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How To Make Money As A Creative Writer – 9 Solid Creative Writer Jobs

Posted on January 24, 2024 - Selena Fulham - This post may contain affiliate links that compensate us if you click or sign up. Please read our affiliate disclaimer for more information.

Creative writers are always in demand, whether it be for television, advertising, or books. But it can be difficult to know how to monetize this skill set, especially in the competitive world of freelancing.

However, there are plenty of ways you can make money with creative writing. And some of these ideas even have full-time income potential or can help you start your own business!

Want to boost your writing income? Checkout :

• Freelance Writing For Freedom : My new course that outlines the exact steps I took to go from $0 to $100,000+ in writing income!

How To Make Money With Creative Writing

These are some common ways you can get paid for creative writing and turn your passion into an income source:

• Enter writing competitions
• Publish a book
• Start a blog
• Write on Medium
• Write for online publications
• Write newspaper snippets
• Write game and movie storylines
• Get into TV writing
• Become a copywriter

1. Enter Writing Competitions

It's sometimes hard to find steady work as a creative writer versus just regular freelance writing . Creative writing contests on the other hand…now these are pretty common!

Much like other passions and hobbies, there is an entire competitive side to creative writing, one which offers publicity and large cash prizes to those who dominate it.

A good place to start is Writer's Digest magazine. It runs several competitions throughout the year to cover different styles of creative writing, including poetry, e-books, short stories , and personal essays.

The grand prize winner receives $5,000 cash and an interview in the magazine, and there are also pretty great payouts for 1st-10th place winners in each of the many categories.

Looking for more? Here are a few other competitions to checkout:

• Cabell First Novelist Award
• Short Fiction Prize
• John Gardner Fiction Book Award
• Nelson Algren Short Story Award

Tom actually won a writing contest or two back in school. So this is also a great side hustle for teens or college students.

2. Publish A Book Or EBook

While it might seem intimidating to take a crack at publishing your own book, you actually have a few options here.

For starters, you can always try the traditional publishing route or simply publish short stories.

Alternatively, you can take your best story and work to expand it into a fully-fledged novel. Amazon is one great selling platform for indie writers, especially if you know how to market yourself and make sales .

If your book becomes a hit on Amazon, you could be looking at some serious passive income while you work on your next writing project.

Note : if you go down this route and want to keep yourself afloat while trying to finish your book, I suggest looking into gig economy apps or considering a second job .

Extra Reading – 19 Ways To Make Money On Amazon .

3. Turn A Blog Into A Business

Another way to make money with creative writing is to start your own blog and to grow it as an income source.

Now, this is definitely harder than writing a niche blog , following strict SEO, and approaching a blog like a business. However, it's possible to make money blogging through a variety of methods, and you don't necessarily need thousands of monthly visitors to make money…a small and devout following that like your stories might be pretty powerful!

For example, This Online World makes $20,000 a month or more through a mixture of display ads and affiliate income:

The above screenshot is a snapshot of advertisement revenue for This Online World from Mediavine , a premium ad-network for bloggers.

This might be tough to reach with a blog that just focuses on creative writing, but you can make money with other sources like affiliate marketing, subscriptions, and selling your own book.

So, if you can be patient and work hard, there's money to be made from blogging, especially if you’re putting out good content and attracting the right audience.

My post on how to decide to start a blog also outlines what you should know before getting into this hustle.

Ready to start blogging? I suggest using SiteGround for your blog hosting because they're affordable and the same host I use (and love) for all of my websites.

4. Write On Medium

Making money on Medium is one of the easiest ways to dip your toes in the world of writing for income.

In a nutshell, Medium pays you when Medium members spend time reading your content. The top writers on Medium can earn  five figures per month , which is insane.

You need to build a decent following and write stories with captivating headlines to get the ball rolling, but Medium is  incredibly  beginner friendly. However, Medium is great  for creative writers.

Some categories with massive followings on Medium include:

• Human parts (humanity)
• Slackjaw (humor)
• Poetry (general topic that's popular)
• The Writing Cooperative (writing)
• Personal growth
• Better Humans (self-improvement)

In short, making money with creative writing is possible on Medium, and there are so many niches you can explore!

And if you have a story trend or stay at the top of Medium's rankings for certain topics, you basically make money on autopilot as the views come in every day.

Extra Reading – 6 Best Websites Like Medium .

5. Write For Online Publications

If you're looking for creative writer jobs with a bit more structure than blogging or entering writing contests, your best bet is to write for online publications.

There are so many online articles that you can easily find one geared to your interests or writing style. Cracked.com and The Onion will publish humour pieces, and offer a good platform to increase visibility as well.

Longreads accept well-written non-fictional stories that can be relatable for others, and they pay very well for publications.

Extra Reading – Make $100 A Day With PayPal .

6. Write Snippets & Features

Some magazines will actually pay for submissions for smaller filler sections. Small written sections are essential to any printed subscription piece, from recipes, jokes, lifestyle tips and tricks, and just about anything else you can think of.

General lifestyle and conversational magazines like Reader's Digest are always looking for additional content, as well as the family sections of magazines like The Guardian .

Don’t let the length of these submissions fool you…there is still a professional rate to be made from this type of work.

It can be an excellent supplement to your income and also presents an awesome opportunity for new writers to step into the print world.

Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Write And Get Paid Instantly .

7. Write Storylines For Games

If you’re already familiar with game design or if it’s something that you would be interested in learning about, you could use your creative writing skills in the gaming world.

When it comes to game development, smaller teams usually place the storyline on the bottom of their priority list. However, the right gaming studio will know the value of having an actual creative writer to craft their storyline, and you can stumble across gigs for this sort of thing.

You can actually find storyline gigs online, or even on forums like Reddit For Hire:

Extra Reading – How To Make Money On Reddit .

8. Get Into Television Writing

Breaking into the world of TV writing is tough, but if you have a knack for it then it could be your chance at a big break.

Beyond your writing skills, it’s good to have extensive knowledge of television history. You need to be an expert in the genre you’re writing for and know why other shows in that genre either failed or succeeded.

There’s also a lot of work that you’ll need to do before landing a show. Take master classes, enter TV writing competitions , and network with industry professionals. All of these things will give you a leg up in the working world.

Once you feel ready, you should write a speculative script– otherwise known as a spec script– which is basically a script that is not commissioned by a network.

9. Become A Copywriter

One final way to get paid for creative writing is to get into copywriting, which is essentially writing for advertising.

There’s an end goal involved, which is usually to make a sale for a product or service or to tell a better brand story. Companies hire copywriters all the time for things like website redesign, advertising copy help, and creating brochures or marketing material.

The great thing about working as a copywriter is that you can work your way up to an  insane  hourly rate. I mean, checkout this copywriter salary data from Payscale .

The median hourly rate is  awesome , but the top percentile of copywriters can make an amazing salary.

To get started, you can find gigs on freelancer marketplaces like  Fiverr , People Per Hour , and Upwork . You can also check out  FlexJobs   since it has thousands of high-paying, flexible remote gigs, including copywriting ones.

It’s important to note that these platforms are super competitive, so you have to be good at selling yourself and be prepared to charge competitive prices for your work (which may be a lot less than you’re used to).

The upside is that once you’re well established in the community, you can be pickier with what work you take and will have the ability to manage your own schedule.

Extra Reading – Young Money Interview – How Araminta Became A Successful Freelance Copywriter .

Creative Writing vs Content Writing – What's The Difference?

Creative writing is often done for artistic purposes or for personal enjoyment, and is usually subject to literary themes and typical storytelling structures. Content writing, on the other hand, is intended to be consumable and persuasive to a specific targeted audience .

This form of writing has to be clear, concise, and easy for the reader to consume. Oftentimes, content writing jobs also require understanding SEO.

Because of this, it usually involves strict rules or guidelines to follow, in terms of tone and structure, with less room for creativity.

Typically, content writers are contracted to develop content for advertisements, blogs, branding, and more– with the general goal being measurable results in terms of visibility, traffic, and profit.

If you’re a more creatively inclined writer, you may be worried that you are confining yourself to a life as a starved artist.

Final Thoughts

There are so many ways to sell your skills online as a creative writer….it’s all about finding the right avenue for your specific talents and to find work that makes you happy.

While some creative writing jobs are definitely more lucrative than others, you can definitely get yourself some steady earnings if you devote your energy into any of the above options.

Regardless of what option you choose, the main takeaway is just to get writing.

Having a good portfolio– no matter what the contents are– will not only make you a more viable option when applying for positions, but it’s guaranteed to make you better at writing.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you figure out how to make money with creative writing.

If you want other ideas to maximize your income, you can also checkout:

• The Best Online Jobs That Pay Daily .
• The Best Ways To Make Money With A Laptop .

Selena Fulham knows how valuable having a side hustle can be. She’s a freelance content writer with a focus on SaaS, B2B technology, social media, and the art of making money online. Currently based in Montreal, Quebec, Selena can usually be found either drinking coffee, hiking up a mountain, or snowboarding down it.

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7 Websites where you can Make Money as a Creative Writer

• by Michelle
• June 3, 2020

Creative writing is a super fun activity to convert your unstoppable creativity and imagination and put it in use. Not only is it a brain pleasing activity but also a rewarding job to earn money through tasks that aren’t tedious for the bursting brains of passionate writers. Whether you’re a creative writing degree holder or just a passionate writer; you can use your skills to start earning money online through a range of websites that require services of writers like you.

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is any writing that involves the creativity of mind. It’s a broad term that covers different types of writing styles, all of them encompassing human emotions. Creative writing can be for used for a number of purposes including entertainment, information and education. This type of writing puts human imagination to test. Here are the most common forms:

• Poetry writing
• Fiction writing
• Story writing
• Speech writing
• Television and Movie scripts
• Personal essays

Earn Money as Creative Writer: List of 7 Websites

Here’s a breakdown of a few websites where you can work and get paid for creative writing:

Poets&Writers

Poets and writers is a literary magazine and a platform for writers to interact with each other and share their writing materials. The website has a database of numerous writing job opportunities on the web; ranging from writing and editing, to publishing. You can click on the link of your preferred job and you will be directed to the employer’s site.

PAYMENT DETAILS

Writing bunny.

Writing bunny offers a wide range of writing jobs for creative writers and allows them to choose different topics based on their skill set. Once you create an account on the website and pass their quality control test, Writing Bunny will deliver any available writing jobs that matches your skill set, to your email. You can set your rates in your profile and then increase them once your stats improve. You can apply as a writer, a translator and even a voice actor at writing bunny.

WeLocalize requires services of writers who can translate a language and write content in that specific language. The company offers translation jobs in languages such as Dutch, German, Japanese, Vietnamese, French, Portuguese, Hebrew, Indonesian, Swedish, Turkish and Italian.

Once you apply, you will have to complete a language test and then you can start applying for jobs.

Sports Networker

Sports Networker offers a writing internship for writers who are passionate about sports. They require writers who can research well and contribute to daily article production on the website. If you have experience in online publishing and are familiar with word press, then you can apply for this position. In addition, you are also required to have some SEO experience.

Contentor is a text translation services company. It offers job opportunities for content writers and translators. You can submit your resume through their online application system. The team at Contentor will evaluate your application and let you know if you are suitable to be a part of their writers team.

RelayPub is a book packaging and publishing company that works with freelance writers who work closely with the company to write books and stories that make their way to the market. RelayPub gives its writers a topic to brainstorm on and create a devouring story using their imagination. You can submit your application on the website along with a writing sample.

InboxDone is an email service provider for business managers, CEOs etc. The aim of this service is to manage emails for busy people who have too much on their plate managing their business and don’t have time for emails.

The company hires inbox managers who work online managing emails of different company individuals and writing appropriate replies to different emails. The company hires inbox managers on a yearly rolling basis. If this kind of job holds your interest you can apply on their website. Once you get selected, you will undergo a training period of one month in which you will learn to handle emails and work effectively.

As a writer you have a wide range of job opportunities on the web and most of these jobs don’t require you to be an acclaimed professional writer. You can use your passion and creativity for writing to earn money through a job that you enjoy. If you enjoy writing, check these websites on how to make money online through proof reading and 10 writing websites that pay upfront .

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12 Creative Writing Jobs Sites to Make More Money from Your Passion

BIG NEWS! We just released The Freelance Files , a collection of professional done-for-you email scripts, contracts, invoices, and more for smarter freelancing. The first 50 customers, save 50% with this link .

12 Best sites to find creative writing jobs

Creative writing jobs vs. other writing jobs, the basics of creative writing jobs, types of creative writing jobs, how to land creative writing jobs, building a creative writing career.

Landing creative writing jobs is a dream of many people around the world: high pay, flexible hours, interesting assignments… What’s not to like?

The hardest thing about taking the leap and starting a creative writing career is that it’s very unclear where to start.

Where do you even find jobs and projects? What skills should you possess? What kind of salary can you expect?

We will answer all of these questions and more in our comprehensive guide to creative writing jobs. Read about some of the best sites where you can land a job , tips for successful applications and possible fields you can work in.

You might also want to review our guide on how to make money writing once you’re done with this article.

1. ProBlogger

ProBlogger is a writing platform that has its own blog section with tips and tricks for writing. At the same time, it features one of the most versatile creative writing job boards out there.

To start applying for creative writing jobs on ProBlogger, simply sign up and provide some of the details about your experience and expertise. As soon as you confirm your application, you will have an opportunity to start taking up jobs.

2. Freelancer

Freelancer.com is a versatile platform where writers of all niches can find extra work.

You can filter project and contest announcements according to your interests and track creative writing jobs by receiving notifications when a new project comes up.

If you consistently provide top-quality service and get great reviews, you can also join their Preferred Freelancer program and get access to exclusive creative writing jobs.

3. SolidGigs

Sign up for this direct-to-your-mailbox job listing service to save your hard-earned hours for what matters most. They help find the best online gigs for you, and all you have to do is apply.

Not just a creative writing jobs site, SolidGigs provides a library chock-full of resources to improve your business. Pretty sweet!

Similarly to Freelancer, Upwork is a freelancing platform that gathers clients looking for a service and writers, designers, programmers and other experts.

The job application process is structured in the form of bidding: when a job posting becomes available, you can bid with your rate, cover letter, milestone requests and other questions for the client.

You can also create a specialized profile that will attract clients who are looking for creative writing experts.

iWriter is another writing platform which functions a bit differently than those we have previously mentioned. Instead of bidding on projects and waiting for your application to get accepted, you simply pick up a topic that a client requested.

Topics can widely range and you can accept only those you are interested in. After you accept a project, you will have a certain amount of time to submit it on iWriter’s platform.

The payment for your articles depends on your experience and ratings. If you consistently receive great ratings and you do a lot of work on the site, you will be eligible for high-value writing projects which are available only to premium writers.

6. Freelance Writers Den

This one is very popular among US-based writers. Freelance Writers Den is an online writers’ community where users can simultaneously learn how to increase their income and visit the job board for new gigs.

The job postings are collected and published by the FWD editing team, along with applications made over the site. The site guarantees a junk-free job board with loads of attractive and interesting creative writing jobs.

However, the job board is visible to members only, so you will need to sign up first if you want to start taking up Freelance Writers Den projects.

7. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is focusing on providing an all-encompassing job platform for all remote-friendly jobs: from writers to IT professionals and customer support experts.

Unlike some of the other platforms that we’ve mentioned, FlexJobs gigs are not exclusively freelance, but they present employment (both part-time and full-time) as well. The only condition is that a job can be done fully remotely.

After you sign up and access the job board, simply use the filter to highlight only those creative writing jobs that you’re interested in.

8. WritersWork

Just like its name says, WritersWork caters specifically to writers, so it’s not like some other huge platforms with loads of professionals from all industries (which can be a good thing and a bad thing).

The site is not only a job board, but a very extensive collection of information and tips any writer can wish for. It’s a great resource for building your brand and business and making a living solely from writing.

After taking a look at some of their blog posts and info packages, hop on over to their carefully-selected job board to find epic creative writing jobs!

9. Constant Content

Constant Content works as a writing marketplace where clients can ask for services they need and find writers who will fulfill them. Similarly to iWriter, you will be able to apply to jobs as a writer after you go through their application process.

After you get accepted, you will get access to all sorts of creative writing jobs. Of course, you have the opportunity to take up only those gigs that you find interesting or worth your while. This allows a great degree of flexibility and freedom, which are known to be jet fuel for creativity.

Medium is a bit different than the majority of writing platforms. It’s a publishing tool that you can use to post your articles, stories and essays publicly, but you can also earn from your creative writing.

The monetization of your writing is done through their Medium Partner Program. Once you sign up, your stories will become eligible to earn money.

For example, if a Medium subscriber “clapped” only to your article, you would get USD 5 from that clap. If a subscriber clapped to 500 others, you would receive USD 0.01 from that subscriber.

11. All Freelance Writing

Founded in 2006, AFW is an online writers’ community where you can find loads of resources to get you started on your path as a creative writer.

There is a job board where you can view current open projects and you can also post your profile and let clients come to you.

