Many thanks to freelance journalist Jess Mudditt who has compiled this list of Job sites, with comments from Freeline members included.
Let us know if you’ve got suggestions / changes / additions / more comments!
| Freelance Collective | $9 a month | Relatively new & gathering speed. OK source of job leads, but a first-in best- dressed system – you have to be on the ball. Also a good source of information – members pretty good at sharing information and advice. (More a forum than a job board ). Cover all freelancers (designers, photographers and so on) including writers. If you do sign up, join the associated Facebook group. Members post opportunities on there so it’s a useful way to pick up work and a good adjunct to the website listing. |
| Rachel’s List | $25 a year for approved freelancers | You must be approved by the Rachel’s List team and have to demonstrated that you have at least three years experience in the industry. Once you’re on the list, it’s awesome; lots of genuine, vetted freelance jobs posted each week for decent rates. There’s a fair bit of competition but it’s a very good service. |
| Free for the basic version which has limited search function but still useful. Premium costs $32.99 per month and lets you message anyone & has unlimited search | Some great gigs that come via the person hiring. A free premium trial is provided if you do journo training. (how to find training??). | |
| Freeline | Free to join – it’s by invitation after filling out a form. | A forum for freelancers to discuss all manner of topics. Freelancers often tell others about writing/editing opportunities. There is also a Facebook group and a monthly coffee morning in Sydney and events in Melbourne. |
| Contently | Free; takes a flat 15% of fee from client; pays immediately in US$ into Paypal on story submission. Average $300 – $500 USD for short articles. | Useful as a portfolio aggregator as well as for jobs. Do the 10 minute online training course to be eligible so that editors know you’re available. Hit and miss on getting added to a content team. |
| Upwork | Charges a freelancer service fee, taken as a percentage of your earnings on Upwork. Sliding fee based on lifetime billings with each client (across all hourly and fixed-price contracts): 20% for the For example, if you agree to a $1,000 price for a job with a new client, you will be billed 20% on the first $500 and 10% on the remaining $500.first $500 you bill your client across all contracts with them; 10% for total billings with your client between $500.01 and $10,000; 5% for total billings with your client that exceed $10,000 | Total nightmare to begin with but once you’ve got the hang of it there are some great jobs to be had that actually pay well. I currently have one client who pays $1 per word and have had others previously paying $US85 per hour. Plus if you need cash flow it’s a blessing as the payment goes through in about five days after you complete a job. |
| Communique (part of King Content) – | Free | Content agency that does lots of corporate-to-consumer publications & branded content (insurers, health funds) with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Singapore and New York. Pay usually 50-60c or so – they have ridiculously slow payment terms – about 90 days or something – but most of the editors are pretty decent & good at what they do. Best way to get work from them is to track the editors down on LinkedIn and pitch them direct. May help to login to Communique and update your profile with recent samples of work, and switch your availability to ‘Available to work’. You can also directly message any editor who has an active callout |
| The Loop | $5 a month to upgrade to pro to ‘stand-out’ for job ads. | Well-paid jobs can be found on the gig board. Job listings are for copywriters, designers etc. |
| Newsmodo | Freelancers enjoy free use of Newsmodo. We negotiate the price for commissioning a story on your behalf with the client. | A good source of writing gig for journalists but sign-up is more complicated than the Freelance Collective. Some say not so professional either. |
| Commtract | Free to join. | It started 6 months ago, they vet all applications and only take those with 3+ years’ experience, once you are on there you are offered corporate and govt writing jobs. |
| Writerfind | You can pay either by an annual flat fee or by commission. The flat fee is just $109 for a one-year listing – covered easily by your first commission. The commission (if you choose this option rather than the flat fee) is 10% of your first three months’ income from work obtained from each client via Writerfind. | Well-paid jobs can be found. Job listings are for copywriters, designers. |
| Airtasker | Free to join | Everyday jobs, though mostly low-paying, for rewrites, proofreading design. |
Freeline 
Thanks Jess, this is great!
Great job Jess!
Reblogged this on Jessica Mudditt's Blog and commented:
Here’s a list of websites that offer gigs to freelance writers. Enjoy!
Jess, you’re a star. This is a fantastic resources.