Are you looking for online article writing jobs in Kenya?
I have created this post not as training, but to give you a snippet of my journey.
I went from making 4000 KSH (33 USD) to over 100,000 Ksh (approx. 800 USD) monthly, all while a student and later with a full-time 9-5 job.
Now, I write full-time, and my earnings have grown so much.
Spoiler alert: It took me years to make this progress. I started writing in 2017, and the growth was so gradual.
You must be patient if you are looking for online article writing jobs in Kenya.
Related: Beginner-friendly alternatives to Upwork
Here is how I started…
I wanted to be a Transcriptionist…not a writer
I have always been a good writer. How do I know this? It was not uncommon for my English teacher to read my creative writing to my classmates.
This, however, has no much relation to online article writing jobs.
So, I joined campus in 2016. During the first semester, my roommate, a computer science student, was a transcriptionist. She was in her third year at that time.
At first, I thought she was listening to music on her headphones. So, I didn’t bother to ask her anything. Then one night, she asked me to put her headphones on and listen to an incoherent sentence and tell her what I hear.
From the sentence, I figured out the audio was about immigration. I wondered how computer science, her course, was related to immigration. So, naturally, I asked her what the audio was all about.
She explained to me what transcription was, and I instantly showed interest. I mean, why would I think twice about making money from listening to audios and typing out what I hear? It looked like the easiest way to make money.
I was terribly wrong.
So, she introduced me to a trainer. I paid 1500 Ksh and started training. Long story short, I quit before finishing the training. It was not just my thing. This is a story for another day.
Good thing the trainer had invited me to a Facebook group of freelancers in Kenya, and that is where I found out about online article writing in Kenya. I like to think my 1500ksh did not go to waste.
Get online article writing training
I got online article writing training after around 5 years in it. I highly discourage you from choosing this path. It took me so much time to break even. So, how did I get into the online article writing field without training?
I was lucky, I must say.
I was in for my long holidays after my first year. So, I had a lot of free time in my hands. I spent most of my time on Facebook reading posts on the Online Article writers Kenya group. In a short while, I even knew members who made resourceful posts and comments; I always searched for their posts. .
Every time I found something new, I went to Google to discover more about it. This is how I discovered Grammarly and other article writing software online.
After almost a month of being there, I sent my first job application. My first employer, John, had made an “article writers wanted” post in the group
John was very lenient with me. Even today, I look at what he paid me for, and I can assure you nobody else would ever pay you for that.
He was patient and corrected me on basic stuff such as sentence structure. He reformatted my articles and still paid me for them.
This is why I tell people to get article writing training as soon as possible. You may never meet a John.
John paid me 250Ksh for 500 words. I was more than happy with this pay. I had hit the jackpot!
He sent me my first payout, 2500Ksh, while I was in class. I was so happy I walked out of class! I had just earned my first money; why would I sit in class? It was time to treat myself!
When I finally got article-writing training
After writing for John and many other clients for a long time, I decided to pay for training.
Not to flex my muscles, but I already knew almost everything in the course I bought. But it had taken me seven years of reading and working with different clients.
In fact, most of that knowledge had been built from receiving rejections. I applied for jobs left, right and center. Once in a while, I got a review on top of the rejection.
I would hate for you to take that long to build your knowledge and skill set; lay a strong foundation from the word go.
Also, training would have shown me how to get a job writing articles. I always fumbled searching for terms such as, “best websites for writers to make money;” or “best article writing sites(1)”. Yes, these tactics yielded some results here and there; but it was an extreme gamble especially for a beginner.
Online Article Writing is Not a Get Rich Quick Scheme
You will not get rich in a month of writing blog posts and website content.
You will have to invest time, patience and money.
I worked for a year earning 0.5 Ksh per word. I knew people were earning way higher than that. But I knew I had to work on my skills to increase my rates. I did not even apply for higher-earning jobs because I believed in giving my clients value.
However, later on, I learnt to get rid of the newbie mentality and even started to apply for jobs I did not exactly qualify for; this is a story for another day.
