8 Side Hustles for Writers and Journalists

8 Side Hustles for Writers and Journalists

From tutoring to social media consulting, here are flexible side gigs that put your writing skills to work—plus advice from journalists who've done them.

Amanda Ernst Kallet is a senior business development executive currently leading AI partnerships at Meta, where she is a credited contributor to the Llama 3 and SeamlessM4T research publications. She previously held director-level roles at Verizon Media and AOL, and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

7 min read • Originally published February 12, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

7 min read • Originally published February 12, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

Last updated: January 2026

When you think of side jobs for writers, freelance reporting, blogging, and editing come immediately to mind. But beyond the obvious options, there are many other fields where journalists and writers can thrive—either as side gigs or full career transitions.

Here are eight side hustles for writers and journalists, along with advice from professionals who’ve successfully pursued them.

1. Youth Writing Instructor

Freelance writer Ellen Engelke was teaching dance classes at a cultural arts center in Torrance, California, when she noticed the city was looking for a literary arts teacher for children. With just her resume, a writing sample, and a curriculum outline, she secured the gig despite having no prior teaching experience.

Now she teaches several eight-week classes that meet once a week for a few hours. The schedule leaves plenty of time for freelance work.

“It is really fun,” she says. “I have students who are really loyal and they come back over and over. And I was able to branch out and teach a class about knitting and crochet, too.”

How to get the gig: Check your local community arts programs, cultural centers, schools, and community colleges for openings. If there isn’t a class you want to teach, put together a curriculum and pitch it to them.

2. Private Tutor

If you don’t want to create a curriculum for a whole class, you can tutor students privately. Since the SAT includes an essay section, many high schoolers need help with writing skills and test-taking strategies.

You can also offer college entrance essay coaching or help college students and recent grads with resume and cover letter writing.

How to get the gig: Find clients through word of mouth or register with platforms like Wyzant, which handles payments so you don’t have to ask clients directly. You set your own rates—many tutors charge $50 to $200+ per session, depending on the subject.

3. Business Writing Coach

By focusing on professionals who already have established careers, you can turn part-time tutoring into a full-time venture. That’s what Candace Talmadge, owner of Copy-Clinic and a former journalist and publicist, did.

“I spent my years as a journalist mostly as a business reporter,” she explains. “I have a lot of experience writing about business topics and doing PR for businesses, so it was a natural for me.”

Now she works with clients one-on-one through a members-only website, charging a monthly fee for coaching time. She also works with businesses like accounting firms, teaching their employees writing, editing, and research skills.

How to get the gig: Networking is key. Use your existing contacts to find leads, or join organizations whose members might make ideal clients.

4. Publishing Consultant

You know how to pitch, right? So you can coach others through the process—and they’ll pay you for it.

Author and publishing consultant Maryann Reid started her own company, Books & Buzz, after noticing a pattern. “A lot of my friends and people I was meeting at networking events were always asking me how I was able to get an article in Glamour, how I was able to write five novels, and how I was able to get on 20/20. They were willing to pay to improve their skills.”

She developed a niche doing speaking engagements and private coaching about increasing visibility and publishing books.

How to get the gig: You can start a consultancy with as little as $100 in capital, Reid says. Create a homepage, promote your offerings on LinkedIn, and set up speaking engagements to earn income and find clients. “Do it as soon as possible,” she advises. “If you’re working full-time, leverage what contacts and income you have at the moment.”

5. Brand Marketing Consultant

Freelance writer Isha Edwards also works as a brand marketing consultant through her company, EPiC Measures. She says working in marketing gives her “more leverage” and makes her more valuable to potential clients.

“Journalists are a dime a dozen, but when you’re marketing brands for other companies, you have credibility on another level,” she says. “The revenue is more solid, more consistent, and you have more diverse product offerings.”

Edwards does marketing consulting, communications, brand management, strategy, and branded events for both individual and organizational clients.

How to get the gig: Craft a strong pitch so potential clients can see the benefit of hiring you over another consultant or agency.

Working with a brand to develop their social media strategy puts you at the intersection of PR and marketing, and typically requires original content creation and some blogging.

“Journalists have an even bigger opportunity to get into social media now, because there is always something new and more hands are always needed,” says Douglas Marshall, a journalist turned social media manager who has worked with Saks Fifth Avenue and consults for brands like Bond No. 9.

“Journalists are currency in the social media world, probably more than they think they are. Always market yourself as your own brand, have a point of view, know that you are an expert (even if you don’t yet believe it), and people will start asking YOU to work for them rather than you having to find it.”

How to get the gig: Even without brand social media experience, you can land jobs based on your skills. Highlight your personal social media presence, attend social media conferences, research best practices, and come up with a loose strategy to pitch during interviews.

7. Paralegal

A few years after graduating from journalism school, Gaye Weintraub earned her paralegal certification and joined top law firms, where her journalism skills gave her a significant advantage.

