Freelance Writing Platforms: Traps or Great Starting Points for Beginner Freelance Writers?

Starting as a beginner freelance writer can feel exhilarating, yet frightening. How would you start this journey? One solution is to look into the most popular freelancing platforms. However, many object to this way of seeking freelance writing clients, while others consider it the best option for any beginner freelance writer out there. Who is right?

You’ve finally had enough of your nine-to-five jobs, and you are determined to make a career shift. Since you were a child, you have loved writing, and someone told you that in today’s online business world, you can make it as a freelance writer. Your only issue is that you don’t know where to start. Where do you start as a beginner freelance writer? How can you land your first freelance writing job?

In what follows, we want to discuss a controversial topic in the world of freelance writing: freelancing platforms. While some consider them a great starting point for any beginner freelance writer, others deem them a waste of time. Who is right?

Not only people with a nine-to-five job want to break into the world of freelance writing. In this gig-based economy, teenagers grasp the idea of entrepreneurship better than previous generations. If you are a teenager thinking of becoming a freelance writer, read our article on freelance writing jobs for teens.

The Danger for Beginner Freelance Writers on These Platforms

… Why Some Freelance Writers Don’t Recommend Them

According to many experienced and successful freelance writers, the best way to land clients is through cold outreach. What does it entail? You go online, research the market, find clients, and approach them directly. See who they are, what they want, and what you can offer to them as a freelance writer, and then craft an enticing email in which you offer them your services.

It’s a numbers game. Many will reject your proposals, but the few that you land will be a gold mine for you, the beginner freelance writer. The other alternative, when you don’t have experience or recommendations, is to sign up on one of the freelancing platforms popular today and hope to land clients that will help you further your new career choice.

However, the veterans in the game of freelance writing do not recommend taking this second path. No matter where you go, no matter which blog on freelance writing you read, the advice is always the same: avoid freelancing platforms such as Guru, Fiverr, or Upwork.

But why are these freelance writers so reluctant to join a platform such as Fiverr or Upwork? Is there something you, as a beginner freelance writer, need to fear? You don’t have a portfolio at this point, so finding clients on these platforms sounds like a good strategy.

The Pricing Issue with Freelance Writing Platforms

If you go through some of the blog posts on the topic, you will see that many freelance writers deem these platforms content mills. This is a slur word, at this point, for a website on which you get paid nickels for your freelance writing work. But is this true?

One critique is that clients on these freelancing platforms will offer payment deemed unworthy for your time, effort, and expertise. We are talking about sums of money such as $5 for a 500-word article. If you live in a developed country, of course, you can earn more money by doing menial jobs.

Fiverr charges freelancers 20% of their income. A large sum according to many.

Another critique that freelance writers have against these platforms is that they charge you too much. For example, Fiverr will take 20% of your earnings. This means that for every $100 you make, you must give the freelancing platform $20. To many, that is a lot. Going with the cold email approach, you wouldn’t give anything to anyone. You would simply receive what you asked for. Again, the issue lies in the fact that you don’t have experience yet, and going on a platform like Fiverr would give you the needed opportunity to land those first clients that you need.

However, there is another objection to freelance writing platforms.

The Clients You Have to Put Up with as a Beginner Freelance Writer

Online beginner freelancer fair charge for article writing, blog posts, and copywriting services

Related to the ridiculously low prices found on these freelancing platforms comes the quality of the clients. As a freelance writer, you are your own boss. You run your own business, and you want to engage with quality clients. According to many experienced online writers, the quality of clients on these platforms can be questionable.

Stories about clients who want too much for almost nothing are abundant on the internet. Many claim that on platforms where payment isn’t secured enough, clients refuse to pay for the work the freelance writer put in. This means that this couldn’t happen with the cold approach or with other ways of finding clients. What’s being argued here is that these freelancing platforms attract the kind of people who do not conduct business in the most ethical way.

Freelance Writing Platforms Are a Competition without a Clear End

Finally, these platforms are filled with many clients and freelance writers who show poor quality. From the client’s point of view, there are too many freelance writers who are looking for work. Unfortunately, many of them come with poor writing and organizational skills. From the freelancer’s perspective, although there are plenty of clients on these platforms, most of them want free work from decent people.

In other words, such platforms are a waste of time on which the wrong people get together and nothing good results in the long run. It’s what these experienced freelance writers call “content mills.” They call them that because they act like mills, taking freelance writers in great numbers and delivering poor outputs most of the time.

Are these freelance writing platforms not worth it?

Why You Should Use Them as a Beginner Freelance Writer

Although the critiques against freelancing platforms are not false, we do believe that they are exaggerated.

