5 Freelance Writing Jobs That Pay $23+ An Hour In 2024

You’re passionate and well-versed in a topic, and you have extensive writing skills. So what freelance writing jobs can you get?

Freelance writing gigs are widely available across multiple platforms and job boards, but the key is knowing where exactly to look and what job titles to search for. And if you can find one that pays even while you’re not working on the project (known as passive income), even better.

In this article, we’ll look into five freelance writing jobs that pay $23 or more on average, and some examples of places where you can find them. (Bear in mind that the rate you set and exactly how much you get paid varies depending on different factors such as your location, industry competitiveness, and negotiations according to your client’s budget. It also depends on the pricing model you use, whether you are charging for your work by the hour, by the project, or using another model. Hourly rates listed are from ZipRecruiter and UpWork.)

1. Medium Freelance Writer

At Medium, you can get paid to write based on who clicks to open your paywall-protected content, how much time they spend reading it, and also the level of engagement via the Medium Partner Program. This can be your personal blog or an extension of it, but it must be something the provides real value, educates, and inspires. This is a great way to build passive income over time.

However, you will need to be a Medium member first and create regular posts before applying to join the Partner Program.

Average hourly rate: this is difficult to predict as it depends on several factors

2. Freelance Travel Writer

Travel writing can be fun as you get to blog about your journey in visiting different destinations across the world, share your experiences, and provide travel and trip advice to your followers. Not only can you write in your own personal blog, but you can land freelance writing jobs as a travel writer for travel-focused magazines and guides, many of which hire on FlexJobs, UpWork, and Fiverr.

Average hourly rate: $23 an hour

3. Freelance Curriculum Developer

If you have a background in education, corporate training, or learning and development, you could try bidding for projects such as curriculum writing or developing gigs. You can also set yourself up on flexible job boards such as FlexJobs, and on sites such as Freelancer.com or Guru.

Average hourly rate: $23.27 an hour

4. Freelance White Paper Writer

White papers are comprehensive authoritative reports which establish a brand’s authority within their industry and are frequently used within B2B marketing. Companies might solicit your help with drafting and collating some of the research for the white paper, and this extensive and time-consuming project can pay very well. You could find yourself being approached on platforms such as Fiverr for this type of work, but you should also promote this service on LinkedIn since it is a B2B service after all.

Average hourly rate: $60 to $120 an hour (this type of freelance writing tends to command much higher rates)

5. Freelance Resume Writer

Believe it or not, even with the availability of AI resume builders, freelance resume writers are still needed. While demand may not be as high due to these tools taking over much of the work, resume and cover letter writing may be called for by certain niche clients who’d rather have a human perspective to look over and edit their resume for them. You may also find that offering resume and cover letter writing services, and even LinkedIn profile writing as a service, will be a helpful value-add to your existing freelance services as a career coach or personal development coach.

You can advertize your services on LinkedIn and even consider joining an agency.

Average hourly rate: $23.27 an hour (however, Glassdoor notes otherwise, suggesting $32.93 per hour; the actual rate varies depending on the scope of work, the client’s job experience level, and your level of expertise.)

This is just a handful of job opportunities you can do from home as a freelance writer; through leaning into your strengths as a writer and freelancer, actively building your skills, and seeking out opportunities that align with market demands as well as your passion, you can carve out a successful career or side hustle and gain a steady stream of freelance writing jobs and clients.