 

So here’s a comprehensive list of opportunities and considerations to help you narrow down your focus. You’re about to find out:

• What writing jobs are out there
• The skills you need to land work in the creative writing field
• Which industries are looking for folks like you
• What type of education or experience you need to get started

Let’s start by taking a look at your many, many options.

Career Opportunities in Creative Writing

Before we launch into this very long list of creative writing jobs, I’d like to clarify the term “freelance writer.”

A freelance writer is a contractor. Rather than hiring them on as employees, an individual or business hires a freelance writer to complete specific tasks within their area of expertise. 

If you choose to work as a freelancer rather than an employee, you’d be your own boss. You’d set your own rates, determine your own schedule, and decide which projects to take on and which to skip. You’d also be free to work with as many different clients as you’d like.

The downside is that you don’t get benefits like paid time off, health insurance, and employer contributions to your retirement fund. You’re responsible for paying quarterly taxes directly to the government, as no one withdraws them from your paycheck. 

Depending on the specific creative writing career you’re building, you might also need to look into professional liability insurance or setting up an LLC. These topics get complicated and vary according to where you live, so I’m not even going to try to give you advice on any of that. It’s better to consult your accountant, mentor, and/or fellow freelance writers in your area.

The main thing I want to convey is that if you choose to freelance, you have to think of yourself as an actual business. That’s what you are after all. It comes with a lot of freedom and extra responsibilities. So weigh your options carefully.

One more quick note:

Salary Ranges Are Tough to Nail Down

I’ve included an average salary range for each of the job descriptions below. These ranges are huge and the numbers are almost meaningless. I put them there because if I were you, I’d want to see them so I could at least get a sense of the income one might make from these different writing jobs.

But the standard salary for each job can vary widely depending on the size of the company hiring you and the cost of living in your (or their) area.

The income range gets massive when you add freelancers to the mix. A rookie freelance copywriter who’s just building their portfolio and client list might make $20,000 in a year. Meanwhile, an in-demand freelance writer could make well into six figures and out-earn an in-house copywriter.

So use the salary information I provide to get a general idea of what’s possible. For more concrete numbers, check out job listings in your area and talk to people who already do the kind of work you want to do.  

And what kind of work is that? Let’s decide! Here are a ton of ways you can make money as a writer.

Content Writing Jobs

Content is all the media that encourages consumers to engage with a brand—blogs, videos, social media, podcasts, you name it. Creative writers like you and I might prefer to think of those things as art, but in business-speak, it’s content.

And as a professional content writer, you’ll have to ride that line between creativity and capitalism. After some looking around, you should be able to find an employer or client who wants you to bring some creative vision to your work. But you’ll also have to care about which creative strategies get buyers to bite. 

More on that in a bit, though. For now, here are the most common content writing jobs.

Content Writer

A content writer focuses more on long-form writing that builds a relationship with the target audience. In other words, content writing is less about making a sales pitch and more about being helpful and conveying the brand’s personality.

Common content writing tasks include:

• Email newsletters
• Articles and blogs
• Case studies

Average Salary: $40,000-$70,000 per year

A copywriter is more involved with the kind of creative writing that says, “Hey, you should spend money on this.” They compose things like:

• Website copy
• Landing pages
• Print and online ads
• Sales emails
• Sales pages and mailers

In many businesses, the content writer and the copywriter are the same person. But if you freelance as a copywriter specializing in one specific area—sales emails, for example—get familiar with the other materials your client is putting out to make sure your sales copy builds on the relationship they're already building through content.

Average Salary: $60,000-$120,000 per year

Technical Writer

Technical writing is basically “how-to” writing. It includes:

• Instruction manuals
• Explainer video scripts
• White papers
• Spec sheets

Technical writing might be your jam if you’re great at grasping complex concepts and clarifying them for the rest of us. It’s truly a magical writing skill that involves simplifying and being thorough at the same time. 

If you can pull that off, it’s only a matter of time before you’re considered an irreplaceable rockstar in someone’s business.

Annual Salary: $60,000-$90,000 per year

Social Media Writer

You’ll sometimes see social media fall under the umbrella of content writing, but it’s also its own position in many businesses.

As you can probably guess, a great social media writer comes up with brilliant captions that engage audiences on social platforms. But there’s more to it than that.

To do this job well, you have to be on top of social media trends so you can jump on challenges and hashtags while they’re still fresh. You also need to understand which customer segments are more likely to be on which platforms and how to engage with them.

Depending on the size of the company you’re working with, there’s a good chance you’ll also have to come up with the visuals and create the videos that accompany your brilliant captions.

If you love social media, you’ll be in heaven. If you don’t, you probably won’t be able to fake it. 

Average Salary: $50,000-$80,000 per year

Journalism and Media Jobs

In this category of creative writing jobs, we’re looking at everything that has to do with news and mass communication.

I know. That includes a lot. So let’s get to it.

A journalist investigates, researches, and writes the news for print and/or online publications. That’s a tidy little sentence to describe a writing job that involves a lot of specialized skills and a strict code of ethics.

While journalism absolutely belongs under the heading of “creative writing careers,” it’s an area where you can’t get fast and loose with your creativity. Journalists are responsible for revealing the truth to the public. Ideally , they do this without guiding the reader’s opinion or embellishing actual events. 

The ability to compose engaging articles that inspire thoughtful questions without pushing an agenda is a remarkable skill in and of itself. Successful journalists also tend to be curious, driven, resourceful, and fast writers.

This is one of the few writing jobs where having a degree (usually in journalism) is relatively important, especially if you hope to work for a notable publication. 

Average Salary: $60,000-100,000 per year

Broadcast Writer

A broadcast writer prepares the news for television, radio, and online media. In other words, they take all the deets about what’s going on in the world and turn them into scripts to be read by news anchors.

Like a journalist, a broadcast writer faces the challenging task of conveying information in an unbiased way. They also need to be adept at writing pieces intended to be read aloud—scripts that flow naturally for the speaker and can be quickly understood by the audience. 

Much like journalists, broadcast writers must be able to work quickly, often under pressure. If you like the idea of being in front of the camera yourself, this creative writing career path can include conducting interviews, attending press conferences, and reporting the news.

Average Salary: $40,000-$100,000 per year

Scriptwriter

A scriptwriter is anyone who writes a script for a play, movie, radio show, podcast, video game, or television show. Scriptwriters who write plays are called playwrights, movie writers are more commonly called screenwriters, and television writers are best known as—get this—television writers.

Playwrights and screenwriters almost always work on a freelance basis. Much like traditionally published book authors, they work with a literary agent and are constantly trying to sell their next project.

Television authors also need representation, though they’re usually hired onto the writing staff of a TV show as an employee. There is such a thing as freelance television writing where a writer steps in to pen a single episode of a show, but this practice isn’t as common as it used to be.

All of these jobs have the potential to be deeply fulfilling for a creative writer. They come with fun challenges like learning how to tell a great story purely through visuals and dialogue. 

Keep in mind that—much like becoming a successful author—it takes a long time to build a solid career in this field. There are a lot of gatekeepers and frequent rejection .