Going online, you will find freelancers who are more than satisfied with what these freelance platforms offer. Many have created lucrative businesses, while others have used them to get their careers started as beginner freelance writers.

If you go on Upwork and research the veterans of the platform, you will find people who have been using the platform for over ten years. Moreover, we aren’t talking about people who are working for peanuts. No, we are talking about people who generate six-figure incomes annually by using only one freelancing platform.

Now, the question is, why should you, a beginner freelance writer, join and test these online platforms, even though so many experienced writers are against them?

That First Client Can Find You

One pro of being on Fiverr can be that clients seek you and not the other way around. This takes the weight off you as a beginner freelance writer, making the client approach you first.

While it is true that scammers can be found on the platform, many of them are still decent people who are looking for someone to help them with their business writing. What does this mean for you? That you can find your first client and first project as a beginner freelance writer quite easily. You don’t need to make lists of potential clients, study the market, and approach clients. On Fiverr, they will come to you.

A similar approach can be done on Upwork. While you have zero experience as a freelance writer, you can find tens of writing jobs listed for beginner freelance writers just like you. Again, most sellers on this platform are not people who want to pay you peanuts for your writing services. They are often business owners who need to hire a writer or another freelance writer who outsources his or her work. (In fact, outsourcing is common practice on freelancing platforms, with many established freelance writers looking to fill in more orders by doing so.)

After you get your first couple of writing assignments, you can claim your own freelance writing portfolio. What you are now going to do with it depends on your goals and ambitions as a freelance writer. You can continue getting and working with clients on that platform, or you can use the gained experience to find new clients outside of these platforms.

Learning the ABCs as a Beginner Freelance Writer

Another positive thing about being on these platforms as a beginner freelance writer is that you can learn the game so that, long-term, you can have more success.

Many people who used to work a nine-to-five don’t quite grasp the game of freelancing. They assume that it’s similar to a job rather than a business. Starting with a freelancing platform can help you understand the ABCs of freelance writing. It allows you to experiment in a field that, as a beginner freelance writer, is alien to you.

What is the best choice between becoming a content writer and a content writer? Both come with their own advantages for the freelance writer.

For starters, you will learn how to craft a profile. This works as a presentation for

> who you are,

> what you offer,

> why the client should care.

Also, in searching for work, you will learn the art of pitching for freelance writing clients. It’s a great exercise for you to understand the game as a beginner freelance writer.

If it’s true that the wages are low and the clients are morally questionable on these platforms, then the better for you. If you can work with difficult people, in difficult conditions, when you are learning the rules of the game, imagine what you will be able to achieve once you leave these freelancing platforms after getting your first clients.

Are They a Great Starting Point for Beginner Freelance Writers?

As noted at the beginning of the article, many experienced freelance writers are against using such platforms to find clients, let alone building a career. According to them, payments are ridiculously low, and many of the clients are shady and unfair to say the least.

However, not everybody agrees with this point of view. And, in fact, experience reveals something else. There are many freelance writers on platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork who have been using these platforms for over a decade. Not only do they constantly find clients here, but they generate six-figure incomes annually.

Some may argue that those are rare birds. That they were on these platforms when they first started and that’s why they get quality clients constantly and can generate six-figure profits annually. A beginner freelance writer doesn’t stand a chance of starting a career as a freelance writer in 2026.

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If that is true, freelance writing platforms, we believe, remain a great starting point for you, as a beginner freelance writer, to land those first gigs, gain experience, build your portfolio, and understand the game of freelance writing better.

Yes, some people do work for peanuts on these “content mills,” but that doesn’t have to be you. Yes, some clients try to scam freelance writers, but now—we hope—you are aware of that and know how to protect yourself.

We’ve written previously about joining freelance writing platforms vs going on job boards. If you want to seek another alternative, job boards can be a place to start as a beginner freelance writer, though not having a portfolio significantly decreases your chances of landing jobs there.

Join only freelancing platforms that have a good reputation and a timely history. Platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer are great for the beginner freelance writer to learn about the craft.

This way, you will not fall into the trap that some beginner freelance writers fall into, and actually make the most out of the freelance writing platforms you will use.

Freelance writing platforms are great starting points for beginner freelance writers, but you do need to know which ones to choose and what to do once you are on them. In other words, you need the appropriate strategy to start your freelance writing career.

Do you want to find out more about the world of freelance writing? As a beginner freelance writer, it is important to do as much research as needed before starting. That’s why we recommend you read our articles on the topic. We know that you will find them helpful as you begin your journey as a beginner freelance writer.