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Have you ever wondered how many different types of writing jobs and careers there are? Probably a lot more than you think!
While there are many obvious writing jobs, such as writing articles or books for print or digital media, there are a lot of writing opportunities in industries you may have never even considered, such as the video game industry, healthcare, science, security, entertainment and even the government.
Next time someone tells you that you can’t make money writing or tells you that writing isn’t a “real job”, you can send them to this list because these are legit writing jobs anyone who loves to write can consider either as full-time work or a side hustle.
Without further ado, here are 62 writing jobs and business opportunities you can explore:
1. Academic writing
Also known as “scholarly writing”, this involves producing nonfiction text as part of an academic pursuit. It could be a report on fieldwork or research, scholarly or undergraduate analysis, proposals, or archive interpretations.
2. Advertising and Advertorial Writing
This type of writing involves producing content that encourages customers to purchase products or services. They are typically commissioned by the company selling these products and services.
Creating advertorials involves writing or producing advertisements in a content-based editorial form. Most advertorials are disguised as opinion or informational articles but include a pitch for a product or service.
The history of advertorial writing dates back to the 19th century, with legislation actually being passed in 1914 to regulate that these types of articles were clearly marked as sponsored as they easily confused consumers.
It’s a highly effective method of advertising and is still very much used and in-demand today.
In addition to advertorials, many companies and brands need advertising copy, whether it is for commercials, online ads or print advertisements which makes this a great writing career opportunity in marketing.
3. Annual report writing
Annual reports are written communications from public companies to their shareholders. These typically detail the current state of the business, its budget, personnel changes, and other information.
4. Article writing
When we think of writing jobs, article writing is probably the first one that comes to mind. Articles are non-fiction pieces that are commonly published in print and online publication, including news sites, newspapers, and magazines.
Many websites need article writers, but you can also submit articles to print magazines and other publications.
Long-form article writing is often in demand and involves writing pieces that range from 1,000 to 7,500 words. They usually cover complex subjects with plenty of detailed information that will be valuable to specific audiences.
Magazine article writing involves producing content for periodic publications. These publications may be print or digital, and usually focus on a specialized field, subject, or audience.
See our tips on how to start freelance writing to learn more about article writing as a career opportunity.
5. B2B writing
B2B or “business to business” writing consists of articles, emails, brochures and white papers within an industry.
They are typically used by companies to sell products and services to other companies and often combine journalism, advertising, and technical writing.
6. Blog outreach
Blogger outreach writing involves establishing relationships and communicating strategically with publishers and influencers. This is usually done for SEO and content marketing, to build backlinks, promote content, and secure guest posting opportunities.
7. Blogging
Blogging involves producing content for a specific audience. It may be done for business or personal expression, to instruct, and educate, or to share news and information.
You can either start your own blog or you can write for established blogs – many bloggers outsource their writing, especially as a blog grows in popularity!
8. Writing Books and Novels
Book writing encompasses a wide variety of different subjects and includes both print books and ebooks. They can be instructional guides, biographies, historical accounts, fiction or non-fiction.
Books can be self-published, published with a traditional publisher or even commissioned and paid with a one-time fee.
Fiction books are often novels or compilations of short stories. If you like to write fiction, develop characters and have a good idea for a strong novel plot, writing fiction novels or short stories can be very lucrative! This type of writing encompasses several genres, including mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, romance, crime stories, and more.
Non-Fiction books are often instructional, reference, or biographic in nature and can also be a very good source of income for writers, especially if you have an interest in a specific niche or experience in a field.
9. Business plan writing
Business plans detail a company’s objectives and strategies for the immediate or long-term future. They can be used to entice new investors or apply for loans and government assistance.
Many people need help with writing a business plan, especially when their company is in the start up phase or they are seeking investors or financing. You can create your own business writing business plans for small businesses and startups, or you can find work with online business plan companies to create business plans for their clients.
10. Case studies writer
Case studies are often used to establish a particular brand as an authority in its niche. They may also be used to formulate strategies for solving a particular problem or converting leads into customers.
You can often find work as someone who creates and puts together case studies with companies who offer business-to-business products and software solutions.
11. Columnist
Columnists are writers who produce recurring written pieces or articles for newspapers, magazines, or other publications. These columns are often syndicated, and popular newspaper columnists included Dave Barry and Ann Landers.
This is a good type of writing job because it is steady work and can often lead to other opportunities to make money as a writer such as speaking gigs, book deals and even merchandising.