Film, theater, and television are also much more collaborative art forms than book publishing. Whatever you write, you have to be prepared for producers, directors, set designers, sound designers, actors, and editors to put their fingerprints on it, too. It’s entirely possible that the end product will be quite different from what you imagined.

In other words, if you’re precious about your work, this might not be your field.

Average Salary: $40,000-$80,000 per year

Publishing and Editing Jobs

Feel like your true home is in the book world? Then you’re looking for something in publishing.

When we think about creative writing jobs in publishing, we usually think of authors first. After all, that’s the dream for a lot of creative writers. But it’s no secret that authorship comes with rejection, requires a ton of patience, and doesn’t always cover the bills.

The good news is, you can still build your career around books even if you’d prefer to pass on all the uncertainty that comes with being an author. This field has plenty of other opportunities to flex those creative writing skills.

But we’ll get to those in a moment. First, let’s look at the best-known writing job in publishing.

As I mentioned before, authors are almost always freelance writers. This means that whether you plan to publish traditionally or self-publish, you have to think of yourself as a business.

Publishing traditionally means working with a publishing house to release your book into the world. This process usually involves finding an agent who then pitches your book to publishers and negotiates a book deal for you. We have a guide to the entire process right here .

Self-publishing means you produce and market your book yourself. This publishing model has boomed in both popularity and earning potential in the past decade and change. You must have an entrepreneurial spirit to succeed on this publishing path, though. You can learn more about it here . 

Whichever path they choose, successful authors build platforms and a following through channels like social media , email newsletters, and speaking engagements. Those platforms help them develop relationships with readers, give them more visibility, and make them more appealing to publishers.

You also need to some degree of sales smarts, whether you self-publish and take on the full responsibility of marketing your book or you decide to publish traditionally, which requires creating a compelling book pitch that gets agents and publishers onboard.

Average Salary: I can’t even give you a range in good conscience. So many factors influence author earnings, and only a small percentage of authors make a living on books alone. I recommend checking out this article for a clearer understanding of what you can make as an author. 

As Doug can tell you , there are several kinds of editing you could do, including:

• Developmental editing
• Line editing
• Sensitivity reading
• Fact-checking

Each type of editing evaluates a different aspect of a written work. These options also allow you to zero in on your greatest strength as a creative writer. Are you the sultan of story structure ? You might be interested in developmental editing . Are you a research rockstar and a stickler for accuracy? Maybe fact-checking is for you. 

This is a job you can do as an employee of a publishing house or as a freelancer. If you go the freelance route, you’ll likely be working with a lot of indie authors.

Average Salary: $60,000-$80,000 per year

Copy Editor or Proofreader

Copy editors are magical beings who have the kind of superhuman focus that allows them to catch tiny issues like grammar errors, misspelled words, inconsistencies in story details, and the like.

It’s true that AI is getting better and better at catching these mistakes. That’s why Dabble uses ProWritingAid to power grammar, spelling, and style checks. It helps creative writers prepare a draft that isn’t utterly riddled with errors.

But at this moment in time, we still can’t count on AI to catch nuanced errors, recognize clever word play, or appreciate an author’s deliberate decision to shirk old grammar rules. We still need human eyes to do this job.

Often confused with a copy editor, a proofreader is the very last person to review a book, and they look for any and all errors. If there’s a missed typo, a messed up margin, or a wonky image, they’ll flag it. Think of them as quality control.

As you likely guessed, both jobs require you to be extremely detail oriented.

Average Salary: $50,000-$90,000 per year

Literary agent

You probably associate this career path with sales more than creative writing. But the literary agents who succeed are the ones who understand what makes a book great . 

This job is best suited for someone who’s ready to do a ton of reading and enjoys rubbing elbows. You can expect to spend plenty of time on the phone, in lunch meetings, at publishing events, and in pitch meetings. You have to be good at building relationships and love talking books. 

What many creative writers don’t realize about agents is that their job also involves giving feedback on current projects and helping their clients talk through new ideas. The advice of a good agent can mean the difference between a book deal and a manuscript that never graduates beyond PDF status. 

Keep in mind that it takes time to succeed in this career. As a literary agent, you’ll make 15% of what your authors earn from their books. Expect some lean years as you build your client list.

Average Salary: $50,000-$70,000 per year

Book Reviewer

As a creative writer, you’re probably great at explaining why books work. You have smart things to say about character development , plot structure, and pacing. And if you’re a fast reader—and would love to make reading part of your creative writing career—you’d probably enjoy being a book reviewer.

Book reviewers do exactly what you think they do: they review books. Many choose to specialize in a specific genre or two. Specializing can be an effective strategy when it comes to building a name for yourself and giving readers a reason to value your opinion. It’s a way of establishing yourself as a genre expert.

Just note that this isn’t an easy career to just plop into. While you can find job listings for book reviewers, there aren’t many of them. Most people who do this for a living start by writing reviews on a freelance basis or even for their own blog/social media platform.

As you build your portfolio and reputation, you can submit your reviews to other publications, monetize your own review website/podcast/vlog, or possibly land a job as an in-house reviewer for a magazine, newspaper, or online platform.

Average Salary: $20,000-$80,000 per year

We already covered what a copywriter is, so I won’t go too deep on the subject here. I just want to make sure you know that it’s possible to do copywriting work within the world of publishing.

Publishing houses have copywriters on staff to handle things like press releases, media kits, author bios, social media content, and marketing materials.

In this role, you’d be able to enjoy the stability of a marketing-focused creative writing job while still getting to think about books all day. Not too shabby.

Average Salary: $50,000-$120,000 per year

Advertising and Marketing Jobs

If you’re on the lookout for creative writing jobs that make your value as an employee easy to quantify, advertising is the place to be. 

The goal of all advertising is to persuade your audience to make a purchase or take some other action that benefits the business you work for. 

Modern technology makes it easier than ever to track the success of your ad copy and marketing campaigns, which means you often have access to numbers that demonstrate what the return on investment is when someone hires you.

Now, all this might sound very cold and business-y, but this is an area where creative writers thrive because your goal is the same as it would be if you were writing a novel or screenplay. You’re trying to find the best words to connect emotionally with your audience.

Not everyone can do that. You can.

Let’s take a closer look at the different ways you can do that.

Advertising Copywriter

Oh, look! We’re talking about copywriters again. Since we’ve already covered this, I’ll give the abbreviated explanation for the article skimmers.

An advertising copywriter writes copy (go figure) advertising a product or service to potential buyers. This includes anything that could potentially lead to a purchase, including:

• Marketing emails
• Print or online ads

Brand Strategist

If you already know what a brand strategist is, you might be surprised to see this position appear on a list of creative writing jobs. Brand strategists don’t write as much as they, well, strategize brands.

This person is responsible for conducting market research, analyzing trends, creating buyer avatars, planning campaigns, and overseeing the production of marketing materials. 

Depending on the size of the marketing team, a brand strategist might also write copy and content. But what makes this career a decent option for a creative writer is the storytelling aspect.

