Write for Us: Become a Contributing Writer at Blurred Bylines

We're looking for contributing writers

Looking for a remote writing gig where you can craft long-form articles about topics you care deeply about? We’re inviting journalism-minded freelance writers to submit original articles about marginalized communities and issues that mainstream outlets tend to ignore

Posted 10/30/24

Blurred Bylines is looking for passionate freelance writers from a variety of professional backgrounds to contribute quality, long-form articles to the site’s growing collection of stories. The pieces on BB take an explanatory, journalistic approach to each topic, backed by strong sources, to act as a resource for trusted, accurate information that Americans and those around the world are searching for through Google and other engines.

So if you’re looking for paid freelance writing opportunities where you can write fact-based, passion-driven articles about issues involving the LGBTQ+ community, race and identity, disability rights, democracy, international human rights, science and health, survivor rights, American history, and more, you may be the perfect candidate to write for us.

Since creating this website 8 years ago, the only person to ever write for Blurred Bylines has been me, Shari Rose, and it’s finally time for that to change. Ultimately, I’m looking for freelancers who know how to balance facts with passion to produce quality pieces that readers can learn from and connect with.

We're looking for contributing writers

Remote Writing Gigs at BB: What to Know

Word count & pay per word

You’ll be writing informative, long-form articles between 800 – 1200 words. The pay is $0.18/word for a total of $144 – $216 per article.

Writing approach: Bring your voice to the issues

While these stories must embrace a journalistic approach that is facts-first, you are very much encouraged to let your unique perspective and voice shine through. As long as the information you present is backed up by reliable sources, your authentic voice is greatly valued at Blurred Bylines. You don’t need to self-censor or sanitize your writing to get published here.

SEO considerations

While a working knowledge of SEO is a plus for potential contributing writers, it is by no means required. I only ask that writers have an open mind about incorporating some SEO best practices into their finished articles – mainly keyword optimization and page structure. You won’t be expected to do this SEO work yourself, only have a willingness to learn some tips on how these strategies can be naturally folded into your writing.

Visibility

Benefits of Becoming a Contributing Writer

Your writing will be read by real humans long after it’s published

This is not an average remote writing gig. Your hard work will not get lost in the black hole of infinite internet content. I want your writing to be read by lots of people for years to come on Blurred Bylines, and that is where the true power of SEO comes into play. 

Ultimately, the goal of these freelance writing opportunities is two-fold: 1) produce well-written, fact-based articles about important topics that tend to receive weak or non-existent national coverage by major media outlets, and 2) leverage that quality writing with SEO strategies so it appears in front of interested readers who are looking for these subjects via search engines.

With 8 years of SEO experience under my belt, I can say with confidence that your writing at BB will be read by actual human beings for the long-term – not just for a week or two after it’s published. It will be searchable and read for months, even years to come. And I really can promise this because nearly all the stories I’ve written in 2019, 2020, etc. are still being read by real humans in 2024. 

Here’s an example of an article I’d written in 2019. In October 2024, it hit record-high keyword rankings in Google’s index, meaning even more people are reading this story now than they did when it was first published five years ago:

Keyword data from Semrush

Visibility for your personal brand

Should you get published at BB as a contributing writer, you’ll also receive a byline, short paragraph for your bio, and a link to your portfolio/website/LinkedIn at the bottom of each article you write for us. I’m a writer myself – made obvious by how wordy this ‘write for us’ page is – and know firsthand how important exposure is to expanding one’s freelance hustle into a full-blown career. It’s how I got here with Blurred Bylines, and I want happy readers who found you through this site to support your work as well.

After the story is published, it’ll get shared on BB’s socials and linked to a few other existing articles on the site to maximize its immediate online exposure while Google crawls and ranks the new page in its index.

Join

How to Apply

To apply for this remote writing gig, email me (Shari Rose) at [email protected] using the email subject line “Freelance Writer Application” with the following materials:

Required

  • 2-3 samples of your writing that are relevant to the topics or ideas you’d like to write about.
  • Short and sweet paragraph about your relevant experience, topics/issues/ideas you’re interested in, and anything else you think I should know about you.
  • An openness to incorporate some basic SEO into your writing (no need to directly mention this in your email unless you’d like to).

Preferred, but not disqualifying if missing these elements

  • If you have a story idea or two you’d like to pitch as part of your application, I’d love to hear it! This also helps give me a better understanding of you as a writer.
  • Published articles you’ve written for other organizations and want to highlight.
  • If you don’t have anything published yet, you can still write for us. It’s very difficult to get published when you haven’t been published before. If that’s your situation, send me the most relevant writing you’ve done for school or a passion project that best shows off your writing chops.
  • Baseline SEO knowledge is preferred, but not required. 

General FAQs

Can I submit an article that’s been published elsewhere?

No, because of the SEO implications. Blurred Bylines only accepts original pieces and will not cross-post content that has been published elsewhere.

How do you feel about using ChatGPT or other LLMs/generative AI this writing?

Please do not use ChatGPT or other AI models to write these articles. Not one story on Blurred Bylines has ever been AI-generated, and I will do everything in my power to keep it that way.

Of course, many online resources we use these days (especially SEO tools) incorporate AI technology into their software, and that is perfectly fine by me. What I’m referring to specifically is AI-generated content, which has no place at BB. 

If I am able to confirm that a submitted article does have AI-generated content, that will end the freelance relationship.

Can I include affiliate links or self-promotion elements in the articles I submit?

No, please don’t do this. The published stories on BB are free from ads, affiliate marketing, and all that jazz for a real reason. Affiliate marketing changes the sources we use and the content we write, both in big and small ways. 

One can argue this is a harmless byproduct of the commodification of internet communities, but BB doesn’t play that way. I am not interested in inviting those external pressures that may use money or influence to change how we do things here. 

Thanks for your interest in writing for Blurred Bylines as a contributing writer and may the odds be ever in your favor during the application process!

~ Shari