February 23, 2024 Freelance Opportunities!

Author

Kaitlyn Arford
February 23, 2024

Land Your First Client In 5 Steps

Freelance Writers:

  • Tired of getting paid per hour (or worse, per word?)

  • Still relying on inconsistent word-of-mouth referrals?

  • Ready to step off the freelancer hamster wheel?

Then you’re in luck! 

  • Craft an irresistible offer

  • Charge premium prices

  • Land your first $5,000 client

I had a blast speaking with Tim Herrerra about how to use social media to land freelance work yesterday. If you missed out chat, you missed out! But here’s four things I wish freelancers knew:

  • Commenting ”I’m interested” on social media posts does nothing to convince people to hire you. This is your opportunity to make the argument that you are person for the job. You do this by using your elevator pitch. “I do X for Y and get Z results. I’m available starting X and am happy to talk more about this opportunity. [Include your email + portfolio link].” Don’t get intimidated by social media posts with lots of comments. The hiring manager is looking for the best person for the job. If that position gets filled, chances are that that person will hire again in the future.

  • You need to be on LinkedIn and your profile needs to be professional and current. Use your “about” section to talk about what you do. Include a listing in your “experience” section pointing to your freelance position. Hiring managers and editors will look at both your portfolio and your LinkedIn profile so make sure they look great!

  • Self-promotion is part of the job and it’s normal to put yourself out there and get rejected. But how will anyone hire you if they don’t know what you do? You are a professional who can help people. Put yourself out there.

  • There is no shortage of freelance opportunities out there. Newsletter’s out a little late today because I kept finding opps I wanted to add. There are so many ways to make a living at this. Keep going.

Read even more of my tips in this article and then read what Tim has to say about the current state of freelancing. Look at these examples. I’m very happy to write more about this! So editors, if you want an article on this, shoot me an email at [email protected].

JOURNALISTS

  • The 2024 Dateline Awards is open to journalists (including photojournalists) and freelancers who worked on pieces in and around the D.C. region, including Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Each year, the Dateline Awards honor distinctive works in print, broadcast and digital journalism in nearly 60 categories – from breaking news and features to commentary, blogs and photography.  Submissions are open through March 3, 2024. You do not have to be an SPJ member to enter. Journalists from dailies and weeklies, trade journals and newsletters, magazines, radio and television can submit entries at https://betternewspapercontest.com/DCDatelineAwards. Send questions to [email protected].

  • Healthline’s Bezzy is home to 10 online health communities for people living with chronic illnesses like COPD. I’m looking for freelance writers who live with OR care for a loved one with COPD to write about their experience with the condition. I’m also open to freelancers who are respiratory therapists, pulmonologists, or physical therapists with experience treating people with COPD. Pay is variable depending on the content type, beginning at $150 if it’s a standard point-of-view piece. The rate goes up for more complex assignments. Email Samantha Costa at [email protected].

  • An Arm and A Leg needs an experienced individual for an engagement journalism project (20 hours/week, $40-$45/hour, one-year contract)

  • Best Products needs freelance tech reviews (Hearst Enthusiast needs gear writers and reviewers for Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, Bicycling, and Biography)

  • Yes Magazine needs solutions-focused stories, particularly from people who have been historically excluded from in-depth reporting opportunities (rates begin at $.40/word and increase depending on the scope of work and the intensity of the reporting)

  • Cosmopolitan India, Brides Today, and Harper’s Bazaar India needs Mumbai-based editorial interns

  • Engadget needs freelance writers for news, guides, reviews, and features

  • TIME needs health and wellness freelancers

  • Vox needs a temporary staff writer for The Dodo

  • Midas List needs a temporary reporter for a project from March through April (15 hours/week, $25-$35/hour)

  • U.S. News and World Report 360 Reviews needs writers for solar stories

  • BQE Media and Marketing needs a freelance journalist ($50/hour)

  • theSkimm needs a temporary parenting writer to cover a parental leave ($1,250 - $1,350 per week)

  • Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting has extended its application deadline for the internship program

Building an online business? We spend 50+ hours every week - reading, researching, and curating content, bringing you founders success stories, growth tactics and tools, handpicked courses, and learning resources to help you grow your online business. Subscribe for free :)

It's time to make the jump into a sustainable business that supports your desire to create journalism (or to pursue your creative writing projects.) Join business coach and writer Jenni Gritters on February 26th at 10 am PST/ 1 pm EST for a masterclass focused on how to use your writing skills to build a stable, financially grounded business. The Jump Playbook includes a 90-minute live session about how to diversify, with a Q&A and a small-group break-out session built in to help you come up with ideas for what comes next; a 21-page handbook with marketing strategies, business plans, outreach templates, case studies, and beyond; and a portfolio or website review from Jenni. The session will be recorded if you cannot attend live.

Let's get you unstuck from an industry that wasn't built with human care in mind: https://www.jennigritters.com/jump

COPYWRITERS & WRITERS

Join the Institute for Independent Journalists for a live, online freelance journalism conference on Feb. 29-Mar. 1 with 12 information-packed interactive sessions on pitching, the impact of artificial intelligence, newsletters, fellowships, grants, podcasting, diversity in newsrooms, and more. On day one, keynote speaker Tanzina Vega will share her experiences as an independent journalist and wisdom from her prior roles at The Takeaway (WNYC), CNN, the New York Times and more. On day two, keynote speaker Sara Goo will discuss insights from her career, from the Washington Post and NPR to now being editor-in-chief of Axios. Learn directly from editors what they want in a pitch, including editors from The Guardian, the New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, This American Life, AARP, and more. Fellowship directors will explain how to get funding for an important journalism project. 