Brand strategists are responsible for translating the business’s message into a story that resonates with buyers. They also need to understand their consumer on a deeper level—a skill that comes more naturally to someone who’s spent time studying character development.

Creative Director

Much like a brand strategist, a creative director looks at the big picture of a company’s marketing efforts. What story is being told? How can they best use the creative resources available to tell that story in an emotionally compelling way?

The creative director leads all the creative professionals on a marketing team, including copywriters, designers, and social media content creators. They make sure everyone is on the same page, telling the same story and communicating the same message.

Average Salary: $120,000-$200,000 per year

Content Marketing Specialist

Remember when we talked about content writing? This is that, plus some added responsibility.

While a content writer is usually told what to write, a content marketing specialist is the person who decides what type of content will be most effective for the business. 

They strategize content like emails, blog posts, videos, and social media depending on which formats and messaging are most likely to help buyers connect with the brand. 

This person also selects the SEO and analytics tools to help them make sure their strategy is effective. They watch the results closely and regularly optimize their content marketing efforts to get better performance.

And yes, a content marketing specialist might also write some or all of the content themselves.

Skills Required for Creative Writing Jobs

I tried to give you some sense of the skills required to stand out in each of the creative writing jobs we just went over. 

Nevertheless, if you’ve found something that interests you, I strongly suggest researching it further and connecting with someone who’s already killing it in that field. Get a sense of what it means to excel and you’ll be in a good spot to pursue your creative writing career seriously.

If you’re still not sure where you want this journey to lead, no problem! Follow your curiosity and let yourself gravitate towards the work that excites you. In the meantime nurture the following skills essential for every creative writing career.

Writing Skills

Okay, so I’m not exactly dropping a bone-rattling truth bomb here. Of course you need strong writing skills to build a career as a creative writer. You know that. That said, some writers underestimate the importance of building on the skills they already have. 

This is an issue I think tends to plague young writers the most. We catch wind of the fact that we’re “good writers” from teachers and peers and get attached to the idea that a good writer is something we already are. Like inherently.

I know I wasted a lot of energy in my early adult years worrying about whether or not people thought I was a talented writer instead of working to continuously become a better writer.  Ongoing improvement is how you’ll stand out from the crowd, especially as you zero in on the type of creative writing you want to do. 

If you want to be a copywriter, find a mentor and start a course on copywriting. If you dream of being a bestselling author who makes a living from books alone, join a writing group, attend writing conferences, and download this free e-book on writing a novel that rocks.

Keep sharpening those writing skills, no matter how exceptional you already are.

Research and Analysis Skills

Research and analysis sounds like a skill set that only applies in marketing and technical writing. But in all creative writing jobs, research and analysis have the same goal: understanding what it takes to connect with an audience.

Now, if you become a screenwriter or a novelist, you might not pore over metrics the way you would if you were a brand strategist. What you will do (hopefully) is consume a ton of art in your genre to understand what works.

Constantly refresh your understanding of what speaks to readers, which trends are hot, and why current bestsellers are selling so well. It’s also important to stay on top of new developments in the publishing industry and strategize your career accordingly.

And if you plan to be a self-published author, your research and analysis skills will help you make important marketing decisions.                                                                                                                              

Creativity and Imagination

If there’s one area where you have a leg-up on AI, it’s this one. Everything AI creates comes from ideas and structures that already exist. As an adaptable, creative human being, you can find unique ways to express ideas that haven’t been explored before.

This skill is essential for all the creative writing jobs we’ve discussed. The best ad writers figure out how to write copy that stands out from the competition. Great editors help writers tap into their own original voices. Even in technical writing, imagination is crucial for finding new ways to simplify complicated topics.

Communication and Collaboration Skills

There are no writing jobs that allow you to compose brilliance alone in your cave and release it into the world with no input from anyone else. 

You have to be open to feedback, and in ultra-collaborative fields like screenwriting, you must be ready for the possibility that your vision won’t often be everyone’s top priority. (It hurts, I know.)

If you’re still working on building your collaboration skills, I can offer a few suggestions.

One is to make a habit of identifying what’s important to you about every project you work on. What’s motivating you? What are your goals? When you can answer those questions, you’ll be more confident gently pushing back on things you care about and more open to offering compromising when it comes to less important issues.

Another tip is to cultivate a genuine appreciation for what others can contribute. As a writer who regularly wrestles with a stubborn, foot-stomping ego, I often return to this interview with Dolly Parton for a reminder of the kind of artist I want to be—someone humble enough to celebrate when another person makes my good thing better.

And of course, working with people you respect helps boost that collaborative spirit, too.

Finally, clear communication is absolutely essential. Make sure you know what clients, employers, or team members expect from you. Also manage their expectations by being frank about your availability, timeline, and expertise.

Adaptability and Time Management

Most writing jobs involve deadlines and your reputation as a reliable writer hinges on your ability to meet those deadlines. That means you’ve got to get good at managing your time.

This can be especially difficult if you’re a freelance writer, because there’s no one dictating your schedule. There’s just today, a deadline in the future, and all this space in between that can be whatever you want it to be.

Time management takes practice, and a quick Google search will take you to loads of suggestions for making the process easier. You can try time blocking , the Pomodoro Technique , deep work strategies … test whatever you think will do the trick.

For me, the most effective method is to remember two things. First, I need to maintain my reputation as a reliable writer if I want to pay my rent and gradually increase my income. Second, I don’t want to be stuck at my desk when my husband comes home from work or friends are inviting me out on the weekend.

Those two limits help me draw time boundaries on that wide-open calendar and keep me motivated to stick to it.

Even as you create structure for yourself, however, you have to keep in mind that things might change. A client might shift direction. A project could fall through. You might find yourself partnering with a collaborator on something you thought would be a solo situation.

It’s important to know your own work boundaries so you don’t get walked on. But being adaptable (within reason) is also crucial for building positive, long-term professional relationships.

Industries That Hire Creative Writers

We’ve examined your professional opportunities by looking at the most common creative writing jobs. Now let’s take a look at them by industry.

If you’re already in the workforce, you might discover that there are writing jobs within your current industry—jobs you never even knew were there. If you’re in school pursuing something other than a creative writing major, you might discover that you can totally flex your wordsmith skills in your field of study.

And if you still have no idea how you want to put your talents to work, this list might help you uncover some less obvious job opportunities.

Entertainment Industry

You already know that the entertainment industry needs scriptwriters. You can probably guess that there’s a need for copywriters in those massive marketing departments, too. 

But there’s also song writing, video game writing, script reading/analysis, and script consulting. Every single thing you see on TV has a writer behind it—usually an entire writing staff —including award shows and reality television.

You can even get hired to rewrite or “punch-up” someone else’s script. 

Publishing and Journalism

We covered the big writing jobs in this industry earlier, so for now, I’ll just add this:

As technology advances, these creative writing careers are more accessible than ever. You develop specialized skills online, build your own platform, and publish your own work. It’s entirely possible to forge your own path in these industries that used to be heavily guarded by gatekeepers.

That’s not to say it’ll be easy to make a name for yourself, nor is it to say that I think everyone with a Wordpress account should feel free to market themselves as a journalist. 

