How I earned $1000 as a Filipina Freelance Writer

How I earned $1000 as a Filipina freelance writer

“You earned money online just by writing?“, my 16 year old self will probably ask me that question.

“Yes, but it is not an easy task”, I will honestly answer her.

It’s easy to tell her that all I did was “write, write ,write” and then I received a paycheck with that amount. I always wanted to earn money by writing and I did several attempts to get a freelance writing job.

As a Filipina freelance writer, I know now that there is a bit of difficulty finding jobs from content mills because they only accept residents of the US or UK. You can earn money writing in content mills but most websites will not accept international applicants. You can also start a Medium account but they do not accept residents of the Philippines. Many websites will tell you about Upwork and similar areas where you can find writing jobs. I personally did not try Upwork because I am intimidated by the many skilled freelance writers.

There are many ways for Filipina freelance writers to earn money online, but I can only tell you my own personal story on how I earned $1000 online. There are so many tips from other writers that I have not tried yet, but this one I can attest.

How I started as a Filipina freelance writer

In 2019, my friend recommended a website for freelance writers as a part time writing job. I signed up to Livingston Research which is, for me, a problematic website. I earned a few dollars writing jobs but I stopped writing because the editors pissed me off. The reason I did not like it is because the editors can give you a fine for “bad” articles. Once fined, you will receive a penny for your work and not the entire $1 for 100 words.

Last 2020, I wanted to do something during quarantine and I remembered my old freelance account in Livingston Research. I opened my account and it is still active. This time, I gave my full attention to it and booked several job offers in a week with close deadlines. The bulk of the work I did is academic writing and research. This time, I noticed that the editors are no longer that strict in giving fines. Sometimes, the client will ask ask me to revise the work and will receive a bonus if I am able to revise it properly.

My specialized categories are politics and law, and there are writing offers that require those knowledge. There are also economics, business, liberal arts, math, finance, history, and a wide range of academic topics.

I became a Filipina Freelance Writer writing academic papers

I wrote several academic papers and research papers within 3 to 5 days and it included research works. At first, it took me hours to do a 300 word essay because I spent time doing research and restructuring the paragraph to match their writing styles. After 10 writing jobs, the tasks seem easier and I can finish the project faster than I did before.

I do not want to sugarcoat that it is a difficult job because there are some writing jobs that I regret doing. Most clients are located in english speaking countries and their projects are based on their own laws and lifestyle. As a Filipina Freelance Writer, it is up to me to research the history and law system of a foreign country. There are also times when I enjoy the work because I am interested in the topic.

I still have a good night sleep while working as a freelance writer but there are times where I needed to stay up until 1 am to meet the deadline. One challenge that I faced is the difference in the time zones. As a Filipina freelance writer living in the Philippines, I need to adjust to their schedule. Most writing jobs are posted during their daytime, which is around midnight in our country. To get a writing job, the freelancer must reserve and accept the offer first. I usually wake up from 1 am to 3am to check the bulletin for jobs and reserve them for myself. Then, I start at around 9am so I can finish it the next day.

I earned at least $1000 within three months by writing academic works such as research, term paper, and essays. The academic works require research and accuracy so it takes longer than just writing fiction. The LR system categorized freelancers in 4 categories, grades A, B, C, and D. Grade A receives bonus for the writings they finished and they are also the first ones who will receive an update for new projects. I was a Grade A freelancer in LR so I received a few bonuses from writing jobs.

Your rating must 4 to 5 stars to qualify as a Grade A. The clients will give you the ratings, and the editors will give you notice for violations which can lower your rank and bonus. I already engaged in several disputes with the editors and clients. Once I receive a one star, I will dispute it and tell the editor that I followed all the rules. Often, the one star will be rejected in my ratings. There is a ranking system in LR and the higher the rank, the more bonus. It is important to take screenshots of the requests so you can dispute it.

The writing job is usually $1 for every 100 words. The price is higher for more difficult tasks. There are also bonus prizes if you reach a certain number of offers. During my time with them, they also require a minimum of $20 to withdraw your earnings which are given every 15th of the month. The $1000 is a mix of writing projects and bonuses.

I do not recommend LR but it is a good way to start because they do not require any experience. They also allow Philippines to join, unlike most websites that do not accept non-US residents. It is also a full time job and not merely part time because of the amount of effort that I use in every writing job.

I no longer have an account with them because they terminated my account for refusing to submit my ID and a photo of me holding that ID. I do not trust the company to give my personal information. I asked them to give me a contract first if they want my ID but they refused and terminated my account instead. I still have a few dollars let to claim, but C’est la vie.