How to get paid to write

I get paid to write.

So I think I have a few insights as to how to get paid to write.

At the heart of it, there are two routes that you can choose from. It’s really very similar to how you’d make income in the real world.

You can be an entrepreneur or you can work for someone.

In the case of being an entrepreneur, your success corresponds to your acumen in choosing topics, working with others, gaining credibility and most importantly, creating the content.

In the case of being an employee/contractor/freelancer, you’d be seeing out a writing job on a freelance, contract or regular basis.

Now, I have done it before. I am going to walk you through how I did it.

The entrepreneur route to making money to write

Want to be a travelling digital nomad?

Live in a van?

Then perhaps you should consider being an entrepreneur in the gig economy.

The upside to doing this is that you have absolute control over what you want to do.

The downside is that you are exposed to all the risks and have to make all the decisions.

Rejection and failure is normal

I started writing in my 20s and I have seen the highs and lows of writing.

I’d just have to say to you that whenever you join a new company and write for someone new, expect failure and rejection from time to time.

You can have a fantastic writing portfolio and you can be a talented writer that has many years into content writing, but when you submit your first piece to your new clients or employers, they might suddenly frown.

They might not like your blog post for reasons they can’t explain.

One client told me that my copy was “too businesslike.” They couldn’t explain why. They just didn’t like it.

At the end of the day, a writing gig is a very feeling-based thing. If your client doesn’t like it, then too bad. It’s time to move on.

Eventually, we parted ways. Sad, but I can also say that months later, I got even better writing jobs.

Don’t feel too hurt by this rejection. The free market will always recognize your writing skill (and vice versa, if you don’t have any, it’ll be plain to see in time).

Start your own blog

Are you the kind of person that can decline instant gratification?

Because starting your own blog is an endeavour that requires you to decline instant gratification.

In fact, there’s also the risk that you’ll never see any gratification after years of writing.

On the flip side, you might absolutely see great rewards, great recurrent readershio and a fanbase.

Here at Fat Stacks, we certainly create blogs that keep on giving. And people keep on coming.

Readers are the ones that create the fat stacks, ha ha.

But it wasn’t easy at the start.

First off, being a blog writer requires you to know what you’re good at, it also requires a lot of time and effort.

Don’t even make any conclusions until you are months into your blog and at least 1 million words into the venture.

It ain’t easy folks. For every Elon Musk, there are many Elon Busts.

Ultimately, if you want to get paid to write, you’re going to have to also pay upfront for a few costs: hosting and keyword research tools.

You’ll also need to be up your game on your knowledge of internet tools like WordPress, Google PageSpeed, image compression methods, alt tags, etc.

Then, you’re going to have to crank and bank. Find low competition keywords. Answer frequently asked questions. Write an article a day.

For a few months, you’ll feel like you’re writing in a diary or something. No one is reading your stuff.

But a few months in, Google will start noticing. Google will start with some test keywords and then start learning more about your blog.

With any luck, you’ll be able to see big gains in your readership.

Then you can start thinking of monetization. You can try display ads, affiliate links or sponsorships.

That’s when the money can start rolling in.

Places to pitch

If you don’t mind pitching, negotiating your own rates and have a niche that you can write about, here’s an extensive list of websites that you can contribute to.

1859 Oregon’s Magazine

1859 Oregon’s Magazine is a magazine about “how Oregonians live, work and play, and “explores the landscapes, the personalities, the movers and shakers, the history and the architecture that is the jewel of the Pacific Northwest.”

They further describe it their magazine sections as “departments like “Food & Home,” “Ventures” and “Local Habit” will resonate with residents of Oregon. Departments like “Trip Planner” and “Adventures” are visual and editorial pollen that attracts the travel bee.”

They pay 30 cents to 50 cents per word, paid on publication. They usually buy all rights.

A Fine Parent

A Fine Parent describes itself as “an online community for parents who believe that Great Parents are Made, Not Born.“

Articles will be in the 1,500 to 3,000 word range and have a few formatting requirements.

Payment: “Articles selected for publication will be paid $75 via Paypal.”

A List Apart

A web design website that seeks writers with innovative ideas on web design, Here’s how they describe it exactly,

“If you’ve got an idea that will challenge our readers and move our industry forward, we want to hear about it. But you don’t need to wait for an idea that will redefine web design. Just aim to bring readers a fresh perspective on a topic that’s keeping you up at night.”

They state that their article length averages 1,500 words but do not state their compensation.

AARP

AARP is “a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age.”

Consequently, AARP The Magazine seeks articles in these areas:

Money: investments, savings, retirement, and work issues
Health and Fitness: tips, trends, studies
Food and Nutrition: recipes, emphasis on healthy eating
Travel: tips and trends on how and where to travel
Consumerism:practical information and advice
General Interest: new thinking, research, information on timely topics, trends
Relationships: family matters, caregiving, living arrangements, grandparents
Personal Essay: thoughtful, timely, new takes on matters of importance to people over 50

ADDitude Magazine

ADDitude Magazine looks for “writers, expert webinar hosts, and powerful stories about ADHD, learning disabilities, and other related conditions.”

You can write for the ADDitude Magazine or write blogs.

Articles are usually 2,000 words and it takes them 6-8 weeks to respond to a pitch. Compensation is not listed but will be discussed if they like your pitch.