“As a paralegal, you do a lot of research and a lot of writing,” she explains. “When attorneys see that you have writing capabilities that others don’t have, they ask you to do more work. I’ve had attorneys ask me to write briefs, and I was hired by a sitting judge to be a research assistant. I was even able to interview potential clients, which most paralegals don’t handle because they don’t have interview skills.”

Though paralegals can work long hours (sometimes 60-80 hour weeks), many receive four weeks of vacation, bonuses, and other benefits. And as Weintraub pointed out, many journalists already work those hours for less pay.

How to get the gig: If you have a bachelor’s degree (which many firms require), you need to complete a paralegal certification program. Weintraub suggests finding one that is ABA-approved. Many online programs take only a few months to complete.

8. Turn Your Passion Into a Side Gig

Former Good Morning America anchor Lisa McRee decided to put the same passion and dedication she brought to reporting into improving her health and that of her family. Her journey led to a website, a video series for Everyday Health, weekly newsletters, and an upcoming book—a whole new career she never anticipated.

“You have to find something that you’re passionate about, because it’s not going to pay your bills out of the gate,” McRee says. “You have to be doing it for your health.”

Whatever you’re passionate about—fitness, cooking, personal finance, travel—your journalism skills can help you build an audience and eventually monetize it.

Quick Comparison: Side Gigs for Writers

Side Gig	Time Commitment	Earning Potential	Startup Needed
Youth Writing Instructor	Part-time (set schedule)	$25-$75/hour	Curriculum outline
Private Tutor	Flexible	$50-$200/session	Minimal
Business Writing Coach	Flexible	$75-$200+/hour	Website, networking
Publishing Consultant	Flexible	Varies widely	~$100 (website)
Brand Marketing Consultant	Project-based	$50-$150+/hour	Portfolio, pitch deck
Social Media Manager	Part-time to full-time	$500-$5,000+/month per client	Strong personal presence
Paralegal	Full-time (career change)	$50,000-$80,000/year	Certification required
Passion Project	Varies	Long-term potential	Time and dedication

Ready to explore new opportunities? Browse jobs on Mediabistro.

FAQs About Side Gigs for Writers

What are the best side hustles for writers?

The best side hustles for writers include tutoring, freelance editing, content writing, social media management, copywriting, business writing coaching, and publishing consulting. The right choice depends on your skills, interests, and how much time you can commit.

How much can writers earn from side gigs?

Earnings vary widely. Private tutors charge $50-$200 per session. Social media managers can earn $ 500 to $5,000 per month per client. Consultants often charge $ 75 to $200 per hour. The key is to specialize and position yourself as an expert.

Can journalists transition to marketing careers?

Yes, journalists have highly transferable marketing skills—strong writing, research, storytelling, interviewing, deadline management, and an understanding of audiences. Many journalists successfully transition to content marketing, brand strategy, PR, and social media management.

Do I need certifications to tutor or coach?

For general tutoring and writing coaching, certifications aren’t typically required—your experience and writing samples demonstrate your expertise. However, some roles, like paralegal work, do require formal certification. For tutoring platforms, you may need to pass their vetting process.

How do I find clients for writing side gigs?

Start with your existing network—former colleagues, sources, and professional contacts. Use LinkedIn to showcase your expertise. Join relevant professional organizations. Register with platforms like Wyzant (for tutoring) or freelance marketplaces. Speaking engagements and content marketing can also attract clients over time.

Is it realistic to start a side gig while working full-time?

Yes, most of these gigs offer flexibility. Tutoring, coaching, and consulting can be scheduled around your full-time job. The key is to set boundaries and be realistic about your capacity. Many people start with one or two clients and grow gradually.

Topics:

Be Inspired, Productivity

7 Definitive Traits You Need for Startup Success

How to tell if you're truly ready to be a media mogul

8 min read • Originally published March 4, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

8 min read • Originally published March 4, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

With media jobs at a premium, that brilliant idea for a new media company that you’ve been batting for the past few months is starting to seem like your only way to break into the industry, escape your dead-end job or pull yourself out of unemployment.

But before you start hitting up your friends for angel investments, you should know if you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

You may think you have it figured out already. Sure, you’ve written a business plan and nailed down a URL, but according to entrepreneurs who have been through it and are still running thriving companies today, there are some things they never even thought of before launching their own company—and things they would do differently if they could.

Take their advice to heart: Here are seven traits you’ll definitely need for startup success.

1. An Ability to Work Well Alone

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely path, and a lot of people don’t realize how isolating it can be.

All of a sudden, there are no more meetings where you can afford to goof off or chat about X Factor around the water cooler. Before you quit your job determined to go solo, be sure you can indeed go solo.

Do you know how to encourage yourself and stay motivated? Can you set goals for yourself and stay focused without support from co-workers or a boss? Can you feel fulfilled by your work without getting praise from others?

