The five best resources for freelancers
My internet isn’t working properly today thanks to both a Cloudflare outage and terrible WiFi. So instead of my next themed pitch roundup (that will now arrive tomorrow), I’m sharing five of my top resources for freelancers.
Oh, and I actually use all of these. None are sponsorships or paid to be here. Just genuine resources producing practical tools or content.
Let’s dive straight in.
The Freelance Writing (and Jobs) Network
Well, obviously!
The last two years have seen the Freelance Writing Network grow exponentially as the home for all things freelance writing. This space offers more opportunities, pitch lists & career insight than any other resource online.
You may already know about everything we offer, and we’ve got much more in the pipeline too as the network expands. So for now, if you want access to hundreds of writing opportunities a week, exclusive lists of outlets to pitch, writing insights from professionals in the craft, plus workshops and masterclass sessions designed to support your career — make sure you’re on the full list!
But did you know… The Freelance Jobs Network is also up and running, with a much heavier focus on marketing, comms and social media, as well as creative, design and tech roles. It’s running twice a week right now (with a new jobs list coming later today), including one post that’s totally free to access. Plus extra freelance insight as the publication grows. You can check it out right here.
The Practical Freelancer by Paul Docherty
Paul is a freelance technical writer and specialises in user information like instruction manuals and operating procedures. He’s based in Scotland and works with a variety of sectors from healthcare to engineering (and even freelanced with the European Space Agency). There are few freelancers more experienced.
With The Practical Freelancer, you get:
Straight-talking insights on freelancing and running your business for success.
Lessons from over a decade of experience (mistakes included!)
Practical, UK-specific tips on taxes, legal points, and self-employment rules, based on direct experience (but plenty of great insight regardless of where you’re based in the world).
I’ve been a paid subscriber to Paul’s Substack for a while now, and even as a relatively experienced freelancer I find his insight absolutely invaluable. If you want to learn how to grow and sustain your freelance business, you can check out The Practical Freelancer right here.
Harlow
Harlow is a superb resource for freelancers, no matter what type of business you’re running.
Created by two freelancers, Harlow has a variety of resources that support invoicing, contract & proposal templates and time management, among other essentials of freelance life. The tools are designed to symplify your business and make your life easier, and they have their own jobs board to boot.
The aim is to help freelancers organise their day-to-day lives and get paid so they can focus less on operations and more on what they love to do. Their simple, intuitive system can streamline basic business operations for any freelancer.
You can check them out right here.
The Link Tank by Melanie Goodman
Do you hate LinkedIn as much as I do? I doubt it. I don’t know anybody who loves the platform, but thankfully I do know someone who’s an expert on it.
The Link Tank exists to prove that everyone has a voice worth sharing and exists as a playbook for consultants and service-based business owners who want LinkedIn to do what it should: bring you real business.
Every edition gives readers usable strategies, real-world tactics and proven templates that help your posts, comments and profiles convert. I love it as a resource because it makes LinkedIn meaningful, rather than that horrible website we all know we have to use (but don’t like to).
Check out The Link Tank here.
Freelancing for Journalists
A freelance newsletter more journalism-adjacent, Freelancing for Journalists sends out a free newsletter with tips, musings and useful resources relating to freelance journalism life.
Like all resources on this list, they have an extra paid-only newsletter on Fridays. This includes insight into how they make money, examples of successful pitches, a peek inside other freelancers’ diaries and access to Q&A sessions.
Unlike purely job-listing newsletters, Freelancing for Journalists dives deeper into the business side of freelancing. A valuable resource if you’re working in the journalism space, and you can check them out here.
What resources do you use?
If I’ve missed any great resources, tell me in the comments!
I’m always adding to this list, and your recommendations can help other freelancers too.
This is super helpful - thank you! I am just getting my freelancing business setup and didn’t realize how much time I was spending on things that I don’t need to reinvent the wheel for. Harlow seems really neat and I’m excited to try it. Thanks for these recommendations! :)