Is Writers Work Legit Or A Scam? (Honest Review!)
Back in 2020, I quit my day job to become a freelance writer and blogger. About 12 months later, I was making most of my income from writing for various personal finance websites. Now, I've been working as a freelance writer for about three years.
It took me months to land several clients and to begin getting paid a decent hourly rate. So, you can imagine my surprise when I heard about Writers Work, a website that claims you can start earning $30 to $45 per hour as a writer without any experience.
I see this company advertising everywhere. But is Writers Work legit? Or is this website just a money grab and waste of time?
I explored Writers Work's website and read testimonials from former members to find out more. And as we're about to find out in my Writers Work review, I think this platform makes some pretty grand claims but doesn't do much to back it up.
What Is Writers Work?
According to its website, Writers Work is an all-in-one platform for launching your dream job. As their advertisements stress, this website aims to help you launch a successful writing career from scratch.
Writers Work provides all the training, job opportunities, and help to guide you along the way. And it advertises that you can make $30 to $45 per hour, even if you don't have any experience.
On paper, this looks like a great site. Writers Work says it can help you make money online with writing, and you don't need years of experience to start making money.
In many ways, it's similar to websites like Barefoot Writer and SolidGigs that train freelancers and assist them in their job hunt.
Between a bunch of training modules, software, a job board, and flashy promises, you might think Writers Work is worth the one-time or monthly fee.
I'm going to save that judgment until the end of my Writers Work review. For now, let's examine all of the features this website offers and if they're as beneficial as advertised.
Is Writers Work Legit?
Writers Work is legit and helps train people to become better writers and find their first freelance gigs. However, I think the website is somewhat misleading in its advertisements because it says you can easily earn $30 to $45 per hour without any experience.
Freelance writing can be an incredibly lucrative online side hustle. And this is how I make most of my money. But it's not realistic to expect $45 an hour so quickly and without any experience.
And at the end of the day, Writers Work is just a basic freelance writing job board that has a few modules and some editing tools. But the thing is, you can use a variety of free editing and project management alternatives instead. And plenty of free job boards have lots of writing gigs.
I really dislike how Writers Work also advertises its $30 to $45 per hour promise so heavily. In my opinion, this is a bit misleading, and earning this type of income as a freelance writer can take more time and practice.
What Does Writers Work Offer Writers?
Writers Work claims that it helps remove the confusion and frustration from becoming a freelance writer. To accomplish this, there are numerous features you unlock as a paid member.
1. Writers Work Job Board
If there's one feature that might be slightly useful on Writers Work, it's the aggregated job board.
Like other remote job websites, Writers Work aggregates a bunch of writing sites and jobs from around the web and lists them in a central dashboard for members.
To begin your job search, you enter keywords or use a set of filters to find job listings. You can search for beginner-friendly online jobs, or enter keywords for a particular niche.
This sounds great, but in reality, these jobs are just pulled from around the web; you can find them on your own just by looking on Indeed, FlexJobs, ProBlogger, Upwork, or other job aggregators that do a better job.
Plus, a lot of the jobs on Writers Work are a tad old, meaning you'd probably waste your time in applying for a gig that's already filled.
If you find an available job you're interested in, you can expand the specific application details to get started. Most jobs require sending in a resume, pitch, or your portfolio, and Writers Work redirects you to the original website where the listing was posted.
Ultimately, this is just a lackluster job aggregator for writers, and there are better options out there (that are also free).
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- Freelance Writing For Freedom: My brand new course that outlines the exact steps I took to go from $0 to $100,000+ in writing income!
2. Submission Finder
Another way Writers Work tries to help you find gigs is with their submission finder tool.
Writers Work has a database of publishers that pay you for writing articles and content for them. Like the job search tool, you can search for publications with keywords to find a niche you're interested in writing about.
However, there's no real way to tell if these listings are still accepting writers. Plus, there's a frustrating lack of payment info and requirements.
In my opinion, you're better off searching on Google for your niche topic + “write for us.” This is actually how I found and then started writing for the website Money Crashers, a popular personal finance website:
In my opinion, doing this plus using job aggregators is a better use of your time than Writers Work's outdated submission system.
3. Your Portfolio Page
Writers Work offers a portfolio page that you can use to help pitch and land more clients. Functionality is pretty basic, and it's similar to creating a portfolio on a WordPress website where you list your services, portfolio, and an about section.
Let me tell you: having a portfolio definitely helps increase your odds of landing a job and goes a long way in making a simple email pitch seem a lot more professional.
Because of this fact, I started my own portfolio at the beginning of the year: Tom Blake Digital.
