Are you looking for blog writing jobs?
No. I’m not talking about the prolific Craigslist ads and content-mill stuff that pays $5 to $10 per blog post.
If those are the types of writing jobs you’ve been chasing, it’s time to get some new clients. You can do better.
If you ask the Interwebs, there’s an estimated 400 million blogs online. Sure, lots of those are dead sites or personal blogs with pictures of kids, cats, and crafts. And you won’t find any blog writing jobs there. But there are blog writing jobs that pay.
Do a little digging, and you’ll find business blogs in virtually any niche designed to engage readers, drive website traffic, and promote a product or service. You’ll also find niche news-style blogs that operate similar to a newspaper or magazine.
Both of these types of blog writing jobs are money for the serious freelancer. Why? Well-run blogs publish frequently and need content. That means one blog writing assignment can easily turn into a regular assignment.
Looking for more blog writing jobs? Check out this list of 10 sites that pay $75 and up per assignment
1. Elite Personal Finance
If you want to write for Elite Personal Finance, there are two things you’ll need to know. First, you’ll need to know the ins and outs of finance, credit, home loans, ways to make money online, identify theft or investing. And second, you’ll need to know how to write for millennials, the site’s target audience.
- Pays: $300 per assignment
- Guidelines: 1,000 to 3,000 words
- Tip: Pitch a guest post idea from the list of accepted topics, and increase your chances of acceptance with an original image or artwork
2. Freelance Mom
You don’t have to be a mom to write for Freelance Mom (dad’s can write for this site, too). But you do need to know what it’s like to balance taking care of kids, freelancing and running your own business. Your personal story and experience can help connect you with readers, but your guest post needs to be more than a this-happened-to-me story.
- Pays: $75 to $100 per guest post
- Guidelines: 900 to 1,500 words
- Tip: Increase your chances of acceptance by including a 30-minute action plan with your guest post, or pitch a how-to or lessons-learned post related to freelancing
3. Knitty
Knitty is a niche blog for knitters who are passionate about knitting patterns, clothing design, new and emerging fiber materials, techniques and innovations in knitting and more. You can get paid for guest post tutorials about knitting-related topics that teach readers new skills or techniques, or earn by sharing original knitting patterns.
- Pays: $200-300 USD per published submission
- Guidelines: 1,000 to 2,000 words
- Tip: Include original photos with your guest post tutorial pitch to increase your chance of acceptance. Knitty, also publishes the blog KnittySpin for people who enjoy handspun knitting
4. List Verse
Chances are pretty good you’ve been sucked into reading a curious list post about something you stumbled upon online. Right? Ever thought about writing one of those list posts yourself about something you’re curious about?
That’s exactly the kind of stuff List Verse publishes…list posts about things like:
- Pays: $100 per list post
- Guidelines: Pitch with a completed and original list post that includes at least 10 pieces of information
- Tip: The more offbeat, novel, or interesting, the more likely your post will be accepted
5. Priceonomics
How much is that doggy in the window? No not just the price tag. What’s the cost of breeding, medical care, food and shelter, and advertising that determines the price of the dog? If you can think like that and find the answers, you can write for Priceonomics, a data-driven news site founded by Rohin Dhar.
- Pays: $250 to $1,000 per assignment
- Guidelines: Depends on assignment
- Tip: Pitch a plan to write one of the nine story ideas on the guidelines page. Include a brief bio about yourself, and link to your most popular published credit online
6. Refinery 29
If you can already riff on fashion trends, celebrity tattoo gossip, shopping and make-up must-haves, career moves, relationships, movie pics, and the kind of stuff girlfriends like to talk about, you already know what the Refinery 29 audience wants. Or if you don’t know all the nitty gritty right now, you at least know who to call and where to go to get the scoop and pitch a guest post idea to Refinery 29.
- Pays: $75 and up per assignment
- Guidelines: Based on assignment
- Tip: Refinery 29 Editor Neha Gandhi wants guest post pitches about pop culture in South Korea, bargain shopping stories, tips and hacks, and college-campus-life trends and issues
7. Ragan.com
Do you have a tip for breaking news or a trend that needs coverage? Ragan.com is looking for contributors and is accepting pitches, op-eds and more. Send your query to Allison Carter.
- Pays: $0.10 to $1.00 per word, depending on experience and the complexity of the project
- Tip: Increase your chances of success by following Ragan’s guest post guidelines.
8. Parents.com
Editor Elisabeth Sherman is often on the lookout for freelance writers to take on evergreen assignments at parents.com. The site is also always looking for experienced and qualified writers with expertise in family and parenting topics.
9. High Tea Society
If you have a passion for writing and a love for all things high tea, then consider contributing to High Tea Society. Director Michelle Milton is looking for writers who will share their unique high tea experiences with a global audience and are especially interested in high tea experiences in Auckland, Wellington, New York, San Francisco, Dubai, Tokyo, Bangkok or Hong Kong.
- Tip: Send an email to Michelle Milton with details on why you would be an ideal contributor. Please include links to your portfolio, blog, website or social media profiles
10. Make a Living Writing
What do you know about the business and craft of freelance writing? If you’ve been around the block a few times, or you’re new to freelancing, and learned a valuable lesson to grow your business, land new clients, use social media for marketing, or make more money, pitch a guest post idea to share your tip with other writers here at Make a Living Writing. It’s the reason this blog was created in the first place, to help writers move up, earn more and make a living writing.
- Pays: $150-$230 per guest post
- Guidelines: 1,000-plus words per guest post with actionable advice other writers can follow
- Tip: Although currently closed to submissions, to aid your chances of your pitch being accepted study the blog and guidelines before pitching. If English is your second language, please read this before querying.
Get more blog writing jobs
If you want to land more blog writing jobs, there’s a basic process you should follow.
- Study the blog. Read a dozen or more blog posts on the site and get familiar with the content
- Pay attention to the headlines, lede paragraphs, writing style, and target audience. Bonus points if you can pick out key phrases. Note: Blog posts tend to have more subheads, pull quotes, bulleted lists, and graphic elements than traditional news writing
- Generate blog post ideas. Come up with a fresh idea for a guest post. Write a working headline and brief summary. Craft the headline with a key phrase that gets search traffic
- Pitch the editor. Write a letter of introduction or query letter and pitch your guest post ideas to the editor. Yes, directly to the editor, not the generic editor@ black-hole-email address
- Tip: Many blogs don’t publish submission guidelines, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hire freelancers to write blog posts. Find a blog in your niche that looks like a potential client, and pitch the editor
Blog writing jobs can be a great way to boost your income, because effective blogs publish at least once a week or more. Want to make a living writing? Go get a new blog writing client.
Evan Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. When he’s not on a writing deadline, or catching up on emails, he’s training to run another 100-mile ultramarathon.
This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.