Only $89 registration until Feb. 26 for 12 live, interactive sessions, delivering 15 hours of learning. Sign up now and get access to a bonus bundle with 4 recorded full-length webinars, 6 recorded interviews with editors on how to pitch, tip sheets, freelance checklists, an income tracking worksheet and more. For more info and to register: https://bit.ly/freelance24 Use the coupon code FREEOPP10 for a 10% discount!

COPY/CONTENT EDITING & FACT-CHECKING

STRATEGISTS & SEO

PR & MARKETING

SOCIAL MEDIA & COMMUNITY

  • Hulu Originals needs a contract senior social media manager

  • Olivia McDowell needs a paid social media marketer

  • Contently needs freelance social media editors

  • Rise at Seven needs freelance content creators for user-generated and TikTok-style content

  • Clorox needs a freelance social media maker

  • Velon needs a freelance social media manager/producer

  • Moira Studio needs a freelance social media specialist

  • Max Pete has created a huge list of community jobs!

ART DIRECTION & GRAPHIC DESIGN

  • Berman and Company needs a graphic designer

  • EBONY Media needs a contract junior graphic designer for social

  • Union Jackson (UK) needs a freelance illustrator (Day rate £340.00)

  • Swoon needs a graphic designer for a 9-month contract ($35/hour)

  • This person’s client needs a graphic designer

  • Coffee by Tate (UK) needs 16-25 year olds to create artwork for specialty coffees

  • Contently needs freelance art directors

  • The Unit Agency needs a freelance design director who is available in April

  • IPG Health needs a freelance product design lead and a freelance product designer

  • Proteam Solutions needs a freelance associate lingerie designer

  • Stoke needs a freelance senior designer ($50-$80/hour)

  • Socially Steph needs a graphic designer for a Chicago El Train

  • The Points Guy needs a freelance graphic designer for YouTube thumbnails

  • Asahi Canada needs a freelance graphic designer

  • Onward Search needs a remote package designer ($30/hour)

  • Inkling (Brooklyn) needs a freelance designer

  • Milton Keynes needs freelance interior art directors

  • MAS (US) needs a remote freelance assistant art director

VIDEO/PHOTO PRODUCTION & EDITING

  • Cowshed Collective needs freelance YouTube video editors

  • LADbible needs a London-based production coordinator for a shoot ASAP

  • ABC News (NYC or California) needs a freelance production associate

  • Sara Loretta needs a YouTube strategist to audit her channel

  • Mob (UK) needs freelance social first producers

  • The Points Guy needs freelance YouTube Shorts video editors

  • Core Casting Group (Brooklyn) needs motion capture participants ($50/hour, found via iancasting)

  • Our Place (Los Angeles) needs a freelance DP for a video shoot

  • Trisu needs a freelance graphic designer/video editor

  • Gutsy Media needs a freelance found footage director/editor

  • Big Fish (Austin, Texas) needs a full-time senior video editor

  • Saatva needs a full-time content creator (videographer/editor)

  • CBS KCAl9 (Los Angeles) needs a freelance associate digital line producer ($23.25/hour)

AUDIO/PODCAST PRODUCTION & EDITING

  • Healthline Media (US/UK) needs a freelance podcast producer/editor

  • Contently needs Canada-based freelance audio editors and multimedia production companies

  • A radio station (east London) needs freelance broadcast journalists

WEBSITE/APP DEVELOPERS

VARIOUS

  • Freelancing With Tim needs an assistant ($20/hour for 5 hours/week)

  • METRO (Westchester, New York) needs a freelance community engagement consultant $18,000/total (thanks GrammarGirl!)

  • Designory (California) needs a freelance senior project manager ($40-$45/hour)

  • The Ivors Academy needs a temporary event assistant

  • Olivia McDowell needs a personal assistant

  • Alex Hughes is building a LGBTQ+ platform and needs an ad ops project manager for premium programmatic and direct sold advertising

  • Craft Agency (UK) needs freelance creative teams who have experience with fashion brands

  • Bothy Project

  • #paid needs a contract remote customer experience director for an 18-month contract

  • Cornell Content Marketing needs a executive assistant (10-15 hours/week and will grow to 30 hours/week)

  • Undnyable needs legal counsel for an IP/copyright project

  • OutCold (Chicago) needs a freelance event producer (full-time February-May)

  • Northern Broadsides Theatre Company (UK) needs a freelance producer for a 12-day contract (£250/day)

COMPANIES LOOKING FOR MULTIPLE FREELANCE ROLES

  • WriterGirl needs a freelance writer, content strategist, and project manager

  • Earth to Kibria needs freelance graphic designers with brand identity, illustration, and motion design experience, web designers, strategists, and social media marketers

  • Laconic Collective needs freelance copywriters, editors, social media experts, strategists, and SEO experts

  • This freelancer needs freelancers who do content marketing, demand and lead generation, marketing, SEO, and design to refer to clients

  • The National Festival of Making (UK) needs a creative alliance intern and freelance project managers and coordinators

  • Calico Theatre needs a freelance producer and video caption designer

  • Mongabay needs pitches from freelance journalists and videographers on faith and spirituality

  • Celotti Workforce (Australia) needs SEO experts, writers, strategists, and social media experts

  • Masthead Media needs freelance writers, editors, designers, SEO managers, and content strategists

Thank You Members and Coffee Buyers!

I run this newsletter on a pay-what-you-can system. For as little as $5 a month, you can be a member and support the development of this newsletter. Members get access to the exclusive Places to Find Freelance Work database and other paid resources. Welcome new members Nola and Madeleine!!

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