While you can write for your own blog in your free time and get fame, traffic, ad revenue, etc., you can also write for a company and get paid 💸.
Here's the list we created for you. (ORDER BY per_article_rate DESC)
(Please review the details at the end of this article before applying and writing)
1. Clubhouse.io ($350-600)
Payment: $350-600 per article
Website: clubhouse.io
Topics: Software development, team collaboration, how-to guides (No language specification).
Audience: Software engineers (focused on team leads)
Learn more: https://clubhouse.io/clubhouse-write-earn-give-program/
2. Honey Badger ($500+)
Payment: $500+ per article
Website: honeybadger.io
Topics: Ruby and Elixir
Audience: Developers
Learn more: https://www.honeybadger.io/blog/write-for-us/
3. Twilio ($500)
Payment: $500 per article
Website: twilio.com
Topics: Generally development. They encourage to include something related to Twilio services.
Audience: Developers
Learn more: https://go.twilio.com/twilio-voices/
4. Digital Ocean ($300/$400)
Payment: $300 per article ($400 for complex production-focused articles)
Website: digitalocean.com
Topics: DevOps, Software Development, Production System Tutorials, Python, Javascript, Docker, Kubernetes, Ansible, Terraform, and CI/CD
Audience: Software engineers, Cloud Users, Programmers, System Developers, etc.
Learn more: https://www.digitalocean.com/write-for-donations/#anchor--testimonials
5. Log Rocket (up to $350)
Payment: up to $350 per article
Website: logrocket.com
Topics: React, Redux, Angular, Vue.js, Webpack, MobX, GraphQL, Javascript, Front-end development (in general), UI/UX design
Audience: Front-end developers
Learn more: https://blog.logrocket.com/become-a-logrocket-guest-author-7d970eb673f9/
6. Real Python (up to $300)
Payment: up to $300 per article (Unofficial)
Website: realpython.com
Words per article: 1500+
Topics: Python, web development, data science, productivity, psychology, career, and more.
Audience: Python developers (beginners and experts) mainly
Learn more: https://realpython.com/write-for-us/
7. Linode ($100/$300+)
Payment: Minimum of $300 per article. $100 for updating an existing article.
Website: linode.com
Topics: DevOps, Server Infrastructure, Storage, Programming Languages, Linux
Audience: Anyone who uses cloud services
Learn more: https://www.linode.com/lp/write-for-linode/
8. Hasura ($100-$300)
Payment: $100-300 per article
Website: hasura.io
Topics: GraphQL, Hasura GraphQL Engine
Audience: GraphQL users in general
Learn more: https://blog.hasura.io/the-hasura-technical-writer-program/
9. Code Tuts+ ($100-250)
Payment: $100 (Quick tip) $250 (Tutorial)
Website: code.tutsplus.com
Topics: Web Development, PHP, Ruby, Node, HTML5, CSS3,
Audience: Web developers and designers
Learn more: https://code.tutsplus.com/articles/call-for-authors-write-for-tuts--cms-22034
10. Smashing Magazine (up to $200)
Payment: up to $200 per article (Unofficial)
Website: www.smashingmagazine.com
Topics: Anything related to better web experiences
Audience: Web developers and designers
Learn more: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/write-for-us/
11. GitLab (up to $200)
Payment: up to $200 per article
Website: gitlab.com
Topics: Anything related to better web experiences
Audience: Developers, DevOps
Learn more: https://about.gitlab.com/community/writers/
12. Scotch ($150)
The website says "submissions are on hold" at the moment. Check later if they accept.
Payment: $150 per article
Website: scotch.io
Topics: React, Vue, Angular, Javascript, Node, CSS, Python, Laravel, etc.
Audience: Web Developers
Learn more: https://scotch.io/write-for-us
13. Arctype ($100+)
Payment: $100+ per article (Bonus payments are available based on your performance)
Website: arctype.com
Topics: SQL, Databases, Data analysis
Audience: Developers with an entrepreneurial focus
Learn more: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kBqDcEIKgSftvO-GeXjeqM7WNfaajSpCHm5AZaSyh-Q/edit?usp=sharing
14. Soshace ($100)
Payment: $100 per article
Website: blog.soshace.com
Words per article: 1000-1500
Topics: Javascript, React, Node.js, PHP, Python, Django, Java (including Spring), and Javascript
Audience: Web developers
Learn more: https://blog.soshace.com/write-for-us/
15. SitePoint (~$100)
Payment: $100 or more (depending on the quality)
Website: sitepoint.com
Words per article: 1000-1500
Topics: React, Web Performances, Analytics, Node, Angular, UX
Audience: Web developers
Learn more: https://www.sitepoint.com/write-for-us
Before Writing...
Writing for getting paid is an effective way to spend your free time and receive an additional income. All of the above-mentioned companies are high paying ones. So, you have to keep the following things in your mind before applying and writing.
- Read the guidelines. All companies have different guidelines. Make sure you have read and understood them.
- Quality over quantity. Why do companies hire you instead of hiring a $5-$25 authors on freelancing sites? They need QUALITY.