If you answered “no” to any of those questions, you might not be ready to file as a sole proprietor just yet. Or, you just might need…

2. A Good Partner (Or Three)

Cezary Pietrzak was one of four friends who worked together to launch start-up travel site Wanderfly. He credits their friendship with getting the company off the ground.

“We found that we really enjoyed working together,” says Pietrzak. “I think that’s important in starting a company because you expect to spend a lot of time with other folks in your company and pull late hours, so you have to have a great relationship.”

Pietrzak’s experience shows that you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of a good partner.

If you’ve spent the last few years freelancing, you might be tempted to go it alone, but a partner can fill in skills or industry connections and know-how that you don’t have, keep you focused and contribute start-up capital, or just push you to launch an idea you’ve been talking about forever.

There’s a reason well-known companies like Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble were started as partnerships. And, though it’s not a scientific study by any means, it’s pretty telling that all four entrepreneurs we spoke to for this article founded their companies with at least one other person.

In addition to finding partners who are smart, talented and hard working, here are some other things you should consider: Do you share personal and professional ideas, goals and values? Do you trust your partner? Where do you agree and disagree?

“In consulting they have the airplane seat rule: would you want to spend a long flight next to this person from New York to Singapore?” says Pietrzak. “You’re looking for people that you can just enjoy being around.”

3. Patience

Of course, you live, breathe and sleep your company—it’s your company.

But everyone else? Ehh…

Varying work ethics among your team means it could take longer than you anticipated to complete projects. Plus, there’s a lot of waiting around when it comes to bringing on clients, advertisers and users. Not everything can happen overnight.

According to the Small Business Administration, seven out of 10 new companies survive at least two years, half survive at least five years, one-third will make it 10 years and only 25 percent stay in business 15 years or more.

So while success is possible (and actually probable at least in the short term), unless you’re launching the next Pinterest, don’t expect to see results or even interest in your company immediately.

And not every company can be Pinterest; hundreds of thousands of new companies are launched every year, but only a handful become household names.

“Don’t expect things to happen on your timeline,” advises Tongal co-founder and president James DeJulio.

“Part of being an entrepreneur is being a creator. You’ve created something that wasn’t there before, and that’s a really powerful thing. You love it like it’s your baby; it’s all you think about all the time. So when someone is not thinking about it all the time, it’s not because they don’t want to do it, it’s just because it’s not their number one priority. And that’s fine. Just be patient. And as long as you stay on course it will all happen.”

4. Thriftiness

The first thing you’ll need to get your business off the ground is capital.

Whether that money is coming from your bank account, your partner, angel investors or a VC, you can’t be wasteful with your funding.

First, start-up capital should go to fund your business, hire a good team and keep the lights on. So, are you willing to forgo your own personal luxuries until the business takes off?

Start by finding a team that will help you stretch what money you have—a lawyer and accountant with small business know-how are key.

When you start to present your company and ideas to potential investors, you will want to assure them their money is in good hands and not being spent frivolously on expensive client lunches and tailored suits.

Get ready to answer questions about where investors’ money will be going and where it will make the most impact. Make that an important part of your business plan or marketing deck.

5. A Little Bit Of Business Know-How

When writers and editors try to launch new ventures, they sometimes get caught up in the larger mission of their project, possibly underestimating the importance of a business plan.

That’s what happened to Josh Benson and Tom McGeveran, co-founders of local New York news site Politico New York.

“The biggest challenge was probably figuring out how to do the non-editorial work necessary to make our idea into a business,” Benson says. “So, like, people who had actually started businesses before had to explain to us that the very nice mission statement we had come up with was not actually a ‘business plan.'”

But when developing your business plan, remember to keep it simple. Adds Benson, “Don’t do marketing-speak—it sounds as ridiculous to everyone else as it does to you.” In fact, Pietrzak suggests that all you need to pitch your company to potential investors is a 10-slide deck or Powerpoint presentation.

“It forces you to think about some of the key issues that VCs always ask about,” he says. “And it saves you time on the formality of writing something on paper, because you know your business is always going to change five different times before it catches real traction and starts to grow.”

If you don’t have a business background and want to learn the basics before launching your company, you should start with basic business management and accounting classes.

You can find courses at a local community college or online, or get training and support through organizations like the Small Business Administration.

6. Big Ideas…with Focus

“As entrepreneurs, we must constantly dream and have the conviction and obsession to transform our dreams into reality—to create a future that never existed before,” says Clara Shih, founder and CEO of Hearsay Social.

“People thought I was crazy when I was quoted in 2007 as saying that ‘five years from now, no enterprise application won’t be social.’ The idea seemed unfathomable then, but what I have come to realize is that, in Silicon Valley, anything is possible.”

But Shih also cautions against getting lost in all the possibilities of what you can achieve.