Next to that, you will also find a rich collection of articles and eBooks focusing on the writing process, which you can use to perfect your craft and learn how to turn your hobby into a lucrative business.

12. SalesFolk

If you’re interested in crafting awesome email campaigns, promotional material and other marketing building blocks, SalesFolk is the right address for you.

It’s specialized for creative writers who want to work in marketing and help clients increase sales through the power of words.

There are thousands of categories and niches in which modern writers can work in. Next to creative writing jobs, there are also technical writing, scientific writing, grant and proposal writing and much more.

So, how is creative writing different than other writing jobs?

Throughout history, literature has been the synonym of creative writing. But now, the definition has significantly expanded.

In our digital world, the realm of creative writing is not as narrow as literature and fiction anymore. We now consider the field and industry of creative writing as large as ever, covering a wide array of categories and employing hundreds of thousands of experts around the world.

What separates the creative writing process from other writing jobs is that technical writing is based on facts and source reviews.

Take journalism, for example. Even though a journalistic article is a result of someone’s process of creativity and imagination, it’s still grounded in actual, checkable facts. Another piece, such as a column, that incorporates subjective thinking and opinions could be considered creative writing.

Skills and education

For many aspiring creative writers out there, the question of whether they are good enough is among the burning ones when first starting their career.

Of course, many people have a knack for writing and the ability to tell stories in a compelling way, but is it enough?

Well, it’s a great basis to start with, but in order to skyrocket your career, you will need much more than a talent for writing. The creative writing market is more competitive than ever and it’s important to develop skills that will set you apart from other writers.

Education can be a great asset, but you don’t need to have a degree to become a creative writer. Some clients prefer to see a university-level education, while others simply don’t care.

A great base for developing your career would be an education in, of course, Creative Writing, Literature, Linguistics, Communications, Media Studies and other Humanities.

Just like any other job, the salary can wildly differ from one writer to another. The rate for your writing pieces will depend on, of course, the client, your experience, your skills and many other factors.

You will usually see the price offered alongside the project description, so you’ll know what to expect. When there is no price listed, you should use your own standards that you usually charge other clients.

Of course, when you first start, the pay will be much lower than after you have already been working for 2 years. However, just like you start any job at a junior position, you have to approach creative writing with the same mindset.

Copywriters are very sought-after in today’s economy. From eCommerce websites to business advertisements, every company needs someone who will present their work in a captivating way and attract new leads and customers.

Copywriters usually write ad copy, slogans, and promotional texts. If you are interested in marketing and psychology and their connection to words, copywriting is the right job for you!

Story writer

A story writer is a job that closely resembles the traditional notion of copywriting. Here is where you can let all your ideas and creativity loose, develop characters, storylines and narratives.

Clients look for stories for many different purposes, and not just independent publishing. Sometimes, companies require stories as part of their brand messaging.

In this case, your task will be to develop a storyline on the history of the company and its mission and vision.

Screenwriter

Another very creative profession, screenwriting has blossomed due to the increased demand for video content. Of course, you will not start by screenwriting for Hollywood blockbusters, but who knows, you might just end up there!

“In general, companies use screenwriters to produce text for their promotional videos, campaigns, animations and other forms of multimedia content. It’s a very lucrative writing field with thousands of projects being posted every day,” says Kathy Thompson, a creative writer at SupremeDissertations .

eBook writer

Creative writing has fully exploded with the advent of Kindle and eBooks. Now, everyone has the chance to sell their own book , be it fiction, non-fiction, self-improvement, biography…

An eBook has slightly different requirements and formats that a physical print book. That’s why you will first have to look into some basics of formatting for eBooks .

You can either self-publish or work for a client that will buy the rights to your eBook. In any case, first, you need to do a cost-benefit analysis and see what’s more efficient for you.

Speech writer

When we hear the term “speech”, we usually think of State of the Union or Urbi Et Orbi, but the fact is that speeches are happening every day, across all sectors and industries.

Be it a conference, seminar or a company gathering, it’s expected that top executives hold a speech to serve the purpose of motivating their employees or presenting the company to investors.

At the same time, many execs are not very skilled in speech writing, so they resort to hiring a speech writing expert who will help them get their point across. This is where creative writers come in!

Corporate branding

Every company needs corporate branding in order to start operating, and creative writers are part of the effort to craft a message that will resonate with potential customers.

Corporate branding relates to everything from the company name to the mission and vision statement.

Content writer

Content writing is a field that covers many categories, but some sub-categories imply creative writing.

Sometimes, clients and companies need a blog post that will promote their brand in a unique, compelling way.

Travel writer

With the travel industry growing faster than ever, it’s no wonder that all sectors related to it are growing as well: from travel websites and forums to gadgets and travel accessories sales.

Many companies are now looking for travel writers who will present destinations and attract new tourists. You can work with a travel agency or directly with the city or country that’s trying to promote itself.

Ghostwriter

Even though ghostwriting jobs can be highly creative and lucrative, they’re not the favorite choice of creative writers who want to get famous. Why? Because every ghostwriter completely hands over the rights to their text and agrees never to be mentioned as the creator.

If this is something you’re okay with, ghostwriting is a great way to earn a lot of money with creative writing, especially if you’re ghostwriting for best-selling authors.

Children’s writer

Children’s books and videos are an evergreen industry that’s been constantly growing for decades.

If you have a good understanding of a child’s worldview and you’re able to “get down to their level”, writing books for children would be perfect for you! It’s also a way to escape reality and teleport back to those happy days of childhood and innocence.

On job boards and professional writing sites, there is a limited space for information where you can explain why you’re best for a job. Follow some of these tips to increase your chances of landing your next creative writing gig:

Write an awesome personal introduction

Your personal profile introduction is a crucial component of your presentation. Think of it as your personal brand message: convey to the reader (potential client) what you do, how you do it and why you do it well.

Prepare a portfolio

Most clients will ask to see what kind of work you’ve done before. This is not only to check your experience, but to see whether your style and tone of voice match their brand.

On most writing platforms, you can upload a portfolio of the work you are most proud of. If not, you can develop a simple portfolio website where you will feature your best work.

When bidding for a project or submitting an application, you can simply direct the client to that website.

Try writing short samples

Put yourself in the client’s shoes: how can you tell that a writer will be up to the task and be able to provide a satisfactory end result?

With nothing to rely on except a shiny portfolio and a personal introduction, clients have to gamble and trust that a writer’s experience will guarantee successful work.

So, if you want to prove to the client that you’re able to provide exactly what they need, consider writing a short sample of 100-200 words based on their project requirements. This way, they will see whether you will be able to carry it out to the end.

If you have a talent for writing, a creative writing career can be a path for connecting a passion with work. In order to succeed, you will have to put in a lot of time and effort into perfecting your craft and consistently provide high-quality outputs.

You will also have to work hard on attracting new clients, especially if you work as a freelancer. A good place to start is by signing up at one of the websites that we listed above and see what the offers are.

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Freelancing Growth

Written by Marques Coleman

Contributor at millo.co.

Marques Coleman is a blog writer at EssayAssistant and specializes in marketing and copywriting. Moreover, he is an avid traveler and always tries to learn something new.

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How To Make Money Being Creative: 12 Profitable Options

How to make money being creative? In this article, I’ll explain 12 different strategies for those working in the creator economy.

I spent much of my twenties barely earning enough money to pay our mortgage and even claimed social welfare for a while. For me, creative work meant writing, and I believed I needed permission from an employer or publisher to get paid to write.

In my thirties, I gradually discovered successful online writers take charge of their careers and don’t ask for permission from any publisher, employer, or high-profile publication. And they build a business behind their work. Of course, the same applies to content creators in other fields, too.

Years ago, it was exceptionally difficult to earn money from creative work . You had to seek permission from a gatekeeper like a publisher or an employer before even standing a chance of connecting, let alone selling to an audience.

The cost of creating and distributing meant many past creatives worked around the side of a job or even on the breadline. Worse still, society affixed a type of glamour to the  starving artist .

Today, it’s an unhelpful cliché to say artists must starve for their craft. Doctors, lawyers, and other professionals get paid for their work, so why not creatives?

Thanks to opportunities in the creator economy, it’s easier than ever to earn a living from your creative work if you’re committed to creating high-quality content and also spend time connecting with your ideal audience.

1. Build a Content Website

A good content website sells for 32 to 47 multiples of monthly profits. That’s an insane amount of money for a content creator who’s comfortable with the written word or working with freelancers. It’s also a better business model than many options online as you own this site rather than a third-party.

A while ago, I interviewed Jon Dykstra of Fat Stacks blog who earns over six figures a month from this approach. When I asked him about  building content websites , he said:

“I liken content to a widget. If you’re in manufacturing, you produce widgets. If you’re an online publisher, you produce content,” he says. “There are multiple workflows. I have a couple of in-house writers that I work with.”

2. Set Up Display Advertising

Display advertising is a proven and relatively method for monetizing a content website with traffic. Compared to options like launching a course or public speaking, it’s also a relatively stable and passive income stream.

Google AdSense has a low barrier to entry for new website publishers, but it doesn’t pay that much. If your site attracts over 50,0000 page views per month, consider applying to MediaVine. AdThrive is a popular option for bigger sites. Then, use earnings from advertising to invest in more content, thus building a content flywheel.

Some personal brands and small content publishers frown on display advertising, but it’s how many big media brands earn a return on content (or their case employees). It’s a good approach if you’re committed to creating high-quality content at scale and enjoy working with freelance writers and editors.

3. Start a Podcast

A reader enjoying an article typically spends two minutes or less engaging with a piece of well-written content. A YouTube user watches several minutes of a ten-minute clip before moving on to something else in their feed. But an engaged podcast listener sticks with an episode for 30-minutes or longer. That’s a long time to hold somebody’s attention!

If your audience is engaged, you can monetize a podcast by selling promotional spots to advertisers. However, you’ll need several thousand downloads per episode for this option to work. Meanwhile, you could promote products and services (or affiliate products) to listeners.

Although podcasts are harder to monetize than other content formats, they still help you build a relationship with your audience, indirectly leading to revenue opportunities later.

4. Become an Affiliate Marketer

I stumbled into affiliate marketing several years ago (read my guide to affiliate marketing to learn more). These days I promote several products as an affiliate, including Grammarly. I’m happy to promote them as I use these products daily in my business.

Affiliate marketing is an excellent way of earning five or even six figures a year from content. Work as normal on your online projects. But also take time to recommend the products and services you use for these projects too. Create content about how you use these products via walk-throughs, guides, tutorials, and reviews.

Affiliate marketing is also a good option for creators because it enables validating an idea and promoting a product without necessarily spending a significant amount of time or resources building one. Plus, you don’t need to provide customer support.

5. Join a Partner Program

Many content platforms offer partner programs for content creators. They’ll pay you to create content for them.

I’m two minds about these programs. I’ve earned several thousand dollars from the  Medium Partner Program , and some other writers I know earn that much … a month. It represents an excellent opportunity for writers who need validation that they can get paid for their work. You don’t need to write for free anymore.

Similarly, the YouTube partner program pays top-tier creators millions of dollars. But these partner programs are a grind. And you’re still building a business for another company with your content. Unless you’re Logan Paul, it’s far better to think of them as distribution channels that you can use to connect with your ideal audience.

5. Create Digital Products

If you’ve written a non-fiction book or you write non-fiction regularly, chances are you can turn many ideas in your work into a digital course. This is because Digital products have a higher perceived value than books and retail for more. Plus, your audience consumes and learns information in different ways.

While some of your audience may enjoy written content, others may prefer taking a digital course whereby your thoughts and ideas are organized logically for them. Sure, this information is available on YouTube for free, but students often pay because of an affinity with the instructor.

If you sell 100 copies of a course for $47, that’s enough for many creators to live on in a given month. And many top-tier digital courses retail for one or two thousand dollars. Later, you can resell the same course to new audience members or create an upsell for existing students.

6. Write a Book

Podcasting, freelance writing, and blogging are fun opportunities for creators, but a good book reaches more people. They usually have a greater impact on readers and last longer than any viral article or video.

Thanks to the availability of affordable self-publishing tools, you can easily write and self-publishing a non-fiction book in a few months … without anyone’s permission. Although you’re unlikely to earn quit your job money by writing one book, many indie authors earn on the backend. Writing a book serves as a calling card introducing readers to your other digital products and services like a course, coaching, or a public speaking gig.

7. Speak in Public

A lucrative public speaking gig, particularly in the corporate sector, can generate several thousand dollars in income. That’s more than enough to cover living expenses for a month or two. However, factor in time spent preparing for a speech and traveling. It can also take many months to build up name recognition as a public speaker.

I interviewed one Australian public speaker who earned $500 for his first gig. He told me, “I wouldn’t get out of bed for that kind of money today.” Today, he earns several thousand dollars per gig.

8. Create Subscriptions

Many creators are a reasonably good living from their fan base via donations and monthly subscriptions. The singer  Amanda Palmer  reportedly earns over $34,000 on Patron everything she creates a new ‘thing’.

I’ve also interviewed several popular writers who’ve monetized their work successfully on Substack by creating paid newsletters.

If you have an audience and they enjoy your work, why not ask them to support it in some way? Explain how much time and work it takes to create your content, and you may be surprised by the results. Several dollars from one supporter won’t pay the bills, but if you have a bigger audience, it’ll quickly add up.

9. Buy an NFT

The art world usually reveals the path for creators. Over the coming years, anyone working in the creator economy will need to embrace non-fungible tokens or NFTs.

Artists and visual content creators are beginning to earn serious money from NFTS. The most high-profile example is the visual artist Beeple  who sold an NFT  for an astonishing $69 million.

Rather than shying away from this new content format, NFTs represent a great opportunity if you’re working in the creator economy. It’s relatively easy to create an NFT… although it’s harder to sell one, at least right now.

As a creator, you earn a percentage of any future sale too. In other words, create an NFT once and continue to earn years later.

10. Build an Ecosystem of Products

Successful content creators don’t rely on a single product or service to earn a good living. Instead, they build an ecosystem of complementary products and services. For example, an author sells books introducing readers to their courses and public speaking packages. Or a visual artist sells prints on ETSY but also explores using NFTs for their art.

Rather than relying on a single income stream, protect the health of your creative business by diversifying. As Gary Vaynerchuk  said , he wants to put himself out of business … and he does it by exploring future business models.

11. Outsource

It’s hard to manage all these monetization options for creators effectively. So, as soon as you can afford it, outsource parts of your business you either hate spending time on or which fall outside your area of expertise. That’ll free you to grow a creator economy business by working on higher-value tasks … or even taking time off.

For example, new content publishers can use earnings from advertising to hire freelance writers or an editor and publish more frequently. This approach should increase their website traffic, which in turn leads and further growth in display advertising. And repeat.

I hired an editor for my podcast and also used business profits to invest in hiring other creators like book cover designers and editors.

Executives in big corporate companies have defined benefits packages, share options, and fat pensions. If you’re working in the creator economy, take control over your financial security. Once your business begins earning a good income, invest a portion of monthly profits to generate passive income streams.

Index funds tracking the performance of the S&P500 are proven relatively stable and attractive options. These funds typically generate a return of 7% per annum, which can quickly add up over several years. For example, $1000 invested in an index fund back in 1987  would be worth  over $51,000 today.

The creator economy is increasingly powered by digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, the latter of which powers NFT sales.

A thousand dollars invested in Bitcoin in 2016 is worth approximately $5000 today. And if you invested the same amount in March 2020, it’d be worth over $10,0000. You can also stake digital currencies and return a 5% return each year.

I invest 30-35% of my business’s profits in commissioning new content for the various digital properties I own. However, I’m under no illusions. The value of one of these websites could be wiped out by a Google algorithm update or an affiliate program changing its terms. So, I also dollar-cost average a portion each month into index funds and digital currencies.

You might also take inspiration from our round-up of the 25 richest writers .

Make Money Being Creative: The Final Word

The creator economy offers many opportunities for earning a good living. Your biggest challenge isn’t earning; it’s picking one opportunity and focusing on it. With some hard work, you can easily turn one of these opportunities into a lucrative revenue stream for your creative or content business.

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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Copyblogger

How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer: 15 Writing Business Essentials

Wondering how to make money as a freelance writer? Well, buckle up, because everyone loves the part of the hero’s journey where our protagonist accepts the “call to adventure” and “crosses the threshold” from “the ordinary world” into “the extraordinary world.”

It’s engaging. It’s hopeful. It pushes the plot forward.

But we can’t forget about the challenges and struggles that come next.

For new freelance writers:

You may have started off with a couple of great freelance writing clients , but now you have to turn your passion into a sustainable writing business .

How to make money freelance writing

So, what’s the skill that enables a terrific content marketer and copywriter to offer premium services?

Time management.

Before you click away, disappointed that I brought up something as practical and boring as time management, hear me out. My intent is not to poop on your party as you learn how to become a freelance writer .

In fact, it’s the exact opposite.

When our freelance-writer hero accept calls to adventure to cross over into the extraordinary world, they still need to be equipped with the real-world abilities that make their service business possible.