You can also blog for ADDitude.com. They are particularly interested in personal stories and management strategies/tools.

Adoptive Families

Adoptive Families provides information for parents before, during and after adoption.

Their website lists a laundry list of topics you can write about that’s related to adoption.

Replies take 8-10 weeks and they don’t state compensation rate. Here’s their wording on compensation,

“Writers of personal essays we publish will receive a one-year subscription to the magazine, which includes a one-year membership to adoptivefamilies.com. Payment for reported articles varies. We’re a small magazine; our pay rates are scaled accordingly.”

enRoute (Air Canada)

Air Canada enRoute is a travel magazine that seeks to be a “trusted friend who enthusiastically shares those travel finds we all collect along the way. You should know more about the world and be inspired to travel after picking up an issue.

Aish

Aish seeks articles that “convey Jewish wisdom in a positive manner, preferably with interesting first-person accounts that show how Judaism is applicable to everyday life. Articles should be geared for Jews of all backgrounds.”

Articles should be 800-1,200 words.

Alaska Magazine

Alaska Magazine is all about Alaska and they publish 10 magazines per year, each with its own theme. Here’s a list of their publishing schedule:

FEB: Photography and photography contest winners
MARCH: Alaska’s best
APRIL: Fishing, water, and islands
MAY: Road trips (may include travel by road, rail, boat, or plane)
JUNE: Adventure
JULY/AUG: Wildlife
SEPT: Food
OCT: People
NOV: Stories
DEC/JAN: Travel planning

Alaska Parent

Alaska Parent publishes magazines four times a year and positions itself as “all-in-one parenting resource, our readers include parents with children ages newborn through teens, as well as expectant moms.”

They are looking for feature stories, short features and tips.

Payment is described as, “For original articles, we generally pay $40-$200. For reprints, we generally pay $25-$40; however, authors willing to localize their reprints with interviews with local parents and experts can expect more.”

American Educator

American Educator is a professional journal of the American Federation of Teachers.

They are interested in research and ideas from early childhood through higher education.

Their focus is: “curriculum and instruction; social and emotional development; the science of how students learn; the high school to college transition; history, civics, and democracy; diversifying the teaching profession and the professoriate; confronting bias in schools and on college campuses; supporting teacher professionalism and protecting academic freedom.”

Word length can be 1,000 to 5,000 words depending on the topic.

Analog’s Science Fiction and Fact

If you like writing science fiction, Analog might be your gig.

They want science fiction stories, fact articles and poetry with varying length and varying compensation tiers.

Short fiction gets paid 8-10 cents per word, up to 20K words. Serials spanning 40K to 80K words gets 6 cents per word. Fact articles get 9 cents per word and poetry gets $1 per line.

Asimov’s Science Fiction

Asimov buys science fiction stories.

Contrast this to Analog, Asimov seeks “character oriented stories, those in which the characters, rather than the science, provide the main focus for the reader’s interest.”

“Serious, thoughtful, yet accessible fiction will constitute the majority of our purchases, but there’s always room for the humorous as well. SF dominates the fiction published in the magazine, but we also publish borderline fantasy, slipstream, and surreal fiction. No sword & Sorcery, please. Neither are we interested in explicit sex or violence.”

Asimov pays 8-10 cents per word for stories up to 7,500 words and 8 cents for each word over 7,500. Their sweet spot for word count is 1,000 to 20,000.

They also accept poetry at $1 per line which should not exceed 40 lines.

Atlanta Parent Magazine

A parenting magazine that needs to have an Atlanta focus.

You can submit personal essays, practical articles and feature articles.

Compensation is described as, “Short articles are 300-600 words in length, and payment is $25-$50, depending on the reporting. The average feature story is 800 to 1,200 words in length. Payment varies depending on the writer’s experience and the relationship with Atlanta Parent, but begins at $100 for feature stories. We pay upon publication. The editors have unrestricted editing rights.”

B. Michelle Pippin

B. Michelle Pippin is an inspirational blog meant for women entrepreneurs and businesswomen.

The blog also publishes a newsletter, and she says she seeks “EXPERTS with first-hand experience about a topic. I do not want “writers” who write about “anything.” I want to share real-world experience from other business owners. “

Payment is $50-$150 per article with a non-compete clause for 90 days. If your content is published in the print newsletter, you get paid more but you will not be able to publish the article anywhere else.

BACKPACKER

Yes, it’s a backpackers’ magazine.

They seek articles on foot-based travel, wilderness or backcountry, advice on improving the backcountry experience and only focus on North American destinations.

That said, there are also a bunch of principles you must follow, such as Leave No Trace’s ecologically friendly practices and must not promote motorized use in the wilderness or backcountry.

They have five departments: Features & People, Digital-first stories and news; Destinations departments; Skills & Survival; and Gear.

On compensation, they say: rates vary depending upon the complexity and demands of the article, as well as the proven experience of the writer.

BirdWatching

If you like birds, whether it be bird watching, bird photography, keeping birds as pets, then you might find your niche in BirdWatching.

You are expected to follow ethical birding and field practices which are outlined on their website.

Bitch

Bitch is a magazine about culture, health, life, politics and science among many other topics.

Payment is as follows: “Payment varies but is generally $700-$1000 for features, $350 for dispatches, and between $250-$700 for culture stories.”