What I mean to say is that if you want a career in these traditionally intimidating fields, there’s space for you. There are more ways than ever to learn what you need to learn and create what you want to create.

Advertising and Marketing

Again, we’ve talked about these writing jobs, so I’ll just tell you a quick story.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I took an improv class (it’s mandatory here) with a woman who was a freelance namer. That was her whole job. She named products for major companies and made a whole entire L.A. living doing it.

While I can’t help but wonder if AI has taken over her job yet, it’s an important reminder that writing skills are worth a lot in marketing. The right words are straight-up gold . 

Education and E-learning

Creative writing is a teachable skill. If you enjoy guiding others, teaching might be a solid career option for you. You could teach creative writing in a formal education environment (you’ll need a degree), at a local community center, or even online.

The education world also needs creative writers to put together written materials like textbooks, discussion guides, glossaries, and study guides. You could even write scripts for educational videos.

This is an area of creative writing that doesn’t get a lot of attention, but there’s an increasing demand for it. Not only do modern students turn to the Internet for information and homework help, the digital world has made self-directed learning easier than ever. You can find an online course for almost anything from auto repair to world literature. 

What’s great about this industry is that it allows you to combine your passion for creative writing with your interest in another subject. Plus, there’s the business about inspiring curious minds and all that.

Nonprofit Organizations

If you’re intrigued by the challenges of a job in marketing but want to feel like your work serves a greater purpose, consider writing for a nonprofit.

You’d be doing many of the same things you’d do for a for-profit business: email marketing, advertising, blogging, video creation, and the like. The goal is similar—you want to get the word out about the organization and create a positive association in people’s minds.

But there’s also a strong fundraising element, since that’s how a nonprofit stays afloat (and covers your paycheck). This means you can also expect to write grant proposals and oversee donor communications. 

You can do all of this as part of the team or on a contract basis. Grant writing in particular is a good option if you’re looking to set up shop as a freelance writer.

Corporate Communications

Corporate communications is an oversized novelty umbrella that covers a lot of stuff. Simply put, this term refers to the many ways a corporation communicates its mission, goals, successes, and functions to everyone. 

Seriously, everyone . The public, employees, shareholders, partners… every person who exists.

Now, if you work with a small startup, “corporate communications” could be your entire job. For larger companies, however, you’re more likely to work in a specific department. You might be on the marketing team or you could be responsible for internal communications like employee manuals and reports.

Bottom line: if you’re dreaming of a creative writing career in the corporate world, the job opportunities are definitely there.

Career Development and Education Options

You know what creative writing jobs are out there. You know what skills these different industries are looking for. What about education? What kind of training do you need in order to land the job and crush it?

It depends on the specific job as well as what kind of time and money you have to invest in your creative writing education. 

The good news is that you don’t have to rack up insane student loans in order to make a good living as a writer. There are certain positions where a degree is mandatory, but there are plenty of hiring managers who don’t care where you got your creative writing skills as long as you have them.

And it’s never been easier to find training as a writer. Let’s look at your options.

Degree Programs in Creative Writing

If you plan to get a four-year degree to boost your knowledge as a writer, you might be eyeballing a creative writing major. This area of study is most useful if you plan to become a fiction writer, screenwriter, poet, or the like.

If you’re mapping out a career that’s a little more predictable and a little less “artsy,” consider majors like journalism, communications, technical writing, or marketing.

Industries that are most likely to have a mandatory college degree requirement include journalism, academia, and large corporations or nonprofits.

If you plan to go into entertainment or work as a freelance writer, a formal education can help you develop essential skills. Although—real talk—many of those skills can be learned through the less expensive educational avenues we’re about to go over. 

Many folks who earned creative writing degrees will tell you that the biggest benefit of their program was the network it provided when they left college. That’s no small thing, but it’s also not what we think we’re going to college for. 

Writing Workshops and Online Courses

You can easily find live workshops, online courses, and writing groups to help you sharpen your skills or develop new ones. 

This option is a good compromise between a formal education and fully self-directed learning. There’s often a fee, but it’s tens of thousands of dollars less than you’d spend on a creative writing degree. There’s a structure to keep you on track but you don’t have to show up at a physical location multiple times a week for months at a time.

Whatever type of creative writing skill you want to work on, a quick Google search will help you find courses you can take. You can also search the course selection at sites like Coursera , Udemy , and Masterclass .

Finally, a lot of folks who sell online writing courses offer free webinars as a way to get you on their mailing list and pitch their full program. If you don’t feel like you have a clear enough goal to invest in an entire course, these webinars provide a great opportunity to pick up some basic insights and start practicing new skills.

Networking and Professional Associations

Look for networking events and professional associations specific to the field you wish to enter. You absorb so much information just by being around experts and peers, plus you’ll have access to seminars, boot camps, training programs, and more.

Many organizations also hold or participate in conferences. These conferences provide learning opportunities that not only sharpen your creative writing skills but also educate you about your chosen industry. If you don’t have the travel budget, you can attend many conferences online at a discount.

And don’t forget to build your own little network of creative writers! Even fiction-focused communities like Dabble’s Story Craft Café are full of writers who rely on more predictable writing work like copywriting and communications to pay their rent. These are great places to share information about building creative writing careers of all kinds.

Building a Portfolio and Gaining Experience

Finally, we learn best by doing. As you pick up new advice and information through your chosen educational channels, put that insight to work immediately.

Offer to write the press release for your cousin’s startup. Ask a strapped-for-cash nonprofit if they’d be interested in letting you write your first grant proposal on their behalf. Create a blog that allows you to showcase the kind of content you hope to one day get paid to write.

These things help you build a portfolio to show prospective clients or employers. They also give you an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, get feedback early, and discover the challenges that are unique to different writing jobs. 

The faster you experience those things, the faster you learn and the sooner you’re ready to make a living as a creative writer.

Writing is an in-demand skill. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you dream of paying your bills with your words—either as a full-time job or a side hustle—you absolutely can. It may take patience, diligence, and a lot of learning, but the work is out there.

The last bit of advice I’ll offer you is to find a community of writers who have your back. No one understands the journey like another writer. You can count on your network of fellow wordsmiths for moral support, job leads, feedback, and more.

If you’re still in the process of finding those friends, join us at the Story Craft Café—especially if fiction is part of your writerly aspirations. The community is free to join and a great place to talk craft, share your work, and stay productive with daily word sprints. Follow this link to get started.

Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. When she’s not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that.

SHARE THIS:

TAKE A BREAK FROM WRITING...

Read. learn. create..

Trying to find your ideal writing software? Examine two top contenders side by side in this comprehensive guide.

What is creative nonfiction? Oh, it's only a super fun way to tell the truth. Learn more about what it is, how to write it, and where you've seen it right here.

More people than ever before are writing e-books, whether they're hoping to build an author career, promote their own brand, or just want to put a little art into the world. If you're looking to do a little e-book writing yourself, this guide can help.