12. Comic Writer
We don’t often think of cartoons and comics as literary works, but they are! Just because comics may have less words that a novel doesn’t mean the same craft and attention much
While not nearly as many people read comics as they used to, they still enjoy them in other forms, especially online, in film, and in books. Comics are also often great sources to be adapted into films and movies and provide countless opportunities to writers in merchandising and licensing.
Examples of famous comic writers include Charles Shultz of the Peanuts Gang, Gary Larson of Far Side and more recently online comics The Oatmeal by Matthew Inman and Poorly Drawn Lines.
13. Copywriting
Not to be confused with copyrighting, Copywriting involves producing text content for ad campaigns, brochures, and promotional materials. Copywriters craft words that sell and their work often overlaps with other types of writing jobs in this list.
Larger companies may maintain a staff of copywriters fulltime, while smaller firms may hire freelancers as needed.
Corporate copywriting involves producing brochures, promotional materials, company manuals, and more. The job requires familiarity with business writing and corporate practices and policies.
Marketing copywriters deliver a brand’s message clearly and concisely while maintaining that brand’s tone or identity. The content they produce usually appears on sales pages, online and print ads, and television spots.
14. Courses and Online Class Writers
Online learning has created a whole new industry of course writers, from creating courses on sites like Udemy, Teachable, and Skillshare and others.
You can either write and sell your own course or you can also find many opportunities to write and create courses for other brands and companies as a for-hire or even salaried position.
15. Curriculum writer
Similar to course writing but more educational-market focused, Curriculum writing involves developing lessons, instructional materials, and academic activities for classroom use. Writers may also review existing materials and revise them to conform to current guidelines and standards.
As a curriculum writer, you can find work with many online educational institutions and textbook publishers, but many educators looking for side income have found sites like TeachersPayTeachers.com and others can be equally lucrative.
16. Cybersecurity writer
Cybersecurity writing involves the creation of manuals, security policies, and strategy plans for security processes and protocols.
Writers should be able to translate and communicate complex cybersecurity concepts into language that the intended audiences can understand.
17. Ecommerce writing
Ecommerce writing involves generating copy that online stores use for product and landing pages and sales campaigns. The primary objectives are to engage customers, promote the company’s products, and get the site’s pages to rank highly on Google.
This type of writing job can sometimes overlap with the duties of copywriting as well as catalog and product description writing, especially in the case where a manufacturing company may have both direct and online sales platforms.
18. Editing/Revision/Proofreading
Editing involves analyzing text and ensuring that it flows smoothly and serves its purpose. Revision ensures that a particular piece conforms to its purpose and is structured logically. Proofreading involves identifying and correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors in the text.
19. Email Marketing
Email marketing and copywriting involves writing emails to existing or prospective customers, the objective of which is to encourage them to take a specific action. This could include signing up for a service, reading a blog post, or even just replying to the email.
There are also many writers who have built lucrative careers around writing emails, such as Kate Doster who coaches others to craft compelling emails to engage with their audience.
20. Essay writing
Essay writing is the creation of written pieces that may be articles, opinion pieces, or short stories. They are often written in discursive style, combining ideas, evidence, and arguments to address particular problems or questions.
Opinion writers at newspapers and online magazines often write essays, and collections of essays are also often published in compilations.
There are also many marketplaces where you can write and sell your essays.
21. Frequently Asked Questions and Knowledge Base Writers
FAQ writing involves coming up answers to frequently asked questions by a particular audiences. They may be technical guides or be fairly simple “question-and-answer” pieces.
You can often find these types of writing jobs with companies and brands to create tutorials and informational guides about the products and softwares they offer.
22. Game Narrative Writing
Game narrative writing involves the creation of spoken or written accounts of an in-game story. They usually combine storytelling, player interaction, and even music and imagery to represent events that occur in the game.
If you enjoy gaming and are already developing characters, plots and settings for RPG games, game narrative writing can be a very fun writing job that many people don’t realize exists!
23. Ghostwriting
Ghostwriting is the act of writing a book or article that is credited to someone else. The writer is typically paid a one-time fee for producing the work, and receives no further compensation.
Many celebrities employ ghostwriters to write their biographies or self-help books, but even regular people employ ghostwriters when they have an idea for a book but aren’t sure how to actually put into their own words.
24. Gift Guide Writing Jobs
Writing gift guides involves compiling products that you recommend to your audience. They are usually tailored to a specific audience or event, making it easier for customers to choose which products to purchase.
Whether you read print or online magazines or blogs, you will definitely encounter a lot of examples of gift guides!
