Last Updated on September 8, 2021 by Rebecca Lake
Get Paid to Write Online
Would you like to get paid to write online and make money from anywhere?
Freelance writing is a proven way to make money from home. There are plenty of websites that will pay you to write, even if you have no professional writing experience.
In fact, freelance writing is one of the best ways to earn an income online because:
- You don’t need to spend money to get started
- It’s a flexible way to earn money in your spare time
- A writing degree or professional writing skills are not required to get started
- You can earn good money and earn it quickly
- There’s a virtually unlimited supply of freelance writing gigs to choose from
I started freelance writing as a single mom side hustle years ago and I now make six figures a year writing.
Freelancing could be a great way to make money for:
- Stay at home moms
- Single moms and single dads
- Working moms
- College students
- Retirees
The biggest challenge when you want to get paid to write is finding places that will pay you for your writing skills.
Today, I’m breaking down the top websites that pay you to write. Plus, I’ll share a few tips that can help you land your first paid writing gigs.
Related post: 25 Amazing Ways to Make 200 Dollars Fast
How Can I Make Money by Writing Online?
The most important thing to know about freelancing is that there are many different ways you can write and get paid.
For example, you can get paid to write:
- Blog posts
- Articles
- Website copy
- Email newsletters
- Product descriptions
- Reviews
- E-books
- Sales copy
- Brochures
- Grants
- White papers
- Social media content
I mostly get paid to write blog posts and articles for finance websites.
But the way you earn money writing online could be different, based on your skills and what you like to write.
How Do I Start Writing to Get Paid?
If you want to get paid to write online, here’s what you’ll need at a minimum:
- A good laptop (something like this will work just fine)
- Reliable internet
- Basic writing skills
That’s all I had when I started my freelance writing side hustle.
But if you have a little more money to invest, these things could also help you get paid to write:
- Writer’s Market (great for finding writing gigs online and offline)
- FlexJobs subscription (this is one of the best websites for finding high-paying remote writing gigs)
- A blog or website (ideal for building your brand and showcasing your writing)
Are these must-haves? Not necessarily.
But they certainly don’t hurt when it comes to helping you get paid to write.
Once you have your tools in place, you can move on to the next step: finding websites that pay you to write.
Related post: How to Start a Blog When You’re Completely Clueless
Best Websites to Write and Get Paid (for Beginners)
To start off the list of ways to earn money writing online, here are some websites that will pay you to write as a beginner.
1. Best Pickist (name your rate)
Best Pickist is a collection of buying guides and user guides that are written by paid writers.
Some of the topics Best Pickist covers include:
- Baby food
- Backpacks
- Kitchen gadgets
- Outdoor sports
- Tools
If you’re just getting started as a freelance writer, this could be a great way to get paid to write while exploring different niches.
Best Pickist lets you choose your rate.
You can apply to be a paid writer with Best Pickist here.
2. Listverse ($100 per list)
Listverse is a website that publishes top 10 lists.
Anyone can apply to write here and make $100 per published list. Topics can range from things like the most pleasing smells to weird torture methods used by the ancient Romans.
Listverse is a good place to start if you want to get paid to write because all you need to start is a creative idea for a list.
You can apply to write with Listverse here.
3. Reader’s Digest ($100 per story)
Reader’s Digest pays $100 for 100-word personal story submissions.
Accepted stories are published in the print edition of the magazine. But the best stories can also be republished on RD.com.
Head here to submit your personal story and earn $100 writing online.
4. Clubhouse Magazine ($150-$200+)
Clubhouse Magazine is published by Focus on the Family.
This is a Christian-focused website designed for kids. So the kind of content they’re looking for includes:
- Short, humorous how-to articles
- Stories highlighting exceptional kids
- Holiday-themed craft or recipe ideas for kids
- Quizzes
- Interviews with noteworthy Christians
- Factual stories that discuss Christian values
This can be a lucrative way to get paid to write online if you’re interested in the faith niche.
Clubhouse Magazine rates start at $150 for nonfiction pieces and $200 for fiction pieces.
