Finding legit work-at-home writing jobs used to be hard, with tons of low-paying, scammy jobs widely-available at the local Craigslist. But with the rise of forums, job listing sites, work-at-home blogs, and various resources that reveal these scams, the online freelancing world has become a lot more writer-friendly.
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Today, copywriting, legal or academic writing, blogging, proofreading, eBook writing, editing, technical writing, and various web content writing sub-categories are widely available. But if you’re looking for something different, you’d be amused at how these 7 weird writing jobs are actually legit and can become a lucrative career:
1. Fortune Cookie Writer
If you’re a fan of zodiac signs, astrology, and bringing good vibes to people, this job would be perfect for you. The writer must have strong descriptive writing skills, since you’ll be writing only one- to two-liner fortune-telling sentences.
Writers with a healthy sense of humor would thrive in this field. Freelancers earn either by project or by the hour, while those hired by fortune-cookie manufacturers have salaries ranging from $28,000 to $105,000 depending on skill and experience.
2. Gravestone Quotes Writer
Ideal for writers with exceptional copywriting skills and 100% confidence in their work, crafting epitaphs on gravestones can be an interesting side job. You’ll be honoring a person’s last words to the world by making content that would literally be written in stone. This is a highly specific career path and mostly embraced by obituary writers.
3. Writing Breakup Letters
It may sound weird, but break-up letters have been around since 10 B.C. There’s even a collection of the best written breakup-letters called “Hell Hath No Fury: Women’s Letters from the End of the Affair,” which was edited by Anna Holmes. Today, freelance writers can earn from $10 to $30 per letter (depending on length and experience). Note that you might feel a little bit guilty that you’re contributing to someone’s would-be heartbreak every time you finish an order.
4. Weird and Random Writing
Fiverr is a goldmine when it comes to weird writing gigs. If you’re feeling creative and want to shake up your writing style a bit, take a look at some “inspiration” by fellow writers. For example, for $5, a seller offers to write a cringe-worthy fanfic, an outrageously random paragraph, or a weird true story. What’s amazing about Fiverr is that there’s no limit to creative writing opportunities you could offer.
5. Product Reviews
Companies are willing to shell out big bucks to promote their products in any way possible. This includes gaming the system of ecommerce sites like Amazon with professionally-written, positively-skewed product reviews.
In some cases, companies may also hire prominent bloggers to review these products in exchange for gifts or cash. Writers can take advantage of this need, and turn product review writing into a high-paying career. Rates for reviews range from $0.02 to $0.05 a word.
6. Viral/Trending Writer
The rise of social media and the ever-so-shortening attention spans of people have given writers this new type of job. As a trending writer, your job is to create share-worthy articles with clickbait titles. Buzzfeed is the best example of viral writing, and thousands of Buzzfeed copycats have also been taking a slice of the viral-article pie.
To become successful in this field, you’ll need to be good with list-type writing, show off your sense of humor through your words, and be up-to-date with pop culture. This job isn’t for the faint of heart though, because content here is produced on hyper-mode, which means work can be stressful and deadline-oriented. Salary for full-timers begins at $43,000/year.
7. Adult content
The deep, dark world of adult content can be uncomfortable to some writers, but if you’re up for the challenge, you’ll be amazed at the high rates offered to write sex stories, product descriptions, sexual technique advice, sexy/nude image descriptions, blog sex-related posts, adult video script, and more.
This niche isn’t for the shy-types, but for those with an inner Christian Grey who’d want to explore sensual writing for cash. Rates depend largely on the type of project required, but adult content offers higher rates compared to regular copywriting.
The Bottom Line
If you spot writing gigs similar to the ones listed above, don’t just brush them off as a scam or practical joke. Many would agree that some of these writing jobs would question your values. For lucky writers who have built a reputation, connections to clients and a sizable portfolio, skipping these writing jobs may be a no-brainer.
But for those who are strapped for cash and are willing to write for food, these weird work-at-home writing opportunities can be a lucrative niche worth checking out.
