Freelancing 101

15 Online Freelancer Communities to Join This Year

Team Pepper
Posted on 19/01/228 min read
15 Online Freelancer Communities to Join This Year

Table of Contents

  • What Are Communities and How Can They Help?
  • 15 Communities for Freelance Content Writers
  • Key Takeaways
  • Conclusion
  • FAQs

Freelance content writers enjoy a lot of perks, including the freedom to write content at any time and from wherever they are; work according to their comfort; and exercise more flexibility in choosing work. But a major downside is the loneliness and demotivation that comes from managing everything on your own. This is when joining the right freelancer communities can give a big boost to your writing career. Whether you are a ghost-writer, a technical writer, blogger or copywriter, there’s a community for everyone. Let’s dig deeper into the best communities for freelance content writers.

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What Are Communities and How Can They Help?

Human beings are social animals, who best thrive when they connect with like-minded individuals or those who share their tastes and preferences. This fact has also been confirmed by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which states that our psychological needs are met only when we interact and communicate with family and friends. But the rise of remote work culture and freelancing work has started depriving us of the opportunity to connect with people: something that we’d regularly do when working in offices. This is where a community for freelancers comes to the rescue.

If you are a freelance writer, you’d know how lonely and demotivating it gets at times, and that’s where other people in your freelance writing community can be of help. Here are the top benefits of joining communities for freelance content writers.

1. Sense of belonging

As humans, we work best when appreciated for our efforts and talent. Freelance writing communities and groups give you a sense of belonging and act as the perfect motivators to continue your writing journey. Joining these communities helps freelancers connect with others in their preferred niche, providing a sense of belonging and helping fight loneliness.

2. New opportunities

The toughest part for a freelance content writer is finding reliable clients who pay on time, give thorough briefs, and stay true to their word. Being part of a community helps you get good recommendations from other freelancers, and sometimes, even great work opportunities.

3. Mentorship and guidance

As a writer, you’ll find there’s always someone better than you; and by joining a freelance content writer community, you get to connect with these experts much more easily. Joining a group will help you get free mentorship, valuable advice, and most likely, someone to discuss ideas with, in order to make your writing journey better.

4. Vast network

Most freelance writing communities comprise a global network of freelancers, thereby providing you with opportunities to learn about various dialects, regional preferences, and suitable suggestions for your content. These help expand your network outside your geographical area, thus opening up new and better opportunities

15 Communities for Freelance Content Writers

Do you remember your school days, when study groups helped you learn better for an exam or complete an impossible assignment on time? It’s easier to go an extra mile when you have the right support, and the same principle applies to the world of freelance writers too. Keep your creative muscles flexed, get the best freelancing advice, and be surrounded by others with similar skills and goals by joining the following freelancer communities.

1. Freelance Writers Den

Freelance Writers Den is one of the largest and most profound communities for writers of almost every niche. Founded by Carol Tice, the Den has over 1,200 writers who’ve made their writing careers a success, and now actively provide support and guidance to newbies, be it teaching them how to write better or imparting lessons on successful marketing. The community is membership-based, where you get to attend live events and 24×7 online. You also get access to some of the best writing gigs and contract templates for freelancing.

2. ProBlogger

The ProBlogger community is an inclusive group for writers and bloggers, wherein members answer each other’s queries to get better at blogging, while teaching you the best ways to monetize your blog. Darren from ProBlogger hosts the group along with other moderators, offering a vast pool of resources to help build up your blog and begin monetizing it. ProBlogger also has a Facebook group and podcast. 

3. Reddit

Reddit offers unlimited opportunities for freelance content writers, hosting several subreddits for everyone from bloggers, content writers, and copywriters to content marketers and freelance writers. Their tagline “the front page of the internet” is quite accurate for freelance writers in different niches. r/writing, r/selfpublish, r/blogging, r/copywriting, r/technicalwriting, r/freelancewriters, and r/writersforhire are some of the best subreddits to get started and find international clients.

4. Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is a community for writers who wish to learn everything about content marketing. It’s extremely helpful for freelance writers, teaching them everything about creating content that converts. You can use its resources to polish your content marketing game and reach out to the pros. You can subscribe to their email list, or connect with the community on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

5. No-Fluff Writing Group

This is, by far, one of the best communities for freelance writers. It offers valuable writing tips, advice, tools, and even curated job posts. This group offers a unique advantage with its volunteer mentorship program, helping new writers develop their skills and improve their writing portfolio.

6. Bloggers United

If you love blogging, this is the perfect community where you can promote and share your blogs, collaborate with other bloggers in different niches, and share and learn useful tips while expanding your network. The group requires you to perform certain activities on specific days of the week, leaving no space for dormant members or casual scrollers and spammers.

7. HubSpot Academy Content Marketing Pros

Everyone knows HubSpot as a platform that provides everything related to marketing, sales, and related services. You might be great at writing, but there’s no point in creating amazing content if you can’t market it well. This is where HubSpot’s community for content marketers acts as a great resource to learn everything about content marketing, get a certified course to prove your merit to clients, and connect with industry experts.

8. LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers ample networking opportunities for creative souls. It is a platform solely meant for professionals. It’s where you can freely share your work, thoughts pertaining to your field, and expand your network containing the best copywriters and marketers in the industry. 

