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Blogging Local: How to Find Freelancing Gigs in Your City

Blogging Local: How to Find Freelancing Gigs in Your City

Working at home is great, but it comes with a major drawback: it’s easy to start feeling isolated if you never get the chance to leave the house. It’s quite a dilemma. You love being a freelance writer for all the opportunities and freedom it provides, but sometimes you feel like you’ve been shackled to your desk for weeks.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get out there, amidst all the action, and then come home and write about it? Here’s the good news: it’s entirely possible, if you find a freelancing gig that’s local to your community.

The bad news? Finding a local freelancing gig isn’t always easy, especially if you don’t know where to look. With dedication and patience, however, it can be done. There’s a plethora of companies out there looking for freelance bloggers who live locally. “Of course we want someone who is knowledgeable about the subject,” says Ted Khalaf, a Pasadena family lawyer, “but someone who lives in the area and really understands the community mindset can be a great asset.”

If you dream of blogging locally, check out these resources to get you started.

Job Boards

As a freelancer, frequently checking job boards is an important part of your work. But many of us have tuned out the more traditional channels like Craigslist and Indeed. These websites are actually very useful for finding local work, however, as they allow you to search by state and city. An Indeed search for “freelance writer” in Pasadena, California, for example, brought up 35 recent job postings. The Los Angeles Craigslist site averages about ten job postings a week in the “writing/editing” category.

Then, of course, you have job boards specifically for freelance writers, like Freelance Writing Jobs, which curates job postings for freelancers and allows you to search by location. A great tool for finding local work in no time at all.

Keep an Eye on Your Community Media

It’s impossible to list every local media company here, so it’s up to you to find them in your own city. If you live in an especially populous area, they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Look for community bulletin boards, newsletters, and blogs that may be circulating around Facebook or other social media sites. The editors at these websites and publications are frequently looking for short or long-term collaborators and freelancers to fill their sites with content, and there’s no better writer for a community-driven website than someone who actually lives in that community.

Start Your Own

Okay, we know this isn’t exactly what you were looking for—but starting your own blog about local events might actually pay off. Many people feel media is becoming impersonal due to advancements in communication, specifically the rise of national and international news on the internet. In an age when every city and town is connected, people are actually flocking to content that has a local angle.

See Also
Connect with Other Bloggers; How Your Community Can Help Promote Your Brand

Building a blog from the ground up might seem intimidating at first, but it’s an investment that can really pay off if you know the right steps to take. Not to mention, you’ll graduate from being a freelancer to owning your own online business. At the very least, it’s something to consider. Why not read up on the fundamentals of starting a blog and decide if it’s something you’d like to pursue?

So there you have it, a few simple tools to help you find freelancing work in your local community. Consider each one and decide what the best strategy is for you. Happy writing!


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