So, you want to make money online as a freelance writer? The path to becoming a professional writer and earning big bucks may be enticing to many because they genuinely love to write. Maybe you want to write that book that we all have in us? Others might want to get into freelancing to make some extra money on the side. Regardless of your intentions, let me tell you that there are plenty of sources from where you can make real money by doing freelance writing.
Now before diving into more details, let me inform you that I’m not a particularly talented writer myself. A couple of years ago, I began this journey as an ordinary guy trying to help make some much needed extra money from working as a writer online. Sure, I had my share of doubts if I’d ever succeed, especially if it was doing something that wasn’t my passion. Yes, you read that right; writing wasn’t my passion when I first started out. 
Hey, but guess what, I followed through anyway. And I succeeded! The last two years or so have been one heck of a journey that took me through many highs and lows and taught me how to be an independent and successful, if only part-time freelance writer, who can do this work from anywhere. I’m writing this blog to let you know of some of the best freelancing platforms where you could make a living by writing about what you love.
How to make money freelancing as a writer
The whole purpose of me writing this blog is to give you information so that you do not go around in circles (which I did), trying to find writing opportunities online. On the surface, it looks like every site you register with is ready and willing to pay you good money. But the reality is that many, in fact, most of these websites are unreliable when it comes to payments and writer’s security.
Some websites through which I gained clients were so biased towards the pleasing their customers that it would let them get away without paying us writers, if they so desired. But you don’t have to overcome all the hurdles I did because I’m going to start reviewing some great opportunities so you can get started immediately.
Among the best sites to sign up with so that you can start earning money are:
- Fiverr.com
- Upwork.com
- iWriter.com
I will review the first two sites later, as they offer freelance work to not only writers, but website designers, graphic designers, SEO specialists, and other related skills. iWriter is a site for writers and clients needing articles written for them.
For this article I want to introduce you to iWriter because it is your best bet if you want to start earning some money straight away.
I have seen iWriter from both a writer’s and a client’s point-of-view.
Among all the sites mentioned here, iWriter has to be the one I love the most and hate the most! Even though this freelance writing platform isn’t as popular as the multi-niche websites I mentioned above, I found it to be the most useful for those who want to make money right off the bat. The best feature of this site is that it does not require writers to bid on projects for them to even get a chance of finding a writing job.
On iWriter.com, you can register yourself as a writer and begin working on jobs immediately. Yes, this platform allows you to pick jobs from the job board and submit it to the client for approval. Choose a writing job you like from the dashboard – complete writing the piece in the time allocated – send to the client for approval. The client will review your writing and will either request certain revisions, or accept or decline the article. If the article is accepted, you get paid.
Why freelance on iWriter?
Look, I know that you’re tempted to put your newfound knowledge to the test and try out as many platforms as possible. And I’m not going to discourage you from doing that because I believe in the philosophy of not putting all the eggs in one basket. But I strongly recommend that you check out iWriter before everything so that you have a steady, although at the beginning a slow, flow of income coming while registering and bidding on other sites simultaneously.
Some of the more prominent features for which this freelance writing site has gotten popular are the following:
No Registration Fees: This is a content marketplace that is free for every writer to join, meaning you do not need any registration fee to be eligible for work. All you have to do is register on the website, take up jobs from the job board, and start writing.
No Bidding: Again, there is no need to wait for days or weeks after placing your bid on a project only to find out it has been awarded to someone else. iWriter follows a “first come-first serve” approach that lets writers take jobs while they are available.
Steady Work: Not only does this content marketplace have enough to go around for everyone, but it’s also very likely that you’ll gain clients who would want to work with you for the long term as you complete tasks. Through the special requests section, clients can send projects directly to the favorite writers, meaning you don’t have always stick around the job board for assignments. This to me is what you, as a writer, must aim for if you really are to make money here.
Frequent Pay: iWriter also offers tremendous flexibility when it comes to withdrawing the earnings from writing articles. The site currently lets their writer choose between getting paid every Tuesday, every other Wednesday, every month on the 5th, or every month on the 25th. The minimum balance needed to be eligible for payment is $ 20.
Good Technical Support: Aside from a fairly thin FAQ section, which is apparently being improved, this platform also hosts a responsive technical support team. They can help you get better acquainted with the website as well as troubleshoot any problems you might encounter during your stay. Getting in touch with the support team is also easy.
Now that I have dangled the tempting carrot in front of you let’s get into a bit more details about why I think iWriter is a good choice for freelance writers who want to get a foot in this industry.
