Are you looking to hire black freelancers who can help you boost your business? Here are the 7 top platforms that can help you get started.
If you’re a part of the black freelance community, you might feel like every chance of success you have depends on luck. And luck doesn’t always guarantee the right client, rates, hours, or even jobs.
The same goes for clients looking to hire African American freelancers. Indeed, people are increasingly looking to diversify their workforce for the sheer cultural knowledge and experience that comes with it and create social equality.
Additionally, the recent movement towards supporting black communities has resulted in people exclusively looking to hire black freelancers.
But that’s just the problem: where do they even begin? Fret not, as this post will talk about and review some of the most pioneering and reliable platforms to hire black freelancers.
Take your time and read through this post, and do as much research as you can on your own as well. Trust me; all this initial hard work will pay off and help you chive your dream of making freelancing a lifestyle.
Freelancing is a serious craft, and the freelancing platform SolidGigs acknowledges that fact. Perhaps that’s because the owner, Preston Lee, is a highly experienced freelancer himself.
As a result, the site is able to cater to all the challenges that freelancers face on a daily basis. For the SolidGigs team, the two major problems were low access to work opportunities and insufficient exposure.
That’s why SolidGigs ensures that you’re able to find very specific gigs that will highlight your skills and build up your profile.
Another great thing about SolidGigs is that the entire shortlisting process is done manually. That’s right; there’s a team of experienced freelancers hand-picking your jobs for you.
In a way, you have an entire community of freelancers by your side, helping you connect to jobs that suit you.
Now, this is especially useful if you’re a black freelancer with a highly specialized skill set pertaining to a particular field. Given how extensive freelancing has become, it’s often very difficult to find a job that complements your niche.
But that’s where SolidGigs swoops in and saves the day.
If you’re a freelancer, you can think of SolidGigs as a filter that gives you a list of the most suitable jobs for you.
Signing up with SolidGigs is a straightforward process. If you’re initially apprehensive, you can have a 30-day free trial for only $2. Afterward, you’ll have to pay $19 per month.
The price may seem steep at first, but it’s actually a steal when you consider the hundreds of resources that are open to you for free after you sign up.
SolidGigs sifts through hundreds of potential jobs and only shows you the top 1% of jobs available. This means that you’ll only have to look through about 10-15 potential clients on a weekly basis.
Once you sign up, you’ll have access to more than 127 business courses without any additional charge.
These courses are specially tailored to novice freelancers so that you can hone your profile and extend your influence in and beyond the black freelance community.
Currently, SolidGigs boasts a diverse workforce of over 400 freelancers, meaning that you have a pool of talent to choose from.
Additionally, you can rest assured knowing that your jobs are reaching only the most qualified freelancers.
See Related: Best Freelance Content Writing Websites
WritersAccess is one of the leading platforms for content writing. It pools together a diverse talent of freelance writers, editors, content strategists, designers, illustrators, animators, and much more.
With a ratio of 15,000 writers and 39,000 brands, you’re extremely likely to find reliable jobs as a black freelance writer.
Conversely, if you’re looking to hire black freelancers for your gigs, WriterAccess is the go-to hub for recruiting diverse talent.
You can search from a vast pool of freelancers such as writers, editors, content strategists, designers, illustrators, and much more.
An important thing to note here is that freelancers registered on the website must be native speakers based in the US. This is great news for those clients and companies looking to hire US-based black freelancers.
WriterAccess is constantly seeking to diversify its workforce. However, this doesn’t mean they let anyone join the team. On the contrary, WriterAccess has one of the most rigorous screening processes. This is good news for both clients and freelancers.
Anyone can claim to be a writer. Freelance platforms are plagued with scammy people offering their services at low rates. Countless clients have suffered as a result.
At the same time, people tend to be extremely wary of freelance writers for this very reason. It’ll be easier for you to find work as a freelancer when people know you have passed the test.
This screening process includes testing for SEO and social media knowledge, language tests, past writing experiences, and online presence.
Signing up with WriterAccess is free. The only thing you need to worry about is the screening process. If you’re a talented writer, this shouldn’t faze you at all.
The real fun begins after you sign up. Based on your profile, you’re given an initial rating.
The rating is initially based on the screening test. Later, customer reviews, endorsements, and ongoing algorithmic performance scoring determine your rating.
Talented is rated from 2 to 6 stars. Pay per word is fixed for each star. So, if you want to earn more, you need to increase your rating.
Keep in mind that freelancers get to keep 70% of the earnings, while WriterAccess claims the remaining 30%.
WriterAccess is a great platform for clients to find content writing talent. Initially, you can opt for a free 14-day trial to get the feel of the site. Afterward, you will need to sign up for a subscription-based membership.
