This guide explains how to find good freelance writers, which hiring tactics waste time, whether jobs boards work, what experienced freelance writers should be paid, and how to build long-term working relationships with freelancers.
If you’ve hired freelance writers before, you already know the problem isn’t finding writers – it’s finding the right ones.
Upwork, Fiverr and other race-to-the-bottom marketplaces give you access to everyone… which usually means wading through dozens (or hundreds) of poor-fit applicants to find one decent option.
In my experience – as both a freelancer and the owner of a jobs board – these options work far better than open marketplaces:
- asking colleagues you trust for recommendations
- hiring a recruiter to come up with the goods (though it’ll cost you big bucks)
- posting on a free jobs board where freelancers are pre-approved in order to join.
Which writer-finding tactics are a waste of time?
Public call-outs on LinkedIn, dusty old directories, and unfocused Facebook groups are some of the most time-consuming and least effective ways to find good freelance writers.
But as a freelancer myself and the owner of Rachel’s List, I often see people doing these wildly inefficient things in the hopes of success.
Take the LinkedIn call-out. We’ve all seen these cross our feed, where an agency owner, editor or business person posts something like ‘Hey, I’m looking for freelance writers!’
What invariably follows is a deluge of pick-me applicants commenting (and probably hitting your private DMs, too). Hundreds. Hungry for a response.
Suddenly, you’re time-poor AND you’ve got the guilts about all those writers trying to get your attention. Writers who, let’s be honest, you’d probably never hire.
Other strategies that more than often fall flat is trying to pin down a freelance writer in that great FB group you’ve heard about. Or, you might trawl an online directory of freelance writers (that’s been gathering dust since 2019) and cross your fingers you’ll strike gold.
And maybe you will – but all these strategies are more likely to leave you…
- wasting more time you don’t have
- juggling bad-fit applicants
- back at square one, cranky and still in need of help.
Are jobs boards a good way to find freelance writers?
Jobs boards can work because they’re high intent: you post when you need someone, and you reach a pool of candidates who are actively searching when they need work.
The trouble with big, generic jobs boards is they often cost a lot AND your ad is likely to become a magnet for hundreds of irrelevant applicants.
That means more time trawling through CVs and cover letters while you cobble together a short-list of people to contact.
It’s why niche jobs boards with pre-approved freelancers work so well.
Rachel’s List has been connecting businesses with professional freelance writers for over a decade – and when you post on our jobs board, your ad is seen by freelancers who:
- are actively available
- meet professional standards before they’re allowed to apply
- understand the nuances of working with businesses and editors.
You’ll receive fewer applications — but they’ll be far higher quality. In many cases, you could happily hire most of them.
Try our free jobs board to reach pre-approved freelance writers.
What should you pay experienced freelance writers?
This is one of the biggest questions I get asked and to answer it, I did multiple surveys and created a pay rates report – a document that’s been downloaded thousands of times and is used in universities across Australia. (We update it regularly, too!)
Our report has a range of recommended rates for different types of freelance work and it’s incredibly useful if you need to outsource a project but aren’t sure what to pay.
From content marketing to ghostwriting, PR to SEO copywriting, our pay rates report covers the lot.
Download the Australian freelance writing pay rates report here
How do you keep freelance writers long-term?
Short answer: Freelance writers stay long-term when clients pay promptly, respect expertise, communicate clearly, and offer consistent work.
And if you’ve read this far, you’ll know I’m a big fan of NOT wasting time in business. Making smart business decisions can save you hours and hours every month.
And one of the smartest is to find freelance writers you WANT to work with again.
Repeat work becomes easier because that writer…
- already knows your audience, business goals, style
- hits the brief faster (fewer Slack messages / changes)
- anticipates what you’ll like and adapts to your quirks
- prioritises you (repeat clients always get first dibs).
Long-term freelance relationships don’t just save time — they improve the quality and consistency of your content over time.
And I know that once you find a few good writers you want to work with repeatedly, you’ll never waste weeks looking for help again.
Still not sure? Post a job on Rachel’s List to hire a freelance writer who is pre-approved, actively available – and can do the job.
Great advice, Rachel!