The 20 best writing jobs: What they pay and how to get them

If you know how to write, there is no shortage of freelance job opportunities out there. As the written word evolves and businesses use writing in ever-increasing ways, skilled freelance writers are given more choice than ever.

In this guide, we’re covering some of the best freelance writing jobs out there, how much they pay, and what you need in place to win these coveted gigs.

What makes a job the best for freelance writers?

Calling something the “best” will always be subjective. Here are some of the pros we considered when identifying the types of writing job opportunities in this post:

Pay : The opportunity to earn good money and get paid to write.

Number of opportunities : Making sure there are enough projects to go around.

Growth : It’s not just what you get today, but what you can get tomorrow.

Flexibility : The ability to set your own hours and work-from-home as a content writer.

Consistency : Freelance writing work that has an ongoing, constant content need you can fill.

Great clients : “Great” is also subjective, but in general we aimed for writing jobs where you can work with kind, intelligent people.

Career potential : If you're starting a writing career, the last thing you want is to pick a style of writing that's going nowhere.

Requirements : Writing careers are made with experience, not always a bachelor's degree.

The 20 best writing jobs out there today

There are so many types of jobs for writers out there. Whether you want to make freelance writing your day job, balance multiple positions and clients, or just have a passion for content writing and want a part-time role, there are many different opportunities out there to make good money in the freelance market. We've highlighted some of the best jobs for writers and included salary data so you know how much each role pays.

1. Virtual assistant

What you’ll do : Any number of tasks for your client. That could mean sending emails, managing calendars, communicating with clients, doing base-level customer support, and more. While not a writing job in the traditional sense of the word, you'll do plenty of writing for your clients.

Who your client is : You’ll most often be working with an executive or entrepreneur who is too busy to do everything themselves.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Being an assistant is an ongoing need. It’s not a single task or timeline. Because of that and the power of the internet, there is a lot of flexibility and growth potential for virtual assistants.

Salary : Between $10 to $60+ per hour, depending on experience and whether you work independently or through an agency.

2. Social media manager

What you’ll do : Everything related to keeping your client’s social media accounts alive: planning posts, writing posts, scheduling posts, replying to people, responding to DMs, and even joining communities on your client’s behalf.

Who your client is : You’ll likely collaborate with the founder of the company (for small startups) or the VP of Marketing (medium companies). In larger companies, you might be working with the Head of Social or a similar title.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Social media is growing consistently, with billions of users on the major platforms. And as new platforms get developed, there will be increasing opportunity for freelance writers who understand how to produce content that fits well on each platform.

Salary : Anywhere from $40 to $60+ per hour depending on experience and the amount of work you need to do.

3. Ghostwriter

What you’ll do : Produce a variety of content—blogs, books, scripts, etc.—that your clients (often business executives) will publish under their own name. The articles you produce could end up published in magazines or shared with reporters, so you'll often interface with them. A big part of your job will also be project managing the content creation on your client’s behalf, so you'll need to flex your editing skills as well.

Who your client is : Usually you’re working with an executive, influencer, politician, or celebrity who doesn’t have the time or skills to write their own content.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Good ghostwriters can always find clients.

Salary : Anywhere from $20 to $150+ per hour, depending on your experience, what kind of writing you’re doing, and what calibre of person you’re ghostwriting for.

4. Internal communications specialist

What you’ll do : With this writing job, you'll coordinate all messaging geared toward employees: executive announcements, regular updates, company town halls, and more.

Who your client is : Usually the head of communications or a similar title. You’d write the actual messaging, which your client provides the high level details you’ll need.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Internal communications is becoming more critical as companies think about how to engage with employees consciously. However, these roles can often be filled by internal employees, so they can be slightly more difficult to find for the average freelancer.

Salary : Anywhere from $23 to $50+ per hour depending on your skills and the project you’re doing for each client.

5. Article writer/journalist

What you’ll do : Perhaps the most common of all jobs for writers, article writers or journalists will produce regular content—either named or ghostwritten—for blogs and media companies. You could also parlay this into a magazine writer job.

Who your client is : An editor (media) or head of content (business) type role.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Content marketing is exploding, so there’s always demand for good freelance writers.

Salary : Anywhere from $15 to $100+ per hour depending on your writing skills and subject matter expertise.

6. Technical writer

What you’ll do : Write content that’s technical in nature: technical documentation for products, content marketing about complex topics, or internal communication documents between tech workers and sales or marketing.

Who your client is : Usually a head of content, head of communications, or head of technology type of role.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : As the world uses more technology (and more complex technologies) in everyday life, there is more demand for content writers who understand highly complex technical subjects and can write succinctly about them.

Salary : From $25 to $150+ per hour depending on your experience and the project itself.

7. Grant writer or proposal writer

What you’ll do : Sometimes called proposal writers, grant writers collate all the stories and information necessary to submit grants (whether from the government, private foundations, or business competitions) on behalf of your clients.

Who your client is : Usually the head of fundraising at an academic institution, the founder of a small startup, or the head of revenue at a research-driven company.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Millions of dollars in grants go unclaimed every year in the U.S. Couple that with the increasing complexity of many grant applications, and you have a good recipe for freelance grant writers or proposal writers looking to enter the space.

Salary : Anywhere from $15 to $50+ per hour depending on the region and your past experience with grant applications.

8. Transcription writer

What you’ll do : Transcription writers listen to audio (such as podcasts) and transcribe it, word for word. Often, you’ll also produce an “edited” transcript, removing any “uhms” or “ahs” from the transcript so it reads more like a cleaned-up blog post conversation.

Who your client is : Usually the head of content (for a startup) or chief of staff if an executive is hosting a podcast.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Podcasting is exploding in popularity, and transcription is a big part of that. While many AI technologies can do some basic transcription, there’s still demand for freelance writers that can turn a transcription into an edited blog post.

Salary : Anywhere from $15 to $30+ per hour depending on how much editing your client needs.

9. Translator

What you’ll do : Translate content from one language to another, paying particular attention to colloquialisms and understanding the equivalent version in a different language.

Who your client is : Usually a VP of Marketing in a multinational company, a startup that’s expanding into new languages, or a business in a region with multiple languages.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Automatic translation engines are getting stronger, but they miss out on context and social meaning. That’s where writers who have fluent language skills in multiple languages are still very valuable.

Salary : Anywhere from $15 to $50+ per hour depending on how complex translations are and which language you’re translating to.

10. Conversion copywriter

What you’ll do : Write and edit copy—mostly on marketing landing pages—that encourages people to buy your client’s product or service.

Who your client is : Usually the VP of Marketing or VP of Sales. In a small startup, you’d likely collaborate directly with the founder.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : With the rising costs of advertising, on-page conversion is more critical than ever. That means there’s plenty of opportunity for freelance writers that know how to make people buy.

Salary : From $25 to $100+ per hour depending on experience and what region your client is located in.

11. Script writer

What you’ll do : Product scripts for TV, movies, podcasts, or advertisements that entertain or entice people to buy.

Who your client is : In the business world, usually a head of content or head of marketing. In the entertainment world, you’re usually working with a producer or director.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : The business world is just getting into podcasting and video, so there’s significant opportunity. The entertainment world is slowing down a little bit, but giants like Netflix and Amazon are pouring billions of dollars into original content production so there are still opportunities.