“The greatest startup advice I’ve ever received came from Thomas Layton, former OpenTable CEO and an early investor in Hearsay Social,” she says. “He told me the hardest thing about startups isn’t figuring out what to do but rather figuring out what not to do. Sometimes you’ll wish you could do everything—develop every product feature, expand to every market. But it’s just not possible.”

Investors are always intrigued by niche ideas that show potential. There is a small likelihood that your company will be the next Apple or Facebook, so think about what those companies are missing and try to fill in the gaps. What communities are underserved by products and services already on the market?

Also consider whether or not your idea is scalable. If it becomes popular, can you grow to meet demand?

7. An Ability to Adapt And, If Necessary, Accept Failure

Almost every successful entrepreneur can tell you a story of their first venture, which either wasn’t as successful as later endeavors or was a total flop. But true entrepreneurs are identifiable by their ability to see holes in the marketplace—and their own companies—and adapt.

Your company might be your baby, but you need to be able to step back and look at it with a critical eye if it’s not working, or not performing as well as you would have hoped.

And if at first you don’t succeed, don’t be afraid to start something new. For example, Tongal was the second entrepreneurial venture launched by DeJulio and his partners.

“We just kind of opened our eyes to what was possible through an investor in that first business, and then, the more we started thinking about it, the more we knew that this was where the real opportunity was,” he says.

“Most entrepreneurs usually fail or have a mild success before they are really successful.”

Topics:

Be Inspired, Productivity

Journalism Advice

Ask MB: How Do I Become a Topic Expert?

Turn yourself into every editor's go-to writer with these 9 tips

By Celeste Mitchell

Celeste Mitchell is an editorial writer and editor with nearly 30 years of experience creating consumer lifestyle content for publications including Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, and SELF. She previously served as Deputy Editor at Cosmopolitan and taught journalism courses through Mediabistro.

4 min read • Originally published April 25, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Celeste Mitchell

4 min read • Originally published April 25, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

So here’s a question we’ve been hearing a lot: “I’m a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers, and my friends tell me I should develop an expertise. Does this make good business sense?”

Listen to your friends.

Becoming an expert is one of the smartest moves a freelance writer can make. It means that editors think of you first when they’re doling out assignments on a particular topic. And everyone wins in this scenario—editors get quality work (from you) and you get plum assignments (from them).

And how do you become a topic expert? Here are 9 tips:

1. Choose a specialty.

Pick a subject about which you feel passionately. If you’re not genuinely interested, skip it. You don’t want to settle into an area that will ultimately bore you.

20 years ago, writer Linda Marsa went in search of her specialty by covering a variety of subjects. “You have to try all kinds of things,” says Marsa, who writes about health and science for national magazines and newspapers. “Health suited me because I am detail-oriented. You have to triple-check everything for accuracy. I also have an activist bent. I can do stories that take a hard look at shenanigans in the medical field, and I give consumers useful information. This satisfies one of the reasons I became a journalist.”

2. Move laterally.

If you have a clip on one topic, use it to make a lateral move.

Try this trick from Marsa: “My original specialty was personal finance and I wanted to shift over to health, so I wrote a story about taking care of your parents during their sunset years. It was a finance piece but I used it as a health clip too.” That article helped her land an assignment on genetics for OMNI magazine. More projects with the magazine followed, including a contributing editor position writing about health.

3. Go through open doors.

Search for a toe-hold wherever you can find it. You only need one.

Writer Jodi Bryson found her start in covering the teen market from an independently published magazine called Girls’ Life. “I happened to see their very first issue on the newsstand, and I sent them a letter,” she says. She was asked to be a stringer and started churning out stories. Ten years later, she is an established go-to girl on teen topics.

4. Study your specialty.

Learn anything and everything about your specialty.

“You have to immerse yourself in the topic,” advises Bryson. “I want to know everything about teens and children. I tune in to Noggin and The WB. I know their music, their movies, their books and magazines and fashion. I need those cultural references when I’m writing. I also know the stuff like stats on teen pregnancy and other serious issues. I’m interested in all of it.”

5. Target specific publications.

Focus your efforts on getting printed in the recognized publications of your category.

An expertise in parenting, for example, would include titles such as Parenting, Parents, Child, Working Mother, American Baby, Parent & Child and Family Fun. For men’s fitness and body building, target titles like Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Flex, Monster Muscle, Ironman and Muscle & Fitness.

6. Just say yes.

Don’t be an assignment size snob.

Take every opportunity to write about your specialty and run with it. “Sometimes you take on projects that are not cost effective, but they become portfolio pieces you can use to sell yourself again and again,” says Marsa. “You have nothing to sell but your skills. Do short pieces and long pieces. You name it, do it.”

7. Become a columnist.

It’s hard to nail one of these, but writing a recurring column is a fast-track trick.

