We have talked before a fair bit about freelance writing jobs on the blog but this post is going to be specifically about home based writing jobs for UK freelancers.
Freelance writing jobs can be a great way to earn some extra income online. There are a few ways to do it. We will discuss them here and I will also list you several UK websites that are looking for writers.
It’s not just freelance jobs though that can make you money. You can also write your OWN material and sell it as eBooks or paperbacks. More on this later.
For now though lets talk about home based writing jobs, UK edition!
When starting out as a freelance writer it can be tough to find jobs. I can’t speak from experience as I have only really done a handful of writing jobs, as this is not a hustle that I actively pursue.
However, my friend is a copywriter and he has said when starting out it can be tough as you have no social proof, or no history so you may often have to write for a low price. But you can grow this.
So, let’s go over some sites first that you can pitch your work to. All suitable for UK writers and bloggers.
# 1 – Get Blogged
This is a great site that offers loads of paid blogging work. If you have a blog of your own this is a great way to bring in some extra money each month.
The great thing about this site is they rank up their work in order of your site’s Domain Authority. The higher your DA the higher you will get paid.
Simple as that.
You are able to scan through the list of jobs that and being offered and then if you see one you are happy with you can pitch for it.
Just a short paragraph about why you think this will be a good fit for your blog and you are done. If you are unsuccessful in this pitch do not worry, there are plenty of jobs going around!
Another superb thing about Get Blogged and their paid blogging opportunities is that you are paid out on approval of the post which is great as often as writers you can wait months for payments.
Sometimes as a freelance writer, you may even feel that you are practically writing for free. Blogger outreach emails can be tough going. You will often feel like you are working for free as you will not hear back from all your emails etc and sometimes the response is based on the success of the blog, or even just as a free guest post. I’ve had some sites ask me to pay them for my own posts to be published on their sites.
This is not a workable model for most people. At least with Get Blogged this is different. They recognize your talents and pay you on time after you have been accepted for a job.
# 2 – Text Broker
Another superb site with thousands of orders available at your level. The reason I say “at your level” is when you sign up you have to provide a sample piece of writing showcases your work. Once this has been reviewed you will get your rating.
Your rating is what determines the level of pay in accordance with your quality of work. You can improve this rating at any time.
This is a good thing. At Text Broker you are paid for each word, it does not matter if you are a beginner just starting out or are an experienced seasoned professional writer.
You can choose from three different order books here with jobs. They have the open orders book, which is where you can choose from thousands of orders that will be relevant to your level.
The next way is to choose the Direct Orders, these are when clients send you an offer directly. Here your current level pricing can be changed. You and the client are able to agree on a set price between you for this work.
This other option is to work as part of a group on the Team Orders. You can join as many teams as you want and the price is set by the client.
So, its really up to you. Take on as much work as you want or just drop in now and then and write a piece of interest from the open orders board.
Here is how the process works:
Check them out here: https://www.textbroker.co.uk/authors
#3 – Writer Access
This site does accept residents from the UK, but also US, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.
It is mainly geared around the blog posts style of writing but there are some more detailed case studies and technical white papers if you are interested.
As with most of these sites, you will be required to present at least two samples of your work first on your application. You can do this by simply sending them the URL of any blog posts you have done.
You can expect to hear back from them within 2 weeks
It is recommended by them to only apply to ONE niche to get things started. You can always grow your account and add further specialities later on down the road.
The payouts vary depending on the job, but they are clear from the outset – you earn 70% of the paid work and the 30% goes to them.
It’s their playground, so their rules.
The thing I notice with this site is they are really after specialists, they much prefer writers with a specific set of writing skills about a certain industry.
With this site you are much more likely to succeed with a high expertise in one field than that of a general writer who writes for many.
Apply here: https://www.writeraccess.com/apply-writer/
Further Sites To Submit Your Skills For UK Writers
So, those three sites are where you are able to apply to jobs already created. So that’s one side of the fence.
But what about if you wanted to be on the other side of the fence and have clients come to you?
Well, there are plenty of sites for this, but I am going to share a couple here.
# 1 – Fiverr
We all know about Fiverr but it is long gone of the days where you could only charge $5 for any gig. You know have highly skilled workers on here offering services like writing and charging some extremely healthy rates for the work.
It is an incredibly good place to offer up your skills as a freelancer. What have you got to lose?
You set your rates, be clear on your offer, upload a striking thumbnail and you are all set.
It is up to you then if you decide to promote your gig or just wait for natural organic sales to come in.
If you are just starting out then you may have to start with your prices a little on the low side, but this can and will grow so you can up your prices the more work you take on.
Again, like some of the previous websites above it is better to niche down on your gigs, certainly in the early days.
What do I mean by niche down?
Let’s say you are the client and you want a piece of work for a blog titled “Tips To Get A Flat Belly – Just 10 Minutes Per Day”
Now, as the client you are on Fiverr and you come across the following two profiles:
Gig #1: I will write an SEO optimized 1000-word blog post article in the weight loss niche.
Gig #2: I will write any article about any subject.
I would imagine that most of the time the client would go for the 1st gig.
This is what I mean by niche down.
It does not mean you can’t write in multiple niches, but just make your gigs different. You can set up many gigs offering different services across different niches.
#2 – People Per Hour
Like Fiverr you are able to offer up your own gigs here at set prices, but also this is a place where you are able to be hired based on your portfolio and profile.
I have used this site before to hire freelancers and we agreed on a set price for the work through a conversation we had on the site’s messenger service.
Once we agreed I paid the fee and it sat in a holding account until I agreed the work was completed. It was then released to the freelancer.
Like I mentioned also, you are able to offer up gigs just like on Fiverr. You can set whatever price you want.
Once your profile grows you can obviously tweak your prices up.
Other Home Based Writing Options:
There are a whole host of other ways you can make money as a writer, including writing your own books to sell.
Related post:
22 Websites That Pay You To Write For Them
Writing Fiction As A Side Hustle – A True Passive Income: SL#06
I have just published my very first paperback on the Amazon KDP platform which is now another small passive income stream coming in.
If you want a free digital version of this book you can grab it here.
Once I had written the book in Word it was just a case of formatting the text and adding the pictures etc using Canva and then uploading it to the Amazon KDP platform. I also created my cover for the book using Canva too.
You can also create your own eBooks and sell them on various digital platforms such as Gumroad or JVZoo marketplace.
I recently hooked up with a pal of mine on a Podcast and we talked about this very subject.
I hope this blog post has opened your eyes to some of the options you have as a UK based writer looking for freelance work.
One final thing, if you want to take things to another level and possibly even set up your own freelance writing service then check out Ruth’s Writing Course over on her blog. What she doesn’t know about freelance writing isn’t worth knowing.
If you want more side hustle ideas and other ways to make some extra income from home then jump on the email newsletter and join other side hustlers just like you!
