Freelance Writing
The short answer: Freelance writers can charge $30–$50 an hour, by reports from Steph Spector on Chris Koerner's podcast and Abbey Ashley of The Virtual Savvy. Freelance to Freedom recalls that "all of those retainer clients were down to one" by March. (Chris Koerner; Freelance to Freedom) Because Side Hustle Hero says "you can do the work from just about anywhere," freelance writing suits people wanting location freedom. (Side Hustle Hero)
| Reported earnings | $30–$50/hr 2 reports by 2 creators, Sep 2026–Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median pay of employed writers and authors | $36.98/hr ($76,910/yr) BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employee pay, not side-hustle income |
| Projected job growth, writers and authors | -0.3% BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 |
From 10 quotes by 6 creators and BLS data. A creator figure is one person's account.
Go deeper: every source on freelance writing
How much do freelance writers make?
Employed writers and authors earned a median $36.98 an hour in May 2025, per the BLS, an employee benchmark for freelance writing. Steph reports $800-1,200 per long SEO blog post for B2B SaaS companies, and Delia Monk about 10k a month as a copywriter. (BLS OEWS; Chris Koerner)
Commoditized copy is priced against the market, per Double Your Freelancing. (Double Your Freelancing Podcast)
| Related occupation | Median pay | Middle 80% |
|---|---|---|
| Writers and Authors | $36.98/hr ($76,910/yr), BLS OEWS, May 2025 | $44,310–$139,870/yr |
Median annual pay of employed writers and authors: $76,910 nationally; highest and lowest states below (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Highest-paying states | Median | Lowest-paying states | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $129,300/yr | Kentucky | $48,780/yr |
| Maryland | $104,330/yr | Arkansas | $47,970/yr |
| Connecticut | $98,460/yr | Puerto Rico | $43,440/yr |
What do people doing freelance writing say?
“I'm seeing a lot of 30 and hours on Upwork, 40 and hour, you can get away with that”
“with freelance writing, you could charge hourly, 30, 40, even $50 an hour”
“This is what a lot of people try to do and this is a mistake. I see a lot of writers making is they'll go, I'm going to automate this process top to bottom. I'm going to use AI for everything.”
“if you are a commoditized copywriter and you say, hello, do you need a copywriter? I'm a copywriter. Hire me. Well, that's when people do look at the economy and they do look at the market and they say, well, these other copywriters don't charge much.”
“by the beginning of March, all of those retainer clients were down to one. They all dropped off all at one point.”
What does it cost to start freelance writing?
Not enough evidence yet: No source we track states a startup cost yet.
- Build a 4-5 piece portfolio. (Chris Koerner)
- Find clients on Upwork and through tailored cold pitches.
- Quote per project.
How much time does freelance writing take?
Not enough evidence yet: No source we track says how long the first payout takes or how many hours it needs yet.
Who is freelance writing good for?
Freelance writing can sit alongside a job: one writer on Chris's podcast says "I had already been freelancing on the side while I was at Zapier." Side Hustle Hero calls it "something more chill." (Chris Koerner; Side Hustle Hero)
Skip it if you want to automate everything: Chris's podcast calls going "top to bottom" with AI "a mistake." (Chris Koerner)
Is freelance writing worth it?
Pros
- Steph built a portfolio without a degree. (Chris Koerner)
- Amy Suto describes an income flywheel of freelancing, a paid newsletter and book royalties. (The Creative Penn)
Cons
- Delia found delegating to other writers left her with little after taxes and expenses. (Double Your Freelancing Podcast)
- Substack takes a 10% cut on Amy's paid newsletter. (The Creative Penn)
What are the risks of freelance writing?
Freelance writing income can vanish fast: retainer clients "all dropped off all at one point," per Freelance to Freedom. Selling commodity copy invites comparison: Double Your Freelancing says "these other copywriters don't charge much." (Freelance to Freedom; Double Your Freelancing Podcast)
The BLS projects a -0.3% employment change for writers and authors over 2025-35. (BLS Employment Projections)
What are the alternatives to freelance writing?
- Tech Support as a side hustle: Also from home.
- Selling digital products as a side hustle: Also from home; often covered together (1 shared video).
- Transcriptions side hustle: Also in online and remote work.
- Tutoring as a side hustle: Also from home.
Part of: side hustles: from home
What else do people ask about freelance writing?
Should freelance writers use AI?
Steph uses AI as an assistant rather than a replacement. (Chris Koerner)
Can writers add other income?
Steph adds college essay coaching and AI model training. (Chris Koerner)
Sources and method
Quotes are verbatim and linked to the moment they were said. A figure from one report is not confirmed by a second source. BLS figures describe employees in the closest related occupation. Every quote, the pay in each state and the full source list are on the every source on freelance writing.
- Chris Koerner, podcast, 8 Sep 2026.
- The Virtual Savvy (Abbey Ashley), YouTube, 29 Oct 2026.
- Freelance to Freedom, podcast, 25 Aug 2026.
- Side Hustle Hero, podcast, 2 Dec 2025.
- Double Your Freelancing Podcast, podcast, 30 Sep 2024.
- Side Hustle Hero, podcast, 8 Sep 2026.
- The Creative Penn, YouTube, 21 Oct 2026.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, 31.0.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
Other data behind this page (7)
| Fact | Value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demand trend | stable | Accepted | BLS Employment Projections |
| Scalability | low | Accepted | Double Your Freelancing Podcast |
| Work mode | remote | Accepted | The Creative Penn; Side Hustle Hero |
| Common pitfalls | Trying to automate the whole writing process with AI, spending more time configuring tools than writing | One report | Chris Koerner |
| Common pitfalls | Selling yourself as a commodity copywriter, so clients compare your rates to what other copywriters charge | One report | Double Your Freelancing Podcast |
| Schedule control | own schedule | One report | Side Hustle Hero |
| Full-time or part-time | part time or full time | One report | Chris Koerner |