Even if it pays a pittance, it’s worth your time for other benefits: You build a library of clips (fast), and it demonstrates to editors at other publications that you know your stuff and can be trusted not to flake out. Pitch column ideas to small-circulation magazines, local newspapers, ‘zines and websites, all of which are often more open to starting new columns and taking chances with new writers.

8. Write a book.

Easier said than done, of course, but there’s nothing like a book to cement your credibility and distinguish you as an expert.

Since Marsa’s book Prescriptions for Profit was published in 1999, she has been known as the authority on drug development. The book took 2 and a half years to complete, but it led to TV and radio spots, magazine interviews and a part-time writing gig at the Los Angeles Times.

9. Market yourself.

“There’s a lot of PR work involved,” says Bryson, who regularly sends letters to editors she knows—and a few she doesn’t. “I’m not always soliciting work. Sometimes I write to introduce myself as an expert.”

Topics:

Go Freelance, Journalism Advice

Managing

How to Fix Your Brand’s Damaged Reputation: 15 Proven Strategies

From monitoring your online presence to building authority, learn practical steps to protect and restore your brand's reputation in the digital age.

By Fred Godlash

@fredgodo

Fred Godlash is a communications and marketing specialist based in LA.

6 min read • Originally published April 28, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Fred Godlash

@fredgodo

Fred Godlash is a communications and marketing specialist based in LA.

6 min read • Originally published April 28, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

Warren Buffett’s famous quote on reputation goes like this: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” Reputation is breakable and needs to be maintained, but with a little common sense and effort you can manage your brand’s view.

What are some of the things you can do to protect yourself against an attack on your brand? How do you take the steps to build and restore your brand’s damaged reputation? What defense do you have against personal attacks, customer complaints and blatant falsehoods? How can people get away with saying whatever they want on the Internet with little to no consequences for their actions?

We’re here to shed some light on these types of questions, so read on.

Unfair attacks on reputation are nothing new

Slander against companies and individuals is not a new subject. In the late 19th century, the expression “yellow journalism,” coined by New York Press editor Erwin Wardman, described how newspaper moguls, specifically Joseph Pulitzer II and William Randolph Hearst, would use misleading, sensationalized stories to improve circulation.

Hearst is the subject material that inspired Orson Welles to make the film Citizen Kane, based on the influence and corruption he acquired in the 1920s and 1930s.

Why can I say anything on the Internet?

Yellow journalism is still in the media today but, due to libel and slander laws, media outlets have to be careful about how they report the news. Unfortunately, the Internet does not have the same guidelines as print and television outlets.

In 1996 Congress passed the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The law was passed to try to regulate pornography and obscenity in cyberspace. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, the law protects operators of Internet services by removing accountability. Websites hosting other people’s comments are not liable for the words of writers who post articles, reviews, feedback, complaints, libel statements, accusations, false claims, rip-off reports and insults.

The law keeps the spirit of free speech alive for the Internet but may enable immoral users to abuse the Web. Possibly due to so many anonymous attacks on companies, Google now gives preference to verified and identified user content and pushes the unknown authors back in the search results. Google also will remove defamatory statements from their search results.

Prevent damage by monitoring your brand

The top two ways of gauging your online reputation is by looking at the search engine results pages (SERP) and using Google Autocomplete. By staying ahead of any negative stories, you can take a proactive approach to protecting your reputation.

If you are seeing an issue emerge, you can go into Google Analytics and look for spikes in your site traffic that will point out key events and possible red flags.

Have a plan before fixing your reputation

Managing your reputation is a matter of organization and foresight. Make sure to set up Google alerts for all titles in question using brand names, product tags, popular misspellings (use analytics to find these), competitors, senior team leaders and key industry terms and popular search phrases. By discovering the problem, you can develop a solution.

Always have a well-thought-out plan for how to handle a reputation crisis. Sometimes the best fix to a problem is not to respond to the problem at all. Look to see if the offending website that hosts the negative comments about you will gain popularity by the rebuttals from the company or person trying to defend himself. If the site performs on other people’s comments, it may be a good idea not to respond at all.

Do not feed the fire.

Some say the only three laws for reputation management are authority, authority, authority. The more authority you have, the easier it is to make a big difference in where the stories will rank on the search page results. One way to establish authority is by building a social media reputation with a strong following.

This is not done by purchasing likes but by engaging with people as a thought leader or by being very transparent about your brand.

Also keep in mind that your authority can be built outside the Internet by participating in events, speaking engagements, becoming a sponsor and by joining charitable organizations. Depending on what type of outcome you are trying to achieve, authority can push your search results to page one, moving negative comments into oblivion.