Black Belt Magazine

Black Belt seems to be about martial arts and they are accepting submissions.

Blade Magazine

If you like knives and can write about knives being used for unusual purposes, in adventure settings or something similar, then you might want to send a pitch.

They further state that, “New, state-of-the-art knife designs, steels and other knife

materials and how they are made are good. The knife collections of celebrities are good. Stories on how to collect knives, what to collect and why, etc. are good.”

Photos must accompany the story.

They pay $150 for shorter stories, $250 for profiles and $300 for feature stories.

Fun For Kidz

Fun for Kidz is a magazine that targets boys and girls from six to 12 years old.

They describe their focus as, “Fun For Kidz publishes articles and activities that deal with timeless topics, such as pets, nature, hobbies, science, games, sports, careers, and anything else likely to interest a child. Each issue revolves around a theme.”

Nonfiction submissions should be 300-325 words long for a one page article or 600-650 or a two page magazine article.

Having good photos will increase the chances of successful publication.

They pay a minimum of 5 cents per word and $10 per poem or puzzle.

Brain, Child Magazine

Currently, Brain, Child Magazine is not seeking submissions.

But the 20-year-old magazine is a literary magazine for mothers.

Bugle (RMEF)

The Bugle is a magazine tries to inspire every RMEF member to protect and enhance elk country with a focus on wildlife conservation, elk ecology and hunting.

They seek hunting stories, conservation, natural history and wildlife management essays and articles.

Articles are 750-4,500 words in length and they pay 30 cents per word.

BuzzFeed READER

BuzzFeed READER is a blog for “cultural criticism, personal essays, fiction, and poetry”

Essays should be 1,500-2,500 words and cultural criticism pieces should be 2,000-4,000 words.

BuzzFeed READER says they pay “competitive rates.”

Paddling Magazine

If you like kayaks, canoes or paddle boards, you could contribute to Paddling Magazine.

Topics include “ compelling adventure stories, expert buying advice, destination ideas and the latest paddling news.”

“Paddling Magazine covers the people, politics, expeditions, art, and boats and gear of paddlesports for kayakers, canoeists, whitewater boaters and standup paddleboarding enthusiasts.

“In particular, we look for articles and photos on paddling events, regions and activities; informative service pieces; adventure travel pieces; profiles of engaging paddling characters; and investigative stories on paddling issues.”

Ceramics Monthly

Ceramics Monthly is looking for articles that fit these categories: Tips and Tools, Techno File (science), Clay Culture, Exhibition Coverage (Exposure), Studio Visit, Glaze Articles, Topical Articles, Profiles,Technical Articles, Exhibition Reviews and Spotlight.

Payment is as follows:

Topical Articles, Profiles, Technical Articles, and Exhibition Reviews are paid at $0.10 per printed word.
Techno File and Glaze articles are paid a flat rate of $250.
Tips and Tools is paid with a one-year subscription (or subscription extension).
Exhibition coverage (including press releases, curator/juror statements) is unpaid.
Images are unpaid, except where a contract exists between Ceramics Monthly and the copyright holder specifically for the purchase of exclusive copyright.

Chatelaine

If you want to write for Canada’s biggest women’s magazine focusing on health, current events, food, social issues, decor or fashion and beauty as topics.

Chesapeake Family Life

A free, monthly, parenting magazine covering the Anne Arundel and Calvert counties, Howard County, Bowie and Upper Marlboro areas of Prince George’s County, and the Kent Island area in Queen Anne’s County in Maryland.

Their pay range is $75-200 for typical articles and more for articles that require more research. They pay about $35 for reprints.

Chicago Parent

Chicago Parent states clearly that “We offer a lively editorial mix with a distinctly local focus and a “we’re all in this together” spirit. We seek to include new voices, but we use only local writers. Articles submitted by writers who have not previously written for Chicago Parent are on speculation.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul

You can submit first-person stories or poems here. The topics they seek are “an inspirational, true story about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences. It is a story that opens the heart and rekindles the spirit. It is a simple piece that touches our readers and helps them discover basic principles they can use in their own lives.”

The main perk is the $200 compensation for a story of 1,200 words or less. There are also discounts and gaining access to their newsletter.

Christian Science Monitor’

For a title that says “Christian”, the CSM is ultimately a publication that is oriented around news and is secular. They describe themselves as,

“It is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences.”

They’re looking for “upbeat, personal essays from 400 to 800 words”.

Cricket Media

If you are looking to write for a children’s magazine, you can try Cricket Media.

They publish various magazines targeted at children of different ages.

Their focus is having “diverse literary culture, and we welcome works by and about underrepresented groups (people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQAI+ folks, and other marginalized peoples).”

You must be 18 or older to submit general submissions.

Southwest Ohio Parent

If you have a burning passion Southwest Ohio and are interested in “covering events and activities around either the greater Cincinnati or Dayton areas to generate content for ohparent.com and our social channels,” you can write for this outlet.

Payment is based on the assigned word count for articles and is paid monthly. I noticed that they require a social security number listed on their invoice, so note if you don’t have one.

Clarkesworld Magazine

“Clarkesworld Magazine is a Hugo, World Fantasy, and British Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine that publishes short stories, interviews, articles, and audio fiction.”

You can submit fiction or non-fiction.

Payment is 10 cents per word with a word limit from 1,000 to 22,000.