Once you’re on the site, you can choose from over 300 skill sets and categories to best match your requirement. Advanced search functions enable you to specify a keyword, profiles, locations, and ratings.
If you’re not satisfied with the content you receive, WriterAcces has an extensive money-back guarantee policy.
Incluzion might be relatively new to the game, but it is one of the platforms to cater specifically to marginalized communities in the US.
Cofounder Jibril Sulaiman created the platform after recognizing how difficult it is for black freelancers based in the US to find opportunities, resources, and exposure to secure their freelancing career.
At the same time, he also had difficulty finding diverse talent to work on his own projects.
Sulaiman says that the cultural connection that comes with a particular skill amplifies its value in the freelance market.
While clients are searching for a particular skill set, they’re equally searching for diverse cultural experiences that can help give their products that extra edge.
As such, Incluzion has a simple vision- to facilitate a community of Latinx and black freelancers in an otherwise biased marketplace.
One of the main biases that Sulaiman wanted to rectify was that of wage inequalities across genders and races. Hence, Incluzion aims to ensure pay equity for black female freelancers.
There’s a pool of diverse freelance talent at Incluzion. While trends seem to favor writers, developers, and designers, any skill is appreciated as long as you’re good at it.
It’s obvious that the platform still has ways to go. The interface is a little tricky to get around, and job filters aren’t as advanced.
But there’s no doubt that Incluzion will swiftly become a household name for not only black freelancers but all underrepresented talent.
As a freelancer, setting up your profile will be the most important thing to do when you sign up.
Incluzion doesn’t give your profile the green light until and unless every field, including your picture, is filled out. Your profile will then go through a manual approval process.
Once your profile is approved, you can sit back and let the Incluzion team do the hard work for you. Based on the skills that you specify, you will receive daily emails about available projects.
While you wait, you can take a look at the courses offered by Incluzion’s team of experts. Since Incluzion is a relatively new platform, most of their courses have a fee. However, there are also free courses available for users.
There are many reasons why more and more clients are looking to hire black freelancers.
Owing to a rich and diverse culture, the black freelance community offers insights, visions, and knowledge that you can’t put a price on.
As a client, you can either post a remote job, post a freelance job, or browse through a rich catalog of freelance services.
Fiverr is one of the largest and highly acclaimed freelancing sites. Originally, Fiverr started off as a platform for people to do mundane tasks in exchange for five dollars (hence, the name.)
As word spread, a huge influx of freelancers started flocking to the website. Soon thereafter, people began pricing their craft at prices higher than five dollars.
Today, some gigs sell for over $1000.
Graphic designing is one of the most high-demand skills on Fiverr. As a black freelance artist, it isn’t easy to find reliable work in traditional ways, especially in today’s labor market.
Rampant racial and gender discrimination in the art industry means fewer people hire black freelancers.
Obviously, building a reputation is difficult when you’re not even allowed to get started.
That’s the great thing about Fiverr; starting from the ground up pays off. As a freelancer, every ounce of effort that you put into your work goes into furthering your credibility, all thanks to the rating system.
Many platforms require you to bid on gigs, which can be too time-consuming and counter-productive. On the contrary, potential buyers will contact you based on your ratings.
For clients, Fiverr is an excellent platform to find virtually any service, at any price.
Granted, there are more sellers than buyers, which means you’ll have to filter through countless options. But that’s true for any freelancing platform at such a high user count.
The best way to circumvent this problem is through Fiverr’s built-in search engines. Fiverr categorizes its freelance talent into nine broad categories, each with further subcategories.
With over 300 categories, it’s difficult to not find the service you’re looking for.
Signing up with Fiverr is a free yet detailed process. The screening procedure is extremely rigorous. Let’s break it down into the following steps:
You’ll find that things like adding a video introduction and creating a package for your gigs will help you give you a lot of leverage over other sellers.
Fiverr is a happy hunting ground for clients. Whether you’re looking for a one-time gig or a long-term project, Fiverr is a great place to find gigs if you’re on a budget.
While Fiverr will help you out initially, you should be as thorough as possible when looking to hire. This includes keeping your options as open as possible and reading as many reviews as you can, especially the negative ones.
Remember that it is client etiquette to always leave a review, as this is what helps freelancers improve their ratings.
If you are a client, you would sometimes ask if Fiverr is much better than Freelancer in hiring freelancers. But it is not about the fees you are paying if the person you hired is top-rated and worth it.
Same goes to Toptal and Upwork. You’ll never know that you have hired the best not until you have tested the person’s skills and personality while working.
FlexJobs’ ideology revolves around building a flexible work life. Nowadays, remote, work-from-home job opportunities aren’t limited to writing and web designing.