There are other simple steps you can take to build or fix your reputation as it appears within search results:

Own Your Past. Address the elephant in the room. Acknowledge what the company has perceived to have done wrong. Apologize and have an action plan to make it right.
Control the conversation about your brand. And create an online crisis-listening program to catch increases in negative conversation before they reach bloggers and online media.
Understand complaints your brand already receives. Use social media to clarify customer misunderstandings, reducing overall complaints and building brand fans at the same time.
Adjust your social media response plan based on research, not emotion. Have analytics in place to help make an informed decision. Surges in traffic from websites like Reddit, where users can deliver anonymous content, can indicate a potential crisis developing.
Monitor employee complaint platforms. Glassdoor is one such resource.
Be proactive to prevent issues from turning into a crisis. Use decision trees that include the steps to take when an issue surfaces online or within the media for faster handling of potential issues.
Limit potential surprises. Own variations of your website URL, including negative versions (Yourbrandsucks.com).
Take complaints offline when possible. This ensures both a faster response for the customer, and less visibility about the issue at hand.
Be quick to apologize to customer complaints. Remember that a happy customer tells five fans, an unhappy customer tells 10, a fan who had an issue resolved tells 20. This is a great way to build super fans.
Be transparent when handling client issues. Transparency here means telling the customer what happened so they understand the issue. Don’t make up excuses.
Fix what you can! Understand which elements of the complaint you are able to fix and do so. Use this feedback to build a better mousetrap.
Use testimonials. Positive feedback from influencers can help boost any image problems.
Create quality subpages from your website. This will help push negative results down.
Reward loyal customers. Make your clients and supporters feel appreciated by giving them exclusive content, products or experiences.
Be patient. Building a good reputation doesn’t happen overnight. And rebuilding a damaged one is an even longer process.

The Internet has changed the way reputation is handled and perceived. While it takes millions of dollars and years to build a reputable brand, it only takes 45 seconds to create a Twitter account and potentially ruin an organization’s reputation online. Nothing is more important to a company’s health than managing your brand’s reputation.

Hiring for PR, media, or creative roles? Learn why general job boards miss the mark and what actually works. Read: Where to Post Media, Creative, and Design Jobs: What Employers Get Wrong

Topics:

Climb the Ladder, Managing

Work Spaces

One Year as a Content Farm Writer

I wrote for Demand Media Studios for a year. Here's what I learned about content farms, creative survival and steady paychecks.

@AmandaLaymanLow

Amanda Layman is a B2B tech content writer and strategist with over 15 years of experience creating content for startups and enterprise brands. She founded Tigris, a content agency serving leading tech companies, and authored The New Freelance: A Book for Writers.

6 min read • Originally published June 4, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

@AmandaLaymanLow

6 min read • Originally published June 4, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

You don’t have to go far to find criticism of employers like Demand Studios, Contently and Associated Content. These “content farms” employ massive numbers of writers to generate cheap content primed to appear at the top of search engine results.

They’re notorious for paying their writers next to nothing, having strict deadlines, and offering very little autonomy. But if this is true, why do people write for them?

I know exactly why. I wrote for Demand Media Studios for one year. Here’s what it was like.

A Day in the Life

On a typical work day, I’d wake up, go to the coffee shop and log in to DMS’s main page. There was a pool of titles for writers to choose from, and Demand Studios’ style guide detailed the rules for each format, with how-to pieces typically running as short as 300 words and topical pieces around 500.

Beginning writers could claim 10 articles at once, refilling their queues as needed after assignments were complete. When my ratings went up, I was approved to claim 15 titles at a time. (More on writer ratings later.)

Once I decided which piece to start with, I would assimilate information from the web and reshape it into a clear, concise piece.

The article titles were generated based on real phrases Google users searched and therefore ranged from the serious, “Missouri Child Abuse Statistics,” to the completely inane, “Why You Should Wear Clean Underwear.”

And, yes, both of these were titles I claimed and wrote. There were usually plenty of writeable titles to choose from, but occasionally I’d come across a dud like “How to Furnish a Giraffe” or “20 Benefits of a 3CQ On the JLRM36.” There were also a thousand iterations of the same article: “How to Dye Your Hair Pink,” “Best Pink Hair Color for Brunettes” or “How to Change Your Hair from Blonde to Pink.”

Sometimes these redundancies were beneficial because I could reuse the same resources across multiple articles and save time on research. At others, the droning nature of this process made me wonder, “What am I doing?”

Writer Ratings and Working with Editors

At a typical magazine, writers might get radio silence for a bad pitch or a kill fee for a piece that was never published. At DMS, the process is a little different.

There is no punishment if you don’t finish a piece; after a certain number of days, the title simply drops back into the pool for others to claim. I frequently “tricked” this system by quickly un-claiming and re-claiming a title to get extra days to work on it.

Once you’ve written a piece and submitted it, however, your work will be rated by an editor for grammar and style, among other things.

In my experience, there was only one round of editing, so if I didn’t fix my piece to that editor’s standards, he or she could reject it and I wouldn’t get another rewrite. My rating would go down slightly, which could have made it more difficult for me to qualify for more prestigious DMS markets in the future.