Colorado Life Magazine

Colorado Life is a general-interest magazine that publishes stories that span every region of the state with special attention to its wonderfully diverse environments, cultures and communities. We are not a travel magazine, a history magazine, a nature magazine or a food magazine, but we do all of that and more – sometimes within the same story.

Here are their rates:

Photo Rates

Cover: $275

Larger than full page: $150

Full-page: $100

3/4-page: $75

Half-page: $50

Quarter-page: $35

Less than quarter-page: $25

Feature Photo Series Spotlight

Includes photography for entire layout

Calculated at the above per/photo rate, up to: $600

Text Rates

400-3,000 words: $.20 per word

201-400 words: $87.50

100-200 words: $50

Less than 100 words: $25

BestPickist

“BestPickist is a collection of buying guides and user guides about various products”

You’ll be writing informative articles, useful tips, how-to guide, expert interviews, experts round-up, and product reviews.

You can write a guest post or write for money. Payment is declared as a price per 100 words at time of submission.

Cosmopolitan (UK)

Cosmopolitan is seeking features, articles about work/life, love, sex, LGBTQ+, beauty, fashion and other topics.

While most of it are one-off assignments, you can also become a regular contributor.

Their website lists the myriad of opportunities available, and a few emails for the respective person in charge.

Country Online

Country Online is seeking articles about road trips, scenic destinations, restaurants, parks and other travel-related articles.

It’s unclear if they pay for the articles. All work is on spec.

Cracked

Cracked looks for entertaining content that also informs people. I can’t really point out their focus… other than their really eye-grabbing headlines.

From what I observe, Cracked features listicles and inject humour into every article.

They pay between $100 to $250.

Craft Your Content

Craft Your Content is a blog for writers that seeks articles within the topics of “Personal and Writing Productivity”; “Business and Entrepreneurial Ideas”, “Creative Mindset”, “Word Nerdery”, “The Craft of Writing”

Pay is $75 to $150, “depending on the length/topic/quality.”

Dame

Dame covers “politics, reproductive rights, policy, civil rights, race, sex, class, gender, LGBTQ, disability, class, media, law, cultural trends, and more.”

They typically pay “$150 for essays and between $300-$400 for reported features.”

DesertUSA

The driest publication we have on the list focuses on “travel, wildlife, geology, desert lore, cultural and natural history related to the North American Desert regions.”

Specific focuses include Wildlife (Natural History), Native American & Southwest Arts & Crafts, Adventure, Travel, History, Desert Lore.

They pay $50 with photos.

DigitalOcean

If you know a lot about DevOps, software development and production systems tutorials based on free and open-source software, then you can participate in DigitalOcean’s Write for Donations.

You’d typically get $300 per tutorial and then a small quantity of funds are paid to a tech-focused charity and nonprofits.

Doctor of Credit

At Doctor of Credit, writers give a different perspective on deals and consumer credit

Their most popular posts are about shopping, credit cards and banking.

They pay $50 per guest post.

Dollar Stretcher

The Dollar Stretcher’s goal “is to provide readers with ways to save money, make money go farther and better manage money.”

They say they’re seeking “in depth articles with practical ideas that people can employ to help them stretch their dollars and live better for less.”

EDIT: They no longer pay for articles.

Douglas/Yam/Spruce (Page One Publishing)

These magazines are based in Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Each magazine has a different focus and two of which focus on the provincial capital, Victoria.

Compensation is stated when the magazines decide to commission an article.

Eureka Street

Eureka Street is an Australian publication that accepts unsolicited submissions of up to 800 words.

They describe their requirements and payment as, “Articles should provide humane, ethical analysis or commentary on politics, religion, popular culture or current events in Australia or the world.”

“Payment for freelancers is $200 per article, paid for exclusive first publication rights upon publication and invoice. We will also pay $200 for first publication rights of short fiction and ‘creative non-fiction’ up to 1000 words.”

Experience Life Magazine

Experience Life is an inspirational lifestyle magazine. They describe their editorial focus as,

“The magazine is written for a general audience of active, educated, discerning people who are interested in good health and passionate about self-improvement, well-being and living a good, satisfying life.”

Extra Crispy (MyRecipes)

If you like writing about food, here’s one for you.

Here’s what they’re looking for, “Opinion pieces, reported stories, personal essays, works of humor, illustrated narratives, breakfast-y profiles of people, original recipes, how-tos and unusual points of view on the beloved morning meal are all welcome. We don’t do restaurant reviews.”

Fantasy & Science Fiction

If you like writing science fiction and fantasy, you could earn 8-12 cents per word on acceptance.

Focus on the Family

Focus on the Family is a parenting magazine with a focus on children.

Their call for submissions vary monthly, so check the link to find out what they need this month.

Word count is low, 50-300 words and payment is $50, according to the list of topics given at the time of writing.

Freedom with Writing

Isn’t this what we all seek…

Freedom with Writing is a website about how to get paid to write.

Payment is as follows,

“$30 to $150 for how-to articles, essays, and other content. These articles should include real-world examples, including amounts earned. We are especially interested in case studies of how you got a good writing gig” and “We pay $30 to $100 for list articles, depending on length. Lists usually range from 7 publishers up to 50.”

Although they are not accepting lists at this point.

International Living

This website “is a comprehensive resource of essential information to help you find your dream retirement overseas.”