I started applying for jobs that paid 0.8 ksh per word, then 1 and so on. It was a gradual process of learning, getting rejections and buildingmy skills.
At that time, I only wrote 500 words or less per day. My target was to make 250 KSH daily, which was more than enough for me. I must say that was so naïve of me!
One day, the second client I worked for told me I could write more than 500 words daily. He told me writing just 500 words daily was “very uneconomical”. That was how I started writing 3000 -5000 words per day.
After growing in the industry, I realized I could use my skills to work less and earn more. Now, I write 2000-2500 per day.
Finding the Best Article Writing Trainers in Kenya
I refrain from recommending article writing trainers that have not trained me. I have not seen their courses; I cannot recommend what I do not know.
My trainer’s course was pretty decent. But as I said earlier, I already knew most of the content therein by the time I was getting the training.
You can easily find a trainer in the Facebook communities. However, you need to be keen too. I have seen people complain of very shallow training, or no support from their trainers in the same communities.
A good trainer should:
- Tell you what article writing is. What it entails and what it does not;
- Tell you about keywords and how to sprinkle them naturally all through your articles,
- Show you different writing software and how to use them,
- Show you how to create a catchy introduction, informative body, and a great conclusion,
- Demonstrate to you how well you need to research before you start writing,
- Show you how to get excellent references for your articles and how to do internal linking.
- Show you where to find clients; you need to learn about content mills, freelancer’s websites and job boards, and how to cold pitch.
The trainer, however, does not owe you jobs and paying clients. It would be good if they offered, but they don’t have to.
One popular trainer in a Facebook group likes to ask trainees if they have seen universities help their graduates hunt for jobs. The answer is no. It is the same way you may have to look for jobs on your own.
I love this quote from Born a Crime, Trevor Noah’s book:‘Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.’ What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.”
So, your trainer should teach you how to fish, not give you fish. It would be so kind of them to give you a fishing rod, though..
Online Article Writing Frequently Asked Questions
I answer some frequently asked questions on online article writing below. I hope these give you a clearer picture of all this.
What is Online article writing?
Online article writing is broad. It involves creating texts such as blog posts, website content, product reviews and even social media posts and captions. It may also be content to be published in magazines, newspapers and journals.
In most cases, you will have a client, a blog or business owner, assign you to work on some of their blog posts. Your work is to go on the internet, do thorough research, and compose compelling content for your client’s audience.
Can you make a living writing articles online?
Yes, you can. Many people are earning their living working online.
I recently quit my corporate job to focus on article writing. Reasons:
- I was earning more writing articles part-time than a full-time corporate job. I figured writing articles full-time would increase my earnings,
- With article writing, I got to work whenever I wanted. I have not yet achieved the levels of writing while vacationing across my dream destinations, but many writers have,
- I get to choose my boss and colleagues. This is not a privilege you get in the corporate world.
How much money can you make writing articles online?
It is difficult to pin down a specific figure.
For instance, online article writing jobs for beginners pay lower than intermediate and expert levels.
Currently, I make $50 for 1000 words from my best-paying client. My least-paying client pays me $23 for 1000 words.
This may be higher than a few freelancers but way lower than many others, as I am aware people are making even over $200 for 1000 words. The pay depends on so many factors.
In article writing, I am a firm believer in getting better clients. There will always be a better-paying client out there. Stay consistent, and keep looking even if you have a steady flow of jobs from your current client.
How do I become an online writer?
You do not need a degree to land article writing jobs. This is why there are numerous article writing jobs online for students.
Buy or join an online article writing course to get the right skill set. There is no better way than having an expert hold your hand and guide you as you start. Take your time reviewing different courses and trainers to ensure you get nothing but the best.
Final Thoughts
One thing that stands out in online article writing is that you have to be patient and consistent. You will only start earning big with hard work.
You have to invest in patience, time, and of course, money. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. To earn money, you have to spend money and time; online article writing is no exception.
Sources
https://medium.com/writers-journal/8-article-writing-tips-for-beginners-and-students-53d969c16117