- Expertise. While "Expertise" does not mean being an "expert" in the field, you have to understand how things work. You have to know the best practices. Above everything, you must have experience.
- Writing Skills. You are going to write. So, you have to have that skill. If you think you lack those skills, first search the internet "Writing Skills". Spend a week or two polishing your skills. You don't have to be the best writer but you have to have the skills to express your thoughts to the reader -- even if it's a programming tutorial. Make sure to check your writing with Grammarly (It's a free tool). The Hemingway app (free) can also help you.
- No Reposting: NEVER share the same article to multiple websites. Always publish original content written by you. If you need to publish it to Medium, DEV, your personal blog, etc. first ask the company.
- Hitting the word rate isn't the thing: The reason behind the word rate per article is SEO. Google prefers long in-depth articles. Even some topics are best described when they are short, you have to be withing the word range giving by the company. However, keep in mind, Quality is what they expect. If you run out of words, you can use keywords tools to broaden your topic.
- Write for free before getting paid: Before applying, you will need to have experience in writing. So, you have to write articles and publish them. Medium, dev.to, Hashnoce, dZone are nice places to build your writing personality.
- Not for promotions or backlink building: It's okay to share your experiences openly. But, make sure your purpose isn't promoting your work or backlink building.
Procedure
If you aren't familiar with the general procedure,
- First, you apply for the Guest Writer position (See How To Apply).
- Then, you will receive an email (or via any other preferred method) if you are accepted or not. (Usually with 1-2 days, or in rare cases several weeks)
- If accepted,
- In some cases, you will be assigned to an editor who will help you through the process.
- You can start writing the first article. The topic is usually pitched while applying. If not, send your pitch to the companies and get accepted.
- Then, send your article.
- They will review your article and let you know if there are changes to be made. In this case, don't take it seriously -- they are helping you to improve.
- After making changes, they will let you know that the article is on the way to be published. (See Benefits below)
- They will send you the money (See Receiving Payments below).
- If not accepted,
- Worst companies say you are not accepted by not sending an email. If it is your case, skip that and try another one. Don't spam the contact form.
- The best companies will let you know why you are not selected. This email is one of the best emails you can receive in your life. Read it carefully and improve yourself based on their recommendations. After about 3-4 weeks, resubmit an application.
How to Apply
While filling the application, follow these tips:
- Add one or two links of previously written articles to the application.
- Be yourself. Say them what you are doing, what are your passions, why are you special, what have you done, etc
- Have you developed some awesome stuff? Be sure to include it.
- Keep the introduction short.
Payments Per Article
While some companies have a fixed rate per article, others have a rate that varies upon several factors. In most cases, these factors are not revealed. They will review your article and decide the payment.
Receiving Payments
Usually, companies pay via Paypal. If your country doesn't support Paypal, ask them for other payment methods. Be sure to do that before writing, because not every company supports alternative methods.
Benefits
- Everything is Remote: Take your laptop. Start working.
- Learn: You'll always be learning something new. You'll learn how to organize an article, express your thoughts in words, write better blog posts. You'll be a better developer and communicator.
- Money: You'll get paid (Oh, yes. That's the focus of this article)
- Readers: How sweet to have people reading your content? As most of these websites get huge traffic, your article will be read by thousands of people.
- New Team: You'll join a new team. You'll find new amazing people. You'll learn more team skills.
- Tactics: You'll learn marketing strategies that companies use to promote their content. You can implement it on your own website.
- Special Offers: Some companies will have special offers for you. Ex: Access to their developer docs.
FAQ
Q: This list doesn't include websites in my field. How can I find some?
You can follow the trick that we followed. Search on google: YOUR_KEYWORD "write for us" (Ex: PHP "write for us").
Q: How many days it will take to receive my payment?
They will send you the payment after publishing the article. Paypal only takes 1 day. Wire transfer can take 5-7 business days.
Q: How many articles can I write per month?
It depends on the company. In most companies, you can write unlimited number of articles and get paid.
Note: Hyvor Talk isn't affiliated with any of the above companies.
Is there any other developer-oriented company you know that pays at least $100 per article? Please let us know in the comments. We will consider adding it. Any other thoughts? Feel free to write below. Hyvor Talk team always helps you to improve.
Thank you!
Originally published on Hyvor Talk Blog
Top comments (44)
Major footnote here!
If you are going to consider this you need to pay attention to what transfer of copyright you are giving!
This material you produce may be theirs forever, which means you can never use that again. You may not be able to use that material in talks, workshops, classes or anything else.
Look at what kind of copyright and ip transfer you are giving up.
Nice point you made!
Even some allows, sharing isn't allowed by others.
However, I previously never thought about this:
Okay, let's stay that's true. What do you mean by materials? Images, Code Examples, Words, or anything else?
The example I was given went something like this:
Let's say you wrote an article for a site about how to get started unit testing. This site also took full ownership over that article.
You, as the contributor, want to give a talk about that at a conference. You would have to make sure to not use the same language, phrases, titles, and so on.
If you did a workshop, you'd similarly have to use a different structure, phrases, and language. You could not use content from your article in any of it.