And part of that transformation involves balancing client work with their own marketing and marketing education.

Time management is the core of your strong business and content strategy, because how you spend your time directly affects the:

• Health of your business
• Types of clients you attract
• Value you have to offer those clients

You don’t quickly learn how to make money as a freelance writer and then get to sit back and eat bonbons while clients who pay competitive rates flock to you.

The challenges and struggles of the hero’s journey exist for a reason: They help you, your business, and your marketing story grow.

Want us to scale your traffic?

For the first time, The Copyblogger methodology is now available to a select few clients. We know it works. We’ve been doing it since 2006.

How to be a freelance writer and make money

But here’s an often overlooked scary thought that might happen on your way to earning money freelance writing:

What if your content marketing actually works? What if you get all of the clients you want? Will you be able to handle them?

Every service provider needs to answer those questions honestly because there is often a disconnect between what we say we want and the actions we take.

Fear of success can prevent us from crafting the bold, strategic plans that will truly teach us how to make money as a freelance writer.

Without realizing it, self-doubt causes us to make weak and safe moves that limit our potential — because we’re unsure if we’re capable of building relationships with prospects and managing a full roster of clients.

The path to make money freelance writing

Self-doubt will arise in any business journey, but if you prepare for the healthy, sustainable relationships you want to have with clients, you’ll be one step closer to attracting and winning over prospects with marketing ethics and confidence.

Check out these 15 service business essentials, so that you’ll feel nothing but proud when your content marketing dreams come true.

1. Get serious

Before you offer services, you’re used to operating as a non-business person. You likely perform favors for others — whether it’s reviewing a friend’s resume or sharing their content on social media.

Once you start offering services to make a living online , part of you becomes your “business self.”

It’s the foundation for the rest of these pointers about how to make money as a freelance writer.

While in your personal life “wanting” to do something might be a reason to do it, in your business life, you need to consider favors or discounts with care.

Your service is a business now, not a hobby.

2. Treat your business like … a business

Successful freelance writers establish the healthy boundaries all businesses (and especially service businesses) need.

Working extremely long hours every day of the week might seem exciting at first, but it always leads to burnout.

And when you’re burned out, you only have scraps of energy to offer new clients who might want to work with you at that time. You may even be so absent-minded that you forget to invoice your existing clients on time, which can be a strain on your cash flow.

To avoid those unfortunate scenarios, schedule your work and leisure hours. Creative people know the uncanny benefits of spending time away from work .

3. List goals

To reinforce your new business-centric mindset, list out your professional goals in a document you keep handy near your workspace.

A digital file on your computer desktop works well because you can easily add to it over time. The items in the list will ideally help both you and your clients.

They’ll be especially useful when you’re faced with a tough decision or you’re procrastinating on improving a skill, such as article pitching .

You’ll already have clear intentions for the services you offer, so the choice you make should always help you reach one or more of those goals related to your online business ideas .

You might have to say “no” sometimes.

4. Protect your time

Service providers often work at all hours throughout the day and night, and give the excuse “that’s just my lifestyle.” (Been there, done that, wasn’t worth the indigestion.)

Skip that path to burnout and don’t reinvent the wheel just because you have the freedom to make your own schedule.

You can have a creative work life and borrow wisdom from tried-and-true practices, like designated office hours.

Give yourself time for:

• Work responsibilities
• Personal responsibilities
• Meals and breaks

Like your list of goals, here you need to have clear priorities and agree to activities only if they realistically fit into the schedule for your work time or the schedule for your personal time.

5. Market to the right prospects to make money as a freelance writer

A part of your work time needs to be dedicated to marketing your own business.

One of the reasons why freelancers often experience the “feast or famine” cycle is because they overbook themselves with client work and don’t have time to market themselves.

If you only spend time serving current clients, when you finish those projects you won’t always have new prospects on the horizon.

It might seem scary to turn down extra work because you need to set aside time for your own marketing , but it’s an important step in learning how to make money as a freelance writer and building a long-term healthy business.

6. Be friendly, not friends

That non-business side of you will keep popping up if you’re not stern with it.

You can have friendly, professional relationships with your clients without crossing over into “friend territory.”

I’m not saying that a friendship with one of your clients can’t or won’t develop organically over time.

But a “I’m friends with all my clients!” attitude does not establish boundaries that enable you to take care of your business, your clients, your actual friends, and yourself.

7. Give a simple, straightforward first impression

A lot of well-intentioned solutions turn off prospects because they’re overly complicated.

When you explain your offer in a simple way, it demonstrates that you’re results-oriented.

As a side effect, “simple” tends to — not always, but tends to — attract people who value no-nonsense transactions.

If your business style is unorganized or complex, you’re more likely to attract chaotic or dramatic personalities.

8. Provide a terms of service

A terms of service agreement can help keep you in the “friendly, but not friends” zone.

On the surface, it’s a boring business document, but you can actually use your creativity to establish a set of guidelines that allow great working relationships to flourish.

Instead of making your terms of service dry, demonstrate what it’s like to work with you and how the client can contribute to the relationship in a productive way.

You can answer frequently asked questions and outline your customer service procedures.

For example, you don’t have to return emails or calls within minutes. In fact, if you set yourself up to operate like that, you’re likely to get stressed out and resent work (See #3 above).

So, your terms of service can state your business hours and when clients can expect to hear back from you.

9. Establish a payment policy and schedule to earn money freelance writing

A payment policy and schedule is an extension of your terms of service.

Without one, you don’t have rules for getting paid other than “when the client gets around to it,” which is no good for your cash flow.

Many writers who get paid per project ask for half upfront.

• If the project went as planned, the writer will invoice the remainder when they finish.
• If the project didn’t go as planned because the client needed more work than they originally requested, the writer will invoice the remainder when they finish, along with fees for the additional work.

For example, when I worked as a freelance editor, drafts that prospects sent me dictated the price quotes I gave them, so my payment policy had a penalty if a client needed to send me an updated draft to edit after they already paid me.

It not only discouraged clients from making mistakes when sending me their documents, it put a clear procedure in place if a client changed their needs once I already began working on their project.

10. Have go-to plans for common issues

As you’ve likely noticed by now, learning how to make money as a freelance writer involves expecting the unexpected. But even when you take preventative measures, some clients may innocently cause problems.

I say “innocently” because they might be completely unaware that they are asking too much (or whatever the aggravation is), without any ill intentions.

If the client is not out-of-line, assume a “get back on track” mentality before you get too frustrated.

Anticipate common issues that will throw you off balance, so even if you get a little frazzled at first, you’ll know how to proceed.

Your go-to plan could be as simple as referring to the part of your terms of service that states the protocol for what the client wants.

Regard your terms of service and payment policy as “living documents” you can always update for future clients, if you think of additional business standards.

11. Label and archive your emails

Everyone is going to have different systems for staying organized, but one thing we all have in common is email.

My inbox stays manageable without a fancy or strict system. I mostly use two features in Gmail: labels and archive.

If you don’t use Gmail, there are probably equivalents in the interface you use.

The idea is to have different labels for each client, so you can easily find all of your correspondence.

The archive function will take an email out of your inbox once you decide you don’t need it there anymore. And since you’ve assigned a label to each email, the email will remain under that label in your sidebar.

12. Continue learning

Another part of your work time should be dedicated to your own marketing education.

To stand out as a well-qualified content marketer in the sea of freelance writers, you have to offer something special .

Staying on top of both the expertise clients need and smart marketing trends helps you present your services as the only reasonable choice .

By now you’ve probably noticed that I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned time management above.

Freelance writers with strict work schedules and fierce discipline are the ones ahead of the curve.

13. Get to know your topic better every day

This is a branch of your marketing education.

While you might aim to work your way through premium online courses like the ones in Copyblogger Academy , there are other ways you can learn every day.

You can create your own free marketing curriculum by narrowing down the top publications in your niche and studying them as if they were paid products .

14. Practice like an artist

Your communication skills enable you to be an intelligent marketer.

When you continually sharpen your writing and editing on your own creative endeavors — such as publishing your own killer blog post ideas , teaching your own online training materials, or learning how to create digital products — you increase your value as a service provider.

Prospective clients like to see the quality of the projects professional writers produce independently.

15. Focus on serving, rather than second-guessing

If you find yourself second-guessing your capabilities, put that energy into new or better ways to serve your clients.

The productivity will distract you from self-doubt and make you feel accomplished.

Learn how to make money as a freelance writer … in Copyblogger Academy!

If you’re using content marketing and copywriting to build your freelance writing business, you’ve probably already realized an unpleasant truth:

We live in a day and age when there is plenty of outstanding content to consume.

Your ideal customers and clients literally have multiple lifetimes worth of content to consume, right at their fingertips.

So it begs the question:

Why should an audience choose your great content over the competition?

That’s where having a broad understanding of digital marketing comes into play. So you know how to command attention and differentiate yourself enough that your audience chooses you.

The good news is that we’ve narrowed down this range of competence to three core areas we teach inside Copyblogger Academy .

It’s what we call the trifecta of core skills

Writers with a good understanding of these three skills end up with higher-quality clients who are happy to pay a premium. These clients are also more likely to give you ongoing work.

As a result, you’ll successfully learn how to make money as a freelance writer and boost your income substantially.

Without working more hours. Without scrambling to find new clients all of the time. And without stressing about where the money to pay next month’s bills will come from.

Business owners who implement these three core skills find that their businesses tend to grow more effortlessly. They attract bigger, higher-quality audiences who buy.

This makes growing and scaling your freelance writing business far easier.

Interested in mastering these three core skills?

Find out more about joining us inside Copyblogger Academy here .

Stefanie Flaxman

Stefanie Flaxman is an editorial director . Get her best tips for new writers at StefanieFlaxman .COM. Previously, Stefanie was Copyblogger's Editor-in-Chief for 9 years.

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Reader Interactions

Reader comments (13).

April 30, 2018 at 12:40 pm

As for #1 Stefanie, I have found one of the easiest ways to make more money is to freely advertise your services then to only help folks who pay you first 😉 Meaning, give 100% of your attention and energy to clients, and 0% to non paying folks. This is a bit uncomfortable at first; guilt sets in. Worthiness issues. All that stuff. But with practice it gets easier to realize that it is only money, a means of exchange, causing the feelings.

I promote my products and services all day long and connect with folks who dig what I do, premium-wise, and keep boosting cash flow.

Excellent post!

May 2, 2018 at 2:01 pm

Great points, Ryan!

Sonia said something similar this week too:

“Your audience needs to both love you and want your product or service. They also need to be buyers. ”

https://copyblogger.com/fear-of-selling/

April 30, 2018 at 4:53 pm

Stefanie– Another great post! I really relate to this one. I’ve worked for myself for most of my life, first in manufacturing and now in writing services and consulting. Your checklist is spot on, in my opinion.

The clearer I make everything with my clients up front, the easier and smoother the process is every step of the way. When that inevitable snag or hitch happens, that transparency already set before them helps clear the air and the issue without anyone suffering in the process.

Thanks for sharing! Jane

May 2, 2018 at 2:03 pm

For sure. Sometimes the level of drama in a situation is directly related to how much you’ve prepared. That’s why gaining experience in your field is so important — it helps you prepare. 🙂

May 3, 2018 at 11:53 pm

Hey, Stephanie –

I really appreciate the distinction you made between being friendly with your clients and being friends with them.

While I have some client relationships that have over time developed into real friendships, knowing where to draw that line is super important for those of us who struggle with drawing boundaries between our work and our personal life.

Thanks for sharing! Eva

May 4, 2018 at 1:41 pm

Once you start taking on clients, I think it’s natural for your work life and personal life to get blurred a bit — and the sooner a service provider recognizes the benefits of establishing boundaries, the better. 🙂

May 5, 2018 at 1:40 am

Stefanie, excellent advice! I like the establish the terms of service, policy and payment terms beforehand. I try o set the expectations up as well. And I set them up lower than I anticipate so I can over deliver. It’s so important today to set it right from the get go. I believe #10 is so important today as things are changing rapidly in most fields. I’m in marketing and it’s changing every day now. You really have to be aware of these changes if you are helping others to increase their bottom lines.

May 7, 2018 at 1:56 am

Have a go to plan for common issue!!!

this totally separates the amateurs from the professionals. I’ve freelanced for 10 years. Easily 99.99% of clients get into a project, and when they see the great work you’re doing, can’t help but ask for a little more.

One thing I’ve found that helps. On your quote or agreement, after the final price. Add in a section for common optional extras. An extra page for X dollars, or more rewrites for X dollars.

I’ve found that being open about what is and isn’t included up front really helps out with those conversations towards the pointy end of the project.

May 8, 2018 at 8:26 am

I’ve found that doing free work for friends often results in paid work for others thanks to word-of-mouth!

May 9, 2018 at 2:11 pm

Great point!

I think it always comes back to gauging whether or not your friend is the right fit for your services (if you’ll be able to provide value for where they’re at right now.) If they are, helping them out with free work can be win-win. 🙂

May 11, 2018 at 5:11 am

Amen! to getting the client to pay half up front, or at least a portion with part payments throught the project. I am working on implementing this. It means I get something to help with my cash – flow. It is especially useful if there are delays from the client side.

April 1, 2022 at 5:30 am

Thank you for the tips, Stefanie! I especially liked the idea to dedicate a significant part of your time to your own education.

April 6, 2022 at 5:26 pm

Thanks for the great tips! Getting my first few clients felt so easy, but turning it into a sustainable business was definitely a struggle. It’s a lot of why I started calling myself a content marketer rather than just a freelance writer.

This article's comments are closed.

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How to Make Money Writing: 29 Tactics (With Examples)

Table of Contents

In today’s digital age, there are tons of ways writers can make money with their skills online. While just about everyone can string together a few sentences, quality writing skills are still at a premium today. 

Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or just starting, there are numerous avenues you can explore to turn your passion for writing into a profitable venture.

Keep reading for 29 tactics you can use to help make money writing online, complete with real-life examples to inspire and guide you. I’ve organized this blog article into six broad sections with specific tips underneath each one. 

Many writers make money in several ways, so don’t feel you have to pick only one thing to pursue. 

Craft Content and Copy for the Marketing Industry

Much of today’s marketing is done online, providing plenty of opportunities for writers to work remotely. Skilled writers who can create compelling content are still in high demand, even as more and more people try to make money remotely. 

Whether you’re looking to freelance or want to work full-time in the marketing sector, here are several strategies to consider:

1. Start SEO Writing for Small Businesses

Small businesses, individual creators, and emerging publications can be excellent starting points for a new freelance writer. These businesses need writing, but they are often run by individuals who aren’t confident enough to write articles themselves. You can take advantage of this to make money writing. 

Affiliate site owners require tons of content to promote services and products in their niche. Many site owners outsource work; some may even have over a hundred writers working for them. 

SEO writing is crucial in this case, as that’s how many affiliate sites get their traffic.

Smaller publications like newspapers, magazines, and online publications may also outsource some of their writing. If you have experience in a sought-after writing niche, you can often make a lot of money writing for niche publications. 

You may also want to look at opportunities with bloggers and social media influencers. While many of these individuals produce their content, they may also outsource some to ramp up production. 

Most of these companies post writing jobs on popular job boards. Keep an eye on websites like Problogger, which is a very popular job board for those in need of an SEO writer. If you land the right client, SEO writing can easily be a full-time job. 

2. Create Content for Brands

After specializing in a niche and gaining experience with SEO writing, you may be able to write for more prominent brands within your niche, allowing you to make money writing. 

Brands often prefer writers who are knowledgeable about their industry and can produce content that resonates with their target audience. Therefore, this isn’t an easy place to start, but it can be a very lucrative place to end. Try making a guest post of two in your niche before landing a paid writing opportunity at a larger website.

Red Bull is an excellent example of a larger company that runs a blog and a magazine:

3. Offer Thought Leadership Writing

Thought leadership content is one step above SEO. It typically involves in-depth, well-researched articles that showcase a brand’s expertise in a particular field. It’s something that brands are willing to pay a lot of money for, as very few writers can do it well. 

Given how competitive the internet is, thought leadership writing will likely only grow over the next decade. It’s a great time to make yourself known in this field and start making money before everyone starts doing it. 

One of the hardest parts of thought leadership content is figuring out a topic. Luckily, Animalz goes over this pretty well. Simply put, it’s important to have an opinion . It’s this opinion that will drive the content of the article. 

4. Write Website Copy

Everyone with a website needs words to put on it. Many people are willing to pay for a great content writer who can make their online presence stand out. Small businesses, dropshippers, and larger corporations hire people to write their web content. This may encompass everything from homepage content to product descriptions. 

You can specialize in several different types of website copy, as well. Just take inspiration from Michal Eisikowitz , who commands thousands for a single webpage. She also has a complete pricing guide for copywriters, which can help you figure out just how much to charge for all this!

Website copy services include creating product descriptions, designing landing pages, and writing About Us sections. You can make money writing a whole website or just a few pages.

