Elena Prokopets
If there’s one good thing that came with the pandemic it is that more employers are now embracing the remote work trend, even for the long-term perspective. And it’s not just the likes of Twitter and Facebook who are jumping on this bandwagon, but the smaller businesses too! For a long time already writers have chosen to go solo and work as ‘wordsmiths for hire’. But today, you no longer need to juggle a bunch of freelance writing jobs (unless you want to) to make a good living. You can go after full-time remote writing jobs that also happen to pay particularly well. Here are the top 6 ones to consider if writing is your forte.
1. Copywriting
The popular Mad Men series gave us a good glimpse into the day-to-day of agency copywriters, working in their office den’s and doing impromptu client meetings. In the 2020s, things are a bit different. Most copywriters now slay in cozy home offices and can occasionally jump on a Zoom call to do a quick presentation of the landing page they just penned.
Guess what? They are actually earning a better living than Peggy Olsen did back in her agency days. The average salary of a remote copywriter is $75,211 a year. And if you are a more experienced type and work with a roster of high-profile clients, you can easily earn well into the $100,000 range, especially if you work with tech, pharma, or financial companies.
2. Copyediting
Remote editing jobs are not that hard to come by either, both if you are a beginner and an experienced professional. Junior editors and recent graduates can easily score remote writing and editing jobs that require skills such as:
- Web/online editing
- Video editing
- Resume editing
On average, such entry-level gigs pay an hourly rate between $14-$25, depending on your skills and niche.
More experienced remote editors should look into editorial gigs with magazines, publishers, and publicists. Full-time remote copy editors in such positions earn $67,729 annually on average.
Those with strong journalistic skills and some content marketing knowledge can aim even higher and go after the creme-de-la-creme editing jobs such as Content Strategist or Digital Strategist with corporate brands that are heavily investing in building a strong online presence. Such senior roles can offer compensation of $100,000 annually and above.
3. Medical Writing
Medical writing is among those remote freelance writing jobs that require prolific education and deep subject matter expertise. Thus, it’s not the easiest niche to break into without a relevant degree. But for those with the right credentials and knowledge, medical writing can generate a solid revenue stream.
Remote medical writers receive a compensation of $107,195 annually and can always earn even more by taking on extra one-off projects.
4. Technical Writing
As the name implies, technical writing is for people who are both creative and have an aptitude for software, coding, and other technical subjects. As a technical writer, you are usually asked to create support documentation for new software, develop user manuals, work on project requirements documents, and be in charge of all the technical terminology and documentation for the company/product.
It might be not the most exciting of the remote writing jobs on this list, but it has steady growth prospects since we are nowhere close to using less software. So if you are as fluent with tech, as you are with the words, consider this option as it pays pretty well —$33/hour for mid-level positions and $40/hour for senior roles.
5. Ghostwriting
Ghostwriters sell their literary talent to others who then put their name as an author on the produced texts. Usually, ghostwriters are hired to write speeches, thought leadership content, and even books for the busy folks who have the time (or proper skills) to get the job done themselves.
While it may not sound like a super rewarding job (since the credit goes to someone else), ghostwriting gigs usually pay extra for that. Payscale estimates that ghostwriters get paid $47.50/hour on average with the top 10% of professionals earning up to $75/hour. So if you clock in 40 hours per week, writing for someone else, you can receive $3,000. Not that shabby, eh?
6. UX writing
UX stands for user experience — a factor that makes digital products easier and more delightful to use. Page layout, design, and interactive elements play an important role in creating that ‘delight’ factor, but so do words. That’s why customer-focused brands are now encouraging writers to work closely with UX designers to build the ultimate experience for the end-users.
In essence, UX writers try to find the optimal words for prompting users towards their goals when interacting with a digital product. They are responsible for creating all the product feature names, headlines, screen texts, tooltips, button texts, help screens, and more! Actually, a lot of meticulous research and planning goes into the UX writing process and that’s why most UX writers earn well into six figures per year.
How to Find Remote Writing Jobs: 5 Quick Tips
Feeling thrilled with the potential scope of opportunities (and earnings)? Well, take advantage of that momentum and start acting!
- Update your resume and LinkedIn profile to indicate your remote availability.
- Look for fresh job ads by trying “writing jobs remote + [your country] or [your niche]”
- Get registered and receive alerts on fresh jobs from popular remote job websites such as Remote, RemoteOK, and FlexJobs.
- Register in niche remote work communities (e.g. Remotely One) and startup networking websites (e.g. Angel.co) to network with others.
- If you are an experienced writer/editor/journalist, send an application to popular remote content marketing agencies such as Contently, Skyword, and NewsCred.
Lastly, if you are feeling that freelance writing isn’t your jam, check out other popular work from home jobs that you can pick up any time!