The Complicated Part Of iWriter
Since we’ve discussed a lot already, let me go a bit deeper into a feature, which I think is what separates iWriter from many other freelance writing platforms. iWriter has four ranking categories on which writers are placed according to their skills. Once you join here, you’ll begin as a Standard Writer who is eligible to apply for jobs that pay a minimum of $ 2.46 for 500 words.
To move up the ranks, you must consistently produce good content for the clients and get as many 5 Star ratings as possible. Once you progress your rating to 4.1 or above, you will be classified as a Premium Writer and be eligible to take up jobs that pay a minimum of $ 4.46 for an article or blog of 500 words. To get to “Premium” status you will need a minimum of 25 articles to be rated – remember your average must be at least 4.1 (out of 5).
Writers who have a rating of 4.6 or above are classified as Elite Writers, and they are eligible to apply for jobs that pay a minimum of $ 8.10 for every 500 words. There is also an Elite Plus category of writers, reserved for those who have a rating of 4.85/5 Stars. The minimum payment for a 500 word article in the Elite Plus category can be as high as $ 32. Your goal should be to reach the Elite levels to make the most money.
A real caveat here – to get to the “Elite” level your average over a minimum 30 articles must be at least 4.6 – that means in 30 articles you can only have three clients trash you with a 1 star rating and all your others must be a perfect 5 star. You really are at the mercy of the client’s rating.
However…… there is a process whereby you can take a “test” that will bypass the “Standard Writer” part, but of course you have to pay a fee up front. Not sure how I feel about that. I didn’t try it out, but if you fail, you don’t get your money back!
One Important Tip – When accepting assignments, make sure you receive clear instructions and understand them. If you don’t, then you can ask the client before starting. This is absolutely imperative! On a couple of occasions, I had to, reluctantly, reject articles because the writer either didn’t read my instructions or didn’t understand them.
Things That Can Be Better
iWriter.com is a fantastic platform for freelance writers; no doubt about that. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it’s perfect. After having worked with iWriter both as a writer and client, I’ve seen both the good and bad sides of iWriter. I think that the company is too biased towards the clients and turn a blind eye to any complaint a writer may have against a client.
From a writer’s perspective, I personally have never had a serious issue but, a colleague of mine once contacted the technical support team to complain about a wrongful rejection of an article. They flat out denied him help, stating that all client decisions and ratings are final – not fair if the client hadn’t been clear with their instructions. Now, I understand that every client has a right to accept or reject an article, but many times articles are rejected for no reason; no reason at all.
Top Marks For Stopping Plagiarism
Luckily, iWriter takes article theft very seriously and will generally ban anyone who posts an article on their website or blog without paying the writer. You, of course, would need to inform the support of the client’s misdoings. For the client, the protection is also very good. All articles are run through “Copyscape” which checks that the article is unique, thereby minimizing the chances of being accused of plagiarism (remember, the article belongs to the client once they accept it).
On one occasion I received a complaint of plagiarism and theft of an article that I had contracted through iWriter. It turns out that the “writer” that I had contracted used another independent writer to prepare the article. Nothing illegal about that but he didn’t pay the actual author. I put the true author in touch with iWriter, who investigated and verified their story. I removed the article from my site as requested and iWriter refunded the fee that I had paid, plus a few dollars for the inconvenience, within a few hours. The writer that I had contracted was also banned.
Can I Make A Living By Working Full-Time On iWriter?
Well, yes and no. Yes, if you live in countries like the Philippines, India, Kenya, or perhaps some South East Asian countries where the American dollar value is quite high. No, if you live in a first world country and have real responsibilities placed on your shoulders. In that case, I’d suggest that you also look for other writing opportunities online, on other websites apart from iWriter. 
The payment is also a bit on the lower side, but it works out for some who can write at least 2,000 to 3,000 words every day and have a reasonably steady source of clients. There are many, many website owners throughout the world who outsource all their writing as they believe their time is better spent doing other things such as marketing, etc. It would also be nice if the company added a few more payment methods apart from PayPal.
Overall, I’d say that the pros of working on iWriter are greater than the cons if you’re willing to put in a good effort in writing articles and blogs. If you happen to be a person who is looking for a get rich quick scheme or have plans to submit spun content, then clearly this platform is not for you and will never be.
For original writers, however, this is a great chance to get started right away and start building a client base. If you need proof of that, the colleague I mentioned earlier writes about 15 to 20 articles a week, and about 90% of them are from repeat clients who specifically requested his services. He has been writing for some of them for more than three or four years. CHECK IT OUT HERE FOR YOURSELF