You can read the guidelines and learn how to submit your writing here.
5. Cracked.com ($100-$250)
Cracked.com is part humor, part pop culture website.
If you like both, you could make $100 to $250 per article writing here. The rate you earn is based on the length of the articles and the number of pieces you write.
Cracked.com publishes humorous articles but they also publish lists.
You can learn more about their requirements and how to submit a story here.
6. The Sun Magazine (up to $2000)
The Sun Magazine is one of the most lucrative ways to get paid to write online for beginners.
This website publishes:
- Essays
- Fiction
- Poetry
- Interviews
- Articles
- Photographs
You don’t need to be a professional writer to get paid to write here; you just need an interesting story or angle.
The Sun pays anywhere from a few hundred dollars for poetry submissions to $2000 for fiction and essays.
Learn more about the guidelines and how to submit your writing here.
7. Income Diary (up to $200)
Income Diary’s content revolves around making money online, business tips and blogging.
But if you’re knowledgeable about any of those things you could make a quick $200 dollars writing for the site.
The submission guidelines and what Income Diary is looking for are pretty detailed. So you’ll want to read through them carefully to make sure it’s a good fit.
And you can also check out some of the sample articles to see what kind of content is a good fit.
Learn more about writing for Income Diary here.
8. Chicken Soup for the Soul ($200 per story)
Chicken Soup for the Soul is always looking for good stories to publish online and in its series of print books.
You can submit stories and poetry online (they must be in English). And if Chicken Soup for the Soul decides to publish your work, you’ll get paid $200.
Payment comes through about a month after your work is published. So this isn’t one of the best websites to write and get paid instantly.
But it could help you earn money writing online as a beginner.
Learn more about Chicken Soup for the Soul’s submission guidelines.
9. Eating Well (up to $1 per word)
Eating Well is always looking for foodie writers who can deliver a mouth-watering story.
This website pays up to $1 per word for freelance stories about food, travel and culture.
You’ll need to email a pitch first that outlines your story idea. But if it’s accepted, you could easily make $400 or more writing here.
Read through the freelancer guidelines and how to send a pitch here.
10. Freelance Mom ($75 to $100)
Freelance Mom is a website that’s aimed at professional moms who run businesses or money-making side hustles.
This site pays $75 to $100 for original posts on topics related to:
- Business
- Personal development
- Productivity
- Social media
- Work at home
You don’t need to be a mom to get paid to write here. (And men are welcome, too.)
If Freelance Mom loves your story, you could have a chance to win a $150 bonus for your writing.
Learn how to get paid to write online for Freelance Mom here.
11. A Fine Parent ($75)
A Fine Parent is all about, you guessed it, parenting.
This site accepts original articles from beginning writers on stories related to the ins and outs of being a parent.
You can get paid $75 via PayPal if your story is accepted. If you’re interested in writing for parenting magazines, this could be a great stepping stone as the site has a yearly readership that numbers in the millions.
Submit a story to A Fine Parent here.
12. Elite Personal Finance ($300 per article)
Elite Personal Finance is a website that’s all about money management.
If you’re familiar with:
- Business
- Credit
- Money
- Debt
- Loans
Then you could make $300 an article writing online here. Elite Personal Finance also pays $300 for personal stories of identity theft.
Learn more about how you can get paid to write $300 an article about money.
13. Unemploymentville ($25 to $75)
If you’ve ever been out of work and experienced the challenges of trying to land a job, you could get paid to write for Unemploymentville.
This site publishes stories on:
- How to start and make money with a side hustle
- Making money as a gig worker
- Personal development and mindset stories
- Challenges of being unemployed
If you have a unique unemployment or side hustle story to share, check out the submission guidelines now.
14. LiisBeth ($250 to $2000)
At LiisBeth, the focus is on feminism. This site publishes feature articles, newsletters and website content on topics of interest to feminists and feminist allies.
The pay scale ranges from $250 to $2000. The amount you earn can depend on your experience and the type of content you’re writing.