25. Grant writing
Grant writing involves researching and writing proposals for non-profits, with the goal of helping them receive funding from government agencies. Apart from writing the proposal, writers are also expected to follow up queries with the funding organization.
While this is a very technical type of writing job that requires a lot of education and research, it can pay well and be very fulfilling in knowing you help non-profits and other organizations source funding.
26. Greeting card writing
Greeting card writing involves creating the text that appears on greeting cards. Some writers work on a salary for a greeting card company, while others work as freelancers for different firms and are paid per project.
Other writers may even produce their own line of greeting cards and sell them through Etsy or their own online shops.
27. Guest post writing
Guest blogging involves writing content that appears on another blogger’s site. Guest bloggers typically write for blogs in the same niche they are in, with the goal of attracting traffic to their own site or boosting their domain’s authority via external links.
More and more online publishers are starting to outsource guest posting, which means that writers are often hired and paid anywhere between 2 cents to 10 cents a word to produce the content that is posted as guest blogs.
28. Horoscope Writing
Horoscopes are often viewed as a form of entertainment writing, although most horoscope writers for magazines and online websites do possess some formal training and experience in astrology.
You can find work writing horoscopes for many magazines and newspapers, as well as other online publications. Most horoscope writing professionals combine astrological charting software with a fun and upbeat writing style.
29. Investigative Journalism
Investigative journalism and reporting is an exciting but sometimes risky writing career where the writer is a bit of a detective in finding true information about a topic.
Investigative journalists often report on crimes as well as write about consumer and social justice issues.
This form of writing must be free of bias and include evidence as well as an explanation of how the presented conclusions were reached.
The most famous example of investigative writing are reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who unearthed Nixon’s scandals during his presidency.
30. Joke writing
Joke writing is the creation of short, humorous pieces that end with a punch line based on irony, a pun, or even simply nonsense. It usually follows a narrative structure, with tension building up toward the end.
There are also many types of jokes one can write, whether its knock-knock jokes, one-liners, ancedotes or even some slapstick. As a joke writer, you could become a professional stand-up comedian, or you could even publish books of jokes or overlap into greeting card writing and other markets.
31. Legal writing
There are endless opportunities for writing careers in the field of law, from drafting contracts, generating content for legal sites, writing legal briefs, research papers, communications for clients and more.
Legal writing often requires formal training and education, but there are many levels where legal writers are needed and one can often get started as a paralegal or working as an assistant for an attorney.
32. Letter writing
The art of letter writing dates back for centuries and while many people assume no one writes letters anymore in today’s world of instant messaging and email, the truth is letters are still needed for a number of things all the time.
Business letters are the most commercially viable form of letter writing as a job and involves creating business correspondence from one organization to another. They are typically written in a formal tone and may be requests for information or a specific action.
However, today many people also seek letter writing services for personal reasons, whether they want someone to write letters to their friends or family for special events, such as a love letter for Valentine’s Day or an anniversary or a Christmas letter.
33. Lyrics and Songwriting
Writing lyrics and songwriting is a type of writing job that can be lucrative as well as fulfilling, especially if you enjoy writing lyrics and story telling. Songwriters typically earn from royalties or they can be employed in-house by record companies.
While songwriting will be a lot easier if you have some basic musical knowledge or can play an instrument, many lyricists have found that they can often outsource these tasks to session musicians or partner with someone else.
If you have been looking into ways to make money writing poetry, songwriting is definitely a writing niche you should explore!
34. Medical writing
Medical writing combines the creativity and language skills of conventional writing with medical knowledge and expertise.
The health care industry requires written content in many different forms, whether its through writing for medical information sites or writing for hospitals, insurance companies, drug manufacturers and about healthcare equipment products.
There are thousands of different niches within the medical industry, so if you have any experience related to the medical field you are sure to find some type of writing work here for you!
35. Memoir Writing and Personal History Writers
A memoir is a type of narrative biography where one writes about their life. While memoirs are traditionally wrote in the first-person, there are millions of people who have memoir-worthy lives who aren’t necessarily great writers but still want their stories told.
Personal history writers are also high in demand, as many people often want to document the lives of the people in their families.
This is a fascinating writing career and business opportunity to explore if you enjoy history, talking with people, and documenting memorable events in life.
If you are interested in pursuing this further as a career, The Life Story Coach is a great resource to get started – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that this can be a very well-paying writing job to explore!
36. News Reporting and Journalism
News writing involves producing reports for online and print news organizations. Writers may be expected to write about current events or search for interesting subjects to write about.