5. Offer Email Copywriting

Many companies rely heavily on email marketing to connect with their audience and drive conversions. Skilled email copywriters can help companies create engaging email campaigns that drive open rate and click-through rates. 

For many people, writing a good email newsletter is akin to magic. Finding high-paying work can be pretty easy if you can do this well. 

Just look at the prices Val Geisler is charging:

$8,500 per customer isn’t anything to scoff at. She also has a stunning website, so I recommend clicking around for a bit if you have the time. 

6. Write Scripts for Video Creators

It’s no secret that most video creators work off of a script. However, did you know that many don’t write the video script themselves? When you’re producing a vast quantity of videos, it’s practically impossible to do all the script writing yourself – and that’s where you can come in. 

Even if you don’t want to ever show your face on a camera, you can take advantage of the growing popularity of podcasts and YouTube by writing for those who do. 

While scriptwriting is a bit of an art, it isn’t hard to learn the basics. However, it is important to structure these video scripts correctly, providing the main points in brackets with some sub points underneath. Most professionals also recommend only having around five main points. 

7. Craft Social Media Copy

Social media platforms are a big part of how brands reach their customers. However, all companies need someone to update and write copy for their social platforms. 

This sort of freelance writing often pays a lot per word since most social media sites have minimal character capacities. That said, you may spend more time researching and editing the post. Therefore, it’s important to price your services properly to make money writing. 

That said, lots of people are starting to realize how lucrative this niche is. Just look at this Business Insider article , which explains how one ghostwriter made over $200,000 a year in freelance writing gigs. 

For some inspiration, you can check out Pete Codes’s website . He primarily ghostwrites for clients on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

8. Draft White Papers and Technical Manuals

White papers and technical manuals are highly specialized forms of freelance writing. They often require in-depth research and a strong understanding of complex subjects—businesses in technology, finance, healthcare, and other industries often commission technical writers to create these documents.

White papers can be exceptionally lucrative if you’re a fan of in-depth research or have experience in an expert-lead field. 

Sadly, this is a tough content writing niche to break into, though. You often need particular technical experience and a high-level college degree. This niche is lucrative mainly because so few writers can do it. 

9. Make Compelling Product Descriptions

E-commerce is a massive part of the internet today. With the rise of drop shipping, more and more people need compelling product descriptions. Effective product descriptions directly impact sales, so companies are often willing to pay quite a bit for this service. 

However, with the rise of AI like ChatGPT, some companies may opt for automated product descriptions, which could impact this niche. 

Furthermore, this niche can get quite dull . Once upon a time, I wrote many product descriptions for a hardware store. You can only write so many descriptions of slightly different hinges before the world looks slightly gloomier. While you can get paid to write product descriptions, it may not be exactly what you had in mind. 

Plus, this isn’t something that will make for a solid portfolio, either. 

Write Articles for Newspapers and Magazines

Good ole’ fashion journalism may not be nearly as lucrative as it once was. Still, traditional magazines and newspapers hold a significant place in media. Getting paid to write for these larger publications is more about making a name for yourself and building a business – rather than getting paid. 

However, in some cases, the payout can be huge . Plus, they can make for a solid portfolio.

If you aspire to contribute to these respected publications, there are several strategies to help you break into this field and make money as a writer.

10. Pitch Established Publications

Contributing to established newspapers and magazines is a goal many writers strive for. While competition can be fierce, securing a byline in a prestigious publication can significantly boost your content writing career.

Even if you aren’t using this as your primary source of income, bylines in respected niche publications can be worth thousands in revenue down the line. 

These publications get tons of pitches, so it’s essential to do it well. Study the publications you want to write for, understanding their style, tone, and articles they publish. The last thing you want to do is pitch an off-topic article. 

Unique angles or story ideas often have a better chance of being picked up. Consider what experience or ideas you have that others don’t. Can someone else write the piece you’re pitching? If so, you may want to come up with something else. 

Most publications have specific submission guidelines for pitches, as well. Be sure to follow these. If you don’t, your pitch may not even be looked at. Just look at the New York Times’s requirements for opinion essays:

Even if you don’t get paid to write for these publications, even a guest post can be helpful to improve your standing. A guest post is simply a post you do for free, typically for “exposure.” 

11. Contribute to Magazines

Magazines come in tons of different shapes and sizes. You can find big and small publications on many topics, from lifestyle to fashion to science. Many of these magazines welcome freelance contributors if you can provide fresh, engaging content. 

Many of the principles I discussed above apply here, too. Choose something very few people could write about, pay attention to the publication’s requirements, and research the magazine. Pay attention to the writing style they typically use and try to mirror it. 

Often, this works best if you already have some expertise in a niche with sources to prove it. Once you get paid to write in a niche, other companies tend to take you more seriously. 

Many magazines also accept guest posts, which can be another way to get your name out there. 

12. Participate in Writing Contests

Writing contests can be an exciting way to showcase your skills and earn recognition and prizes. However, it’s crucial to research the credibility and legitimacy of contests before entering.

Furthermore, you won’t make a full income from writing contests. Often, the payout is low, and the chance of winning is even lower. However, if you do win, that’s something you can put on your resume to make money elsewhere. 

Caution : Be wary of contests that require an entry fee or have vague terms and conditions. Stick to well-known and reputable contests to ensure your work is judged fairly. Online writing is always a bit sketchy, but writing contests tend to be even more so.

Often, these companies will use the content as guest posts on their website, so be sure you’re okay with them. 

Establish Your Influence By Writing

While these methods won’t pay much money initially, they can help you establish yourself as an authority, which can help you get money. Building up an audience of like-minded people can open you up to new job opportunities you wouldn’t have otherwise. 

There are several ways to do this, but you should preferably play on your strengths. Guest posts are a solid way to go about this, but there are some paid opportunities, too. 

13. Create Your Own Niche Blog Around Products You Use Already

You can start by establishing a niche blog if you already have a niche. While aiming to write for someone else’s blog is a money-oriented goal, this is more of a passion project. You probably won’t make much money writing articles for yourself(at least not right away), but you can use it as an example of your work. 

Ideally, choose a niche you already plan on content writing in. While you can technically make your blog about anything, it’s much easier to use to attract clients if it’s about a similar subject. It does matter whether it is creative or technical writing. 

You can use this blog as a portfolio site. A writing portfolio is exceptionally important for landing higher paying gigs. 

As you build your blog, you can sign up as an affiliate for relevant products and services. This allows you to earn commissions by promoting these products to your readers. Be transparent about your affiliate relationships to maintain trust with your audience.

You can use affiliate offers from day one of your website (in most cases). However, you may only be able to sign up for some companies once you start getting some traffic. 

14. Establish a Social Media Audience Around a Niche

Alternatively, you can start a social media account instead of a blog (or you can always do both). Choose a social media platform or two that are relevant to your niche. For instance, B2B topics are probably more appropriate to LinkedIn, but Twitter is a common place for this information, too. 

It’s essential to have a content strategy. You can’t just create and publish content like you do for your social media. Consider using a content matrix, as demonstrated by Justin Welsh in his Content Matrix , to plan and publish regular posts.

You should also interact and respond to your audience. Social media is about being social. You can’t just publish posts and expect to get very far. Some amount of community engagement is essential. 

You can monetize your social media presence, as well. Sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and creating your products can all help you make some money. 

15. Create Sponsored Content

Sponsored content involves working with brands to create promotional material that aligns with your niche and appeals to your audience. Brands are often willing to pay for this because it taps into your already-built audience (and that probably trusts you). 

However, you must already have a sizeable audience on your own blog or social media account to sell sponsored content. No company will pay for sponsored content if you don’t have an audience! Building influence can take years, so this isn’t a way to get rich quickly. 

Some established blogs like ShoutMeLoud offer sponsored content packages starting at $1,200. Use this as a reference point when setting your rates. Your rates depend on your niche and audience size. Blogs in the finance niche can often charge more, for instance. 

16. Sell Your Own Informational Products

If you can write, you can create and sell your own information products. This is an easy way to get paid to write if you have a following and are already established. You can start with something simple, like an eBook, one of the most popular ways to sell information content. Platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing make it easy to self-publish eBooks. 

You can also create and sell online courses or digital membership products. While these are harder to make, they can often be sold for more, so there is a trade-off. 

17. Become a Writing Coach or Consultant

If you’ve established yourself as a professional writer, you can consider offering coaching or consulting services to aspiring writers or businesses. Paid mentorships can be very lucrative, especially if you’re considered an expert. 

For instance, Elize Dopson offers one-on-one freelance coaching to help freelancers make more money and scale their businesses. You can offer similar coaching options. 

You can also consult with businesses on content strategy. Sometimes, companies need help figuring out where to go with their content, but they may not want to hire someone to fix the problem directly. Instead, they may need a quick consult with an SEO expert. You could be this expert. 

Take inspiration from professionals like Elise Dopson, who offers coaching services to writers and businesses seeking content marketing expertise.

18. Get a Book Deal and Get Royalties

If you have unique inspiration to share, you can write a book. While this is often considered lucrative, most book authors make less than you think. However, a well-received book can establish you as an authority in your niche. 

You must decide whether to pursue traditional publishing through literary agents or self-publish your book. Each path has its advantages, but they can be challenging in their ways, too. 

Look at writers like Mark Manson and Scott Young, who started as bloggers and went on to establish large audiences and sell many books. Their success showcases the potential for writers to transition from online content to traditional publishing.

Get Paid for Creative Writing

Creative writing is typically what most people think when you say you’re a “writer.” However, it is often hard to make money from writing imaginative stories. That said, if you have a passion for creative writing, there are several ways to make money from your craft. 

19. Monetize Your Poetry

Poetry isn’t the most mainstream form of writing. However, if you consider yourself a poet, there are ways to make money off of it. One of the most common ways is to self-publish poetry books. Typically, this involves compiling your poems into a collection and publishing them. 

Of course, someone has to want to purchase your poetry books, so it often works best if you already have an audience. 

You can also enter poetry contests, which may offer cash prizes. Be sure to only submit to credible sources, though. 

Consider a Patreon or Ko-fi account, where fans can support your creative work by making regular contributions. 

20. Write and Sell Your Songs

You could make money from your songs if you have a knack for songwriting. 

The best way to do this is to license your songs to musicians, bands, or production companies for use in albums, films, commercials, or other media. Royalties from song licensing can provide a steady income stream.

You should also join a performance rights organization, which will collect royalties whenever your songs are played on the radio, performed live, or used in public spaces. 

Alternatively, you can also sell sheet music online or in physical formats. However, this method is often less lucrative, as a single person is not paying for the sole use of a song. 

In today’s world, you can also create a YouTube channel to share your music and monetize it through ads and channel membership. You can also distribute your music on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. 

Nashville Songwriters Association is an all-in-one platform for songwriters to create and publish their songs. They also host events (both online and offline). With their membership plan, you can gain access to information on how to pitch your songs, pricing guides, and more. 

Liz Rose is a prime example of someone who makes a living writing songs. She’s written music for some serious professional artists, like Taylor Swift. She also works with Nashville Songwriters Association. 

21. Self-Publish Your Books on Kindle

Self-publishing has revolutionized the world of literature, offering writers an accessible way to get their work in front of readers. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) allows authors to publish ebooks and earn royalties.

However, a lot goes into publishing a book, even on KDP. Having a realistic expectation for the platform is essential, as it isn’t all unicorns and rainbows. Eventually, it can help a creative writer make some passive income, though. Once the books are there, they will always be there. 

Furthermore, the average freelance writer likely won’t sell many books without some substantial promotion. You must use social media and email marketing to reach potential readers. Part of the appeal of using a traditional publishing company is that they do all this for you. If you’re self-publishing, you’ll have to do it yourself.

That said, you aren’t going to make tons of money self-publishing on Kindle. Project Rich Mom on YouTube shares how much she made in this video to help keep your expectations realistic. This isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. 

There are many ways to go about publishing on KDP. You can publish a series or a collection of short stories, for instance. Kara Lockharte is a great creative writer who successfully self-published creative writing on this platform and does very well. 

Evolve Into an AI Content Marketer

The field of content marketing is evolving, and creative and technical writers can adapt by specializing in creating AI-assisted content.

22. Specialize in Creating AI Assisted Content

Slowly, AI generators are becoming more and more popular. AI writers can specialize in using these tools to create better writing (or simply write faster). You’ll need to learn how to use precise prompts for AI models to generate content that aligns with your needs. You’ll also need to review and fine-tune the content to ensure it meets quality standards. 

We aren’t 100% sure how this field will change and grow in the next decade, but now may be a good time to specialize in this new possibility. Either way, this is a writing skill you probably want to learn. 

23. Repurpose Content for Different Platforms

In an era of content saturation, the ability to repurpose content for various platforms and mediums is a valuable skill. Creative and technical writers can leverage AI tools to tailor content for social media platforms, email campaigns, blog posts, and more.

This idea can give you a massive boost in content production. You can turn a single blog post into several social media posts or email campaigns. However, because you wrote the original content, the output would still be unique to you. 

Other General Ways to Make Money Writing

There are other ways to make money writing, too. However, these tactics aren’t as specialized or lucrative, so they typically only offer side income. You won’t be making a full time income out of these options, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore them. 

24. Do Book Reviews

Occasionally, a freelance writer can make some extra cash by writing book reviews. Some websites and publications will pay for book reviews and may even offer free copies of the books. 

Even if you don’t sell book reviews to another website, you can create a blog or YouTube where you review books. Over time, you could monetize this platform through ads and affiliate marketing. 

Kirkus Reviews is a very popular website for submitting book reviews. They have a whole writer’s center with information on writing and publishing. Check their careers page for information on applying as a writer. However, they do always have an open application for English and Spanish titles. 

Of course, this isn’t a full time job for most writers, but it can be a way to get your feet wet before diving into job boards.

25. Create Video Game Guidebooks

If you like playing video games, consider writing video game guidebooks. Often, this works best for very open-world games (think Skyrim or Baldur’s Gate). Usually, players are willing to pay to unlock secrets about the game that they may not discover themselves. 

You can self-publish your guide digitally. Alternatively, you could design your guides as video tutorials on platforms like YouTube and monetize through ads. You can even host them on your own website if you want to put the background work in. 

27. Produce Travel Guides

If you have experience traveling, consider writing travel guides. Aspiring adventurers often rely on guides written by people who have gone there. Self-publish travel guides of places you have gone to promote them through social media or travel forums. 

You must have real-world experience here. Pretending you have expertise likely won’t work in this field. 

Alternatively, you can pitch travel articles to magazines, websites, and similar publications. Most travel publications pay for their content from freelance writers, as they cannot pay to send their staff everywhere .

Apeksha Bhateja is a great example of a writer who travels while writing. She currently writes for Fodor’s Travel , which publishes a range of articles and guides on travel. 

28. Offer Resume and Cover Writing Services

Job seekers occasionally turn to professionals for help with their resumes and cover letters. If you can do this successfully, you can make a lot of money to help clients stand out from the rest of the competition. 

While this can be lucrative, breaking into this niche can take a lot of work. Often, it is overwhelmed by larger companies (which you could also write for). 

29. Write for Revenue Sharing Websites

While revenue-sharing sites may provide little income upfront, they can be a way to earn passive income over time. These platforms pay writers based on the performance of their articles and personal essays.

You may receive a small income in exchange if your content does well. Usually, this works better for those in a lifestyle niche – not so much for technical writers. Of course, this isn’t going to be a full-time job, either. However, it can make you some passive income. Once a published article is online, it stays there. 

Several websites work in this way, such as Medium. If you participate in the Medium Partner Program, you can earn money based on your stories’ engagement and reading time. 

It can be incredibly challenging to make significant income through revenue-sharing websites. Kristina Pulford explains that Medium isn’t a lucrative place to make money. She publishes on Medium regulation and has thousands of followers, so she knows what she’s talking about.

However, it can be a way to dip your toes into monetization and get paid to write while also making a name for yourself. You can also use the article published through these platforms to attract other clients. 

Final Thoughts

Often, getting paid to write isn’t about going down one specific path. Instead, many writers get their income via a few different routes. Some even do both creative and technical writing. You’ll likely need to try a few before you settle in and develop your career. 

Many options above also help you make a name for yourself and develop your writing skills, precisely what you need to land higher-paying writing jobs. 

It’s important to realize that making money writing online isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. Making money online has never been easier with today’s technology, but it is still work . Eventually, some of these writing jobs should help you replace your full-time income. Everyone wants to be their own boss, but being a full-time writer is still a lot of work. 

Kristin Hitchcock

I'm Kristin, a seasoned freelance writer, specializing in SEO writing and niche websites, and I have been in this field for nearly a decade. My expertise in content marketing has been instrumental in establishing several thriving websites in several different niches. When I’m not writing, I’m hiking, homeschooling the kids, or *trying* to crochet.

Elite Content Marketer offers education and software reviews to help beginner creators graduate into the middle class (and beyond) sustainably. Learn more about us here .

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How to Build a Creative Writing Freelance Business

The problem with creative writing jobs is that they can be unpredictable.