This is a newer site but it has a rapidly-growing audience. So if you’re interested in getting paid to write about feminist issues, check out the guidelines here.
15. Her View From Home (up to $100)
Her View From Home is a website for women that focuses on marriage, motherhood, kids and faith.
This site pays writers to share original articles and stories related to those topics. That pay range depends on how many views your story gets but it tops out at $100 at the high end.
Stories that get accepted are in the 600 to 800 word range and offer a compelling take on being a mom.
If you have a story to share, head here to learn how you can get paid to write online for Her View From Home and earn up to $100.
16. Great Escape Travel ($150 per article)
Love to travel?
Then you could earn up to $150 writing online for Great Escape publishing.
This site pays writers for interviews, personal stories an articles on the art of getting paid to travel.
If you have experience living the digital nomad life and getting paid to do it, head here to submit a story to Great Escape.
17. LadyQs ($50 per article)
LadyQs is a go-to resource for women around the world who want answers to questions like:
- What are some fun gender reveal ideas?
- Am I using my makeup brush correctly?
- How do I stick to a diet while traveling?
This site publishes essays, articles, opinion pieces, photography and even poetry.
The pay starts at $50 per piece, though LadyQs may pay more for lengthier or more unique content.
Learn how to get paid to write for LadyQs here.
18. Today I Found Out
Today I Found Out publishes articles that answer commonly asked questions.
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s pronounced “Gif” or “Jif” or where the world’s most dangerous tree grows, then this website could be a perfect fit.
Today I Found Out doesn’t disclose its rates on the website.
But you can read through the contributor guidelines to learn more about what they’re looking for.
19. Asimov’s ($750+ per story)
Asimov’s publishes science fiction short stories and poems.
If you like sci-fi and have a talent for writing it, you could make $750 or more writing stories or $40 per poem.
Asimov’s gets a lot of submissions so this may not be the best option if you’re looking for sites that let you write and get paid instantly.
But if you’re a budding fiction writer with sci-fi leanings, it’s worth a look.
Check out the submission guidelines here.
20. Fiverr ($5 to $15,000)
Fiverr is a freelance marketplace where you can advertise your writing services.
You create a profile, clients hire you for gigs and you get paid.
This is a good place to start if you’re interested in how to get paid to write online when you have no experience.
You can decide how much to charge, with rates that start as low as $5 and go up to $15,000.
If you’re a new freelance writer, you could easily make $50 to $100 per article writing for clients on Fiverr.
Create your Fiverr profile now to start making money writing.
Start a Blog and Get Paid to Write Online
This list of websites are all ways to get paid to write online. And in some cases, you could earn hundreds or even thousands from your writing.
But these sites require you to write for someone else.
If you’d rather write for yourself, then you could start a blog instead.
There are four main ways you can get paid to write online as a blogger:
- Writing sponsored posts (i.e. you review a product or service and paid for the promotion)
- Running ads on your website
- Including affiliate links in your blog posts
- Writing and selling products (like e-books, guides, etc.)
Blogging for money can be lucrative if you know how to build a profitable blog.
If you want to start a blog that makes money, I can help. I’ve got a step-by-step tutorial that explains everything you need to start a blog with Siteground, so go take a look!
How do you become a freelance blogger?
Freelancing blogging is one of my favorite ways to get paid to write online.
Basically, you can get paid to write blog posts for brands regularly.
For example, I’ve done freelance blogging for the Chime blog, Discover Bank’s Modern Money Blog and Lendio’s blog, to name a few. I make anywhere from $250 to $900 per post.
Breaking into freelance blogging starts with having some blogging samples. These samples can show off your writing skills.
The fastest and easiest way to get blog writing samples is to start a blog of your own.
But if you’re looking for places to get started with freelance blogging jobs, here are some of my favorite job board sites to try:
You can also scout out paid freelance blogging jobs on regular job boards like Indeed or CareerBuilder.
What Do I Need to Get Paid to Write Online?
The great thing about breaking into freelance writing is that you don’t need a lot of things to get started.