Salary : $27 to $100+ per hour depending on what type of script writing you do and what kind of client.

12. Writing coach for professionals

What you’ll do : Help other writers—freelancers, content marketers, executives, and founders—hone their writing style, tone, and skills.

Who your client is : Anyone that needs to write as part of their career.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : A lot of writers hire writing coaches, but it can be tough to find these jobs. Many coaches have also moved to group programs to reduce the cost for each individual.

Salary : Anywhere from $20 to $200+ per hour depending on experience level and who your client is.

13. Writing tutor for high school students

What you’ll do : Help high school students learn the fundamentals of writing and apply that experience to school projects and college admissions.

Who your client is : Usually either a college admissions agency, tutoring agency, or working directly with parents.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : College admissions is increasingly competitive, so parents are often willing to shell out a lot of money to help their kid get a leg up.

Salary : Anywhere from $20 to $65+ per hour depending on your region, experience, and education.

14. Ad copywriter

What you’ll do : Similar to a conversion copywriter, an ad copywriter specializes in producing content that encourages people to buy a product or service. The difference is that ad copywriters specialize in ultra-short form content—a social media or Google ad with 100 characters—to entice people to click through the ad to learn more.

Who your client is : Usually the VP of Marketing (at a company) or the VP of Client Delivery (at an agency).

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry globally, so there’s always work for a talented ad copywriter.

Salary : Between $25 to $100+ per hour depending on the project and whether you work with a client directly or work through an agency.

15. Novelist

What you’ll do : Write books and sell them, either for yourself or by ghostwriting for other people, whether or not they are writers themselves.

Who your client is : Yourself if you are self-publishing, your agent and publisher if you’re working with a publishing house, or usually an executive or celebrity if you are ghostwriting.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : With the rise of self-publishing, anyone can become a novelist. The thing to remember is you need to market your own books if you self-publish. However, you can use your own novels as work samples to get ghostwriting work later on.

Salary : Varies if you self-publish, but you can make between $5,000 to $50,000+ to ghost write someone else’s book depending on length and complexity.

16. Travel writer

What you’ll do : Write engaging content about travel: places to see, prices, hidden gems, excursions, and personal reviews of different locations.

Who your client is : Usually a travel magazine editor or yourself, if you run your own travel blog.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : The travel industry is frequently up and down, so this job is not all that common. However, it’s included because if you can land a travel writer freelance job, the perks (free travel and experiences) are amazing.

Salary : Anywhere from $10 to $60+ per hour, plus costs of travel associated with your work.

17. Foodie writer

What you’ll do : Foodie writers produce all sorts of content about food: reviews, alternative lifestyles, cooking tips, baking, and personal opinions or experiences.

Who your client is : Usually a food or lifestyle magazine. You can also start your own foodie blog and monetize it yourself.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Like travel, the food journalism industry is up and down, so these jobs are hard to find. But if you get these writing jobs, you get to eat at some of the best restaurants in the world, completely free.

Salary : Anywhere from $10 to $50+ per hour, plus any costs of food associated with you writing an article.

18. Media relations specialist

What you’ll do : Help your client get features in mainstream media, industry publications, and the general blogosphere.

Who your client is : Usually a VP of Marketing, VP of PR, or the founder of a startup. You might also work 1:1 with an executive that you are promoting to the media.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Media relations is a tough field because results are so widely varying. That means these jobs are usually fairly easy to find (since everyone wants to be in the news), but hard to keep if you can’t produce results.

Salary : Anywhere from $50 to $300+ per hour depending on your experience and proof of past results for clients.

19. Business plan writer

What you’ll do : Help companies at all stages produce business plans. This could mean a plan for an entirely new business, a plan for a new product or service, or a plan to launch in a new market.

Who your client is : Usually the board, founders, or CEO.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Business plans are essential for growing business so there’s high demand, but the roles can be tough to find if you don’t have connections to senior executives.

Salary : Anywhere from $25 to $75+ per hour, depending on experience, business size, and project scope.

20. Sales enablement copywriter

What you’ll do : Produce a variety of content that the sales team can use to aid in their efforts: internal scripts, explanations, responses to sales objections, and leave-behind content a salesperson can send to a prospect such as an ebook or one-pager.

Who your client is : Usually the VP of Sales, or the VP of Marketing who is working to support the sales team.

Flexibility, growth, and consistency : Sales is an absolutely essential part of every business, so there’s high demand for writers who know how to produce sales enablement content.

Salary : Anywhere from $35 to $100+ per hour, depending on project scope.

Where to find freelance writing jobs

If you’re looking to find freelance writing jobs, the most common sources are to use job boards, your personal network, social media, and agencies.

Freelance marketplaces and job boards

The best thing about freelance marketplaces or writing job sites is that you’ll see thousands of potential gigs in one place. You can also filter out to specifically find different kinds of writing jobs depending on what you like.

Here are a few freelance job boards for writers specifically:

• BloggingPro
• Freelance Writer’s Den

You can also check out Wave’s guide to the 24 best platforms to find freelance writing jobs .

Pros of using job boards : Lots of opportunities brought right to your (digital) doorstep.

Cons of using job boards : The downside of these freelance job sites is that there’s often a lot of competition, which can push the price downward and make it difficult to built a writing career. However, if you build a strong freelance writer pitch , you’ll be able to explain the value you bring to the table for the rates you charge.

Your network

Another effective way to find freelance writing jobs is through your network. Here’s what you can do to maximize your opportunities:

• Follow people that share job listings : Some freelancers specifically use their feed to amplify freelance job listings. Follow these people so you are made aware of when new opportunities come out.
• Ask for referrals : If you know what kind of writing you want to focus on, let your network know you’re open to referrals if they know someone who needs your writing skills.
• Update your personal site and online profiles : Make it clear that you’re a freelance writer and you’re open to new work.

Pros of using your network : You keep 100% of the profit and have other people vouch for your work.

Cons of using your network : It can be slow to start.

Social media

Social media is a great platform for doing research on new freelance job opportunities—or scouting for freelance job listings you can apply to. Here are some tips based on some major social media platforms: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Quora.

Pros of using social media : Billions of people to connect with.

Cons of using social media : You have no control over the look and feel of the platform, which make it hard to customize.

Fill out your profile and headline : Be clear that you’re a freelance writer—and highlight your specialty or focus.

Use the job search function : Many companies post freelance jobs on LinkedIn that you can search and filter for when doing research on opportunities to apply to.

Use the “Open to” function : LinkedIn has a profile function where you can indicate that you’re open to freelance work. This helps when recruiters use LinkedIn to find talent.

Leverage your bio : Include that you’re a freelance writer and add a link to your personal website in your Twitter bio so people can see it when they hover over your name.

Look for relevant hashtags : Hashtags are how people build community on Twitter. They are also how people get visibility when they post freelance jobs. Some common examples: # FreelanceChat , # FreelanceAsk , and # JournoRequest .

