Can you earn money writing? The answer is an absolute YES.
Many people do, and so can you.
However, you need to understand that there are diverse ways to make money writing.
The field is vast; you will have to choose what interests you and focus on it.
We look at the different ways you can earn money from writing below. We are assured that one of several of the following will work for you.
Before we get into the details, feel free to read how I landed my first freelance article-writing client without training or courses.
Alright, now, let’s go.
1. Start a Blog
Starting a blog is one of the common ways to do money writing.
Recently, there have been a lot of talks concerning how blogging is over-saturated, and there are now slimmer chances of making money from it.
I am here to tell you that all this is false; there is still enough cake for everyone.
However, you must know that blogging can take time and effort.
You will need to put in a lot of work and consistency before seeing any success.
The good thing, however, is there are different ways you can monetize your blog and earn passively from it.
To get started:
- Start by choosing a niche. Do you want to write about men’s fashion, vegan food, budget traveling, or making money online?
- Choose your domain and start getting everything set up,
- Next, start designing your blog. You can use the free resources and even templates to guide you.
You can, however, have gurus in the field set up and design your blog for you.
After you have everything set up, you can start posting your blog posts. Just remember to be consistent and aggressive in promoting the site.
Remember: You will have to spend some money upfront. But with the right strategy, you will have your money back quickly.
2. Write Other People’s Blog Posts
After writing for people’s blogs for over three years, I started this blog.
The more I wrote for people, the more I wanted to get my own blog.
I, however, was so scared to get started.
But, yes, you don’t have to have a blog to write blog posts. You can earn well by writing blog posts for people if you do not want to start a blog or are not ready yet.
Many companies, bloggers and businesses hire freelance writers to write blog posts for them. Start with Upwork or other beginner-friendly Upwork-like sites.
3. Become a Copywriter
You must have come across “copywriting” if you have been searching for types of writing or even freelance writing jobs.
Before we look at it deeply, we will start by answering the popular question, what is copywriting?
Copywriting involves creating content and resources for a company, business, or brand. The idea of the entire content creation is to solidify the brand’s identity in the market and make sales in the long run. It doesn’t matter; as long as it is used for promotional and marketing purposes, then it is copywriting.
You can write B2C content, business-to-consumer copywriting (B2C), or B2B (business-to-business) copywriting.
Let’s think of a brand to better understand the copywriting business. Let’s say a wine X.
Now, wine X may have a marketing team that will hunt for copywriters. They will then land and hire you.
As a copywriter for wine X, you may write advertising posts, product descriptions, and blog posts that may include serving suggestions. All this has one goal, to make the best identity for clients and make sales.
This is a skill you may have to build over time. For instance, you may have to learn to mimic the brand’s voice correctly to keep up their tempo.
You can find copywriting opportunities on Upwork and other beginner-friendly sites like Upwork.
You can also reach out to brands directly and propose their services.
4. Become a Technical writer
In most cases, technical writing pays more than copywriting and blog posts.
This type of writing pays more because the writer needs a higher understanding of the subject content.
As a technical writer, you will be tasked with breaking complex information into simple writing for the reader.
The common fields involved include:
- Computer software and hardware,
- Engineering,
- Architecture,
- Aeronautics,
- Medicine,
- Biotechnology,
- Chemistry.
Your job as a technical writer is to pass a complex message to the readers the easiest way possible.
5. Enter Writing Competitions and Win Cash Prizes
If you have time, you can take part in writing competitions.
Why only when you have time?
Because only winners and maybe the runner’s up are paid. In my opinion, it is quite the gamble…you cannot use it as a full-time thing.
You, however, can try it here and there, especially if the subject content is something you relate with well.
Remember that some publications and contests pay their winners handsomely. If you win, it can be worth the effort.
Many publications host and list writing competitions. If this is something you want to try, keep an eye on:
Besides the monetary rewards, accolades from such competitions can be incredible decorations in your writing portfolio.
6. Write People’s Resumes and Cover Letters
I have a friend that writes perfect resumes and covers letters. If she does one for you, there is a fat chance you will get that interview.
If this is you, you can make money writing people’s resumes and cover letters. Yes, there are a lot of jobs that still ask for cover letters.