“Payment is upon publication. International Living buys all rights and we pay $225 for 900 words and $350 for 1,600 words. As regards photographs, if we use one of yours we pay $50 for one-time use and you retain the rights.”

Funds for Writers

Funds for Writers’ slogan is “tips and tools for serious writers to advance their careers!”

They pay $60 for unpublished original articles; $20 for reprints.

Georgia Family

A regional parenting publication based in Central Georgia.

Their payment terms are described as, “Georgia Family pays on average $20-$80 for first publication rights to feature stories. We will ask you to sign a contract warranting that the work submitted is your original work and agreeing that you will not submit work to any other publication within Central Georgia. There is a different fee schedule for reprints of articles that will be or have been published elsewhere.”

getAbstract

getAbstract kinda reminds me of what I’m doing here.

If you’re the Cole’s Notes kind of guy and want to be the person who condenses and abridges content, getAbstract might be for you.

Gray’s Sporting Journal

If you like fly fishing, wingshooting, big game, art and travel, Gray’s Sporting Journal might be for you.

The magazine describes itself as, “the original chronicle of fine sporting literature, art, photography, and travel.”

They state their payment terms as, “We pay from $600 to $1,250 for features, based on quality, not length; yarns average $600; poems, $100. We pay $50 to $300 for photographs. For Expeditions pieces, we pay $850 to $1,000 plus $75 per picture published. All payment is made upon publication.”

Guideposts

Guideposts “publishes true stories about people who have attained a goal, surmounted an obstacle or learned a helpful lesson through their faith. A typical story is a first-person narrative with a spiritual point that the reader can apply to his or her own life.”

They are seeking a word count of 1,500.

Harper’s Magazine

Harper’s Magazine is unique in that they require you to send physical mail to their office in New York City.

You can send fiction and non-fiction queries.

High Country News

High Country news is a magazine about the Western United States and focuses on its people, communities and landscape.

The magazine is split between various sections. In the Reportage, news and analysis section, the magazine pays between 25 cents to $1.50 per word. This section has three subsections: Indigenous Affairs, West-North and West-South, covering different states.

Features are longer articles (mostly in the 4-6,000 word range). At this point, they note that their budget for this section has been cut due to COVID-19.

Essays, perspectives and op-end run 750-800 words, at $400 flat.

You can also send reviews and photography/illustration.

Hoof Beats Magazine

Hoof Beats Magazine is a harness racing magazine.

“We are always looking for new and exciting story ideas pertaining exclusively to Standardbreds and harness racing. Photographs are also encouraged.”

They state their compensation as, “Payment is made upon publication and ranges from $100 (departments) to $500 (features). Photo fees are negotiated. We purchase first North American Rights and non-exclusive electronic rights.”

HowlRound

HowlRound is a theatre and performance magazine and they are accepting pitches on the Google Forms application.

They list their preferred content to have the following values,
“- Generosity and abundance—all are welcome and necessary

– Community and collaboration over isolation and competition

– Diverse aesthetics and the evolution of forms of theatre practice

– Equity, inclusivity, and accessibility for underrepresented theatre communities and practices

– Global citizenship—local communities intersecting with global practice “

Hudson Valley PARENT

This magazine is looking for people from the Hudson Valley in New York who can write about parenting.

They’re looking for articles about parenting in the Hudson Valley on children up to 14 years old and articles about family life.

Their payment terms are as such: “We generally pay $80 for locally-slanted, assigned one-page story of 700-800 words, $90-$120 for 1,200 word or more features. Our fees for reprints right now are $25. Any unsolicited, non-locally-slanted feature is treated as a reprint and payment will be made based on the word count mentioned above.”

IDEA

IDEA Health and Fitness Association is seeking “industry experts with evidence-based ideas and practical approaches readers can use to improve their businesses and enhance the success of their clients.”

You can write for their Fitness Journal or Business Success.

If your pitch is accepted, the editor will define the length, content and payment.

Income Diary

Here’s what they’re looking for: “If you are an expert at anything to do with: creating awesome websites, SEO, driving traffic, content creation, entrepreneurship, or making money online, we would love to hear from you.”

They pay up to $200 for “worthy articles”.

Indeni

Indeni seeks people with certification in AWS, Azure or Terraform with experience.

They pay $25 for the article outline and $75 for final content of at least 800 words.

IWA Wine Blog

If you are interested in writing about storing and enjoying wine, the IWA’s Blog might be for you.

This wine enthusiasts’ blog pays $20 for basic articles, $30 for in depth gift guides, $40 for detailed wine pairing guides, $50 for highly technical articles for articles of 600-1,000 words.

iWorkwell

iWorkWell is “looking for expert HR professionals/consultants/academics and employment or labor attorneys with deep expertise in any area of HR (i.e., all topics related to managing people) to write/edit instructional articles that are action oriented, include checklists, and help the reader complete the task.”

Depending on the quality and whether you’re editing or writing, you can make from $20 to $195, with bonuses for complex articles and submitting articles before the deadline.

JustParents

JustParents describes their editorial focus as, “JustParents provides information for parents and pregnant couples, many of whom are first time parents. Typically our articles will either be informational pieces on a certain topic of pregnancy or parenting, or a light-hearted opinion piece on an aspect of parenthood.”

Most articles are 700-1,500 words in range and you must write in UK English and have content that is relevant to their British readership.