Journalists report and write non-fiction pieces on news and current events. This type of writing is commonly used in print and online articles, television and radio news programs, and news sites.
There is a specific style in writing as a journalist and many colleges offer journalism majors. If you like researching news and being involved in your community, journalism provides steady work and many other opportunities to earn money as a writer.
37. Newsletter writing
Newsletter writing involves producing content that builds connections with customers, shares news, generates brand awareness, drives traffic, and increase sales. Newsletters can also be used to inform and educate audiences and establish brand authority.
Writing newsletters can often be combined with advertorial content, copywriting, and email marketing and can be in print or digital format. The first place to look for newsletter writing jobs is with brands and organizations you are interested in that need a newsletter.
38. Niche industry writing
This involves creating content for a specific niche or audience. Writers are expected to have knowledge or experience in the subject they write about.
Niche industry writing is an excellent opportunity for those who have experience in a field and are looking to supplement their retirement income or earn some side income.
As more and more companies and publishers look to establish authority and trust amongst consumers, writers with doctoral and masters degrees in psychology, nutrition, health, science, technology, education and other professional fields are in high demand.
39. Non-profit writing
Not to be confused with writing for free, as a non-profit writer your job would be to write the content and communications for non-profit organizations.
You may be involved in the work of writing grants and proposals, or creating text content for promotional materials and fundraising purposes. Writing work may be full-time or be hired by non-profits on a per-project basis.
40. Podcast Writing
Podcasts are the online form of a radio talk show and are always in need of writing jobs, whether it is writing the scripts and content for the podcast itself or creating the podcast show notes that cite sources, guest bios and other content mentioned in the podcast.
You can either write and create your own podcast, or you can often find freelance work for other podcasters to create their scripts and show notes for them.
41. Press Release Writing
Press release writing is creation of news and information materials released to reporters and news organizations.
They can be used to announce new products or a shift in the company’s direction, new personnel or management, or developments related to the firm.
42. Product Description Writer
Product description writing involves creating marketing copy that explains specific products. The copy should highlight the product’s main selling points and encourage potential customers to purchase it.
This job involves writing descriptive content for products in the company’s inventory. Writers may also be required to catalog projects and materials in a service-oriented firm.
43. Proposal writing
Proposal writing involves the production of business or grant proposals that encourage funding agencies to fund research or a particular project. These proposals may require technical jargon for the specific industry and need to conform to specific style guidelines.
44. Puzzle Writer and Game Creator
We talked about writing and creating puzzles to publish in low content books, but there are also many other opportunities to become a writer for puzzles, games, and activities.
If you love words and puzzles, you can find many writing work opportunities in creating word searches, crossword puzzles, cryptograms, logic puzzles, brain teasers, riddles and more.
You can choose the self-publish route to publish books, or you may even be able to get a syndicated column with daily or weekly newspapers and magazines.
You can also look into creating puzzles and games for toy manufacturers and children’s activity book publishers or even look into developing apps.
45. Quiz writing
Quiz writing involves creating quizzes or tests for research, educational or entertainment purposes. They can also be used by research and marketing firms to generate traffic and gain insights into consumer habits.
You can find quiz writing job opportunities with survey companies, marketing research companies, brands and organizations, educational institutions or even with magazines publishing personality quizzes.
46. Real estate writing
The real estate industry constantly needs writers and there are tons of freelance opportunities available here, whether you are writing real estate ads, promotional flyers, or even writing content to be entered into MLS listings.
Having a real estate license will be required for any form of real estate contract writing, but licensing requirements are usually easy to obtain and you can find several opportunities working as a licensed assistant for other agents and writing for them.
47. Recipe writing
Do you like to cook? There’s always a demand for recipe writers!
Recipe writing involves creating ingredient lists and instructions for preparing certain foods or beverages. Recipes may be unique or original or based on existing recipes and modified for a particular demographic.
You can create recipes for popular food brands, or you can even create your own food and recipe blog or website.
48. Report writing
Report writing involves the analysis of data and the generation of reports based on that data. Reports could be about various subjects, including medical science, information technology, computer science, and more.
Many companies and professionals send weekly or monthly reports to their clients and need someone to compose these reports to be sent. These types of reports can often be automated but still need to be originally created by a human and periodically reviewed and updating by a qualified writer.
49. Research writing
Research writing encompasses a wide range of disciplines and fields, from science to business, and academics. Writers typically interview experts, read reports and other research materials, and analyze extensive data to create in-depth articles.