Follow your ideal customers : Many people use Twitter to announce when they are hiring or looking for freelancers. If you follow them, you’ll see their announcements in your feed.

Keep it professional : If you’re using Facebook to find jobs, make sure your profile is professional and bio is filled out.

Join relevant groups : There are a lot of groups on Facebook built exclusively for sharing freelance job listings.

Follow brands you want to work for : Many brands will post on Facebook when they are looking to hire freelancers.

Fill out your profile : Complete your profile with a one-sentence description of your freelance work and a link to your personal website.

Answer questions : Any time you can provide insight, do it (don’t answer questions you know nothing about). Quora has a high domain authority, which means high SEO rankings. It’s possible that your answers will show up on the first page of Google, driving people to check out your profile and potentially reach out to you.

Many agencies work with both full-time staff and freelancers. If you want to join an agency’s freelancer roster, here’s what you can do:

• Step 1 : Identify all agencies that sell the kind of writing you do.
• Step 2 : If they have a freelancer application button, apply following the instructions.
• Step 3 : If they don’t have a freelancer application button, reach out to the head of HR and ask if they work with freelancers—and if you can join their roster. Be sure to include a few relevant work samples, just like you would with any job application.

Pros of using agencies : They bring work right to your door.

Cons of using agencies : You may have to give steep discounts and the work may not always come at the pace you want.

Newsletter communities

If you want more opportunities to come to you, subscribe to different newsletters that share freelance jobs.

Examples include:

• Peak Freelance
• The Writer Finder
• Kat Boogaard’s newsletter

To find more, you can google “ Newsletters that share freelance writing jobs .”

It's important to note that while there are many types of freelance jobs out there (from day jobs to part-time gigs), there is no guarantee that any of these sources will land you a writing job. That's why it's so critical to apply to multiple jobs, continue writing so you have new samples to show potential clients, and be open to new learning opportunities as you go.

Pros of using newsletter communities : Perhaps one of the best parts of all job search processes is that newsletters email you whenever a new opportunity comes up.

Cons of using newsletters : Despite the pros, newsletters are challenging because the gigs may not be a great fit even if they sound good on paper.

Minimum necessities to win writing jobs

You need more than a pretty application to land a freelance writing job. Many companies will google applications to see how they present themselves online and what kind of work they’ve done in the past. With that in mind, make sure you have these minimums covered:

A personal website

At a bare minimum, your website needs to include the following:

An introduction : It has to be very clear who you are (your name + the fact that you’re a freelance writer) within a second of someone landing on your website.

An explanation of what you do : A very digesteable list of the services you provide so that any potential client can easily match that up to your job application.

What kinds of clients you help : This is when you can explain your specialties, expertise, and how you’re a great fit to help a certain kind of client.

A way to get in touch with you : Either a contact form (preferred) or an email (it will work).

Once you have it set up, you should consider adding extras that help you build your brand:

Your story and personal brand : This is taking your introduction and adding more context to it. Instead of just stating who you are and what you do, explain a bit more about the “why” behind your work. This can be your bigger vision in life, what drives you, or what you’re passionate about.

Other activities you do : If you have a newsletter, digital products that you sell, or something else, you can include this on your website.

A general portfolio

A general portfolio is where you highlight all of your best work.

If you are just getting started as a writer (or can’t legally share client examples because of contractual limitations), here are three different ways you can build up your portfolio:

1. Write for yourself

You can self-publish for free on your website, on LinkedIn, or multiple other platforms. You can even write a book and self-publish it on Amazon. While these endeavors may not make you money in the short-term, they help with brand building and are great work samples you can show to potential paying clients.

2. Write for charities and nonprofits as a volunteer

Similar to writing for yourself, volunteering is a great way to give back to causes you care about while also getting work samples you can share with potential clients. You also enjoy the benefit of your work being in someone else’s domain name, which gives you brand credibility as if they were a client.

3. Guest blogging

Guest blogging is when you write a post explicitly for another website, whether it be a brand’s blog or the media. You usually write it for free, and in return they often give you exposure and a link back to your personal website. This is different from working for free, because you get to write about a topic you choose and your work is named, so the credit goes to you.

Note : Never do free work for a for-profit company just to get a portfolio sample. If a company tries to ask for free work, they are taking advantage of you. Further, don’t listen if they claim there’s a lot of paid work “in the future,” because that’s almost always a lie. If a company wants to do a trial to see if you’re a fit to work together, you can offer to do a paid trial.

Relevant work samples

Make sure you include relevant work samples for each job application you submit. You can pull this from your general portfolio. For example, if someone wants to hire you to write long form blogs, then you should only send examples of long form blogs you’ve written unless explicitly asked for something different. If you only sent examples of ad copy, for instance, you risk turning off that client from working with you.

Testimonials or references

When a company hires a freelancer, they need to know two things:

• That you can do the work they need you to.
• That you are a professional.

Work samples prove you can do the work, but testimonials and references demonstrate that you are a professional, which can help you close more clients.

Understand the sales and pitch process

Finding freelance work usually happens in one of two ways:

• You submit an application via a job board or marketplace, then do an interview.
• You get connected with a potential client and you book a sales call with them to see if you’re a fit (which is similar to an interview).

If you use a marketplace, you can often find jobs fairly quickly. However, be aware that platforms will take a percentage of your revenue as a fee for finding you the job. Further, there’s a lot of competition on platforms.

If you go it alone, you keep all the revenue. But that also means you are running your whole business solo, so you need to make sure you have everything in place to handle business banking, admin, payments, and more.

Managing the business side of writing jobs

Building a successful freelance writing business is about more than just being a good writer. Here’s what you need to keep in mind.

Choosing employee versus freelancer

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve already chosen the freelancer path. However, successful freelancers regularly get full-time job opportunities from clients or recruiters approaching them. And if you’re struggling to build your freelance business, a full-time job can be an attractive option.

So the key is not just that you chose the freelance path once, it’s that you have to continually choose to be a freelancer. You have to value the freedom that freelancing gives you more than you want the stability of a paycheck.

As a freelance writer, you need two kinds of technology:

Technology to do your actual work : This is basic stuff like a computer and access to Google Docs.

Technology to help you improve your writing : Platforms like Hemingway, Grammarly, or Surfer SEO.

Finance and admin

As a freelancer, you have to manage your own business. That means things like: invoicing software , business banking, expense tracking, and tax remittance.

Legal and contracts

Never start work without a contract. Here are some key things to include:

• What you’re doing
• Pay triggers (when you will to send invoices)
• Payment timelines
• Cancellation or late payment fees, if applicable
• Recourse available to the client if they are unhappy with your work

If you’re working with a freelance job board or marketplace, they will often give you standard contracts to use. However, you should always check with a lawyer to make sure your contracts work for your unique circumstances.

Ongoing learning

Whether you take a course to learn more about writing, interview people in different fields, conduct your own research, or even consider getting a journalism degree, you have to be committed to ongoing learning. You don't have to spend tons of money here. For example, you could read a few magazines from a library or take an inexpensive DIY online course, but the key is to push yourself to learn more so you can bring that experience to your client projects.

