7 Best Free Writing Platforms That Pay Writers as Beginners

If you’re looking for the best writing platforms that pay writers including beginners, read this article right to the end.

I’ve been a professional writer for 10+ years, with the last five focused on content and digital marketing, and I’m going to share some wisdom that’ll help you make money writing.

Recently I decided to return to my roots and focus more on writing for myself alongside client work. As part of this, I revisited some of the platforms that helped me get started making money online, and I thought sharing them could be valuable to anyone else starting on a similar journey.

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s easy for writers to feel discouraged. However, if you’re a skilled wordsmith or dedicated to becoming one, you’ll be able to create content that stands above what AI can produce. Despite AI’s growing presence, there’s still plenty of demand for quality writing.

Whether writing is your passion or you have a niche interest you want to share, the platforms I’ll discuss can help you get started earning online.

The first four websites are where you can earn money directly, the next two are ideal for building an audience, and the last entry includes three resources for finding freelance writing jobs.

This article contains affiliate links. If you follow them and then make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional expense to you. Thanks for reading!

Substack: Publish Blog Posts and Build a Newsletter

If I were a beginner today, I’d start with Substack. It’s a free-to-use platform that allows you to make money directly, build an audience, and collect subscribers. Even though I already run a blog and have an email list, I’m seriously considering setting up a Substack because of how well it supports creators.

Substack is a newsletter and blogging platform. Readers can subscribe to your content either for free or on a premium subscription. Some writers on Substack offer only free content, and others have both free and paid tiers.

You can customize your setup in several ways, including creating multiple premium tiers or accepting donations.

What makes Substack stand out is its ability to help you build an email list. Forms can be easily integrated into your articles, allowing you to collect leads and send out newsletters. You can also email your audience about anything else you might want to share.

Another key feature is that Substack doesn’t require a massive audience for you to earn a decent income. For example, if your subscribers are paying $20 a month, and you gather 200-500 subscribers, you could quickly reach a full-time income.

Although Substack takes a small cut of your earnings (typically 10%), the platform is a great way to get started, offering a number of business opportunities all in one place.

Publish0x: Free Blogging For Crypto and Blockchain News

Publish0x is another free blogging platform where you can start publishing content immediately. It focuses heavily on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, though there are other popular topics, such as artificial intelligence.

One of the unique aspects of Publish0x is that you can earn cryptocurrency based on the number of reads your articles get. When I first started writing here, I focused on blockchain news and crypto topics, and some of my posts received thousands of views.

While the earnings weren’t huge, it was a valuable learning experience, and the potential is there for making a decent income in cryptocurrency if you focus on the right topics.

Publish0x also has a referral program, so if you’re interested in signing up, follow this link and create a free account.

Vocal Media: Simple Monetization For Freelance Writers

Vocal.Media is similar to Publish0x in that it’s a free-to-use blogging platform. However, Vocal caters to a much broader range of topics. You can write about practically anything, but focusing on popular themes will help you get more readership.

What sets Vocal apart is its support for fiction writers. They regularly host fiction writing challenges, which are sometimes free to enter, though certain ones require a paid Vocal+ membership (which costs about $6-$8 a month). These challenges often come with substantial prize money, making them competitive but rewarding.

Vocal Media makes payments to writers monthly whenever they exceed the payment threshold. It’s a great way to earn while improving your writing skill, and you can publish anything from personal stories to essays, and any other original content.

Vocal pays based on the number of reads, and readers also have the option to tip authors they like. The platform offers incentives like small cash rewards after publishing a set number of stories, making it a great way to build your portfolio and earn while gaining exposure.

Medium: Earn From Membership Revenue Sharing

Beginners can use Medium to gain exposure and start earning money with relative ease. Like Vocal and PublishOx, this is a free-to-use blogging platform. It’s probably the largest, and for many, it may be the easiest place to make a decent amount of money.

However, it is competitive. Only around the top 10% of writers earn more than $100 a month.

The reason I rank Medium lower is that you must cater to both the readers and the curators on the platform. Unlike Vocal and Publish0x, you don’t get much organic exposure unless your work is curated.

Curators are staff who decide what should be highlighted for wider reach. If you get curated regularly you can gain significant traction and as a result, extra money.

Another weakness of this platform is that you only get paid when paying members read your article. You can choose to paywall your content or not, but only reads from premium members pay. Because of this, it’s important to focus on topics that members love and on perspectives that curators support.

