Do you have a way with words? Did you know you can get paid to do what you love? Click here for a guide on how to make money as a writer.
You’ve long been complimented on your writing skills. You’ve written as a hobby for years. But you’re sick of writing for free. Now, you’re looking to use your writing skills for financial gain.
The only question is: how? Ask and ‘ye shall receive. Without further ado, here’s how to make money as a writer.
Write Website Content for Companies
In our online world, digital marketing is of utmost importance. As such, companies both big and small have a huge need for consistent website content. A good many of these companies are willing to pay for such content, and some of them are willing to pay decent rates.
But how do you find writing jobs such as these? While you might be able to find some on job boards like ProBlogger.net, the better bet would be for you to build an online persona and market yourself to various businesses in your area.
Create social media profiles, network with business owners, and send as many cold emails as possible. If you put enough work in, you’re bound to find some decent-paying gigs.
Write for Paper Publications
Another option for making money as a writer is to write for publications. There are all sorts of magazines out there that will pay writers in exchange for high-quality articles, and they pay well too.
Note, though, that these gigs are hard to obtain. To get them, you have to pitch article proposals to magazine editors. If your proposals don’t impress, you won’t be receiving any gigs.
This factor, combined with the relatively few opportunities, makes publication writing a fairly unstable source of income. The only exception to this would be if you were able to snag a regular gig. But again, this is not easy.
In any case, it’s worth pursuing. If you are able to obtain such a gig, it could bring in a full month’s income for you.
Write for Online Publications
Getting writing gigs for paper publications is difficult, to say the least. An option that’s a little easier to break into is writing for online publications. Online publications publish more content and therefore provide more opportunities for writers.
The question is: how do you get gigs with these websites? In some cases, you must send a proposal to the publication’s editor as a means of securing an article. In other cases, you must write the entire article, and then send it to the editor to see whether or not he or she is interested in publishing it.
Generally speaking, online publications pay less than paper publications. Note, however, that you can still command decent rates from online publishers.
Self Publish
Not interested in working with others at all? If so, you could attempt to self-publish some of your own work.
There are a number of different platforms on which you can self-publish books. Some of the most prominent include Amazon, Blurb, and Lulu.
Hint: to give yourself the best chance of making self-publishing income, write a book that provides direct value to the reader. Self-help books and instructional manuals tend to be successful, as readers seek them out specifically.
Make note, self-publishing fiction books is much more difficult. If you want to make it work, you’ll have to market yourself like crazy.
Create Your Own Blog
Another way to make money while writing about what you want is to create your own blog. There are several ways to make money through a blog. Note, though, that they require you to engage in different types of marketing.
One of the most common methods of making money blogging is to post affiliate links in your blog posts. These links will lead to products. If the reader clicks on one of these links and buys the product, you will receive a percentage of the purchase price.
There’s also the option of posting PPC ads throughout your blog. Then, if a reader clicks on one of these ads, you will receive a small amount of commission.
The key to making this work is to attract a large following. The more readers you have, the greater chance you have of your links and ads being clicked.
Note, though, that each purchase made through a link or an ad is generally only worth a few dollars or a few cents. As such, if you want to make a living this way, you’ll need to accumulate hundreds of thousands of regular readers. This is tough, to say the least.
To give yourself the best chance possible, take to social media. Advertise your blog early and often, alerting your followers to every one of your posts. To keep readers coming back, offer them the chance to subscribe to your newsletter.
Start a Company
Marketing yourself as a freelancer isn’t always the easiest of tasks. Some business owners are hesitant to utilize the services of an independent writer.
So, what can you do to lend yourself more legitimacy? You can start your own company, one with its own logo and branding and mission.
If you really want your company to be taken seriously, you should offer services in addition to writing. This will make your company seem more like an agency of professionals rather than just a vehicle for yourself.
For instance, you could offer digital marketing services, graphic design services, or social media marketing services. If need be, you could even hire employees, either full-time, part-time or as contractors. Note, though, that if you hire employees, you’ll have to take on a number of additional responsibilities (ie. create pay stubs, file employee-related taxes, etc.).
Final Thoughts on How to Make Money as a Writer
Now that you know how to make money as a writer, you might be looking for some other writing-related tips. If so, you’re in the right place. Our website has the info you seek.
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