A few writers to follow include Shreya Pattar, Nikhil Narayanan, Tim Denning, Chima Mmeje, and Neil Patel. You can find many other copywriters, content creators, and marketers who’ll help add value to your work. LinkedIn also has several groups, such as Growthlancers, which you can join to expand your network.

9. Copywriting Hacks

This group is meant for every copywriter, from rookies to the top brass in the global copywriting industry. If you can shell out some money, they also offer a copywriting resource pack that includes useful briefs, contracts, guides, and much more. Apart from being educational and helpful, this group is also perfect for connecting with peers, thus helping expand your network.

10. Freelance Writing Café

This group is the perfect community for freelance writers wanting to launch their low stress, high-income career. Started by Michelle Christine, this community has loads of advice on goal-setting and useful freelance writing tips or tricks. It also provides useful advice on how to maintain work-life balance while freelancing, in addition to interviews with writers from various niches. It’s a must-join for those just beginning their freelance writing journey.

11. Copy Kooks

Essentially an online school for copywriting, Copy Kooks was started by Tamsin Henderson. She provides her students with fun and practical copywriting courses. Over 50,000 people have enrolled in her courses thus far. Her Facebook group is where you can get thought-provoking writing prompts, honest reviews on your copy, and even stellar proposals to help you get the best deals from clients.

12. The Writing Cooperative

A global community of writers from all walks of life, The Writing Cooperative supports everyone in their writing journey. Their newsletter provides useful tips on writing: everything from making money online and writing for videos and practicing mindfulness. In our opinion, it is easily one of the best communities for freelance content writers. 

13. Freelancers Union

Freelancers Union is a community for all types of freelancers, providing guidance, tips, resources, and even insurance benefits (limited to those residing in the United States). It’s the perfect place to connect with freelance writers from fields, such as marketing and designing, to learn something new every day.

14. Twitter’s Writing Community

The #WritingCommunity on Twitter is more than just a hashtag. It’s a place where you get to promote all your work, get advice from fellow writers, share ideas and tips, and grow your network of like-minded professionals. Twitter offers many other relevant hashtags, through which you can get reading advice, writing tips, suggestions, the latest releases, and if you are persistent enough, some good clients too.

15. Quora

Being a Q&A platform, Quora is the perfect place to get all your queries answered from the top experts in your niche. Although not an explicit community for writers, Quora offers multiple perks for both newbies and experienced freelance writers. It is where you can get valuable advice on everything from finding new clients to marketing and improving your writing, making it one of the best freelancer communities.

Key Takeaways

  • You need communities for moral support. Working alone means finding yourself in despair or demotivating situations often, and this is where being part of a good community makes a difference. 
  • Niche communities are more helpful than general communities. You must join niche-based communities, such as those meant exclusively for bloggers or copywriters, health writers, technology writers, etc.
  • Freelancing is tough without proper guidance. 
  • You must join different communities for more exposure: being part of multiple communities helps you increase creativity, stay updated on the latest industry trends, and get referrals from other freelancers. 
  • Freelancer communities help expand your knowledge, whether you write in a particular niche or are just starting out as a freelancer. 

Conclusion

Being part of freelancer communities will help you gain an edge over fellow writers, learn something new each day, ward off isolation, and get your work reviewed in all honesty by critics. Good communities provide proper guidance and emotional support, in order to thrive as a freelance content writer. 

As a freelance writer, you must possess exceptional writing skills that make you better than the competition. You also need to be proficient in sales, client acquisitions, marketing, communication, and finance. This is where being part of a community can help you get proper guidance, saving your valuable time and energy. 

Joining a community for freelancers can help you deal with writer’s block, learn effective marketing strategies, gain new clients, and expand your network for personal growth. So, if you are not connected on any platform, now’s the right time to join any of the above-listed freelance writer communities and grow your freelance writing business.

FAQs

1. Where should freelance writers start?

Start by creating content for your favorite companies or brands, connecting directly through email or social media. You may start your blog on WordPress or Medium, join popular communities for freelance content writers, and expand your network. You can find work through LinkedIn job boards like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.

2. Is there a demand for freelance writers?

Yes, the freelance writing community has been growing at an extremely high rate, with the highest demand for writers specializing in a particular niche, and offering unique and engaging content.

3. How do freelance writers get clients?

There are multiple ways to get clients, like networking on Twitter and LinkedIn, joining freelancer communities, being part of freelancing platforms like Upwork or Freelancer, and establishing your identity online. You can also try cold calling or cold mailing to connect with prospects in your industry or niche.

4. How much should a freelance writer charge per 1,000 words?

There is no set-in-stone figure, as it is subjective. Your rate should depend on the level of research required, your experience in a particular niche, the time required to write a particular blog post, and the quality of content you offer. 

5. How to earn through freelance writing?

You can start by finding clients on job boards and communities, expand your network by connecting with other freelancers and prospective clients on social media, start a blog and begin monetizing it, or be a part of the Pepper community, where you get jobs that match your writing preferences

6. How do I join a freelancer community?

Simply look up your favorite writing community, send a joining request, answer relevant questions, and wait for your request to get accepted. Remember to always follow the rules and not spam the group.