How To Make Money From Writing
It is 2020 and it is easier than ever to make money from writing. Writing does not always pay big bucks but you can make a comfortable life living on writing alone.
I started out writing for peanuts. Taking jobs that paid little and took too much time. I quit my job to make money from doing the one thing I loved and I could not even pay my bills. I grew tired and started looking for better gigs.
Diving into the world of freelance writing that actually paid well because I demanded a high paying rate was the best decision I ever made. The truth is that a lot of us start as freelance writers without knowing the first thing to do. Just deciding to make money from writing is not enough. You need to know how to do that.
You do not need to start from the bottom as I did. With the right guidance, you can make enough money from writing every day. If it sounds like the dream job for you, please continue to read. Before I explain how to make money from writing I need to point out it is not easy to do so.
I know I mentioned it is easier than ever to make money from writing. But please understand that I did not say it is easy to do so. It requires a lot of work and dedication. But if your heart is in it, there is nothing that will stop you. How do you make money writing?
1. Start a blog
This is the foundation for making money from writing. Your potential clients need to see what you have done and are capable of before they trust you to write for them. Consistently writing on your blog helps you develop your writing skills. Except you are already accomplished at writing, you need to get better at what you do.
Use your blog to practice your writing. Starting a blog can bring customers to you. Potential clients can be drawn in when they see your style of writing. You can also monetize your blog. Many writers make money from affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is simply promoting other people’s products or services and earning a commission if there is a sale as a result of your marketing. The 15-day challenge from Legendary Marketer will help you get started with affiliate marketing and monetize your website.
Blogging also helps you become a better niche writer. As much as we would like to be the guy that does it all, it is better to have a niche. Niche writing means that you are writing from a place of authority. You are more likely to get hired if you specialized in an area. Starting a blog is easy.
However since blogging is a means to an end, you need to learn how niche sites make money. A few keys are:
- Finding a low competition and profitable niche
- Learn the basic skills to build a website
- Master topics and keywords researches
- Learn how to write a blog article
- Know formatting and on-page SEO
- Find how to monetize your blog
To successfully get started your niche site learn This is just a few basic
To successfully get started on your niche site and earn a sustainable income from blogging, Project24 by Income School is the best place to begin.
2. Write paid Guest posts
You can offer your services to another blog and get paid for writing for them. Unfortunately, this option is not open to everyone. Guest bloggers are writers that are prolific and have experience writing as an authority in their field. I do not mean to suggest that guest blogging is exclusive to these kinds of writers.
But the fact is that writers like these are most likely to get paid writing for other people. For other writers, guest blogging can be used to gain exposure. To find opportunities for guest blogging simply use Google. With the right keywords such as
- paid guest blogger positions
- guest blogger for hire
- guest blogger needed for quality backlinks
You could land the guest blogging offer that would help you get out of the backwoods of writing. You could also cold pitch to magazines and blogs too.
3. Pitch to companies and businesses
Companies and businesses have bought into content marketing. This means that they constantly have to churn out content for their audience. As a result, there are many opportunities to make money as a content writer.
But first things first. You need to find the right companies to work with. I say the right company because not every job is one that you can do or you want to do. There are red flags you should look out for. Some companies are looking for writers that they can get the most value from and pay very little.
Other companies will have unrealistic conditions about the type of articles you write or the time you are given to work on them. It is best to write within your niche and within a flexible structure. Use Angel List to find jobs based on what you know you can do best.
4. Publish a book on Kindle
You could be making money from the manuscript that has been gathering dust in the locked drawer in your office. Self-publishing is usually scary and costs money. But with the advent of platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing, you can upload your works and make money from them.
It will be available for sale on Amazon and you can draw in buyers by including an ad in your blog, promoting through social media platforms, or using paid ads. If you have an unfinished novel, you can serialize it and make money bit by bit.
Novels are not the only ones you can publish on Kindle. Non-fiction books sell fast and steady too. The best thing about this is that you can share your book with anyone without the restrictions of traditional publishing.
It would be wrong to conclude that you would be rolling in millions immediately. You might have to publish several books before hitting the big one.
5. Copywriting
Being a copywriter requires you to write promotional content directed at convincing the reader to take a certain action.
Here you are basically a salesperson churning out words to get people to buy-in. you need to be highly skilled to be a copywriter. If you have exceptional writing skills, an eye for all the important details, top-notch research skills and a creative mind, then this job was made just for you.
The demand for copywriters is high because every business is trying to sell. You have a better chance of landing a gig if you are exceptional at this. Try and improve your skills every day. The best thing about copywriting is that it pays a lot. A skilled copywriter can earn about $3,000 – $15,000 per year. A more experienced copywriter can make anything from $75,000 to $150,000 per year.
Use social media and your blog to publicize your skills. Build a portfolio doing jobs at discounted rates. Reach out to businesses and show them the value you can offer. Joining a freelance site like Fiverr, Upwork or Freelancer will help you find clients easily.
Writing has provided a means for many people such as myself to live a fulfilled life making money from the work we enjoy. You can also enjoy these opportunities and live the life you have always wanted. Take out time to find out what path in writing suits your abilities and start working towards it.
6. Writing for a big company
On the internet they used to say “content is king”. From small niche websites to high authority sites, everyone is trying to put more quality content online. Here are some well-known companies that hire writers:
- Google has openings for writing jobs located in different countries. Most of these jobs require a bachelor’s degree and several years of experience. If you have experience in technical writing, UX writing you should consider google career.
- Ebelyne provides content marketing solutions
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