Popular topics include writing tutorials, love and relationships, making money, and tech-related subjects. If you’re focusing on Medium, I suggest researching similar writers to understand their engagement levels and what content works well. You’ll also need to study their curation guidelines to improve your chances of having your stories promoted.

While you can sign up and publish for free, becoming a paying member creates several advantages. If you choose to focus on Medium, Vocal, or Publish0x as your primary platform, you can syndicate your content to the others a few days after initial publication to get extra exposure.

X (Formerly Known as Twitter): Gain Followers and Subscribers

The fifth online platform for beginner writers is X.com, formerly known as Twitter. X stands out as one of the most text-focused social platforms, with a vast and diverse audience. You can find engaged followings in nearly any niche, making it an excellent space to build your presence.

To grow organically on X, consistency is key. By regularly posting well-crafted tweets and threads that resonate with your target audience, you can build a substantial following. X rewards creators who engage meaningfully, allowing you to expand your influence in a relatively short time.

For monetization, upgrading to X Premium unlocks significant benefits. You’ll get a boost in organic reach, the opportunity to earn ad revenue for your posts, and access to creator subscriptions. This feature works like Substack, where your followers can pay a monthly fee to access exclusive, premium content.

While X Premium is required to generate revenue, you can still use a free account to build an audience, attract clients, and gain recognition. Given its enormous and varied user base, X is one of the best platforms to grow your presence, especially if you focus on a niche audience.

LinkedIn: Connect With Businesses and Professionals 

LinkedIn is another text-friendly social online platform. While both X and LinkedIn support videos and images, they stand out for promoting pure text posts more than places like Facebook.

One of my LinkedIn connections (Michal Bohanes), a high-level consultant, regularly publishes a variety of content, ranging from pure text to long-form pieces with images or videos.

While most of his posts relate directly to his work, he also publishes personal life lessons and sometimes random tips like how to strategically drink more water for improved health.

If you’re in a business-to-business (B2B) niche or an entrepreneur, LinkedIn can be a great platform to grow a following. Though LinkedIn doesn’t offer a creator program with ad revenue or subscription options, it excels at generating valuable connections, clients, and leads.

Like X, success on LinkedIn requires consistency and a clear strategy. I know several people who have monetized their LinkedIn presence by sharing insights related to their professional lives.

The Freelance Writing Basics

Here are three freemium platform which provide everything a burgeoning freelance writers needs to get started. If you want to learn more about getting started as a freelancer, watch this episode of my podcast.

Systeme.io – Free Website + Marketing Software

Systeme.io is a free marketing platform where you can create a blog, build an email list, and sell products or services via sales funnels. You can even build online courses and sell via email marketing to up to 2000 contacts on their forever-free plan.

It can function similarly to Substack if you want, but requires a bit more setup and lacks Substack’s built-in audience. But Systeme is an ideal tool for creating your own writer website, gathering leads, showcasing your portfolio, and selling products or writing services.

If you don’t already have a website, I highly recommend signing up for Systeme.io. It’s an all-in-one solution to set up your online presence for free, and can fill in the gaps left by other aspects of your digital footprint.

Fiverr and Upwork: Best Freelance Platforms For Beginners

Fiverr and Upwork are two of the best freelancing platforms for writers. Upwork is where I first earned money online (actually that was on its predecessor Elance), and Fiverr provides an accessible marketplace experience.

A lot of freelancers prefer Fiverr because you just create gigs and clients come to you. You can create one or more services (gigs), and you can even add multiple tiers to them. For example, I could create a content writing service with an upgrade for SEO, or a service for writing guest posts with an optional upgrade to do the outreach for the client.

Upwork requires you to apply to job postings created by clients, which means more initial work than Fiverr, but I think this teaches valuable lessons about working with clients.

I used Upwork for over five years, building a solid freelance foundation before transitioning to marketing. Upwork offers a wide range of writing jobs, from fiction and ghostwriting to marketing copy and blog content.

Though finding high-paying clients can be challenging, Upwork provides invaluable experience in working with clients and adhering to their standards.

Are These the Best Writing Platforms That Pay Freelance Writers?

If you think I missed an important website, reach out and let me know! I’d love to hear about your past, present, or future experience building your writing career. I didn’t mention any job boards (unless you count Upwork), but that’s because most of them are a race to the bottom.

It’s certainly true that everyone starts somewhere, and most people start at very low pay rates, but don’t be discouraged. If you love what you do and focus on improving your skills and getting results, you’ll outpace most content writers faster than you might think possible.

Note: While AI software can’t replace skilled writers, it can certainly help us! Grab a free account for Rytr.me here if you’d like to try out one of my top recommendations.