If you love researching more than writing, another opportunity in research writing careers is to explore freelancing your research services to other writers and content creators.
50. Resume writing
Resume writing involves writing resumes and job applications for prospective job hunters. The goal is to create cover letters and resumes that increase the candidate’s chances of being accepted for a job.
There are many services and online marketplaces where you can find work for writing resumes, you can also find salaried positions available with career training organizations, colleges, universities, and educational services.
51. Romance Writing
Romance writing is the creation of literary pieces that revolve around love and relationships – everyone loves a good love story!
Writing romance novels is a bit different from other types of fiction writing, as the industry has specific requirements for the format and type of book.
If you’re interested in writing romance stories, check out our post of Romance Writing Prompts – it’s a great way to test the waters to see if becoming a romance novelist is a career for you to explore!
52. Screenwriting
Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the creation of scripts for films, TV programs, videos and video games.
Screenwriting is a specialized field that requires the work to be written in a specific format, typically utilizing screenwriting software. There are a lot of nuances in this format, and so if you wish to pursue screenwriting it is definitely wise to seek some training.
That being said, there are countless opportunities in screenwriting, whether its formatting someone’s movie idea for them into a script or creating your own original movie or television series.
Many television and movie production companies also employ screenwriters in-house, so there are definitely salaried screenwriting careers available!
53. SEO content writing
Writing for SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is all about strategically using targeted keywords and phrases within text content so it is easier for search engines to find it.
The goal of SEO content writers is to increase a particular site’s visibility on the search engine results pages and improve its rankings or to improve the function of a website’s internal search engine.
Writing for SEO takes some skill and practice, but with the right training it is easy to master.
You can find endless opportunities for SEO content writing online in freelance marketplaces as well as many digital publishers and marketing firms who hire SEO writers as paid staff. Just be sure you avoid the content mills and this can be a very well-paying career!
54. Social media content writing
All of us post on social media all of the time – but did you ever consider you could be PAID to post content?
While you can certainly look into sponsored content opportunities if you have a large audience, you can also find social media content manager positions with nearly every brand in every industry.
In this writing job, you will be creating content specifically for the brand’s audience on social media. It may be promotional, informative or entertaining and often overlaps with a bit of advertising and copywriting.
55. Speechwriting
This job involves writing speeches for authority figures and public personalities. The content should captivate and entertain the audience and hold their attention throughout.
You can find speechwriting opportunities in the public sector, for corporations, or you can even become a public speaker yourself and give talks and presentations.
56. Technical writing
Technical writing involves transforming complex and highly technical text into clear and easy to understand documents for specific audiences. The final text may come in the form of instruction manuals, journals, or guides.
57. Transcription
Transcription involves the conversion of speech from audio or video to written text. This job requires a high level of accuracy and understanding of language nuances.
Today it is easier than ever to get into transcription, as there are many software programs that make life MUCH easier for transcribing audio into text.
58. Translation and Transcreation
If you are fluent in more than one language, there are tons of potential careers for you in translation and transcreation.
Corporations who have gone global often need to provide multilingual instruction, and many works published in one language will need to be translated into another.
Multilingual copywriting involves receiving instructions from the client in one language and producing text in another language.
59. Travel writing
Travel writing involves writing about places, people, culture, and various other travel related aspects. This type of writing may also involve producing guides and reviews of various attractions.
Travel writers can find work with travel agencies, travel magazines or even writing for their own travel blog.
60. UX copywriting
UX or user interface writing involves the creation of written copy to enhance the user experience. Writers may be required to plan and create all the text that appears in an interface, including instructions, error messages, and labels.
61. Video game writers
If you want a career that pays you to play video games, video game copywriting is one that many people do not even know exists!
This work involves the creation of various types of in-game text. It includes everything from storylines and dialogs to onscreen instructions, how-to and help documentation and more.
Many other opportunities for writers exist in the video game industry, from creating storylines and plots, characters, and developing settings.
There are also many very successful video game players who have written about game cheats, secrets, and tips.
62. Video scriptwriting
Video scriptwriting is a less formal type of screenwriting and typically begins with a brief of what the video is about and then breaks it down into scenes and dialogue between the frames of the video.
Believe it or not, this is only a partial list of the many different types of writing jobs available. There are many more to explore, you just need to figure out where your interests and expertise lie – almost every industry needs writers!
Do you have a unique or unusual writing job that’s not on this list? Do you know of any types of companies hiring writers we may have neglected? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