Kaleidoscope

Their editorial focus is this: “The material chosen for Kaleidoscope challenges and overcomes stereotypical, patronizing, and sentimental attitudes about disability. We accept the work of writers with and without disabilities; however, the work of a writer without a disability must focus on some aspect of disability.”

Payment is between $10 to $100.

Kitplanes

Kitplanes “accepts freelance articles on all phases of aircraft construction, from basic design, to flight trials, to construction technique in wood, metal and composite.”

They pay between $250 to $1,000 for articles.

Knitty

Knitty is a website about crafts and they pay $150-$200. They publish four issues per year and have a quarterly submission deadline for each issue.

Kungfu Magazine

Their focus includes, “Topics should be of interest to advanced Chinese Martial Arts practitioner as well as the rank beginner of any style. We welcome articles on martial arts training, techniques, history, weapons, philosophy, well-known martial artists, and notable individual experiences.”

LightHouse

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco seeks writers who are blind and low vision to contribute stories of blindness, surviving and striving as a human with an emphasis of stories based in California.

Pay is $100.

Listverse

Send a listicle of 10 things minimum and if they like it, they’ll pay you $100.

Maine Boats, Home & Harbors

They pay $250 per item for shorter pieces up to $400 for feature articles.

Minnesota Parent

Minnesota Parent requires writers to live in Minnesota or just outside of it. You don’t have to be a parent, but you can write columns, features, essays. They pay a fixed rate per story and it’s negotiated with the editor.

Modern Farmer

Here’s the one and only paragraph on that website, “Want to pitch Modern Farmer? We’re always looking for dynamic, global, surprising journalism about the people, policy, plants, animals and technology of agriculture. Send your story ideas to [email protected] – we look forward to reading it!”

MoneyPantry

MoneyPantry is currently not accepting guest posts but when they do, they’ll pay up to $150 per post.

Mother.ly

Mother.ly has two ways you can contribute.

“MotherlyStories are first person, 700-900 word stories, reflecting on the insights and issues you’ve experienced in motherhood—and the wisdom you’ve gained along the way.”

You can also write for them as an expert contributor.

Motherwell

Motherwell wants to tell all sides of parenting. They are seeking “We accept work on a variety of parenting-related themes—culture, family life, obstacles and the process of overcoming them.”

Motorhome

Motorhome covers “all aspects of the RV lifestyle, including travel destinations, activities and events, the newest motorhomes on the market, do-it-yourself projects and RV service and repair recommendations”

They pay $400-$900 for each article, depending on type, and more for photos.

Narratively

Narratively publishes “untold human stories.” Your content must have “immersive, cinematic storytelling that takes readers inside another world, another life, through vivid scenes, colorful details, and compelling narrative arcs.”

New Mexico Magazine

New Mexico Magazine is looking for New Mexico experiences.

“The story should capture a place in such a way that readers are inspired to follow in the writer’s footsteps. Therefore, they need to be about things our readers could (conceivably) do right now.”

They pay roughly 35-40 cents per word.

North State Parent

If you live in northern California in the Butte, Glenn, Shasta, Tehama & Siskiyou Counties and are a parent, this magazine is for you.

New York Times Modern Love

The New York Times’ Modern Love wants “deeply personal essays about contemporary relationships, marriage, dating, parenthood”.

Do not submit during July or August.

OZY

Not much of a description here other than, “We’d love to hear your story. If you have a great idea for an article or video send it to [email protected]”

Photoshop Tutorials

If you want to write a Photoshop tutorial, an article or roundup, you can earn $50 for your quick-tip or $150-300 for your full tutorial. Articles and roundups earn $25-50.

Plum Deluxe

Plum Deluxe is looking for articles in the following categories: “theme entertaining/occasions”, “tea time topics” and “spiritual/mindset/well-being”.

They pay “$35 per feature and $60 for recipes; articles assigned an accompanying video are paid an additional $50.”

Polygon

“Polygon accepts pitches for original reporting, essays, op-eds, reviews, and features.”

They seek pitches in the categories of entertainment, video games, tabletop games and features.

Their compensation is as such, “If we’re interested in your pitch, we’ll discuss rates, deadlines, scope, kill fees (if applicable), and other expectations with you upfront. We’ll also discuss potential expenses, travel, or risks, and provide press credentials when necessary.”

Porthole Cruise Magazine

A cruise-related magazine.

Homeschool World

Homeschool World seeks “Practical articles (with resource lists and, ideally, photos) that explain how to meet some homeschool challenge or how to venture forth in to some new area. Ideally you are an acknowledged expert on the topic.”

They pay $50.

Pretty Designs

Pretty Designs describes its editorial focus as “Topics on the website include Hair, Health, DIY, Weight loss, Beauty and Literature among others. Pretty Designs creates a hip, modern environment where women can learn how to apply eye-makeup, browse the latest fashion trends and keep up on Hollywood and celebrity news and information.”

They post different jobs from time to time.

Raising Arizona Kids

RAK targets Arizona parents within the 25-54 age range and is targeted at parents of children from birth through high school. They only work with Arizona-based writers.

Payment is as such,

$200 and up for feature submissions (multiple sources, 1,000 words or more)

$50 and up for departmental submissions (300-600 words)

$50 and up for web-exclusive posts (300-600 words)

RankPay

They pay $50 for posts related to SEO, digital marketing and small business. Articles should be over 1,000 words.