Again, your list of essential tools includes:
- A laptop or mobile device you can write on
- An internet connection
- A PayPal account for getting paid
Honestly, that’s all I got started with and it didn’t hinder me when it came to earning money as a freelancer.
I didn’t have a writing degree (and still don’t).
If you’re hoping to start your freelance writing career as a business from day one, there are some other tools you might want to invest your time (or money) in.
Freelance Launch Plan
This is a freelance writing resource I created and it’s totally FREE.
This 6-day email course covers everything you need to get paid to write online, including:
- How to choose a niche
- Targeting your ideal client
- Creating writing samples
- Building your network
- Finding paid writing gigs
- Cold pitching
Think of it as a starter guide to freelance writing. It covers all the basics you need to know to start making money as a freelancer, so head here to sign up!
Grammarly
Grammarly is a grammar checking and proofreading tool and it’s a must-have if you want to get paid to write online.
I use Grammarly to proofread everything I write, from blog posts to emails to assignments for my freelance writing clients.
It’s super-easy to use. You just download the Chrome extension and Grammarly checks your writing online automatically.
You can sign up for a free Grammarly account. There’s also a paid version if you need expanded proofreading features.
FreshBooks
If you’re getting paid to write, then you need a tool for sending and tracking invoices and receiving payments from your clients.
That’s where FreshBooks comes in.
FreshBooks offers a suite of tools you can use to run your freelance business, including billing and invoice software, expense tracking and time tracking.
It can make your life as a freelance writer so much easier. If you want to give FreshBooks a whirl, use my special link to get started with a free trial!
QuickBooks
Aside from managing your invoices and payments, you’ll also need a system for doing your taxes as a freelancer.
There are plenty of software programs you can try but QuickBooks is the one I use and recommend.
QuickBooks makes it so easy to file your taxes as a freelancer. You can report all of your income online, import your 1099s and check for every single deduction that’s available.
And when you sign up right now, you can get up to 50% off the cost for QuickBooks self-employed!
Trello
Trello is a free task management tool you can use to keep track of your freelance writing and blogging assignments.
I use Trello with several of my clients and it’s a good tool to use if you’re the visual type.
Once you create your Trello account, you can set up one or more boards to track your writing projects.
On each board, you can add cards and on each card, specific tasks.
So, you might have cards for:
- Stories to pitch
- Accepted pitches
- Assigned stories
- Submitted stories
- Published stories
- Keyword research
- Headline suggestions
You can customize each card any way you want if you need to move a task from one card to another, you just drag and drop.
I also use a paper planner as a backup to keep track of due dates but Trello is a huge help for managing freelance assignments. And if you want to get paid to write online and grow your business, being as productive as possible matters.
Sharethrough Headline Analyzer
Writing a great headline is a skill that can take some time to learn. But being able to write click-worthy headlines is huge for getting higher-paying clients as a freelance writer.
I use the free headline analyzer tool from Sharethrough to check my headlines for my blog and Pinterest graphics.
It’s free, easy to use and offers tips on how to create the perfect headline.
Siteground
I already mentioned Siteground once but it’s worth name-dropping again if you’re planning to start a blog or set up a freelance writer website.
What makes Siteground a great choice for blog and website hosting?
A lot of things.
- Siteground is reasonably priced–you can get hosting starting under $7 a month.
- Their customer service team is great and super responsive if you need help.
- Uptime is consistent, so you don’t have to worry about your site crashing.
- It’s easy to get your site up and running.
Siteground is secure and I’ve never had any issues with it.
Head to Siteground now to get started with hosting!
Final thoughts on getting paid to write online
Cracking the code on how to get paid to write online can be a life-changer, especially if you’re able to make thousands from your writing skills.
These websites can help you start making money as a freelance writer, even when you’re a total beginner.
Making your first $100 as a freelance writer is a great feeling. And the longer you stick with it, the more you can earn.
Do you have a favorite website that pays writers or a freelancing tip to share?
Head to the comments and tell me about it!
And don’t leave without your free Side Hustle Starter Kit!