On the contrary, non-traditional work arrangements such as freelancing, work-from-home, and remote work are swiftly gaining popularity.
People are constantly looking for ways to gain back control from their capital-hungry clients, especially the black freelance community.
Black freelancers have to face a lot more difficulties, so it’s crucial to have a way to customize your job to your convenience.
Consequently, the freelance marketplace is expanding to include a plethora of remote jobs looking to support and hire black freelancers.
Still, it’s difficult to find security in these alternative work schedules. A majority of the freelancer’s time is spent researching through various job listings.
Unfortunately, the pay off for this amount of effort is usually low, as people end up falling for scams or working for shady clients.
This is where FlexJobs comes in. One of the most useful things about this platform is that they do the research for you. Every bit of information that you need on your client is handed to you on a silver platter.
But that’s just one of the many benefits offered by FlexJobs. As a member, you have access to countless resources, such as one-on-one coaching and resume assistance. And let’s not forget about the advanced job search.
FlexJobs’ job search is extremely elaborate. It lets you search by various keywords, alternative work schedules, career and commute levels, and much more.
You can be as specific as you want, and FlexJobs will filter through any and all irrelevant jobs for you.
FlexJobs is the freelancer’s paradise as it does all the legwork, but it comes with a cost. The membership fees are as follows:
What you need to keep in mind is that membership comes with added benefits. Its worth far surpasses what you paid.
With features such as skills tests and resume assistance, you can build your profile to professional levels.
These days, more and more black-owned companies are looking to hire black freelancers and remote workers.
The great thing about FlexJobs is that clients now have the option to tap into new and high-value candidate pools.
You can recruit otherwise hard-to-reach audiences such as working moms, military spouses, and other marginalized communities.
Client services are subscription-based. If you want to register your company, you’ll have to pay a $299/month registration fee.
There remains an ongoing dispute over racial and gender discrimination on online freelancing platforms.
Meanwhile, BlackFreelance takes charge and presents an all-inclusive and pioneering platform for the black freelance community to join together.
And that’s exactly what it is – a community. Beyond just a buyer/seller platform, BlackFreelance actually attempts to help new freelancers find their feet.
This includes a step-by-step guide that starts from the ground-up. It starts from the basics, such as finding your skills and becoming familiar with your niche. It helps you out all the way through to managing and sustaining your business.
Whether you’re an experienced professional or you’re still figuring out how to start, BlackFreelance promises to be by your side every step of the way.
As a freelancer, you can find countless resources to help you strategize your career. This is arguably one of the best things about BlackFreelance; it recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for any two freelancers.
As such, you’ll be working closely with a team of experts in building up your profile and finding that initial momentum.
BlackFreelance takes pride in its ability to recruit the best of the best. As a client, there are two options available for you to hire black freelancers.
First, you can either email the team and specify your requirements, pay, and contact information. Then, you just wait for them to reach out to you with a list of possible freelancers.
The more convenient way is to sign up directly with BlackFreelance. This way, you can post everything directly in the community forum.
Black Girl Group is a microjob platform for hiring black freelancers, especially black female freelancers and black freelance beauty writers.
While BGG is a relatively small-scale platform, it would be a disservice not to include it as it is one of the very few black freelance sites out there catered towards African American women.
Black Girl Group is a US-based network of over 5,000 experienced professionals specializing in media, marketing, and communications.
The platform was established in 2017 with the aim of providing more opportunities and exposure for black female freelancers. BGG acts as a proxy between African American female freelancers and companies looking to outsource jobs.
Currently, the site has a bare-minimum operative procedure for both buyers and sellers. The way that it works is that you must email the BGG team directly.
A more comprehensive on-call meeting covers all your requirements in detail.
From there onwards, it’s only a matter of waiting until someone from BGG contacts you with multiple job listings. This doesn’t take more than three days.
Admittedly, this isn’t as revolutionary as some of the bigger and automated freelance platforms out there. But that’s exactly what makes Black Girl Group so effective.
You’re kept in the loop as a team of dedicated professionals caters to your specific needs as a black freelancer.
This is the kind of individualized job search experience you can not find on any other platform.
One of the most time-consuming and counter-productive things for freelancers is scouring through endless job listings. The same goes for clients looking to hire diverse talent.
The problem is that there can never be an overarching, all-inclusive platform to cater to everybody equally. This is something that urgently needs to be rectified.
In the meantime, keep your options open and look through all of the above-mentioned freelance platforms to help you along the way. There are so many platforms to market your skills, so it’s not just Upwork. Many alternatives are surfacing, giving you better options to take.
Last updated: September 22, 2023
