r/forhire is a subreddit where freelancers post that they're available and people post jobs. A post gets replies when it follows the sidebar rules, says exactly what you do, shows one piece of proof, and states a rate. A post gets removed when it's missing a tag, hides the price, or says "DM me." This page gives you three post templates, a reply template for hiring posts, a pre-post checklist, and the scams to watch for. Because the rules change, read the sidebar before every post and treat what's below as a guide, not a copy of it.
What the subreddit is for
It's a job board with a Reddit comment section. Posts tagged as hiring come from people who want work done. Posts tagged as available come from freelancers like you. It isn't a place for general self-promotion, and it isn't a place to find buyers who haven't posted. For that, see how to get clients on Reddit as a freelancer.
Read the current rules first
I couldn't load the live sidebar when writing this, so I'm working from third-party copies of it, which may be out of date. They listed, among other things: a tag at the start of the title, an account of a certain age with regular activity, a stated rate or budget on every post, a portfolio link, one freelancer per post (agencies elsewhere), payment in currency, and no requests or offers of free work. Check each of these against the live rules. Any one can have changed. Missing one is the usual reason a post disappears, and repeated breaches can get you banned. General rules for businesses are in Reddit self-promotion rules for business owners, and what a ban looks like is in Reddit shadowban.
Template 1: a service post
Use this for your first post, when you want to introduce the main thing you sell. Odalys writes software documentation.
Title: [For Hire] Technical writer for software docs: API guides and help centers, $55/hr or $450 per article, remote
Body: I write documentation for software teams: API references, onboarding guides, help-center articles. Six years, mostly for small SaaS companies. Most projects take 1 to 3 weeks. Samples: [link]. Rates: $55/hr, or a flat $450 for a 1,500-word guide. Available for two projects from November 1. Reply here or message me with a short description of what you need.
Why it works: the title carries the skill, the niche, the price and the location, so a reader decides in four seconds. Variation: if you're newer, replace "six years" with a specific result: "documented a 40-endpoint API in two weeks."
Template 2: a portfolio post
Use it when you have one strong piece of work. Show it in the post, not just a link.
Title: [For Hire] Docs writer: before and after of an onboarding guide, $55/hr, remote
Body: A client's setup guide had a 60% drop-off at step 3, so I rewrote steps 3 to 6 with screenshots and a troubleshooting box. Before: 11 paragraphs and no images. After: 7 numbered steps, 4 screenshots. Full sample: [link]. I take docs, tutorials and release notes. Rates and availability in the sample page. Questions welcome here.
Why it works: a concrete before and after proves skill faster than "experienced writer." Variation: swap the drop-off figure for your own real number, and only use a number you can back up.
Template 3: an availability post
Title: [For Hire] Booking November: 20 hrs/week for technical writing, $55/hr
Body: I have 20 open hours a week from November 1 to January 15. Good fits: developer docs, help centers, release notes, migration guides. Not a fit: marketing copy, ghostwriting. Sample: [link]. Tell me the project and deadline and I'll reply within a day.
Why it works: a date and a number of hours make it easy to say yes now. Variation: tell readers what you won't do, which saves time for both sides.
Replying to a hiring post
Answer exactly what the post asked, in the way it asked (comment or message). Keep it to five sentences:
Hi, I saw your post about an API guide for your payments tool. I wrote a similar guide for a billing product last spring: [link]. For a 40-endpoint reference I'd estimate three weeks at $55/hr, about 60 hours, so around $3,300. I can start November 3. One question: do you have an existing style guide, or should I propose one?
The estimate uses simple arithmetic (60 hours at $55 is $3,300), which shows you have thought about the job. For writing replies that read as help and not an ad, see how to write a Reddit reply that does not read like an ad.
Pre-post checklist
- I read the sidebar and pinned posts today.
- My title starts with the required tag.
- My rate or budget is in the post.
- My portfolio link works and is in the top text.
- I'm one person, not an agency, unless the rules say otherwise.
- I haven't posted recently in a way the rules limit.
- I'm not offering free work or asking for it.
Scams and how a post gets removed
Watch for: a "client" who sends a check for more than the job and asks you to refund the difference; anyone who asks for a free sample or a "test project" with real deliverables; requests to move payment off the platform before you've agreed scope; and requests for ID or bank details before any work. A post typically gets removed for a missing tag, a missing rate, a vague pitch, or being posted too soon after your last one. If you're comparing other places to find work, Upwork alternatives for freelancers lists some, and how to find clients on Discord covers another community route. To learn what buyers complain about before you pitch, see how to find pain points on Reddit.
A job board is passive. Rocketship finds the buyers by name, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required. See the AI workers.