Finding Writing Work on Craigslist

Craigslist is a wonderful source for part time and freelance jobs, especially for writers. But finding the writing jobs on Craigslist that pay well can be difficult, and it takes specific strategies to make sure you get those writing jobs.

Here are five quick tips for finding writing work on Craigslist:

Make sure to check both the "gigs" section and the regular help wanted section. The gigs section may contain some unpaid work, but it also tends to have more freelance writing opportunities and few full time writing jobs. Additionally, because posting a listing to the gigs section is free many writing jobs appear there. Also be sure to check for writing jobs in cities other than your home city, as writing assignments can often be completed from anywhere.

Be aware that writing jobs get posted in many categories other than "writing." Be sure to check the marketing/pr, talent, creative and event categories for writing assignments too. Good writing work often lurks in these less visited categories.

Understand the range of writing work available on Craigslist and become adept at targeting the type of writing work you want. Assignments range from legitimate needs for web content and magazine articles (I once actually got a book contract out of the writing section on Craigslist) to people who want a ghost writer for their life story and promise to share the revenue (a proposition unlikely to be lucrative -- be sure to use your business sense when looking for writing work online) to student looking for someone to write their school papers for them (as someone whose life is full of professional academics, I can only beg you not to do this no matter how lean times are).

When responding to Craigslist ads for writing jobs, be sure to write an email specific to the writing assignment. Form letters will not help you get writing work; neither will typos. Always be sure to use a meaningful subject line when replying to postings for writing work. Craigslist posts get hundreds of responses, often in a very short period of time. Your subject line needs to stand out and be informative. Your name, something about your credentials and the nature of the assignment shows you to be professional and makes your email stand out from the masses of aspiring writers.

Finally, remember that time is always of the essence when dealing with Craigslist. Because of the high number of responses most writing gigs posted on Craigslist get, you often only have a hope of getting the writing assignment if you respond in the first hour of the posting. Check Craigslist frequently, and respond as soon as you see a writing opportunity that is applicable to you, and make sure you have your writing clips ready to go.

Good luck and happy writing!