The best newsletters for freelance writers

If you’re anything like me, your inbox is full of unopened newsletters. Yes, once upon a time you signed up to receive them, but now they just sit there. Although you can’t bring yourself to unsubscribe, yet. But what if there were newsletters that you religiously opened? Newsletters that contain so much good stuff for freelance writers that you star them, print them out or actually just read them immediately?

Well, those newsletters for freelance writers do exist. Here’s my list (and by no means complete) of the best newsletters for freelance writers. And just a heads up, there’s a definite skew towards newsletters that help writers find high-paying gigs.

7 of the best newsletters for freelance writers

Opportunities of the week

This may just be the best $3 I spend each month. Most of you will know that I’m a reluctant user of social media (except Instagram), so Sonia Weiser’s weekly newsletter for freelance writers is a godsend.

Each week Sonia compiles callouts from editors on Twitter who are looking for freelancers.

She’s diligent in flagging low-paying gigs (although thankfully these are few and far between) and it’s not unusual to see callouts from big name editors/high-paying publications that you may have missed in your scrolling.

The Professional Freelancer

Anna Codrea-Rado is the epitome of a successful freelancer who has diverse talents.

She’s the founder of FJ&Co, a platform for freelance journalists that gives them tools, resources and community support, she hosts a weekly podcast and Anna also has a weekly newsletter chock-full of great interviews, guides and reflections on freelancing.

There’s a free and paid version of the newsletter, so even if you’re boot-strapping, you’ll still get heaps of value.

The Freelancer Feed

This is a great, free weekly newsletter set up relatively recently by Phoebe McRae. It’s a round up of the best calls for pitches, content and social media gigs for freelancers based in Australia (and beyond). There’s also a fun little section about what to eat, read and watch.

Freelance writing jobs

The gigs in Sian Meades-Williams‘ (free) newsletter are almost always UK-based, but I love seeing what companies are advertising for freelance and part time writing jobs (because you never know if they have opportunities for remote freelancers).

And quite often these are opportunities where organisations and publications have come directly to Sian, so you’re not going to see them anywhere else.

Study Hall

What I like about Study Hall is that it has a little bit of everything. You get information on where to pitch, Q&As about common freelance questions, jobs and freelance opportunities as well as news from the world of journalism and publishing.

Depending on your budget (and I love that they have different payment tiers), you can pay between $2 – 18/month and get access to all kinds of different resources.

Funds for Writers

Funds for Writers is over 20 years old, so I tend to think that anything that’s been around that long has some serious cred. Their weekly newsletter only share jobs that pay $200 or 10c/word (USD) and up.

Yes, for some, that’s not enough, but there are plenty of people who are happy to take that. Each week you get around 30 opportunities – these might be freelance gigs, competitions or grants.

Where to Pitch

First of all, Susan Shain’s ‘where to pitch’ website is such a great idea – simply type in your area of interest (eg “health” or “women”) and it will match publications and even some of their guidelines for you.

But her monthly newsletter is also great – it’s full of stellar freelancing advice, must-reads and links to explore (everything from op-ed contacts to podcast recommendations). It’s a wonderfully eclectic mix that hits all the right buttons.

What other newsletters do you read and recommend?