Think about it.

You apply for dozens of screenwriting or technical writing jobs, and you finally receive an offer! You spend days negotiating a fair price and learning how to write in the format and tone of your new client.

But that creative writing “job” is nothing more than a short-term writing project. Every few months, you’ll find yourself starting the cycle all over again.

Search. Apply. Negotiate. Work. Repeat!

Are you ready to turn your passion for writing into a consistent living with a steady stream of clients and income?

To build a freelance creative writing business, you should:

1. Become a Student of the Craft 2. Develop a Business Plan 3. Create a Blog, Website, and Online Profiles 4. Dedicate Your Time to Lead Generation 5. Consider Hiring Subcontractors

Become a Student of the Craft

When those creative juices flow, you’re unstoppable.

You’re a natural creative writer. Your words connect seamlessly, and your short stories are convincing enough to provide readers a long-anticipated mental escape.

But there’s always room for growth.

Whether you have a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, some high school English courses, or none of the above, you should step back into the “student” role and:

Sharpen Your Research Skills

Nothing will ruin your credibility quite as much as inconsistencies, plot holes, and unreliable sources.

So, practice your research skills in your free time.

For example, you can vet sources for accuracy when you read blog posts or articles.

Or even research historical concepts in film and TV and look for scenes that don’t quite add up (like the lack of accurate Spartan armor in the movie 300 ).

Decide on Your Favorite Niches

When it comes to marketing your creative writing business, you’ll find that your ads generate more organic traffic when you have a specific niche.

For example, a director looking to develop a new television pilot is more likely to search for a “screenwriter” than a generic “creative writer.”

So, select a genre that puts your writing skills on full display, like:

• Screenplays
• Newspaper journalism
• Magazine writing
• Public relations
• Short stories
• Pop culture
• Website content writing/blog posts

Of course, it won’t matter how engaging your content is if you don’t have the necessary tools to bring those pieces to fruition.

So, make sure you’re up-to-date on your technological resources (i.e., proofreading tools like Grammarly or Hemingway , high-speed internet, a laptop, and a printer).

Related: 11 Mistakes Freelancers Should Avoid

Develop a Business Plan

The biggest shock of becoming a business owner is … well … the “business” part.

As a freelance writer, your only concerns were submitting projects before the deadline and waiting for the check to clear 24 hours later.

Now, you have much more on your plate:

Business expenses , legal contracts, invoicing, and lots more.

So, your business plan should take into account:

There’s an ongoing debate regarding the best way to bill clients.

But if you want to ensure you never accidentally undercharge for your services, charging by the hour is the unofficial “gold standard.”

How to Set Your Rate as a Freelance Writer

Take out your calculator. Let’s do a little math:

• Choose an ideal annual income: We’ll say $72,000.
• Decide how many hours you’d prefer to work per week: Let’s go with 40, the standard for a decent work-life balance.
• Multiply your number of weekly hours by 52 weeks: 2,080 hours
• Take your annual income and divide it by the product of #3: $34.60/hour

Hold on! Keep that calculator out!

You’ll also want to factor in overhead costs, like your Grammarly subscription, virtual office fees, or bookkeeper wages.

So, if those additional costs total up to $2,500 a year, divide that by 2,080. This calculates out to an extra $1.20/hour to secure your desired $72,000 annual income.

Your Business Name and Logo

The average person sees over 5,000 ads per day .

So, you want to make sure that your ideal client sees your ad and remembers it after they click to another page.

The best place to start?

Choosing a memorable and creative business name and a matching logo, which you should have no problem with considering your career path!

But you must be careful not to use names or logos being used by another entity because doing so can result in trademark lawsuits. Trademarks are a brand’s or product’s identifiers, including brand names, slogans, logos, sounds, and symbols. However, it will help to first understand the meaning of various trademark symbols for you to identify what names or logos are trademarked

How to Choose a Name for Your Freelance Business

Look for words related to your niche and see how you can piece them together to convey your writing (i.e., “ScreamPlay” if you specialize in penning horror flicks).

Come up with a dozen or so, and jot them down on paper in order of your favorites. Starting at the top of the list, Google them to see if each one is taken. If someone already uses that name for their business, move on to the next.

The last thing you want is to choose a business name that someone’s already using!

Your Business Finances

Until recently, the only thing you had to worry about was earning enough monthly income to keep the lights on and pay your rent.

But now, the money will flow from your account in both directions. And that can be a scary thought if finances aren’t your strong suit.

To best manage the financial aspects of your creative writing business:

Establish Business Accounts

The one thing that’ll make tax season even more of a nightmare is having to thumb through piles of receipts and paperwork to separate personal and business expenses .

Never commingle your money!

Instead, open up a bank account and credit card strictly for your business venture!

Choose How You’ll Invoice Clients

You went through all that effort to determine a fair hourly rate. Now, you have to figure out how you’ll send your clients the bill when you finish their next order.

Our favorite invoicing tools are:

• PayPal : Anyone who’s ordered from Amazon or DoorDash probably has a PayPal account up and running. Just be aware that there’s a 2.9% + $0.30 flat fee on all invoices you send (though we have a few workarounds ).
• Wave : You can easily send professional invoices to clients while also tracking your receipts and business expenditures in one easy-to-use app!
• Bloom : Okay, we’re biased because this is our product. But starting at $9/month, you can send unlimited invoices to clients while also streamlining client contact and your business’s workflow!

Since most invoicing tools require small fees, condensing multiple articles or batches into a single invoice can reduce your overhead.

Try Bloom for free today!

Your Legal Protections

Every business owner’s worst nightmare is facing a lawsuit or having a client go AWOL before paying their dues.

So, you want to pursue legal protections like:

Business Insurance

Accidents happen, even in the writing world.

So, when the USB drive holding your latest manuscript winds up in the washing machine or a client isn’t satisfied, a $100,000 lawsuit will put you underwater.

You need business insurance to provide ongoing legal protection for as little as $20/month!

A limited liability company (LLC) might be a little costly to set-up, but it’s the best way to protect your new business if you happen to get attorney papers in the mail.

Any lawsuit will be directed toward your LLC, not your personal bank account!

Legal Contracts

As much as you want to trust your best-paying client, there’s no guarantee you’ll receive payment unless you require it legally.

So, a legally-binding contract —fit with an e-Signature—is an absolute “must.”

Don’t begin working on a project until the client signs the contract, agrees to the price, and, in an ideal world, puts the money into escrow!

Learn more about protecting your business in case of broken contracts: How to Write a Force Majeure Clause

Create a Blog, Website, and Online Profiles

The best part about being a creative content writer is that your clients don’t have to put blind trust in your business.

That’s because your best work is already available online via social media, an up-to-date blog, or a professional website.

At least it should be!

Here’s what you need to know about honing your online presence:

Publishing Your Work Online

The best way to ensure your clients leave 5-star reviews on Yelp is by giving them a good sense of your tone, voice, and research style before they hire you.

So, publish regular writing samples on:

• Wattpad (for stories, preferably)

Not only will your publications reach a far wider audience (which may include potential clients), but you can also garner feedback from your loyal readers!

Creating a Professional Website

You don’t need to hire a web designer or an SEO expert (although it certainly doesn’t hurt), but your business’s website should have an air of professionalism.

On top of regularly-scheduled blog posts, be sure to include:

• SEO keywords related to your niche that your ideal client will find organically on Google (like “fictional story writer”)
• Up-to-date contact information
• Landing pages with gated content and a client intake form (collect those email addresses!)
• A scheduling tool for planning out first meetings with new clients
• A simple website domain (nothing screams “I put this together last night” quite like a .wordpress.com or .weebly.com domain)

And don’t forget that all of your online advertisements and social media profiles should link potential clients to your website!

Creating Social Media Profiles

Social media can be a little trickier for a writer than for a photographer, as people are far more inclined to look at an image than read a 5-minute article.

So, it’s all about using your online handles strategically.

For example, Tumblr is a unique artistic community that appreciates short stories, fanfic, and poetry.

Instagram and Twitter either have a cap on character count or prioritize images.

In that case, putting an excerpt from your latest work on a white background and turning it into an image will generate more interactions and shares!

And if your screenwriting, playwriting, or speech writing have been videotaped, add them to your YouTube profile so that potential clients can see your work in action.

A Note on Pen Names:

One of the best parts about being a creative writer is that you can pursue anonymity by using a pen name. It can also do wonders for your career if your real name is something common like John Smith.

That’s completely fine!

However, consistency is key.

So, make sure to post all of your work under the same name, whether that’s a Tumblr blog, Facebook profile, or your website.

Where to Find Freelance Creative Writing Jobs Online

Sure, it may take time for your website to show on the first page of search engines like Google, but it doesn’t have to take months or even years to start a blog and make money. 

Additional jobs for creative writing experts on:

• Freelancer.com
• Writers Work

The trick is creating these profiles on all or most of these sites so that you don’t have to actively apply for jobs once you get your business running.

If you set your preferences to let the platform know what kinds of work you enjoy, then complete a few jobs to show them you do quality work, they’ll send you job alerts whenever they have a posting that might interest you.

Dedicate Your Time to Lead Generation

Now that you’ve ironed out the kinks and gotten your business off the ground, it’s time to secure even more work through lead generation .

We know what you’re thinking: “But I don’t know anything about marketing.”

No worries!

Here are a few tips to turn your freelancing career into a thriving business:

Reach Out to the Right People and Businesses

Take a second to think about who your ideal client is, where they are, and how you can get in contact with them.

If you’re a scriptwriter or playwright, reach out to local performing arts facilities like theaters and studios.

If you’re more of a copywriter, pay a visit to downtown businesses that might need advertising content.

Phone your local magazine and newspaper editors to find out if they’re looking to hire essay writers.

And if lyrics or speechwriting are more your things, local politicians or up-and-coming musicians might need your services.

Make a Sales Pitch

Ask yourself: Why should a client place an order with my creative writing business?

Is it your years of experience writing persuasive essays ?

Have you had publications in national magazines?

Do you fulfill all orders within four weeks?

Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. If you can’t fit it into an easy to skim email or brief phone call, you have a little work to do!

Start Marketing Online

Nothing beats talking to people face to face. But when you’re a creative writer, you might be working for people in New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, even if you don’t live in those places.

In other words, most of your business will be virtual!

So, begin marketing your services online for a much broader reach.

The obvious starting points on the marketing front are Google PPC ads and Facebook Ads . But it’s your approach to marketing that makes the biggest difference.

Get creative by:

• Putting your best work on display (i.e., boosting Facebook posts of your samples, rather than just ads).
• Automating your marketing efforts through regular email campaigns, advertising discounts, deals, and incentives!
• Joining LinkedIn groups related to your niche and participating in conversations.
• Submitting samples of your work into competitions that’ll give you exposure and more relevant search results.
• Using relevant hashtags to get your content on your ideal client’s screens without having to spend a dime.

Soon enough, you’ll have referral clients knocking down your door and a fully-automated sales funnel to keep you busy and your bank account full.

Consider Hiring Subcontractors

The whole purpose of transitioning from a solo freelancer to a business owner was to get more clients and expand your earning potential.

But now, it feels like you’re spreading yourself too thin.

With a strict hourly rate, the only way to make more money is by sacrificing your free time and allowing your business to consume your entire life.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way!

It might be time to think about hiring subcontractors and creating a team of other skilled freelancers, like:

Other Writers

Short stories might be your forte, but you can’t seem to find your “salesperson hat” when you get a copywriting project.

Consider hiring creative content writers that thrive in your weaker niches to create an all-inclusive creative writing business!

Virtual Assistant

You may be stepping into the shoes of a “business owner,” but you’re maintaining an active role in your company as the head writer.

Think about hiring a virtual assistant to handle the behind-the-scenes tasks (lead generation, client communication , etc.).

You’ll never understand the financial aspects of running a business until you begin adding others to your payroll.

Bringing a part-time bookkeeper on board can help you track your ongoing business expenses and better prepare for tax filing.

Editor or Proofreader

Nobody said that your writing quality wasn’t on par, but it’s easy to let errors slip through the cracks.

Enlisting the help of a sharp-eyed proofread can ensure your writing is always top notch!

Where to Hire Subcontractors

Writers are more likely to scour job boards like Upwork , ProBlogger , or Fiver than to look at listings on Indeed or Monster.

So, those sites are the best place to start.

When writing listings, create clear job descriptions that detail precisely the type of person you want to join your “team,” like:

• Number of hours per week
• Starting pay (ensure your budget allows you to still profit)
• Skills needed to be successful
• Required technology (Grammarly, Hemingway, laptop, etc.)
• Deadlines and flexibility requirements

Most of all, don’t forget to factor in these new overhead costs when you deliver project estimates to new clients.

So, if it costs you $1,000/month to pay your new hires and you average 200 orders a month, consider adding an extra $5 flat fee to every contract!

Now that you’ve proven your knack for writing and escaped the vice of entry-level creative writing jobs, it’s time to start working on building a business.

No matter where you envision your new business heading in the next few years, keep your sights on the most important thing:

Creating engaging content.

The more satisfied your clients are, the better reviews they’ll leave online. In the next six months, this “crazy” creative writing startup will be a lucrative business!

And to think you started as a part-time freelance writer!

Learn more about how Bloom can help you manage your business!

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COACHING + PUBLISHING

FORMATTING + DESIGN

FREELANCE COMMUNITY

• Make Money Writing: The Monster List of 115 Markets

The Monster List Table of Contents

1. alaska business monthly, 2. bcbusiness, 3. b. michelle pippin, 4. freelance mom, christian markets, 6. america magazine, 7. the christian century, 8. guideposts, 9. relevant, 10. today’s christian living, 11. business insider, 12. the guardian, 13. the ken, 14. smartbusinesstrends, 15. practicalecommerce, lifestyle & social impact, 16. audubon, 17. earth island journal, 18. hakai magazine, 20. upworthy, 21. the atlantic, 24. the economist, personal finance, 26. elitepersonalfinance, 27. first quarter finance, 28. investopedia, 29. money crashers, 30. the motley fool, 31. backpacker, 32. backroads, 33. desertusa, 34. escapees magazine, 35. international living, writing & freelancing, 36. copyhackers, 37. freedom with writing.

• 38. FreelanceMom

39. Make a Living Writing

40. writersweekly, 41. cannabis now, 42. green entrepreneur, 44. maximum yield, digital magazines, 46. early american life, 47. foreign policy, 48. high country news, 49. hoofbeats, 50. smithsonian mag, digital magazines: stories and essays, 51. the american scholar, 52. boston globe mag, 53. buzzfeed news, 54. longreads, 55. the sun, digital magazines: women, 56. cosmopolitan, 57. glamour mag, 58. good housekeeping, 59. liisbeth, 60. oprah mag, entertainment, 61. american theatre, 62. the a.v. club, 63. deadspin, 64. the root, 65. the smart set, guest blogging, 67. howlround, 68. incomediary, 69. iworkwell, 70. penny hoarder, health and wellness, 71. climbing, 72. eating well, 73. experience life, 74. idea fitness journal, 75. vibrant life, home & garden, 76. american gardener, 77. architectural digest, 79. fine gardening, 80. hobby farms, 81. country, 82. funds for writers, 83. mother.ly, 84. the new yorker, 85. reader’s digest, 86. better programming, 87. creative cafã©, 88. elemental, 90. writing cooperative, 91. additude magazine, 92. adoptive families, 93. fatherly, 94. grown and flown, 95. working mother, 96. the american journal of nursing, 97. arts & letters, 98. cricket media.

• 99. 50 Haikus

100. Poetry Magazine

101. the american conservative, 102. lifezette, 103. the nation, 104. the progressive, 105. washington monthly, 106. bee culture, 107. mother earth news, 108. new scientist, 109. science magazine, 110. sky & telescope, 111. godaddy blog, 112. pixlr blog, 113. sitepoint, 114. smashing magazine, 115. the verge, start pitching to land new work in 2022.

Ready to make money writing in 2022?

While 2021 was a rough year, there are still plenty of opportunities for freelance writers in the year ahead.

And if you’re looking to get off to a productive start in 2022, we’ve got you covered. This monster list includes 115 markets spanning more than 20 industries. So there’s something for just about everyone!

You’ll find a wide range of places to pitch to help you make money writing, including:

• Content writing and guest blogging opportunities for new writers and pros breaking into different niches.
• Print and web-based writing jobs for writers of all levels , from those still building portfolios to writers with substantial experience or expertise in specific industries.
• Pro-rate gigs at top publishers , like glossy magazines and popular news and lifestyle sites geared toward mid-career and seasoned writers.

We focused on gigs that offer competitive rates – the top five in each niche – and we’ve updated the pay and editor contact information for each market. That way, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect before getting started on your pitch.

• Digital Magazines: Stories & Essays
• Health & Wellness

Alaska Business Monthly covers everything related to business in the state of Alaska, including online retail.

• Stories focus on analyzing issues and trends affecting local businesses.
• The editors also like to feature articles about innovative local individuals and companies.

