Exciting Writing Careers for Freelance Writers

Writing careers provide so many exciting opportunities. One activity many of us perform and take for granted is writing. Even if you’re sending a message or emailing a client, you’re still using a skill that many clients would pay for. You’d be surprised how much of a demand there is in the industry, and there are many types of jobs are available

In this article, we’ll show you the top ones we’ve seen over the last ten years. They require specific skills, which means being a general writer won’t cut it. Therefore, we’ll also show you what you’ll need to be successful in these writing careers.

Best Writing Careers For Freelance Writers with the Right Skills

There are so many people that do casual writing for companies or in their tasks that they believe they can become full-time writers. You’ll also find a common misconception that a writer in one field can write for any industry or task. It’s crazy how many people have asked me to write a poem or a song simply because I said I’m a writer.

In my experience these last ten years in the writing industry, here are the top careers for freelance writers and what you should expect from each of them.

Content Writer

One of the top writing careers you’ll come across is a content writer. As a matter of fact, it’s probably one of the highest-paying jobs for freelance writers at the moment. If you look at any of the positions below, they have some form of content writing. You’ll usually provide freelance services to a content agency, which will you pay you based on how much you produce.

Content writing is also one of the most diverse positions a freelance writer can apply for. Besides being able to work for different industries, you’ll also have various tasks to complete. For the most part, you’ll be asked to develop articles for blogs based on keywords and search terms. It’s quite a demanding job and requires you to have some basic knowledge of SEO, or you can learn on the job.

Most content agencies will test you when you apply for entry. There’s a grading system where they evaluate the following aspects as part of the writing careers:

• Grammar and spelling
• Localisation
• Following the provided outline
• Research quality
• Hemingway scores
• Plagiarism hits
• Overall value to the reader

As you can see, online content isn’t just for anyone who feels they are good at writing. You really have to show what you’re made of without complaining about the articles they want you to write about. If it’s for a content agency, you’ll be writing for several clients, which means a steady income. However, you might be able to score a deal directly with a single company, but there’s no promise that you’ll receive regular work.

Copywriter

Many writers inaccurately believe that content writing and copywriting are the same thing. They’re not. These are two different writing careers, and here’s why. As a copywriter, you’ll be asked to write about specific products and services that provides information in an attractive way. It’s not exactly marketing, but you’ll certainly want your readers to find out more about the items after reading your content.

This career needs some in-depth knowledge of customer behaviour, so it’s better if you have some expertise in the industry you’re writing about. There may also be some technical details you’ll need to understand, especially when you’re being asked to produce a review. Therefore, if you have a diploma in HVAC systems, you’ll be best off delivering copywriting services for companies that sell air conditioners.

Technical writer

If you’re looking for writing careers as a freelance technical writer, you better know what you’re talking about; literally. These jobs require in-depth knowledge of processes or industries that you can’t simply research. Some examples are medical articles or protocols with details jargon and terms.

Another way you can work as a technical writer is for a company that has detailed systems or standard operating procedures. Massive products usually need specific details on how to use them, such as expensive fire alarm sprinklers in a high-rise building. You usually need to have extensive knowledge and qualifications to complete these.

Even programmers and coders can be seen as technical writers in a sense. They have the right understanding when it comes to scripts needed to make systems work the way they should. While some may not see this as part of writing careers, producing codes for programs is still a form of writing.

Screenwriter

Now we’re delving into a different industry altogether, one that requires patience and resilience. It’s one of the creative writing careers that take months or years to see a result. However, film screenwriting is one of the most sought-after jobs, from the perspective of the applicant and employer.

While you might score a job for a short film, hitting the massive production films of Hollywood is a rare occasion. That’s why we see so many screenwriting festivals in the world, where other platforms like Netflix look for talent. You can even look for movie writing careers on social networks like Stage 32.

The screenwriting format is very different from other types of content. There are rules to follow, especially with the formatting and addressing the audience and actors. The downside is that you probably won’t see much payment until the film receives some funding. It’s not ideal if you need a monthly revenue. You should see writing careers like this as a long-term investment.

Game writer

Similar to screenwriting, writing for games has strict rules and is a different type of content creation. Not only do you create the dialogue for the characters, but you also develop the lore, plot, actions, items, stats, and so much more. In many ways, game writing is an intense career with many revisions over the project life cycle.

How much you’ll get paid as a game writer depends on the project. If it’s a small game studio, it will probably strike a deal for a percentage of the sales when the game launches. It’s best if you have some monthly-paying writing job paying the bills while you wait for the release date to appear. In many instances, especially with small indie companies, the game might not even launch.

Of course, it’s different if you prove your worth as a content writer over the years and land a deal with a gaming company like Bethesda or as a gaming news journalist for a business like Softonic.

Editing

While it may seem strange to see editing as one of the top writing careers for freelancers, hear me out for a second. All your writing experience is valued by a content agency for more than just writing. As with my situation at the moment, one of my roles is editing since they trust me so much with the content.

You might land in the same situation if you show you’re worth as a content writer over the years and the company is looking for an editor. Writing generally pays more, but you can supplement your freelance income with some editing on the side.

Content Project Manager

Once you really hit the big leagues in a content agency, someone will eventually ask you if you’d like to manage a project dealing with a client. You’ll really have to show what you’re made of and impress the client with your writing before you reach this level.

In many cases, the client will ask you to still write for them while managing the projects. While you’ll earn more for both roles, it becomes trickier to manage your time while playing a balancing act. Your days may become frustrating, so you might want to consider this writing career very carefully.

Other Top Writing Careers or Activities

I’ve covered most of the top writing careers above, but there may be specific roles to fill in a company. Most of them deal with content creation, but it will lie in a unique field. Here are some other writing activities that may bring you some income as a freelancer:

• Newsletter and emails
• Presentations and reports
• Marketing and social media
• Translations and localizations
• Proposals and business plans
• Lyrics and poems
• Ebooks and Paperbacks

Why ghostwriter is not listed in top writing careers

You might have noticed that I didn’t specifically list ghostwriter as a freelance writing career. There’s a reason for that. In most cases, companies or agencies will ask you to deliver content, but you won’t receive online recognition. It’s only in rare cases where a client is willing to put your name on an article.

Sure, movies and games might list you in the credits. More often than not, you’ll start by writing content for someone else with their name on it. They don’t have time or the skill to produce the articles, but they need someone to do it for them. It’s not really a career, as such, but rather, something you’ll need to live with in the beginning.

Passive income as a writer

Most of these writing careers listed above are forms of active income. You write away all day to produce content in exchange for money. Usually, you’ll receive that pay once a month, depending on your agreement with the company or agency.

There are a few ways you can make passive income as a writer. For example, you have ebooks, paperbacks, and online articles on your own website. While you’ll need to actively write them in the beginning, they have the potential to provide a monthly passive income when completed. 

The main disadvantage of relying on passive income is that you never know how much and when you’ll receive funds. You might need to do some marketing and social sharing. Therefore, it’s best to rely on a steady writing career with active work while building up a passive portfolio.

Final thoughts on writing careers

There you have it, my detailed article on writing careers that pay for freelance writers. If you love writing and want to make some money from it, there’s nothing stopping you from looking for such a role. 

In a follow-up article, I’ll specifically look at some questions people always ask about writing careers, such as what’s the highest paying writing job, how to know if you’re a professional writer, and what writing careers you should take if you love writing.