Title editors would attempt to weed out subjects that didn’t make sense, but ultimately writers were left to exercise their own judgment on the viability of a topic.

Consequently, there were times I’d write an entire article and have an editor reject it, because they believed I misinterpreted the title or that it should have never made it into the pool.

Conversely, there were times that DMS’ reliance on Google for subject matter worked in my favor, because I’d get to write essentially useless articles and still get paid for them.

However, since Google has improved its algorithms to push articles from content farms to the bottom of its search results, it’s very likely that Demand Studios publishes more interesting topics (with titles that actually make sense) than it did when I wrote for them.

Trying to determine if it’s worth your time to write for a content farm? Here are three major pros and cons based on my experience.

Pros

1. It’s steady pay. This is especially useful for students and beginning writers who may need the promise of quick money to get their careers rolling. I was paid twice a week at DMS, a consistency you won’t find in the nail-biting, invoice-sending world of traditional freelance writing.

2. You get a crash course in time management. In order to get the $15/hour wage at which I valued myself, I had to write one article an hour. I learned shortcuts to finding trustworthy information online and to trust my own instincts. Because of my experience with Demand, speed and accuracy are now ingrained in me, and editors I work with today often praise my ability to generate strong work very quickly.

3. It’s flexible. At DMS, I could claim and write as many or as few articles as I wanted. I could also write anywhere, as long as there was an Internet connection.

Cons

1. Your byline is lost in the shuffle. Despite having published hundreds of articles, I was virtually anonymous. Most websites that buy articles from content farms are information-oriented, meaning their readers want quick, accurate info rather than a thoughtful reading experience. They don’t care who wrote it. They just want the facts.

2. You’re a machine, not a person. At DMS, editors were nameless and faceless to the writers, just as we were to them. I never developed any relationships with colleagues, because we were kept anonymous to each other.

3. You may feel like you’re stuck in a cycle. Every minute I wrote for DMS, I was robbing myself of a minute I could have spent on writing I was passionate about. And because of the turn-and-burn nature of it, I wound up with few articles strong enough to offer as samples to new, potential clients.

So, Is It Worth It?

Both content farms and traditional outlets have their risks. Bottom line? Hoping to make it big at a content farm is like working toward becoming a CEO by flipping burgers at McDonald’s.

Yes, it’s possible to work your way up, but it may take many, many years of substandard pay and monotonous work. However, penning articles for a content farm is a consistent paycheck as long as you put in the hours.

Again, I wrote for DMS over two years ago, and it’s very likely that the platform has improved since then. I have read that they’re making strides to filter out un-writeable titles and reward their most knowledgeable writers with higher-paying assignments, and I’m sure that there are some writers who probably enjoy their experience there.

If you are thinking of writing for a content farm, you should weigh the pros and cons listed here against your own research to see if it’s a good fit for you.

Traditional freelance writing, on the other hand, is like starting your own restaurant. It is expensive, scary as hell and there is no promise of success. You may not make any money at all in the first several months, or even years. However, you get your autonomy and the fulfillment of being the boss from day one. Everything can be exactly to your taste.

I applaud anyone who is bold and brave enough to pursue a career in writing, whether it’s content writing, blogging, fan fiction or starting your own ‘zine.

In my experience, it’s not the type of writing you do that determines your success. It’s when you enjoy what you do and operate from a mindset of fullness and gratitude that you will feel the most rewarded.

Looking to level up your content team? Post a job on Mediabistro and connect with skilled writers and editors.

Topics:

Be Inspired, Work Spaces

How to Create a Writer’s Website That Gets You Work

Attract new clients with a site that showcases your best writing

@AmandaLaymanLow

6 min read • Originally published June 11, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

@AmandaLaymanLow

6 min read • Originally published June 11, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

All types of independent professionals have been hearing it for years—to do business today, you need a website.

But what exactly is the function of your website when you’re a freelance writer? Unless you’re a blogger by trade, or selling books or products to consumers, it may be difficult to determine the purpose of your page and which features to include.

However, your website can be a tremendous tool for growing your client base and your career. Let’s take a look at how to create a writer’s website that gets you work.

1. Use your website as a selling tool

The most prominent reason to start and maintain a website is to showcase your work and help your potential clients visualize how you can help them. Susan Barnes, travel writer and host of the #GirlsTravel chat on Twitter, says, “Whenever I am pitching somebody, I always link to my site, to my clips page. If you want to put everything upfront, it kind of takes away the back and forth.”

There are a few tactics you can use to ramp up the professionalism of your site. Jane Friedman, former co-founder and editor of Scratch magazine and current columnist for Publishers Weekly, says customization can make a world of difference in setting you apart from others, and making your site look polished. “Have some custom design touches, your own header or color palette or background image,” she says.

Carol Tice, freelance writer and founder of several web resources for writers, believes a picture makes a huge difference.