Note that while this publication does accept unsolicited pitches, they more commonly assign specific pieces to freelancers.  

Contact: Email managing Editor Kathryn Mackenzie .  

Rate:  $0.20/word.  

Interested in writing assignments about issues affecting business and e-commerce in the areas of Vancouver and British Columbia, Canada? Consider pitching BCBusiness. The magazine publishes feature stories that impact the lives of its readers. Your best bet: pitch ideas on issues and trends defining industries in this part of the country.  

Contact:   Editor Nick Rockel .  

Rate:  $0.56-$0.75/word.

Michelle Pippin is a business blog for women that focuses on topics like marketing effectively, enhancing productivity, scoring speaking gigs, and overcoming business-related challenges. If you have firsthand experience in one of those areas, reach out and pitch an original, instructive story idea.  

Contact:  Send a message to editor  Michelle Pippin  on LinkedIn.  

Rate:  $50-$150 per post.

Lisa Stern runs the Freelance Mom website designed to help moms build a freelance business to make money from home. Blog posts include a mix of personal experience and how-to guides to teach moms how to run a freelance business. Plus, every post includes a 20 to 30-minute action plan to help moms take the next step, instead of the classic, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” (which really means never) response.  

Contact: Send pitches to Lisa Stein at  [email protected] .  

Rate: $75 to $100 per assignment, plus potential $150 bonus for traffic.

Inc.  is a very popular business pub geared toward owners and managers of small companies. Over the past decade, their readership has more than doubled, and they now reach an audience of over 25 million.

It’s not easy to get your work published by  Inc. , but it’s possible. This publication doesn’t accept one-off pitches; instead, like some of the other markets on our list, they prefer to establish ongoing relationships with contributors. If you’re willing to contribute for at least six months, review their guidelines and send an email with a sample article and your answers to their list of questions.  

Contact:  Contact editor Lindsay Blakely by  email  or on  LinkedIn .  

Rate:  Pay can reportedly go up to $0.33 per word but is partially dependent on ad revenue.

America Magazine  is a weekly print publication that also features online content. They focus on providing a Catholic perspective on faith and culture topics, including political, economic, and social issues. This outlet accepts pitches for feature-length articles (2,500 words or less), personal essays (up to 1,500 words), and shorter opinion essays. They also publish  poetry .  

Contact:  Read the submission guidelines and submit your query on the  submission page .  

Rate:  Competitive;  reportedly  $0.25/word and up.

The Christian Century  is a biweekly ecumenical magazine that primarily covers topics relating to theology, human rights, poverty, international relations, and economic justice. Content is published in print and online.

The editors emphasize that their content is geared toward a progressive Christian audience that seeks in-depth analysis and critical perspectives.  

Contact:  Tweet managing editor  Steve Thorngate .  

Rate:  $100-$300 per 1,500-3,000-word article.

Guideposts  is a widely read bi-monthly Christian magazine published in print and digital formats. Their goal is to help readers solve difficult personal problems, build meaningful relationships and find peace of mind. They look for true, first-person stories about people who have overcome an obstacle, reached an important goal or learned an applicable lesson through their faith.  

Contact:  Reach out to editor-in-chief  Edward Grinnan  and submit a story via their  online form .  

Rate:  $100-$500.

Relevant  runs a bi-monthly magazine as well as a website, relevantmagazine.com, which features daily articles. The content is geared toward millennial audiences, and topics include faith, lifestyle, national and global issues, culture, and justice. Relevant  doesn’t currently pay for articles that appear on their website, but they do pay for stories published in their magazine.  

Contact:  Email senior editor  Tyler Huckabee .  

Rate:  $100-$400 for print features.

Today’s Christian Living  is a bimonthly print and digital magazine geared toward a general Christian audience. The focus is on providing articles that encourage readers to fulfill their God-given calling. They publish personality and ministry profiles, personal stories, inspirational pieces, and short humorous anecdotes.

Note that this mag prefers to receive manuscripts as attachments rather than queries.  

Contact:  Email editor  Dan Brownell .  

Rate:  $25-$150.

Got your pulse on e-commerce-related news? Check out  Business Insider .

This is a U.S business site with a focus on e-commerce as well as finance, tech, and other U.S industries. It’s the largest website of its kind on the internet today and frequently relies on contributions from freelancers who specialize in business writing.

Their editors are especially interested in pitches for:

• Reported features
• Personal essays

Do your homework, and make sure your ideas are different from what they’ve already published.  

Contact:  Email editor Alyse Kalish .  

Rate:  Varies; typically in the range of $0.20-$0.35/word.  

The Guardian is a British-based publication. But this pub covers American and international news and attracts a diverse global readership. It includes an e-commerce section that’s dedicated to covering current events related to:

• Online retail
• Cryptocurrency
• And other topics of relevance

Tip: Demonstrate personal or professional expertise on the topic you want to write about to increase the chances of your pitch being accepted.  

Contact:  View The Guardian’s U.S editorial team  here .  

Pay:  $300/1,000 words.

If you’re knowledgeable about the online retail sector in India and Southeast Asia, pitch The Ken. This publication has over 15,000 paying subscribers and publishes one new story per day.

Want a business writing assignment for The Ken? They’re looking for freelance journalists and subject matter experts to pitch reported stories that are fact-based and analytical.  

Contact:  Email commissioning editor  Durga M. Sengupta .  

Rate: $0.25/edited word or $50/chart for data stories.

Virtually every e-commerce business needs to be able to market effectively online. That’s the angle of SmartBusinessTrends. This blog regularly accepts contributions from freelance writers who are able to write:

• Informative articles
• Product reviews
• Case studies of use to their readers

Tip: In order for your pitch to be accepted by this blog, you’ll need to have relevant experience or expertise in the topic you want to write about.  

Contact:  Reach out to editor Chris Fong  here or via Twitter .  

Rate:  $200-$500 per article.

PracticalEcommerce provides expert advice, instruction, and insight to help small and mid-sized e-commerce companies grow and succeed. Their editorial policies differ from some publications, though. How? They don’t publish unsolicited pieces. Instead, they rely on a pool of regular contributors who can create content designed to genuinely help their readers.

Tip: Look over their website. If you have a suitable topic or idea to offer, pitch the editor.  

Contact:  Email editor  Kerry Murdock .  

Rate:  Determined by the editor.

Birders with a passion for protecting wild birds and their habitats should consider pitching Audubon. Send your ideas for stories on birdlife and conservation in a well-crafted query of 500 words or less.  

Contact: Email features editor Alisa Opar or locate the right section editor for your pitch here .  

Rate: As much as $0.40 per word.

Earth Island Journal publishes a blog that focuses on environmental issues pertaining to an international audience, such as wildlife and land conservation, climate and energy, and environmental protection policies.

For the best chance of having your story idea accepted, pitch a newsworthy, relevant topic that’s been overlooked by other outlets.

Contact:  Email managing editor  Zoe Loftus-Farren  or reach out on  LinkedIn .  

Rate:  $0.25/word for print features; $100 for online reports.

Hakai uses short- and long-form journalism to report on coastal ecosystems. This magazine publishes work from freelance writers in two different sections; News & Views (300-800 words) and Features (1,000-1,500 words).

Contact: Senior Editor Shanna Baker  or Managing Editor  Adrienne Mason  on Twitter.

Rate: As much as $1.05 a word.  

Truity is a hugely popular blog about personality types and personality psychology. They look for passionate writers who can create high-quality content about topics like Myers Briggs, the Enneagram, and Jung’s typology.

Contact:  Reach out to CEO and publisher Molly Owens on LinkedIn or complete an  application  to write for Truity.

Rate:  $100-$150 per post.

The Upworthy blog focuses on making a positive social impact. Stories should be “surprising, meaningful, shareable, and visual.” Review their content to get a better sense of what kinds of pieces are successful.

Contact:  Complete the  pitch form  or reach out to editor  Annie Reneau .

Rate:  $0.23-$0.35 per word.

The Atlantic  is a popular digital magazine that covers news, politics, culture, science and health, tech, and more. They frequently publish high-quality feature stories from experienced writers.

Contact:  Email Deputy Editor  Ross Andersen  or submit your pitch to the appropriate news desk .

Rate:  Up to $0.65/word.

22. Business Insider

Got your pulse on business news? Check out  Business Insider . This is a U.S-based site with a focus on e-commerce as well as finance, global tech, media, markets, and healthcare. It’s the largest website of its kind on the internet today and frequently relies on contributions from freelancers who specialize in business writing.

Do your homework, and make sure your ideas are different from what they’ve already published.

Contact:  Email editor Alyse Kalish to pitch a reported feature. To pitch a first-person narrative or write as a contributor, contact editor Laura Casado .

Rate:  Varies; typically in the range of $0.20-$0.35/word.

23. Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor is an independent, international news publication. It covers a range of topics, including the economy and e-commerce, science and nature, culture, and U.S and global news.

Write on spec . That’s how they do it at the Christian Science Monitor. It means they want to see the fully-written story before they decide whether or not to accept it.

Contact:  Review the  newsroom directory  and/or  editorial leadership  guide, and pitch the appropriate editor based on the topic you’re interested in writing about.

Rate:  $0.25-$0.40/word.

The Economist  is a weekly magazine that’s published in both print and digital formats. It’s been around for a long time (since 1843!) and today reaches a global audience. It features stories about global news topics, politics, business, and the economy. Its sister publication, aptly named  1843 , also  accepts freelance pieces  of narrative journalism.

When crafting your pitch, plan to write not only about something current and relevant but also to explain the importance of the topic by providing analysis and context.  

Contact:  Email finance editor  Rachana Shanbhogue  or send a message on  LinkedIn .

Rate:  Pay rates vary widely, ranging from $0.20/word to more than $1 per word, depending on the content and your level of experience.

Getting an article into  Forbes  magazine is a huge accomplishment for any writer (Carol would know!).

But if you’re an experienced freelancer with relevant knowledge and business news writing experience, you might have a shot at writing for money for this pub.

On occasion,  Forbes  also hires experienced news writers to work on a contract basis, and the role is typically remote. You can keep an eye on their job openings for writers  here .  

Contact:  Reach out to managing editor Joyce Bautista Ferrari by email or on LinkedIn .

Rate:  $100+ per published digital article.

ElitePersonalFinance features a website and blog that offers actionable advice on topics like:

• Building credit
• Securing loans
• Preventing identity theft (with a focus on millennial readers. They spend over $100,000 each year on high-quality content.)

Pitch a 1,000-3,000-word post on one of the topics defined in their guidelines. Once you’re in, you might even be able to secure regular, ongoing work.

Contact:  Reach out on  Facebook  or send your pitch by  email .

Rate:  Up to $300 per published article.

First Quarter Finance exists to provide readers with helpful advice related to earning, investing, spending, and saving money. They don’t accept one-off pitches. Instead, they strive to establish long-term relationships with reliable freelance writers. If you secure this gig, you can expect to receive one assignment per week on an ongoing basis.

Contact:  Submit an application for this gig here .

Rate:  Averages $80.00 per article.

Investopedia has been a popular personal finance hub on the web for over 20 years. Their goal is to help readers feel more confident when managing money and investments by simplifying complex financial information.

If you’re interested in writing consistently for money opportunities with Investopedia, you’ll need to apply to become a contributor. Be sure to include your credentials and clips related to one of the topics they cover.

Contact:  View Investopedia’s contributor openings and submit an application  here . You can also send a message to Personal Finance Editor  Julia Kagan .

Rate:  While Investopedia doesn’t publish their rates, they do state that their pay is competitive. One freelance writer for the company reported earnings of over $50,000 per year (Glassdoor, 2015).

Money Crashers is a well-known personal finance website that covers topics like:

• Money management
• Estate planning
• Tax preparation

Writing for money opportunities? They regularly hire writers to contribute engaging, high-quality posts related to these issues, and they often like to publish longer, detailed articles of around 3,000 words. Instead of submitting a pitch, you’ll need to fill out an application and provide links to writing samples.

Contact:  Submit a contributor application  here  or reach out to editor  Kelly Gurnett .

Rate:  Competitive.

The Motley Fool regularly seeks out writers to contribute content to their network of websites. Instead of pitches, they’re looking for writers who are flexible and able to cover a variety of finance topics regularly. To write for The Motley Fool, you’ll need to fill out a short application and provide links to three writing samples.

Contact:  Fill out the  writer application  or send a message to  Editor Michael Douglass .

Rate:  Typically $140 for published articles.

Backpacker  is a bimonthly print and digital magazine focused on foot-based travel-primarily hiking-throughout North America. About 50 percent of the stories in this pub are written by freelancers, which means there may be opportunities for you.

Your pitch will have the best chance of being accepted if you’re willing to start off by writing a short assignment for the pages in the departments section. Plan to write an impactful story with a valuable take-away for the reader.

Contact:  Reach out to editor Shannon Davis on LinkedIn or send your pitch by email .

Rate:  Varies; reportedly $0.25-$0.50/word depending on the section.

Backroads USA  is a monthly publication with a focus on providing motorcycle touring-related guides, tips, and information. The editors look for articles about unique or obscure roadside attractions or eateries and interesting destinations. Note that all feature articles submitted to this pub must be accompanied by high-quality photographs.

Contact:  Email the  editor .

Rate:  $75 and up.

Interested in writing about topics related to the North American desert or surrounding regions? Consider pitching DesertUSA. This digital resource features a blog that includes articles about travel, Native American culture, regional history and geology, and southwestern arts and crafts. Note that all writers for this blog are required to provide digital images along with their stories.

Contact:  Email  or  Tweet  publisher Jim Bremner.

Rate:  $50 per article.

Escapees  is a bimonthly magazine geared toward RVers who enjoy traveling and exploring. They seek general interest RV-related topics, how-to articles, photo features, profiles, and other travel features. All freelance submissions will need to include photos, and stories should be written in a conversational tone. High-quality technical and informational articles are especially needed.

Contact:  Email assistant editor  Kelly Evans-Hill .

Rate:  Typically $100-$200 for feature stories.

International Living  offers both a blog and a magazine geared toward helping people retire affordably by living abroad. They need interviews, reviews of relevant new products, how-to guides, and travel features.

Contact:  Email editorial director  Eoin Bassett  to pitch a print article or contact digital editor  Annie Hannon  to pitch a blog post.

Rate:  $250-$400 for print articles; usually about $0.10 per word for blog/website articles.

The Copyhackers blog is geared toward helping copywriters and marketers achieve success and upward mobility in their careers. It features stories about topics like conversion copywriting, freelancing for hire, and product marketing.

It’s not easy to get your pitch accepted by Copyhackers. They only accept 1 in 30 pitches and only publish a third of those. But if your article is published, you’ll be compensated quite well.

Contact:  Email your pitch to the  content strategist  or contact founder and editor  Joanna Wiebe .

Rate:  $300-$1,000 per post.

Wanna help other freelancers get paid for their writing? If you have useful advice to share, pitch this blog. They’re looking for how-to guides, essays, and case studies. They also occasionally publish eBooks.

Contact:  Email  editor Jacob Jans .

Rate:  Up to $150 for articles; $500+ for eBooks.

  38. FreelanceMom

FreelanceMom is a popular website for moms who work as freelancers and solopreneurs. In fact, it made the top five in two of our niches! The editor is looking for writers who can provide original blog posts offering in-depth, actionable advice for readers. Pitch an article that is deeply personal, well-researched, or education-based.

Contact:  Email  Editor Lisa Stein .

Rate:  $75-100 per post.

Did you know our blog pays writers for guest posts about the business and craft of freelance writing? If you’re a current or former Freelance Writer’s Den member, or if you’ve graduated from Jon Morrow’s blog mentoring program, submit an idea! On occasion, founder Carol Tice offers open pitch windows, where anyone who subscribes to the blog can query.

Note that almost all pitches accepted are from subscribers of our blog.  

Contact:  Email our editor .

Rate: $150+ per post.

Writers Weekly is geared toward helping writers earn money from their craft. They publish stories covering topics like self-publishing, corporate writing, and marketing tips for freelance writers.

Contact:  Email publisher  Angela Hoy  or submit your pitch through the contact form after reading the writer’s guidelines .

Rate:  $60 per 600-word article.

Cannabis Now  is one of just a handful of specialty magazines about the cannabis industry sold in major bookstores, airports, and grocery-store chains. It’s garnered a massive following of readers and subscribers in just eight years, and it’s a great place to land freelance writing jobs in this niche.

Contact: Senior Editor Ellen Holland on  Twitter .

Rate: Competitive rates per assignment.

Entrepreneur  magazine launched  GreenEntrepreneur.com , to give readers the latest news in cannabis. Land freelance writing jobs for this pub by pitching stories about entrepreneurship, business, technology, and lifestyle to get into this pub.

Contact: Executive Editor Jonathan Small on  Twitter .

Rate:  Up to $1.50 per word, based on assignment.

Leafly started out as a resource for medical marijuana patients and focused on the different strains available to treat various health conditions. But it’s evolved since then to serve a larger audience of recreational marijuana users, too.

