Written By Christopher VanHise

Freelancer is one of the most popular and fastest-expanding freelancing markets, having attracted more than 11.6 million users in just 5 years of operation. At the moment there are over 6 million projects listed on the site, thousands of which are writing jobs. With such a large pool of projects to choose from, you’re bound to find suitable work on this platform.

Freelancer.com was founded in 2009 by Australian technology entrepreneur Matt Barrie. The site is most commonly compared to Elance and Guru.com, although it has many distinguishing features that differentiate it from the aforementioned competitors.

The way it works is simple – clients post projects and freelancers bid on them. The client then compares the bids and awards the project to the freelancer of their choice. This is a competitive yet potentially promising global marketplace in which skilled freelancers and trustworthy clients are able to network effectively.

Earning Potential and Writing Opportunities on Freelancer.com

According to Glassdoor (a reputable internet resource for employee-based job position/salary statistics), the average salary for a writer/editor soliciting work on Freelancer.com is in the range of about $1600-$1800/month, with average hourly rates at approximately $24/hour.

A respectable wage, but it should be noted that the aforementioned earnings are only the “average,” and are based on relatively little statistical input when you consider how many writers there are on Freelancer. You could make much more, or you could make much less, it all depends on how high you set your rates and whether you’re able to market your services to prospective clients well enough.

Simple Sign Up Makes it Easy to Get Started

You can start browsing through open projects right away without even signing up. However, if you want to place a bid and compete for a chance to land a writing job, then you’ll need to complete the quick sign up process. Alternatively, you can log in using your Facebook account if you want to automatically link it to your Freelancer.com account. If you choose to sign up manually, you’ll only have to type in your email address, desired username, and desired password.

How to Get Writing Jobs on Freelancer

Once you’re logged into your account, hover over the “Browse Projects” tab on the top navigational menu, and then click on “Browse Categories..” After scrolling down you should see a “Writing & Content” section – this is where you will find your writing jobs.

There are currently 46 different categories in the “Writing & Content” section, with many categories having several hundred projects posted at any given time. Start by looking only in the categories that best suit your writing style. Some types of writing assignments pay better than others. For example, an “Academic Writing” project is likely to pay more than a “Rewriting” project.

The number of other writers that will be competing for each project will typically range from 1 to 20. Therefore, if you’re bidding on an exciting writing opportunity, you can expect at least 10 other freelancers to compete with you. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to submit quality proposals and only bid on projects that are likely to pay well. Ignore low-paying job opportunities and focus your efforts on appealing to worthwhile prospects.

Mixed Reviews But Plenty of Success Stories

As with any other busy website, Freelancer.com is subject to the usual scam reports, hate comments, and all other forms of derogatory spam. There are, of course, some disgruntled freelancers and clients who’ve expressed their disdain for Freelancer.com on review sites like SiteJabber, but upon closer examination of such reviews, you’ll see that an official representative for Freelancer.com always posts a publicly viewable comment responding to each individual concern.

Thus, based on my experience with the site and the quality of their transparent and personalized customer service, I would say that the company’s reputation is solid. With that said, Freelancer staff will not take responsibility for scams committed by unscrupulous clients, so it is left up to your own discretion to avoid such mishaps. The site has a detailed feedback system that can protect you from inadvertently dealing with scam artists. Another way to protect yourself is to only deal with clients who have obtained the “Verified” status.

Set Your Rates Firm and Put Out Lots of Bids

Freelancer.com is a bustling online marketplace, and a decent percentage of active users are potential clients. With the site being commonly referred to as a “global outsourcing marketplace,” not all clients are wiling to pay fair wages, and a large number of foreign freelancers are willing to offer mediocre writing at stunningly low prices that would not equate to minimum wage in the US or UK. With that said, there are more than a few high-paying projects that pop up on Freelancer.com. The key is to bid the right price and pitch a great proposal.

So Should You Join Freelancer.com?

Overall, given the sheer number of opportunities available on the site, I would say it would be a fundamental mistake not to join Frelancer.com. As a freelance writer looking for work, your objective should be to bid on a broad range of projects on an ongoing basis, and Freelancer.com can help you do that with its diverse marketplace of clients and projects.