Freelance Writing Jobs–My Secret Weapon

freelance jobs how to lose a freelance jobHave you noticed a trend on the freelance writing jobs scraper sites?

So many freelance writing gigs listed on the freelance writing sites scraped from Craigslist have something in common that could help an observant freelancer find a job or a freelance project without having to spend all that time wading through Craigslist or the scraper sites.

The growing trend on Craigslist ads and consequently the scraper sites is easy to spot once you know what to look for. Usually in the opening two sentences or so you’ll see wording along the lines of “Our client is looking for…”

What does this mean?



The clue is that phrase “client”. Creative temp agencies that advertise on Craigslist for freelancers use this type of nomenclature. They write the ads, place them, and then when you’re looking through freelance writing gig sites you’ll have these ads passed on to you.

But you don’t need to wade through all those ads if you’ve signed up for a creative temp agency. Transparency alert here–I’m currently working with Artisan Creative and have gotten very good opportunities from them in the past. So while I write out of a bit of bias (I’m listed as one of their “front page” freelancers currently) that bias comes from having had an EXCELLENT experience doing this type of work. So take that however you want.

All I’m saying is that it’s easy to cut out the middleman with these types of “freelancer wanted” ads. Signing up for the creative temp agency and getting your freelance job leads directly from them in addition to your other searches for paying work is a way to hedge your bets against an uncertain economy, unstable income and what I call “gig gap”.

To be sure, getting a job with a creative temp agency can require some patience, and agencies are often quite picky because their clients are equally choosy. Newcomers to the freelancing game might be disappointed with their initial experience with an agency unless they have some good credits and strong writing samples. But those who do have the chops to get signed on can use agency work as another part of a diverse freelance writing portfolio. Yes, I am biased…but that’s because I’ve collected those paychecks and have a great relationship with my agency.

–Joe Wallace