You would have to re-build, re-write, or re-invent that material. Same would be true if you decided to publish a book, zine, or anything else. You cannot use that article or its contents again until the rights are returned.
I'm curious, is there a documented case of this having ever been an issue?
As in someone taking action for the violation? I'm not sure.
In the case of anyone's rights being transferred, yes.
Here's an easy one: Every developer in the US signs a paper in their offer transferring all IP and rights to the company. Sometimes it requires using their equipment/time, other times it's a blanket transfer of everything you produce is theirs.
You wrote an article here on a company laptop? Well, that is your company's property now.
As for more writing specific, my writing teacher has dealt with this at various points in her career. Many authors actually purchase rights tracking software. It becomes unwieldy to remember what you wrote for whom and what you're allowed to re-use or not across many years.
Apparently, this goes way beyond plagiarism? Learnt something new today.
$200 or $300 for writing an article, that's nothing to scoff at ... wonder how easy or hard it is to get into these programs - maybe they typically reject 95% of the applicants?
Speaking as someone who runs a sizable paid content operation just like this, it's not like hiring a salaried employee, where there are a finite number of "slots," if you will. Rather, you're using a pool of side hustlers to produce some minimum amount of weekly/monthly content. So there's not much incentive to reject anyone when they're filling out the form. Worst case, if you have too many people, is that you tell them to check back next month.
The thing that will wash people out -- the biggest pain point for marketers who run these programs, by far -- is flakiness/lateness/problems during content production. Would-be writers ghost, turn things in a week late, plagiarize, etc. So you're already probably in the top half of the applicant pool just by doing what you say you'll do, when you say you'll do it.
Should be the featured comment ⭐. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Totally agree! Being honest will get you far.
the top half of the applicant pool just by doing what you say you'll do, when you say you'll do it.
It's more about what you have done in the past. Have you written quality articles with working code examples? Have you written something hard in simple language in the past? That's what they consider.
In most contact forms, you'll only need to include the title of your next post - not the post itself. But, you have to link 1-3 previously written posts.
Simply, they are looking for clear evidence of your programming and writing skills.
It's usually more about quality. If the submitted article takes very little editing and has many other considerations already made such as clear audience, commercial post content, clear post intent and SEO then you're much more likely to get accepted / get your article through. Other things like having an existing online audience to share with will also help I think.
But of course, YMMV.
Thanks, nice to keep this in the back of my mind, I've seen worse suggestions for additional revenue sources for freelance devs.
you're probably right.. but just think. why they people pay for those which article already exist or may be poor language of article...
like my writing.😂
We pay writers to write for the Honeybadger Developer Blog (and you can cross-post to DEV!). Starting rate is $500/article and can go up from there (we don’t have a limit). Would love to be added to this list! Details: honeybadger.io/blog/write-for-us/
Joshua,
Thanks. I'll add it soon. It's only for Ruby and Elixir devs right?
Thanks!! That's mostly what we're looking for right now, but if someone has a really good pitch for some other kind of developer content, we're open to it.
We pay our writers at TechTarget, toward the higher end of the spectrum above. We're always on the lookout for people in the industry who can write vendor-neutral, high-quality technical articles. My site, SearchSoftwareQuality, covers dev/test and methodology (Agile, DevOps, etc.) topics, but we have other sites for cloud, security, storage, networking, etc.
Anyone interested, DMs are open!
Good one 😄, Recently StackOverFlow.com also starts paying, Check here, Hope helps. 👍
It's becoming a trend 📈
Hey love this, I've been collecting a bunch of these sites. Mind if I add them? Or if you're feeling upto it you could. Here's the link to the repo
There are many websites I haven't seen in the repo. I'll check them and add them here.
Feel free to add the websites here to your repo (No attribution needed) 😊.
Thanks for this article.
Consider adding hitsubscribe.com/ from Erik Dietrich
Is there a way to get more details about that website (like Payment, Word Count, etc.)?
if you apply, you get a "handbook for authors" guide that tells you everything.
regarding money, it starts at $100 per article for a word count of 1200-1600 words.
they reward authors who have a track record of delivering drafts smoothly on time, so the more you do this, you get paid until $200 per article
Hi Supan
thank for curated this post so your service is so good I've tried on my blog
I work on this area for years ago the demand was so high and the pay rate is so a good many clients are course creator, developer tool startup or dev publisher site,
we can work on multiple clients and get paid up as your can but I was lack of community
not found community talking about this so I just create a channel for discussing any thing that relates
this topic
bit.ly/joinslackdevwriter
feel free to join I can share my experiences
Hey @kris ,please add me. I dont have an email with the @kriss .io domain.
Hitting the word rate isn't the thing: The reason behind the word rate per article is SEO. Google prefers long in-depth articles. Even some topics are best described when they are short, you have to be withing the word range giving by the company. However, keep in mind, Quality is what they expect. If you run out of words, you can use keywords tools to broaden your topic.
Wow thanks for sharing, I'm looking into this as soon as I improve my writing skills.
Very interesting!
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