I also created a profile on Muckrack, another tool writers and journalists can use to share their work. Finally, if you try writing on Medium to make money, you can also use the pieces you publish there and in publications as a sort of portfolio.
The point I'm trying to make is that there are so many ways to create your own portfolio that's professional and affordable without having to rely on Writers Work.
Besides, if something happens to Writers Work, do you really want your portfolio to be hosted there? I don't think so.
4. Text Editor & Spelling/Grammar Checker
If you pay for Writers Work, you also gain access to their online editing program.
Honestly, there's zero point in using this thing.
Yes, the editor catches spelling and grammar mistakes. You can also publish posts right to your blog or export them as a PDF if you want. However, there's not much different between this editor and writing in WordPress' back end, Google Docs, or using an editing program like Hemingway:
I use Hemmingway every day for my own blogging and freelance writing clients. And a lot of other writers I know rely on Grammarly or various free writing editors.
Plus, while the Writers Work editor provides a writing score and identifies lengthy sentences that could use some trimming, Hemmingway does this for free with their web portal.
And the Hemingway Editor is great for catching passive voice, lengthy sentences, and over-usage of adjectives. Hemingway is free online, and you can also download the desktop app for $19.99 (which is cheaper than Writers Work).
5. Habit Builder
With the habit builder tool, you can set specific writing goals like writing X words per day or finishing articles by a certain deadline.
To be blunt, if you need to pay for software that encourages you to write a certain amount (i.e. to do your job) you might want to look for a different line of work.
If you're serious about freelance writing, you do it because you enjoy it and because you can make money by writing. Your paycheck should be the best habit building incentive that's out there, not some flashy software.
6. Project Organization
Alright, it wouldn't be a fair Writers Work review if I was just overly negative for the sake of it. And the one tool that I think is decent is the project organization page.
Basically, you can use this tool to enter the projects you're working on, create subtasks, and track your time per project.
However, it's still nice to track your time so you can figure out your hourly rate. Plus, the entire tracking idea helps ensure you don't forget deadlines and upset clients.
I personally use Trello, a project management tool for teams, to organize my content (plus Google Calendar for reminders).
So, if you're on a tight budget, once again, there are free Writers Work alternatives that work just as good or even better.
Extra Reading – Jobs That Pay $5,000 A Month.
7. Training Modules
Like other freelance marketplaces, Writers Work's main selling point is that they help train you to become a paid freelance writer.
It has about two dozen video modules in the form of a mini course that help you learn skills like:
- How to create your portfolio.
- How to send pitches to editors.
- How to invoice and manage your finances as a freelancer.
- How to become a better writer.
After looking at the modules briefly, there's nothing groundbreaking here and the videos are pretty short. Plus, in my opinion, I think your best bet is to just start working and to find a great editor to work under and to learn from them.
Again, don't be afraid to start out with writing…you'll learn as you go and you shouldn't obsess over courses and modules if it prevents you from starting!
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make Money Online For Beginners.
How Much Does Writers Work Cost?
Writers Work has two available plans: a monthly plan and a lifetime plan. The lifetime plan costs $94 but is always advertised as being “on sale” for $47. Alternatively, you can pay $15 per month to try out the platform.
The part that irks me about the whole pricing thing is that you can't really learn that much about the platform without going to the sales page. Pretty much every click leads you right to the sales page. There's no demo, testimonials, or feature breakdown to dive into.
And, you can also get my new Freelance Writing For Freedom course for much less. I'm self-promoting, I know, but I honestly think my course contains all of the info anyone needs to find success with freelancing. And it's a low one-time cost, not a monthly fee. I hope you'll check it out!
Is Writers Work Worth It?
Writers Work isn't worth it in my opinion because you can find online writing jobs for free without paying. And many of its tools and upsells also have free alternatives or aren't worth paying for whatsoever.
I was able to quit my day job and to become a full-time freelance writer making $10k a month or more from writing. And I did it without paying for any courses, coaching, or software like Writers Work.
The blunt truth is that practicing your skills, networking, and applying to jobs is the best way to make money with freelance writing. It takes time to learn the ropes, but this is the best way to move forwards in my opinion.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Writers Work has a large job board
- The project management tool is useful
- Some training modules are useful
Cons:
- There are many free or cheaper alternatives to Writers Work
- The freelancer marketplace just reposts jobs from various remote job sites
- There's no free version of Writers Work
- Writers Work has very spammy advertisements that are somewhat misleading
Other Writers Work Reviews
Writers Work has been around for a while, and from what I can tell, the consensus is that you're better off staying away from this platform if you want to make money with writing.