Reader’s Digest

Write your true story in 100 words. Get paid $100 words if accepted.

Real Python

If you can write about the Python programming language in the areas of technical tutorials, career, productivity and motivation, you can check and see if Real Python is seeking applicants in their tutorial team.

Refinery29

Refinery29 has specific topics they want to cover so head to their website and see what they currently need.

RouterFreak

RouterFreak is all about computer networking and are seeking network engineers who love to write. Each published article will receive at least $50USD in compensation.

Salon

Salon lists a few editorial contacts where you can send pitches, queries and submissions.

Scary Mommy

Scary Mommy is a women’s blog.

They are looking for “looking for personal essays, reflections, unique experiences and highly relatable humor essays in the 900+ word range.”

Simply Local Magazine

Simply Local Magazine lists a few people who you can send inquiries for writing and blogging.

Sitepoint

Sitepoint wants content from “developers, designers, content creators, and digital makers who want to write about the latest and most impactful technologies.”

Particularly, they’re interested in web programming, (Jamstack workflows and tools like Gatsby and Eleventy to Deno, Rust, WebAssembly), web design (Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, InVision Studio, variable fonts etc.), and finally, productivity tools like Notion, Roam Research, Airtable, and Zapier.

Skirt.

“Skirt. is a platform that celebrates women and all angles of life. If you want to make an impact and feel that you have a message to share, a topic for debate and for conversation, or an upcoming local event, then we’d love to hear from you!”

Skyword

Skyword is an agency and they are open to freelancers joining them.

SlickWP

SlickWP pays $100 for each article on WordPress and the Genesis Theme framework.

Smashing Magazine

If you are a web designer and developer, and can deliver quality content (tutorials, opinion, ultimate guides and case studies) then this is for you. They pay an “honorarium”.

Smithsonian Magazine

Smithsonian Magazine is a human interest magazine with sections on history, science, arts & culture, travel and more. You can pitch them using their web form.

Sport Fishing

If you’re an experienced sport fisher, you might want to write for Sport Fishing.

“We strive for a mix of genres including fishing how-to, where-to, gear and its use, science and conservation — but are particularly enthusiastic about solid how-to features.”

They pay $750 for print features, and up to $1,500 for a longer feature. For digital features, they pay $200 for up to 1,000 words or $300 for more than $1,000 words.

Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics seeks articles on science and technology news, authoritative how-to guides, and expert product reviews. We aim to provide readers with both knowledge and actionable advice.

Rates vary depending on the complexity of the story.

Learning for Justice

The key audience for this magazine is an “audience of K–12 educators interested in social justice and anti-bias topics.”

They pay $1 per word for feature stories of 800 to 1,600 words and $1 per word for Story Corner articles. Short articles of 500 to 700 words pays $150 per published submission. There are other sections you can write for but they do not specify their rate.

TechNotes

An education website for educators “looking for up-to-the-minute ed tech news, innovative lesson ideas, and strategies for making the latest technology tools work for all learning environments”

The Alpinist

If you’re into alpinism and adventure climbing, Alpinist is looking for first-person accounts of long routes from around the world, investigative reports of subjects compelling to climbing aficionados, and documentary pieces that capture the spirit of ascent in any of its myriad forms.

The American Gardener

If you are a horticulturalist and love gardening, then you might do great with American Gardener.

They are a mostly freelance publication that focuses on all aspects of gardening from individual plants to innovation in the garden.

Payment for features are $300-600 and department articles pay $150 to $200.

The Anxiety Foundation

Share your experience, knowledge or tips about mental health.

They pay $50 per article.

The Chronicle of the Horse

“The magazine focuses primarily on dressage, hunters and jumpers, eventing, foxhunting and steeplechase racing.”

Payments for writing news is $165-$220, features $150 to $400 and photos $30-$50.

The Daily Beast

Different departments can be contacted at The Daily Beast through the link.

The Green Parent

If you are a parent who adheres to the values of “no disposable nappies, no formula milks or products that undermine breastfeeding, no electronic toys, no TV,” you might want to contact The Green Parent.

They pay £75 per 1000 words.

The Health Journal

You can write for these departments: “Advances in Medicine, Fitness, Food and Nutrition, Men and Women’s health, Parenting, Mental Health and more.”

The Nation

The Nation is a “left/liberal opinion, covering national and international affairs”

The New Yorker

You can submit fiction and poetry to The New Yorker.

Tablet

“Tablet is a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture.”

The Travel Tribune

If you are an experienced traveller or are an expert on a specific city, country or region, you can write for them.

They pay $50 per story.

The Verge

“The Verge covers the ways that technology and science are changing the way we live” and you can write about tech, science, transportation, film & TV and games.

Tor

This has nothing to do with the dark web.

Instead, they seek non-fiction articles/essays/list posts and reviews on science fiction, fantasy and the universe.

Tutorials Point

If you want to write about IT, tech and project management, Tutorials Point is seeking writers.

TwoPlusTwo Interactive

If you like poker nad can write about poker strategy, mathematics related to poker or gambling and articles relating to poker or a gambling concept and interviews, TwoPlusTwo Magazine is looking for writers.