Where do you find resume writing these jobs?
- Propose the services to your friends and accomplices who are job searching,
- Spread the word through social media,
- Go hunting on job boards and freelance marketplaces,
- Offer these opportunities to your fellow students(if you are one of them), as many of them are always job-searching
People are always searching for jobs, both the employed and unemployed. With this, you are guaranteed a constant workflow.
7. Write poems
Writing poems is one of the underrated ways to make money writing online. With the right approach, you can make good money writing poems for your clients.
In case you are wondering who buys poems…
When scrolling through Upwork, I have seen someone looking for a poem to put on a card for their spouse’s birthday.
This can be one category.
You may also sell your poems to publications and spoken word artists.
Many writing competitions have poem entries.
If you are into poetry, you may want to check out these publications that pay poets for their services:
- The Sun Magazine: Pays $100-$250
- Poetry Foundation: Pays $300+
- Boulevard Magazine: Pays $50-$250
- Crazyhorse: Pays $20-$200
- EPOCH: Pays a minimum of $50 per poem.
8. Write Your Own Book
Another way to earn money is by publishing your book.
Whether it is a work of fiction or nonfiction, you can go ahead and self-publish your book and earn money while at it.
You, however, need to know that you may have to spend some good money and time on the following:
- Editing,
- Marketing,
- Cover design.
It may be a rewarding experience if you are determined to put your book out there.
Tip: You can use free services such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing to cut down on some costs.
9. Become a Ghostwriter
Many of the famous novels today were ghostwritten.
Some authors admit that their books were ghostwritten, and some vehemently deny it.
In Michelle Obama’s Becoming, she acknowledges a group of writers who “completed” the book.
On the other side, Stephen King vehemently denies that some of his books were ghostwritten; but words have it that he uses some helping hand.
A recent example is Princess’s Harry book, “Spare”, which was ghostwritten by J. R. Moehringer(1).
Either way, it doesn’t matter. If you are good at picking someone’s story and bringing the best out of it, you can start cold-pitching to write people’s stories.
You could also visit sites like Guru and PeoplePerHour to find online ghostwriting opportunities.
10. Create Affiliate Content
Affiliate marketing is one of the top ways to make money while you sleep.
Before we go deeper… What is affiliate marketing?
Think of that travel blogger you follow. They probably have a camera, camera tripod, or other travel equipment they cannot shut up about. Yes, that right there is creating affiliate content. If you are their top fan, you will probably click on the link to the product and purchase it. And they will earn their commission.
This applies to every other niche. That mum blogger or the chef you follow ardently is probably promoting certain products on their blog posts.
When we say it is an excellent way to make money while sleeping or passively, it means that with the right strategy, your content may keep making you money for a long time. Whenever somebody purchases using your link, you will earn a commission.
11. Write Scripts for Video Content Creators
Many video content creators hire scriptwriters.
You can find work from Youtube content creators if you know how to create good scripts. Yes, many are good in front of the camera but not behind the keyboard. So, go ahead and sell them your keyboard skills.
Go online and use keywords such as Youtube script writer needed, Youtube scripter writer jobs, and script writer jobs.
These searches will lead you to gigs that may land you a job in script creation.
You can also reach out directly to content creators and offer them these services.
Remember that video content demand is rising, especially with how much TikTok is blowing up.
Also Read: Should You write Free Samples to Land New Clients?
12. Post on Revenue Earning Sites
Some excellent revenue-earning sites for writers you can use for your good existence. These are like Youtube, but now for writers.
The first site you can look at is Medium.
You can read more about making money on Medium here.
Other revenue-earning sites that you can give a try include Hubpages and InfoBarrel.
Other than making some revenue, these sites are an excellent way to put your writing “out there.” You may end up landing other paid opportunities from these.
More Ways to Earn Money Writing
13. Academic writing (yes, do people’s assignments and make money
14. Write content for the company’s and business’ social media,
15. Create email marketing content,
16. Write product descriptions,
17. Write and sell songs
18. Write book and movie reviews,
19. Write books on Wattpad
20. Create your course
21. Write and Sell Songs
22. Write Book Reviews