Here are a few reviews I stumbled across on the web.
In this Reddit thread, you can see the common complaint that Writers Work is really just a lackluster job board in disguise. Here's what user JohnMalkovich93 says:
“As someone who was dumb enough to buy Writers Work, I'll tell you that anyone reading this would be dumb to buy Writers Work. It's even worse than what you think…Writers Work is just a fancy way to search Indeed.”
I seriously recommend reading that thread if you're still on the fence since it sheds some light on what you should expect.
Another common complaint I've seen and experienced is that Writers Work endlessly tries to upsell you stuff. So, once you pay the $47 lifetime price, you get upsold on things like writing manuals and guides. That's what this negative review says below from the Better Business Bureau:
This is really just a money-grab on top of a money-grab website. And if you want to get a refund once you realize, you're basically out of luck. Check out the Better Business Bureau and other reviews if you want to see what I'm talking about!
Extra Reading – How To Make Money As A Creative Writer.
Better Alternatives To Writers Work
After freelance writing for over three years and making most of my income this way, I think there are plenty of alternatives to Writers Work you should try first. And, in my opinion, the best way to get started with freelance writing jobs is to expand your network.
For me, starting a blog was what opened the door to writing for several personal finance websites and getting out of the low-paying world of ghost writing and content mills.
As mentioned, you can also try writing on sites like Medium if you want a faster route to getting published.
However, my tip is honestly to start a blog, and I'm not just saying this to try and get a juicy affiliate commission from SiteGround (but it would be nice 😉 ).
A blog lets you hone your writing skills, prove you can grow organic traffic, and helps you network with other bloggers and editors. Plus, if you can get into ad networks like Mediavine, your blog can also be a passive income source as well as a portfolio piece.
In fact, with blogging, WebMonkey made $272,000 in 2022. And Mediavine Ads alone now make $500 a day in autopilot income.
All in all, blogging absolutely transformed my life.
It let me start a new career, grow my income, and even try out the digital nomad lifestyle and live abroad in places like Colombia, Dubai, and South Africa.
It might take a year or two to really get going, but I think Medium or blogging are a much better use of your time than paying for websites like Writers Work.
If you need help starting your blog, I suggest reading my post on blog niche ideas for some inspiration!
Want to accelerate your writing income? Get started with my Freelance Writing For Freedom course!
Is Writers Work A Scam?
Writers Work is a scam in my opinion because its advertisements promise that you can earn $30 to $45 per hour without any experience. But in reality, it's impossible to guarantee its customers can achieve this. And it's really just an online job board with some training modules and basic tools.
In my opinion, finding freelance writing gigs from your network, FlexJobs, LinkedIn, and other job boards makes the most sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Writers Work Offer Refunds?
On its website, Writers Work claims you can try the platform at no-risk because they have a 30 day refund. However, I've seen so many negative reviews that center on trouble getting your money back, so I don't think Writers Work actually offers refunds.
If you still want to try this website, be prepared to spend $47 you never get back.
Is This For Beginner Or Experienced Writers?
According to Writers Work, the platform works for beginner and experienced writers alike. It states the text editor and job marketplace is great for veteran writers, while the educational modules can help beginners.
I'll admit, the modules are decent if you're brand new, but you can find this info for free online.
Extra Reading – How To Make Money With A Laptop.
Does Writers Work Actually Pay?
No, Writers Work doesn't pay writers directly. The website tries to help writers find freelance writing gigs so they can make money but doesn't actually employ or pay writers itself. There's also no guarantee that you can find paid work just because you sign up for Writers Work.
Final Thoughts
I hope my Writers Work review helps you understand what this platform offers and what some of your better alternatives are.
In my opinion, this company attracts writers with promises of $30 to $45 per hour writing jobs and the start of a new, lucrative career. But in reality, I think it's just a job board with some modules and features.
Ultimately, I don't think it's worth the money or helpful for finding work (compared to free options).
It isn't a scam or illegal by any means, but I just think there are too many free alternatives and better ways to begin finding work as a freelance writer.
Anyway, best of luck, and hopefully other remote job boards or starting your own blog prove more fruitful!
Looking for more ways to make money? Checkout:
- The Best Ways To Make $100 A Day Guaranteed.
- Writing Envelopes For Money – Is It Possible?
- The Best Work From Home Jobs That Provide Equipment.
- How To Write Short Stories For Money.
Writers Work Review
Name: Writers Work
Description: Writers Work helps beginner freelance writers find work and launch their career as a writer.
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