Learning is also how you can pick up different kinds of jobs in your career. For example, you might want to become a speechwriter instead of a being one of many copywriters in your niche. If you take a speech writing course, for example, you can transition your career immediately—and many courses will even show you how to land new clients and build the right marketing materials to update your personal website.

Freelance writing can be a rewarding career

The written word has evolved a lot, expanding into multiple different business and creative use cases. But the foundation of writing is still the same: to explain, take on a journey, or persuade. So as you build your freelance writing business, think about the fundamentals first. Then think about what you want out of your career, from flexibility to security. Then go for it. Money is going to be a big part of it, but the real win is building a career that provides you with the life and lifestyle you truly want.

You might also enjoy this content

Grant and Report Writing Consultant

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is an international, not-for-profit research and development (R&D) organization that develops and delivers new treatments for neglected diseases affecting millions of the world’s poorest people. 

Together with more than 200 public research and industry allies worldwide, we use the power of partnership, innovation, open science, and advocacy to find solutions to a great injustice: the lack of medicines for life-threatening diseases that disproportionately impact poor and marginalized people. Driven by collaboration, not competition, and by patients’ needs, not profits, we promote equitable access, foster inclusive and sustainable solutions, and advocate for a more effective global biomedical R&D system that meets the needs of neglected patients. 

13 new treatments for people with sleeping sickness, visceral leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, HIV, hepatitis C, and malaria that have saved millions of lives. We aim to deliver a total of 25 new treatments by 2028– addressing R&D gaps for neglected tropical diseases and viral infections, including new pandemic-prone diseases (such as COVID-19) and climate-sensitive diseases (such as dengue) with a focus on the needs of patients in low- and middle-income countries. 

The External Affairs Department drives DNDi’s visibility, influence, and financial sustainability. Its teams (Policy Advocacy, Communications, and External Relations] ensure that DNDi is visible and respected in influential circles, supported by committed stakeholders, and successful in securing the resources needed to deliver on its mission, while being effective in driving policy change as it advocates for neglected patients. 

The External Affairs’ Donors (External) Relations team develops and implements DNDi’s global fundraising strategy to secure funding from a mix of public and private donors and new financing mechanisms, worldwide. 

Purpose of the position

The overall purpose of this assignment is to have additional writing capacity for the External Relations team. The incumbent would be available to support the team with report writing, concept notes and proposals to donors, on a project basis.    

This person will liaise with the External Relations team and scientific R&D teams, as needed, to help gather and develop information to form donor narrative reports. The person will draft, develop and edit narrative reports, including qualitative and quantitative data, to the donor with inputs from the team.   

Contribution

In order to develop new income opportunities and capabilities, the External Relations team is adding functionality in reporting back to donors, to support donor relations activities. We are recruiting to expand our pool of writing consultants for  help to deliver on increasing reporting requirements to donors by collating materials from sources within DNDi and writing reports and  grant proposals for our donors.   

The consultant will be home-based and will work, initially, on an ad-hoc basis and the start would be from May onwards.   

Tasks and responsibilities

• Based on a project-by-project basis, and with input from the DNDi External Relations team, the consultant will support with the writing of donor reports and/or donor proposals for grants, as required.   
• Setting and driving timelines to enable the timely delivery of reports.   
• Writing text for donor documents based on accompanying data from available information, Excel spreadsheets, bullet points, or interviews with DNDi staff.   
• Proofreading and editing of text provided by DNDi staff.   
• Population of donor templates with text and information as required.   
• Organizing information and data inputs, behind reports or grants, within transparent, traceable, and user-friendly systems.   

Additional/specific/projects responsibilities

• Development of public and private donor proposals

Reporting line

• The Grant and Report writing consultant will report to a Senior External Relations Manager  
• Including contributions from the Director of External Relations, where appropriate.   

Interactions

• Close working relationship with relevant members of the Fundraising team, in the External Relations department.  
• Working with members of the DNDi Research & Development teams, including with finance and legal as required.   
• Working with DNDi partners where needed.       

Job requirements

Skills and attributes.

• Ability to simplify difficult concepts and complex achievements with simplified, but clear language.   
• Ability to capture multi-year data and information succinctly via the use of charts, tables, graphs, and accompanying language.   
• Excellent communication skills, including fluent written and spoken English and/or French, and the ability to synthesize large amounts of information into relevant, coherent, and polished donor reports.    
• Ability to work proactively and autonomously.    
• Ability to work well within a multicultural and virtual team, and collaboratively to identify relevant information for donor reporting.     
• Integrity in handling highly sensitive information appropriately and maintaining confidentiality with donor information.     
• Intellectual curiosity and the ability to rapidly develop an understanding of DNDi’s work as it pertains to R&D, global health and neglected populations    
• Ability to think both analytically and conceptually, interpreting diverse information.    
• Well organized and structured.  
• Ability to interact with external stakeholders.  
• Ability solve non-routine problems on a case by case/project basis.  
• At least three to five years related experience and a proven track record in writing fundraising documents, such as proposals or reports in an NGO context.    
• Experience or academic background in at least one of the following areas would be highly regarded: public health, science, fundraising/philanthropy, international development, marketing, and communications or journalism.    
• Knowledge of specific donor templates (e.g. EDCTP, WB) and reporting requirements would be an advantage.

Technical skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office tools (Outlook, Excel, Access, Word, PowerPoint, Teams), including the ability to develop and maintain complex Excel spreadsheets including data from multiple sources with clear and effective presentation and translate data formats.  
• Advanced university degree, or graduate degree with equivalent additional years of relevant work experience.  

Other requirements

• Fluency in English, with excellent writing and editing skills essential. Fluency in French and/or German, with very good writing and editing skills, a strong advantage.    
• Passion for DNDi’s mission (intellectual curiosity and willingness to learn about scientifically complex concepts, understanding of R&D and drug development, disease, medical field & global health, product development partnership model, as well as for the philanthropic & not-for-profit section).    
• Very good knowledge of Microsoft Suite.  
• Please submit your application using the online form 
• Deadline for application: accepting applications until 30 April 2024 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted    
• Cover letter (max 1 page) followed by a writing sample (of up to 3 pages max) as one PDF document. Please state your availability within the cover letter.   
• CV (max 2 pages). Please ensure you provide a list of previous clients that you have worked with.  
• Application submission for this position may close early if we have enough suitable applicants 

Read, watch, share

Ravidasvir journey

2023 R&D portfolio in review: Pandemic preparedness

2023 R&D portfolio in review: Chagas

2023 R&D portfolio in review: Hepatitis C

Follow us on linkedin.

Don’t miss our latest job opportunities. Stay in touch with news from our team

• Neglected tropical diseases
• R&D portfolio
• Policy advocacy

Get in touch

• Our offices
• Integrity Line
• Subscribe to eNews

Work with us

• Join research networks
• Terms of Use   
•   Acceptable Use Policy   
•   Privacy Policy   
•   Cookie Policy   
•   Our policies   
• Except for images, films and trademarks which are subject to DNDi’s Terms of Use, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Switzerland License