Want to land freelance writing jobs for Leafly? Include a brief description of your proposed story for the news section, a tentative word count, and relevant clips in your pitch. Send to  [email protected] .

Contact: Editor Janessa Bailey on  LinkedIn .

Rate:  Based on assignment.

Maximum Yield is a trade pub for the cannabis industry. This pub hires freelancers for pieces on the equipment and technology used to grow and harvest the plant.

Contact: Editor-in-Chief Toby Gorman on  LinkedIn .

Rate: Honorarium per assignment.

An estimated 3.5 million people have prescriptions to use marijuana for medicinal purposes in the U.S. And that’s the market Nugg serves, connecting patients with dispensaries and even facilitating doctor-patient telemedicine calls via NuggMD.

Contact: Alex Milligan, co-founder and marketing director:  [email protected] .

Rate:  $0.07 to $0.10 per word based on assignment.

New writers looking for freelance gigs on American life from colonial times to the mid-1800s should to submit queries to this magazine. Topics related to antiques, architecture and decorating, history, studio crafts, and travel are welcome.

Contact:   Email  editor JeanMarie Andrews or reach out on LinkedIn .

Rate: Estimated $500 for new writers.

Foreign Policy commissions freelancers for stories with a unique angle on politics, culture, and world events. Do some original reporting, then pitch a topic that will challenge readers.

Contact: Editor-in-chief Ravi Agrawal or reach out on Twitter .

Rate: Average $0.45 a word.

A monthly magazine with a digital version, High Country News pays freelancers for stories and essays on the modern American West.

Contact: Email pitches to Bear Guerra .

Rate: Varies. Between $0.50 and $1.50 a word for stories, up to $400 for essays.

About 70 percent of Hoofbeats content comes from assigned freelance pieces. Send your ideas on Standardbreds and harness racing along with samples to  [email protected] .

Contact: Email editor Kathy Parker .

Rate: $100 to $500 for features.

Unsolicited proposals are accepted by Smithsonian Magazine from experienced freelancers pitching stories on art, history, science & innovation, and travel. Use the submission form to query the  print magazine  or the  website .

Contact: Print Executive Editor  Terence Monmaney  or Digital Editorial Editor Brian Wolly  on Twitter.

Rate: Varies. Reported at $0.36 a word or as much as $3.50 a word for print.

The magazine of the Phi Beta Kappa Society accepts nonfiction submissions from new and established writers.

Contact: Editor Robert Wilson via  email  or through the link on  Submittable .

Rate: $100+ per article.  

New freelance writers can contribute to the Perspectives and Connections columns of Boston Globe Magazine .

Contact: Editor  Veronica Chao  on Twitter.

Rate: About $0.78 a word.  

Pitch long-form personal essays and cultural criticism that wows to BuzzFeed Reader.

Contact: Send your pitch via email or contact editor Samantha Henig  on Twitter.

Rate: About $0.50 a word.  

Longreads publishes personal essays and narratives, long-form journalism, features, investigative projects, and even book excerpts. There are various editors to pitch, so check the guidelines for names and contact information.

Contact: Senior Editor Cheri Lucas Rowlands is on  LinkedIn .

Rate: $0.23 a word for articles, $500 for personal and critical essays.

Send daring personal essays, fiction, and poetry to this ad-free magazine to land freelance writing jobs. You can pitch editors Sy Safransky or David Mahaffey by submitting online.

Contact: Associate Editor Finn Cohen is on  Twitter .

Rate: Varies. As much as $2,000 for long-form essays.

Cosmo has an annual readership of 16 million across the US and Western Canada. They hire freelancers for both print and digital content in alignment with their brand, which is focused on the empowerment of young women.

Contact: Contact managing editor Alie Martell on Twitter .

Rate: Average $100 for online content, $200-400 for print.  

Into women’s style, beauty, entertainment, wellness, or culture? Pitch Glamour! And if you know anyone that makes skin, body, or hair care products, or makeup, tell them about Glamour’s  upcoming  2022 Beauty Awards.

Contact: Digital Editor Perrie Samotin on  Twitter .

Rate: $0.27 a word reported.

The majority of GH’s 25 million readers are women who are married, have children, and work outside the home. This mag pays for short narratives on “blessings” and overcoming health challenges.

Contact: Digital Director Lauren Matthews on  Twitter .

Rate: As much as $0.67 a word.  

LiisBeth publishes content focused on feminist entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders committed to gender equality. Writers of all gender expressions can email pitches to Margaret Webb.

Contact: Email editor Lana Pesch using the subject line “QUERY.”

Rates: $250 for personal essays to $800+ for policy/issue analysis.  

Oprah Magazine launched a new digital version in 2020 to continue inspiring women to live their best lives – online.

Contact: Reach out to digital director Arianna Davis on  Twitter or email the editorial team.

Rates: The print version has paid $2 a word, but expect less for digital.

The only general-circulation pub for the theatre, this magazine was founded in 1984 by the Theatre Communications Group. Covering stage artists, theatrical events and trends, and the impact of financial and legal issues on the arts, the mag’s main audience is professional, not-for-profit theatres including notable international venues.

Contact:   Rob Weinert-Kendt , editor-in-chief, by email.

Rate: $0.25 a word.

The A.V. Club is owned by the media group that puts out  The Onion . However, they publish  true  entertainment content including interviews, reviews, features, and other entertainment-related articles. They accept freelance submissions and occasionally have staff writing positions .

Contact: Reach out to editorial coordinator Gwen Inhat on LinkedIn.

Rate: Average $0.21 a word reported.

Sports fans, get cracking on your pitch to Deadspin. This pub offers in-depth guidance  on how to pitch them with real examples from writers they’ve published. They even consider non-sports stories with relevance to their readers, like this example  of Native American lacrosse players who were suspended after reporting racial abuse. Make sure to also check out our full guide to  sports writing jobs .

Contact: Find Managing Editor Chris Baud on LinkedIn .

Rate: Average $0.11 a word, as high as $0.17.  

If you want to get paid to write “meaningful stories that move the needle on issues surrounding race,” consider pitching to The Root. Content reflects original thought on the intersection of blackness and society. The It’s Lit! section explores books by African American and Black authors, and The Glow Up covers lifestyle and entertainment.

Contact: Editor-in-Chief Danielle Belton on  Twitter .

Rate: $0.20 a word.

The Smart Set covers a ton of lifestyle topics including the arts, literature, sports, shopping, and food. Freelance submissions are considered in the form of:

• Critical essays
• Cultural critiques and analyses
• Scholarly articles
• Food and travel writing
• Personal essays and memoirs
• Television reviews and unpublished excerpts  

Contact: Email pitches to Editor Melinda Lewis  at  [email protected] .

Rate: $0.20 a word reported.

66. Her Money

Her Money is a personal finance website written by and for women. Welcoming to readers of all gender expression, but especially female-identified individuals, the mag is particularly concerned about the gender wage gap. Got an idea for smart, empowering content? Pitch Her Money.

Contact: Submit a pitch through the editor’s link on the Contact Page or reach out to senior writer/editor Dayana Yochim  via Twitter or email editor-in-chief Kathryn Tuggle .

Rate: Varies.  

Are you a theatremaker with a penchant for revolution? Write about the intersection of theatre-making and social justice for HowlRound. You can write pieces for the Journal, participate in a variety of online media events, or propose other content for publication.

Contact: Submit a pitch here or email editor Ashley Malafronte .

Rate: $200 per article.  

ID is a marketing blog that puts out content on making money online. They solicit freelance pieces from experts in content creation, driving traffic, entrepreneurship, SEO, and website design. You can sign up to be notified of specific paid opportunities to freelance for them. Submit your pitch and quote via their online form .

Contact: Editor Barry Dunlop on LinkedIn .

Rate: For in-depth and well-written articles, IncomeDiary pays anywhere from $200-$500.  

This members-only site offers HR professionals information, tools, and resources to carry out strategic plans and improve day-to-day operations. And they pay their contributing writers ! Freelancers write original pieces and revise existing content, too.  

Contact: Follow the guidelines and  apply  to be one of their subject matter experts.

Rate: $200+ per article.  

Penny Hoarder CEO Kyle Taylor is on a mission to help everyday people enjoy their lives more by worrying about their finances less . As such, the content of the site offers actionable advice on making, managing, and saving money through a blend of journalism and creative storytelling.

Contact: Reach out to managing editor John Schlander  via Twitter. Submissions accepted online.

Rate: Varies, reportedly $0.09 a word.

Published six times a year, Climbing is looking for feature writing and photography around the hobby of climbing, lifestyle, and wellness. Make sure to look at all departments before pitching.

Contact: Editor Matt Samet on LinkedIn .

Rate: $0.35 a word.

Reported in a journalistic style, Eating Well’s science-based content covers all aspects of healthy eating: food originals and social networks; eating culture, traditions, and recipes; and of course, nutrition. There are various section editors, so check the guidelines for names and contact information.

Contact: Editor-in-Chief Jessie Price on  Twitter .

Rate: $1.00 a word.  

This membership magazine publishes 10 times a year with a circulation of 700,000. It features articles on healthy living and fitness in both print and digital formats. Editors consider their pub a “Healthy Way of Life” magazine.

Contact: Deputy editor Michael Dregni by  email .

Rate: $1 a word.  

This trade magazine is published by the IDEA Health and Fitness Association. The target audience is fitness and health professionals. Recent articles covered online personal training, goal-setting strategies, exercise for older clients, and digital tools for fitness professionals.

Contact: Editor-in-Chief Sandy Todd Webster by  email .

Rate: Based on assignment.  

Vibrant Life is looking for positive, beneficial stories on all aspects of health and wellness, from physical and mental health to spiritual wellbeing.

Contact: Submit completed articles via  email  to editor Heather Quintana or reach out on LinkedIn .

Rate: Ranges from $100-$300 per article.

Recently featured in the  Writer’s Digest , American Gardener is a publication of the  American Horticulture Society . From plant hunting, horticultural therapy, and “appropriate” gardening, to plant lore and literature, there are ample opportunities to freelance for this pub dedicated to environmentally responsible gardening.

Contact: Editor David Ellis on LinkedIn .

Rate: $300 to $600 for features and $150 to $200 for departments.  

If you have a story on “the next best thing” in international design, pitch AD! Be sure that you have a unique point of view and amazing photos before sending your pitch to have a shot with this iconic mag.

Contact: Find Features Director Samuel Cochran on LinkedIn .

Rate: Anywhere from $0.56 to $1.00 a word.  

Dwell offers multiple options for freelance content, so check the guidelines for specific submission info. They’re looking for stories about modern home design, budget breakdowns, and lessons learned, among others.

Contact: Find editor-in-chief William Hanley on LinkedIn .

Write about all aspects of garden care in your region of the US or Canada for Fine Gardening. Owned by Taunton Press , this mag also puts out three other pubs devoted to woodworking, homebuilding, and sewing.

Contact: Find editor Danielle Sherry on LinkedIn .

Rate: Pays between $100 to $200 per page for feature articles, and $35 to $400 for department pieces depending upon length and complexity.  

Into urban farming or part of a generational farming legacy? Provide tips for small-scale farmers and those just getting started by pitching Hobby Farms.

Contact: Reach out to editor Roger Sipe on Twitter or LinkedIn .

Rate: $300 and up for features.

Do you live on a farm? Out in the country? Or leave the city or suburbs every chance you get for a taste of country life? Write about it for  Country , a custom mag published by RDA Enthusiast Brands. You can find links pertaining to submission guidelines, the list of desired topics, and the media kit here .

Contact: Pitch  Copy Chief Deb Mulvey .

Rate:  Up to $250 per assignment.  

Making money writing isn’t always easy, but it’s possible when you learn the business and craft of freelancing<. Funds for Writers founder C. Hope Clark accepts guest posts for the site about how to make money writing. Review the guidelines, and don’t overlook the last line for tips on what can help land you an assignment: “a dash of humor, if possible; a positive note and a happy ending.”

Contact: Send manuscripts without attachments to  [email protected] .

Rate: Pays $50 per assignment.

Parenting isn’t exactly a cakewalk. If you can serve up parenting advice with a dose of humor, pitch a personal narrative or essay to Mother.ly. Like it or not, this pub prefers writers pitch via  Submittable . They are currently looking for inspiring essays and expert pieces.

Contact: Editorial director Shannon Vestal Robson on LinkedIn .

Rate: $50 and up per assignment.

Want to combine humor writing and fiction, but not ready to commit to crafting a full-length novel? Check out  Shouts & Murmurs  in  The New Yorker  magazine.

This isn’t essay writing. It’s pure fiction and satire like “ Shakespeare, Off the Cuff ,” “ Trump I.Q Test ,” “ Family Vacation Breakdown ,” and many others. Study published Shouts & Murmurs articles, and start thinking like the editors by following  Daily Shouts before submitting.

Contact: Send pdf submissions by  email .

Rate:  Depends on assignment.  

If you haven’t looked at a copy of  Reader’s Digest  recently, it’s not the same magazine it was when it launched way back in 1920. It’s still half the size of the typical magazine, but it’s been redesigned to keep up with competing pubs in the general interest and lifestyle niche. One regular feature includes jokes, gags, quotes and funny stories written by freelancers.

Contact: Summit queries via email to  [email protected]  with your category of interest in the subject line.

Rate:  $25 to $100 per assignment.

This programming pub was the fastest growing on Medium in 2019 – hitting 5 million monthly pageviews in record time. They’re looking for tutorials, think pieces, and advice to help programmers learn and improve in their field.

Contact: Fill out the pitch submission form .

Rate: Partner Program. Pay will vary.  

The Creative Cafe welcomes all creative writers to share their passions and words. This pub can be a great starting point for newer writers who just want to see their words on the web. But well-done pieces that get views will be paid through the partner program.

Contact: Visit the website during the first week of the month and fill out the new contributor request form .

Elemental offers readers information and opinions on health and wellness, as long as it’s backed by science. From coronavirus to meditation, all things for the mind and body can be found here.

Contact: Pitch executive editor Sarah Collins on Twitter .

Rate: $0.83 to $1.00 per word.  

Gen is one of the largest publications on Medium. Editors  here are looking for articles on culture, power, and politics.

Contact:  Send pitches to  [email protected] , or track down Editor-in-Chief Kate Green Tripp on Twitter .

Rate: $0.83 to $1.00 per word.

This pub is all about writing! Assigning freelance writing pieces on topics from getting started to publishing, this community of writers gives advice and lessons learned.

Contact: All requests to contribute must be submitted through this form to be considered.

Rate: Partner program. Pay will vary

About 11 percent of kids (6.4 million) have attention deficit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Managing editor Wayne Kalyn is always looking for fresh pitches that include first-person articles by parents, employers, and teachers with personal experience working with ADHD kids. Send submission by  email .

Contact: Editor-in-Chief Susan Caughman is on  LinkedIn .

Rate:  Pays an average of $100 to $200 per assignment.  

Based on census data and information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 2 million people in the U.S. were raised by adoptive parents. It’s a life-changing event for kids and parents, and managing editor Eve Gilman says she’s always on the lookout for stories that help parents through the adoption process and provide practical tips on parenting.

Contact: Eve is on  LinkedIn .

Rate: Varies, depending on assignment.  

Moms aren’t the only ones who swap stories about grocery-store meltdowns, money matters, and the curiosities of raising kids. Dads do too. Got some “fatherly” advice that might help other dads or a funny experience with your kids to share? Fatherly pays for freelance pieces on topics like this.

Contact: Editor-in-Chief Tyghe Trimble is on  Twitter .

Rate: $0.15 a word.  

Your kids may be grown and gone, but you never really stop being a parent. Plus, you might have some advice to share for new parents or a story idea for this blog.

Contact: Pitch guest post ideas by email .

What’s it like to be a working mom and parent? It’s certainly not easy and takes a balancing act to make it work, enjoy life, and be a role model for your kids. That’s the focus of  Working Mother  magazine. Have an idea for a story?

Contact: Check out the list of contacts for each subject here .  

Rate: $100 to $300 per assignment.

A nursing journal that publishes poetry? Yes.  The American Journal of Nursing  publishes poems about health and health care, but not necessarily nursing. Check out their instructions or guidelines for  submissions  here. And make sure to check out our full guide on how to  get paid to write poetry .

Contact: Diane Szulecki at  [email protected] .

Rate: $150 per poem.  

This highly-regarded poetry journal based at Georgia University specifically encourages emerging poets and writers to submit their work for consideration.

Contact: Poetry must be submitted via the submission form .

Rate: $10 per printed page (minimum payment: $50), plus one contributor copy, and a one-year subscription; $3 submission charge.  

Cricket Media publishes a series of six  journals  that feature children’s poetry for different ages. These poetry journals include  Ladybug, Cricket, Babybug, Spider, and Cicada.  Learn more about  the magazine and founder and editor-in-chief Marianne Carus  here .

Contact: Upload submissions  here .

Rate: Up to $3 per line; $25.00 minimum.  

99. 50 Haikus  &  Three Line Poetry

These two journals, run by the same editors, want short lines with meaning and welcome new writers. They also reprint poems in an anthology. Read an interview with the editor  here .