“Not a picture of you with a drink in your hand, holding your miniature dog—a professional but friendly-looking shot of yourself. People come on writer websites to meet the writer, to get to know them and make sure it’s not another online writing scam.”

2. Make sure your site looks professional

Writers who lack technical skills may shy away from simple things that can drastically improve the appearance of their site. Friedman emphasizes the importance of a self-hosted site, “even if it’s just faking the appearance of a self-hosted site.”

Strongly consider purchasing a domain name on content management systems like WordPress, so the site looks like your own. “That small investment adds another layer of professionalism to it,” says Friedman.

There are also good, lesser known platforms on which you can host a site. Signing up as a member of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE), for example, gets you a free site. And sites like WritersResidence.com design sites specifically for writers. However, Tice warns against using free platforms: “What that communicates to prospects is that I’m a dabbler; I’m not putting time into this.”

3. Include the Essentials: Homepage, About Page and Testimonials

Tice highlights four main components of a killer website: a homepage, an “About” page, contact info, clips and testimonials. The homepage should clearly and concisely state what you do and how you can help your client, while your About page can delve into the work you’ve done recently. “A lot of people’s About pages start, ‘I first knew I wanted to be a writer when I was five years old.'” Tice says. “This is not what the client wants to know about you—they want to know, ‘Who have you been writing for lately?'”

Friedman suggests beginning with a primary call to action, whether through a tagline, layout or menu, that indicates what you specialize in. In addition, she says, “the menu needs to be direct and clear about things your target audience will be most interested in—your portfolio, clips and how to contact you.” She adds it’s important to put your name somewhere prominent, preferably in the domain name and in big print on your site’s landing page. Your contact info should be easy to find and, if possible, on every page.

It’s also helpful to include testimonials with headshots of your customers on your homepage or About page. “Testimonials convert,” says Tice. “They add huge relatability… it is amazing how our brain makes that connection with the face.”

4. Spotlight your clips

As a professional writer, your clips and portfolio will be your greatest asset for attracting new clients. Friedman recommends offering up your clips in reverse chronological order, and split them up by category if you write in different areas. “If you have work online, link directly to it, or post a PDF of the opening spread,” she states.

Barnes puts all of her clips on her site over the past two years, and makes it a practice of always asking for PDFs of print pieces. Tice also emphasizes the importance of keeping your clips organized. “Once a year, I have somebody go through and make sure the links [to my work] are valid. If you have stuff you love, get PDFs or physical copies. Magazines go under, websites fold, and you’re going to lose that work.”

5. Keep the (good) content flowing with a blog

Barnes manages what she calls a “hybrid” site that’s part blog, part traditional website. She updates her site with blog-like posts, linking her latest work as a featured story. She says, “You may write something you don’t have a home for, and you can put it on your site and tweet or [write a] Facebook [post] about it. It’s kind of like a nice bonus outlet.”

Tice maintains a blog on one of her websites, but advises that writing a blog is only best if you’re planning on pitching other blogs—or if you really have a lot to say on a topic. “There are 700 posts on my blog. Think about iterating that many [posts] about the topic you’re thinking about blogging on, and if that idea makes you want to run screaming, it’s not the right topic for you.” She adds that the problem with blogging is that, “If you don’t keep it up, it looks dusty and abandoned.”

Friedman has also seen far too many writers blog poorly, especially if they’ve been told to do it for marketing reasons. “If you have the intrinsic desire to blog, go for it—but it’s not a good idea as just a means to an end.”

6. Avoid nonessentials that can clutter your site

It may be tempting to add every clip, link, widget, bell and whistle to your page, but don’t underestimate the power of keeping your site short and sweet. Specializing in one subject or type of service can also be advantageous. Says Friedman: “If you’re too vague or general, people don’t understand how or why they should partner with you.” But keep in mind that specializing in something now doesn’t mean you can’t change it later, she adds.

You also don’t need to include a resume because the content on your site should be your resume. Another item to exclude is a rate sheet. Tice says, “With a rate sheet, you’re totally shooting yourself in the foot, giving yourself a chance to lose gigs, or having to work for rates you wouldn’t want to with pain-in-the-butt clients.”

It’s better to be succinct than to put everything out there. Some writers add extensive FAQ sheets to their site, but, Tice, for one, is against them: “Every piece of data beyond the basics, you’re just giving them a chance to not like you, without having talked to you and finding out you’re really great.”

7. Know Thy Work Is Never Done

Once your site is live, your work isn’t done. In fact, it’s never really done—not if you want to keep getting work. “This is a fluid document; it’s like a business plan, where you need to update it every quarter as your ideas change,” says Tice. She recommends revisiting, tweaking and rewriting the content at least once every six months. Frequent updates can also help boost your search-engine ranking. After all, the point of your site is visibility.

Topics:

Be Inspired, Productivity