Six Freelance Markets for Hard Times
Freelancers Can Prosper Amidst an Economic Downturn
Dec 15, 2008
When the economy suffers, writers suffer. Newspapers lay off staff, magazines fold, and publishers tighten their financial belts. Yet even in times of economic downtown, a resourceful freelancer can find plenty of ways to generate income.
Marriage, death, and something to fill the time between are basic tenants of human existence. The following 6 freelance writing markets need talented writers no matter what the economic climate is like. Any one could provide a small part time income. Several combined could serve as a means of starting or expanding a freelance business.
Freelancing for Weddings
1. Wedding Vows – For hundreds of years men and women have wrestled with the exact wording of their wedding vows. Every bride and groom wants to get it right. Hiring someone who has a knack for waxing eloquent is a good way to ensure those vows are perfect. Freelancers in this market must be willing to work closely with both partners (and sometimes family members or clergy) to craft the best words for the occasion.
2. Wedding Websites – Little girls dream of the perfect wedding, and when the big day finally arrives they will often turn to others for advice. Wedding websites can be found all over the net. Typing “weddings” into Google yields over 70,000,000 results. From cakes to dresses, to music, to floral arrangements – if it’s wedding related someone has a site dedicated to it. These sites need articles, blog posts, and human interaction from insightful writers.
Freelancing for Low Cost Entertainment
3. Interpretive Panels –Many public outdoor recreational areas install signs to tell visitors important historical facts or information about plants and animals. Writers for these signs are in demand for both private and government parks, museums, and sites of interest.
4. Game Rules – Board games, outdoor games, table-top games, card games, and puzzles all come with rules and playing instructions. These documents must be clear and concise to avoid confusing consumers. A freelancer who is skilled at breaking down complex actions into basic steps could make a decent amount of money writing for large gaming companies. There are also many opportunities to write for smaller companies and independent game designers.
5. Puzzles – Whether mazes, word games, math problems, or crosswords, someone has to create puzzles for the many publications which print them. Educational materials, magazines, and newspapers need creative freelances to provide these puzzles.
Freelancing for Grieving Families
6. Obituaries – Many newspapers save a few dollars by never hiring a staff member to write obituaries. Instead, they leave the text of the remembrance to the family. Some families don’t have the necessary skills to honor their departed loved one in words, and are pleased to hire freelancers to do it for them. Writers in this market should be sensitive to both style issues and religious concerns.
Any of these 6 freelance writing markets is an excellent starting point for writers wanting to strike out on their own or grow an already existent freelancing business. A few queries to these markets and a little hard work will keep income flowing when money is tight.
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