Unemploymentville

They pay $25-$75 for articles on “ideas and resources for people who want to start a business (or a side-hustle), stories of earning a living (or trying to) by getting gigs rather than a job, unique job search techniques or shifts in mindset or techniques that made a difference in your results or happiness and personal stories about the financial or emotional challenges of being out of work.”

Upworthy

If you like writing positive articles on human interest topics, celebrities and sports, you can pitch Upworthy.

Vibrant Life

“Vibrant Life is a bimonthly lifestyle magazine that promotes physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual balance from a practical, Christian perspective.” and “payment for articles ranges from $100 to $300.”

Wanderful

If you want to write for an audience of adventurous, independent, globally minded women travelers on topics such as travel guides & tips, global issues, women to watch, global lifestyle, health & wellness, women travel creators,

Wanderlust

Wanderlust is a travel magazine aimed at a UK audience.

They pay £220 per 1,000 published words, Fact pages are paid at £90 per page (approx 750 words) pro-rated.

Western Art & Architecture

This is a magazine for art collectors and architecture aficionados across the United States.

Western New York Family

If you live in the Buffalo Niagara area of New York state, this magazine seeks articles for “family-oriented events, as well as goods and services for children.” The link also shows specific topics they’re interested in.

Pay varies: “Pays $40-$150 depending on type of article, length of article, and whether it is a reprint or an original, or assigned piece.”

WoodenBoat

If you are a wooden boat owner, builder or designer, WoodenBoat seeks feature articles, news, columns, short articles, boat reviews, design reviews, product and book reviews.

Payment is as follows: Feature Text: $250–$300 per 1,000 words.

Photographs:

Cover $350

Full page $125

3/4 page $100

1/2 page $75

1/4 page $50

Spot $25

Professional Drawings and Illustrations: Depending upon the size and complexity of the work, payment for drawings ranges from $50 to $400.

Working Mother

“Our readers and followers include full-time, part-time and sidelined moms who work at public and private companies of all types and sizes; who are entrepreneurs; and who are self-employed.”

WOW! Women on Writing

Payment is as follows: “Pay is arranged between the writer and editor for the piece, but most articles pay $50 or $75. In-depth pieces that require many different sources to cover the topic and have a higher word count pay $100 or $150.”

WPHub

WPHub seeks writers that can write about WordPress as it relates to web design trends and popular design concepts; Insight into top selling themes authors and agencies; Identifying up and coming plugins useful for developers; General WordPress theme and plugin development; Coding best practices as related to WordPress.

Writer’s Digest

Writer’s Digest seeks articles for the Inkwell section that is an opinion-based piece, a 5-Minute Memoir, WD 101 (business related), MFA Workbook (articles written by an MFA student/teacer), author profiles, writing technique and market reports.

They pay 30-50 cents per word and they’ll pay 25 per cent of the original purchase price per use if they reprint your article in any form other than electronic.

Writers Weekly

They publish feature articles, marketing secrets for freelance writers and authors and author backstories and book backstories. They pay $60 for 600 words.

Yoga Basics

Experienced yoga teachers and practitioners can earn $30 per article for yoga articles from 550 to 700 words long.

YourTango

This isn’t a website about dancing. Instead, “YourTango is all about the relationships you have with the most important people in your life (including yourself!) so anything you pitch should involve love, dating, marriage, divorce, parenting, mental health, sex and the like. A YourTango piece can be about almost anything—travel, food, fashion, current events—as long as it explains how the subject affects you or your relationship with another person.”

Writing for a news outlet

Newspapers are a potential source of freelance work. If you live in a small town and have something interesting to pitch, you might do well by contacting the editor of your local newspaper.

Larger news outlets have more established and formal processes to submit news articles or features.

Send a query to the editor (or if you are sending it to a larger news outlet, send it to the appropriate departmental editor).

Writing for a news outlet requires specific styles. North American news outlets tend to use American Press (AP) style with specific ways of punctuation, abbreviations of states, date formatting, among others.

Craigslist and other classifieds

You’d be surprised but I got a few writing gigs through Craigslist which is what we use here.

You can probably find the same thing on your local classified website.

Craigslists has a “gig” section and specifically, it has a “writing” gig listing. Just scan it daily and you might find something that fits your bill.

My experience has been that you’d find smaller businesses on Craigslist and a less formal acceptance process.

Speed is essential. You’d want to apply to the ad in the first hour of its publication. Like I said, it’s a very informal process and so people can hire you on the spot. Or it can take weeks for a reply.

Depends on your luck.

Job boards

I used to coast ProBlogger daily. It’s a bit like a more focused Craigslist.

There are gigs from all over the world that require writers but in very specific niches.

It’s important to know that you’d be competiing with people from all over the world who’d write for less than you.

The good thing is that some employers only want people from a specific locale (US, UK etc.).

So it’s best to only apply for gigs that are within your sphere of knowledge. I wouldn’t apply for woodworking as I would for SEO, for example.

The good thing is that the application process is generally very quick. They usually want you to do a Google Forms application.

Rates are also listed usually. Rates start at 2 cents per word.

Agencies

Agencies are a pretty good source of stable work. They usually have a lot of requests and they filter it down to their best writers. If you think you make the cut, you should apply to these agencies…

A lot of competition here, though, and it will be a bit of a grind at the start. Once you get stars and ratings, you will do a lot better in both ease of acquiring clients and payment.

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!