Tracking the latest happenings in the world of freelance writing sometimes takes a backseat. However, newsletters for freelance writers can come to the rescue when following various social media platforms and job portals becomes challenging.
So, here's a list of newsletters you can subscribe to that are completely free. And they have everything from current job listings to places to pitch, full-time remote writing gigs, advice on writing and productivity, and much more.
1. The Writer's Job Newsletter
TWJN is a weekly newsletter that begins with a helpful summary of the email's content. Links are organized under three main headings—resources to help writers improve their craft, calls to pitch, and writing gigs.
The writing resources are beneficial whether you're looking for advice on improving your pitches, negotiating your pay rates, approaching top-notch publications, or creating an effective writing schedule.
Calls to pitch and the writing gigs sections have job postings curated from Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, online magazines, digital publications, and company websites. Most of these listings also include information about pay rates, links to pitching guidelines where applicable, and other relevant information like the nature of the job—full-time, remote, part-time, hybrid, and so on.
Subscribing to the newsletter opens up access to TWJN's historical jobs list and a library of links to online publications that are frequently in need of new pitches.
2. Where to Pitch
Susan Shain is a freelance journalist with bylines in The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, and other reputable publications. Where to Pitch is her newsletter sharing best practices about pitching, approaching high-end publications, pitching opportunities, and everything else to do with getting your own byline in top-notch publications.
The best perk of subscribing to her newsletter is getting access to five of her actual pitches that won her the bylines in multiple major publications, besides other gems from her archives like tools for freelancers, writing courses, and more.
The newsletter usually contains pitching advice, links to publications asking for pitches, writing resources, and a reading recommendations list, which is a good way of discovering other good newsletters worth reading.
3. Content Writing Jobs Newsletter
This is perhaps the most straightforward and no-hassles newsletter on the list. It begins with a short introductory message followed by a list of writing jobs for the week.
Each listing has a brief overview of the job role and responsibilities, the nature of the work, and a direct link to apply to the job. The listings are varied and cater to freelance writers at all levels of their careers.
The only glitch is clicking on the Apply Now button takes you to the website that hosts the job listing. You'll have to click on the Apply Now button on the site again to go to the actual job application page.
You can subscribe to the weekly newsletter free of cost or become a member and access the daily job alerts newsletter. You can also sort through previous listings on their website with niche, job type, career level, and location filters.
4. FundsforWriters
C. Hope Clark, author of books such as the Carolina Slade series and The Edisto Island Mysteries, and editor of the FundsforWriters website, curates this professional weekly newsletter. As per Writer's Digest 101, FundsforWriters is one of the best websites for creative writers to follow, making this one of the best career newsletters.
The newsletter has extensive information and begins with Hope's message, sharing her experience, insights, and learnings about writing-adjacent events and things happening in her life.
There's another editorial insight section that sheds light on a unique aspect of writing each week. It also highlights the success stories of writers subscribed to the newsletter and a featured article by other writers. You can also pitch to the site and get featured in an upcoming issue.
Creative writers may find the sections about competitions particularly helpful for their career prospects. Besides the regular freelance market job listings section, there's another one about publishers and agents accepting work, which is helpful for amateur fiction writers.
A brief paragraph containing relevant information, like application deadlines, entry fees, and prizes, accompanies every listing.
5. Kat Boogaard's Newsletter
Kat Boogaard is a freelance writer specializing in content related to careers, productivity, self-development, and entrepreneurship. She sends a weekly(or every other week) newsletter that begins by addressing pertinent issues freelance writers face, like flexibility, being on social media, and setting boundaries. She also offers solutions and workarounds for these issues based on her experience.
Other sections of the newsletter include tips, tools, and resources for writing, noteworthy freelance writing gigs, and non-writing freelance gigs that are writing adjacent, like content strategists, copyeditors, etc. She also shares links to her reading lists that readers may find beneficial to bookmark and follow.
Besides the newsletter, her blog is also a repository of helpful information about laws governing freelance writing, freelance contracts, finding clients, and more information on similar lines.
6. Freelancing With Tim
Freelancing with Tim is a weekly newsletter by freelance writer, editor, and newsroom consultant, Tim Herrera. Content included in the newsletter is flexible and focuses more on the writing and pitching aspects than on job listings. Each newsletter discusses a topic in depth with tips, advice, and guidance to succeed in the industry.
How to survive as an independent journalist, common questions about pitching, treating your freelance business like a small enterprise, making your mark with editors, generating story ideas, and so on are the kind of topics you can look forward to learning more about.
Hosted on Substack, one of the best email newsletter tools, Tim's newsletter is geared towards journalism and benefits reporters and aspiring journalists besides freelance writers.
The free subscription gets you a weekly newsletter every Tuesday, while paid options come with more perks and resources.
Get the Best Freelance Writing Advice
Subscribing to freelance writing newsletters is an excellent way to save time tracking the latest job posts, industry updates, developing stories, and more. Writers can apply to most job listings with one click, even as they benefit from expert advice.
If you find these newsletters beneficial, you may also want to explore other newsletters for niches like entrepreneurship, wellness, and so on.