Contact:  Glenn Lyvers at  [email protected] or reach out on LinkedIn .

Rate: $1.50 per poem plus a subscription; $10.00 for submissions marked as “Editor’s Choice.”

If you’ve spent any time trying to publish poetry, you’re probably familiar with this publication. It’s the top journal in the field, the authority on poetry for new and established writers. Crack this mag, and you’ll earn top pay, and build your credibility as a poet.

Contact: Email interim co-editor Holly Amos and associate editor Lindsay Garbutt at  [email protected] or reach out on Twitter .

Rate: For text, $10/line with a minimum of $300 per poem. For visual, audio, and video formats, $300 per poem. For multiple formats, compensation is offered for each format published.

Interested in political writing from a conservative perspective? You’ll need solid journalism skills to report and write about current events, trends, and issues for The American Conservative, a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute.

Contact: Email Senior Editor Helen Andrews or reach out on  Twitter .

Rate: $150 and up depending on assignment.  

LifeZette features political articles that offer commentary, insight, and explanation of the crazy world of politics.

Contact: Contact contributing editor David Kamioner on LinkedIn .

Rate: $100 to $200 per assignment reported.  

The Nation was founded on principles of investigative journalism and old-school reporting. Stories include comments and articles analyzing breaking news, politics, social issues, and the arts. Check  The Masthead  for the appropriate editor and send queries  here .

Contact: Managing Editor Rose D’Amora is on  LinkedIn .

Rate: $.13 – $.40 per word.  

Want to write about things that matter? Like social and economic justice; civil liberties; human rights; the environment; or democracy? Pitch a story idea to The Progressive.

Contact: Managing Editor Bill Lueders on  LinkedIn .

Rate:  $.10 -$.40 per word reported.  

Send ideas for investigative pieces, opinion-based features, or book reviews of political titles to the  Washington Monthly .

Contact: Reach associate editor Gabby Birenbaum on LinkedIn .

Rate: $0.10 a word.

If you want to write about bees, Bee Culture  assigns freelance writing pieces, including features stories about the impact of pesticides, pests, predators, and disease on bee colonies. Queries, as well as full-length manuscripts, are considered.

Contact:  Senior Editor Jerry Hayes by  email .

Rate: $150 to $200 per assignment, typically 1,500 to 2,000 words.

Write about science-related topics for  Mother Earth News by pitching a feature story idea on renewable energy, green transportation, natural health, or environmental issues. Best way to break in: Start with a short how-to article (100 to 300 words), before pitching a more in-depth feature.

Contact:  Editor-at-Large  Hank Will  on LinkedIn or another member of the editorial team  here .

Rate:  $25 to $100 per assignment.  

The  New Scientist  has an editorial staff of 40-plus writers who cover news about science, technology, health, and the environment. Your best bet? Pitch a feature story with a strong science focus “that will intrigue, entertain and inform the widest possible audience,” editor Emily Wilson advised. “Besides reporting the latest research,” she explained, “we also try to find interesting scientific or technological angles on major news events.”

Contact:  Chief features editors  Catherine de Lange  and  Tiffany O’Callaghan  are on Twitter. Scroll down the  guidelines page  for editor email addresses.

Rate:  $300 and up per assignment; $1.12 – $1.26 per word for news pieces.  

The American Association for the Advancement of Science publishes a widely read journal. Science caters to a unique audience of scientists, academics, and everyday people interested in science. Breaking news that hasn’t been covered in depth yet, an inside scoop, or a scandal within the scientific community will put your idea on the fast track for consideration. And there’s opportunity to write for the online version of the magazine as well as the print version.

Contact:  Check the “ Meet the Editors “ page to find the right staff member to pitch.

Rate:  Based on assignment; $0.47 – $1.33 per word.  

Even if you’ve never picked up a telescope or studied the stars, you probably heard about the total solar eclipse that passed over the United States in 2017. Millions of people from coast to coast scrambled to viewing locations within the Path of Totality across America to get a glimpse of the moon blocking out the sun for just a few minutes. This is the kind of content you’ll find in  Sky & Telescope . Senior editor Kelly Beatty shared that the mag’s readership ranges from “armchair astronomers to professional astrophysicists,” however, “most are amateur astronomers. People from all walks of life who love the night sky and want to learn everything they can about it.”

Contact:   Email the editor (preferred) or reach out to Kelly on  Twitter .

Rate:  Based on assignment.

The GoDaddy blog, dubbed “GoDaddy Garage,” is geared toward helping entrepreneurs plan for, launch, grow, and maintain a business. In addition to its entrepreneurial focus, GoDaddy Garage also includes a section geared specifically toward web professionals. If you have an interesting, original idea, submit it! You can also apply to be a regular contributor.

Contact:  Pitch managing editor  Andrea Rowland  or complete the  pitch submission form .

Rate: Per article. Varies according to length, complexity, and influence.

Pixlr is a popular online photo editing platform, and its website features a blog that publishes content by freelance writers. If you have expertise relating to photography or graphic design, pitch the Pixlr blog.

Contact:  Submit your idea by completing the  pitch form .

Rate:  $200 per post; more for tutorials.

SitePoint is a blog geared toward helping people understand how to use new web technologies, including various types of codes, web-based tools, and design programs. If you have experience in web development, design, or content creation, pitch SitePoint.

Contact:  Contact managing  Editor Joel Falconer  on LinkedIn or submit the  pitch form .

Rate:  $150 to $250 per post.

Know about web building? Consider pitching Smashing Magazine, a website and blog geared toward designers and developers. They accept articles from both new and experienced writers and are especially in need of tutorials, guides, opinion pieces, and case studies. Include a 200-300-word outline in  your pitch.

Contact:  Send a message to editor-in-chief  Vitaly Friedman  or use the  pitch submission form .

Rate:  $0.07-$0.13 per word.  

The Verge covers a vast array of tech topics, including entertainment, science, and transportation. Content explores how tech integrates with the public, as well as the impact it will have on the future.

Contact: This pub has over a dozen editors. See the masthead  on the about page to find the right person or find Deputy Editor Elizabeth Logpatto  on Twitter.

Rate: $0.50-$0.83 a word.

While the pandemic continues to cause upheaval for the economy, the freelance writing industry is still going strong – and it’s here to stay. Whether you’re just launching your writing career or have years of experience under your belt, you can use this list as a starting point to help you set fresh goals for the new year. Every gig you land – and every clip you get – can open the door to opportunities for more and better-paying work.

Remember: Review the submissions guidelines. Familiarize yourself with the pub. Read recently published articles. Then craft your customized pitch, proof it, and hit send.

Excited to score some new freelance writing jobs in 2022? Tell us in the comments.

Christin Nielsen  is a freelance writer and the editor of The Triangle, a twice-weekly newsletter covering local news in Virginia’s Historic Triangle.

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48 Best Ways To Earn Money As A Writer (In 2024)

Are you looking for some of the best ways to earn money as a writer?

Making cash online as a writer is easier than you think, especially if you adopt the strategies described below. Let’s get started!

The 48 Best Ways To Earn Money As a Writer:

1. start a profitable blog.

I put blogging at the top of the list because, in my estimation, it’s still the best way for writers to make a good living. You can start a blog for less than $100, but the income potential is as high as you can take it. If you know what you’re doing and are willing to put in the work, you could build a $ 1,000-per-month blog within 12 months. That’s a conservative estimate because some writers willing to put in crazy hours and back their efforts with marketing prowess can get to a $5,000 or even $10,000 range within one year. There are even some superstar bloggers out there who are earning over $100,000 a month. The main income streams here are display advertising, affiliate marketing , as well as digital product sales. It’s never too late to start, so I suggest you do it right now.

• How much you can earn: $0 – $100,000 per month (depending on your level of talent, commitment, and marketing skills)
• Real-world example: Take my blog as an example. I started working on it seriously around one year ago. Now I’m already earning $2,000+ per month from it, and most of it is passive. But yeah, I had to put in a tremendous amount of work upfront to make it happen.

2. Become a Highly Paid Freelance Writer

This is the best way to get paid as a writer if you need the cash now, not 12 months from now. There are hundreds of new freelance writing jobs and opportunities popping up around the web every week. Companies large and small realize that investing in content is a good business decision. That’s why they are looking for new guns for hire with well-developed writing skills (and the ability to keep deadlines). It works like this. First, you find a freelance writing gig through cold email outreach or by applying on job boards. Then, if you land the gig, complete it according to the specifications (for example, 1000 words, weight loss niche, specific topic). Finally, once you hand over the work, your client will transfer the money to your bank account (or you can get 50% of your fee in advance). This might also turn into an ongoing gig where you sign a contract, and write a few articles for your client every single month. That’s a much better arrangement, and we will talk about this later.

• How much you can earn: $30 – $400 per article (depending on your experience and the client you’re working with)
• Real-world example: I have a client for whom I write sports and travel articles. These articles are produced for link-building purposes (SEO), so they don’t have to be too long. For a 650-word article, I get $55. Usually, I can write and send off an article like this within a bit over an hour.

3. Write Reviews of the Products and Services You Love

Writing detailed product and service reviews and publishing them on your blog is one of the best ways to earn cash as a scribbler. That’s because by recommending certain offers, you can get a hefty commission. Also, consumers who type “keyword + review” in the search engine are almost ready to make a buying decision. If you can dispel their doubts at the last moment, you deserve to get paid. To earn in doing reviews, you first need to sign up for referral programs and partner up with companies whose products you will recommend. We’ll talk more about this later!

• How much you can earn: $1 – $1000 per referred sale (depending on the product and the commission structure)
• Real-world example: Let’s say you were in the market for a new DSLR camera. You spent 20 hours on the research before deciding on buying your new favorite model for $1500, and now you’re an expert. If you write a detailed review or record it and upload it to YouTube, you can earn around $67.5 per camera sale you helped to generate.

4. Become a Copywriter and Write Highly Converting Sales Letters

This is one of the most lucrative ways in which you can make a living as a writer. That’s because, as a copywriter, you provide massive value to your clients and contribute to sales numbers. Nowadays, you can do it mostly by writing online sales letters. It’s not easy because you need to delve deep into the minds of potential buyers and uncover their hidden doubts and desires. But if you can craft a sales pitch that’s effective, you can count on a big upfront fee, as well as a percentage from the sales you help to generate.

• How much you can earn: The average copywriter’s salary in the US is $47,834 per year. But if you position yourself well , and write copy that drives sales results, you can earn up to $10,000 per project.
• Real-world example: Danny Margulies from FreelanceToWin, created a copywriting portfolio in half an hour, without a lot of experience. He made $340 as a copywriter in his first week and went on to make over $100,000 in the next 12 months by selling his services on Upwork.

5. Join the Amazon Associates Program to Earn through Referred Sales

This is the easiest way to get your foot into the affiliate marketing door. You earn money by recommending (or merely mentioning and linking up) Amazon products in your blog articles. It’s very easy to get accepted into Amazon’s affiliate program, and you can earn 4% to 10% in commissions, depending on the niche. I do this all the time on my blog. I even got a premium plugin (AAWP) that connects to the Amazon API, helping me to earn more commissions. The only thing is that to get the commission, someone needs to buy a product within 24 hours of clicking on your affiliate link . But the good part is that you’ll earn a commission for all the other products they order in the same batch.

• How much you can earn: 4% to 10% per sale.
• Real-world example: I bought a Canon M50 camera, and I’m delighted with my purchase. I saw a keyword opportunity around “cameras for college students,” so I wrote the review and listed other cameras I checked before deciding on M50. Now every time someone goes to my article and buys a camera through one of my affiliate links, I earn a $29 commission. Not too bad, right?

6. Become a Highly Paid Guest Blogger on High-traffic Sites

This is a fantastic opportunity because there are so many websites out there that need great content. For submitting a 1000 – 2000 word article, they will be happy to pay you between $50 and $250. To get a gig like this, you have to fulfill specific requirements and pitch your original idea for the article. Of course, there’s some upfront work, but if you develop an efficient process, you can count on freelance blogging as a regular income stream.

• How much you can earn: $50-$250 per gig (depending on the client and the niche)
• Real-world example: A site like “Wow Women on Writing” will pay you $50-$100 per article, related to self-publishing. All you need to do is to reach out to them and pitch your idea. But this is just one example. Thousands of sites will be happy to pay you for a one-off gig like this.

7. Create your Freelance Writing Website

If you are a freelance writer, this is a crucial step to complete in your career. Freelance writing is different from a blog . Its primary purpose is to show your skills and experience as a freelance writer to get new clients. It’s like an online business card for your writing services. You can show off your portfolio, brands, websites you worked with, and testimonials from happy clients. This will instantly boost your credibility and allow you to command higher fees for your services.

• How much you can earn: This is an indirect way of making money . But let’s say you attract even a single long-term client because of your website. This might mean tens of thousands of dollars of income landing into your account.
• Real-world example: Laura Belgrade created a beautiful freelance writer website called talkingshrimp.com. She specializes in copywriting and email marketing, and through her site, she was able to attract clients like Marie Forleo and Amy Porterfield.

8. Use Job Boards to Find Lucrative Freelance Writing Gigs

Using freelance job boards is an excellent way of getting cash, even if you don’t have any experience. Job boards are like classified ads with new writing opportunities coming in every week. Nowadays, there are over 50 of them around the web, with categories like “part-time writer” or “editorial staff needed.” Among the most popular are Fiverr, Guru, and Upwork . You need to look around, save the opportunities that interest you, and apply until you succeed.

• How much you can earn: $50 – $500 per article (or you can sign up for long-term contracts)
• Real-world example: ProBlogger has one of the most popular job boards for writers out there. Every week they publish new opportunities from clients who need content on anything from pool cleaning to financial investments. Check out the requirements for each job and feel free to apply .

9. Become an Amazon Kindle Self-published Author

Nowadays, you don’t need a literary agent or a huge publishing house to back you up if you want to earn money by writing books. What you can do instead is self-publish on Kindle. Of course, you’ll need to polish your draft, work with an editor, and come up with a brilliant title and an eye-catching book cover. But then you can create your Amazon author page, and start selling right away by taking advantage of the platform’s colossal marketing engine. You can earn 70% royalties for each book you sell. The other 30% goes to Amazon for making the platform available to you.

• How much you can earn: Usually, Kindle e-books are sold for around $5- $10, so that’s $3.5-$7.00 landing in your pocket for each sale.
• Real-world example: Meera Kothand, an email marketing expert, wrote six Kindle books on various online business-related topics. They’re all available for around $3.99, and she was able to sell hundreds of them. But earning a small commission on an e-book sale is just the start. Inside her ebooks, she also invites you to take part in her more expensive online courses.

10. Sell Your Audiobook on Audible

Audio content is exploding right now, and as a writer, you should take advantage of that. I love Audible, and I even wrote a complete review of the platform. The Amazon-owned company sells around 150,000 audiobooks every single day. That’s over $2 million in sales per day, generating around $200,000 in author earnings. Do you want to get a slice of this pie?

• How much you can earn: 10% on each audiobook sale (an average audiobook costs $15, so that’s $1.5 per transaction).
• Real-world example: Bryan Collins from Becomeawritertoday.com narrated his nonfiction book in around three weeks. Since then, he narrated three more books, which now sell for $14.95 a pop.

11. Create Your Very Own Online Course

Producing online courses is super trendy right now. This comes as no surprise because authors can make thousands of dollars per month by sharing their knowledge. You can host your course on platforms like Teachable, Thinkific, or Creativelive, and earn commissions for each sale. I’m sure that as a writer, you have at least a couple of course topics floating around your mind as we speak.

• How much you can earn: $99 – $2,000 per sale (depending on the course)
• Real-world example: Jeff Goins, a popular writer, and blogger created his course “Starving to Successful: How to Become a Full-Time Writer” and hosted it on the CreativeLive platform. This course sells for $69, and till today 6.9k students have taken part in it.

12. Be a Writing and Productivity Coach

You wouldn’t believe how many writers need help with developing their skills and discipline. Writer’s block and the blank page syndrome are all contributing to that. So if you’re a disciplined writer, you can offer coaching services to help others succeed. Usually, you would sell these kinds of services through your blog, but you can also do it through social media platforms. Once you have your first few clients, you can arrange weekly meetups through Skype, so you don’t even have to leave your home to earn money.

• How much you can earn: $50  – $150 per hour (depending on your level of experience)
• Real-world example: Christine Maul Rice, who’s been working as a teacher and editor at Columbia College Chicago for 20 years, offers editorial consulting services for $2000 – $5000 per project. She helps writers develop their manuscripts over 12-16 weeks, to get them polished and published.

13. Earn Money by Building a Big Email List

If you’ve been an online writer for a while, you must have heard the maxim “The money is on the list.” This is still true today. Perhaps the email open rates are not as high as a couple of years ago. But if you have an engaged audience, you can count on a 30% open rate, which is still not bad. Email marketing is the most direct way in which you can get in touch with your potential clients. If you have a book to sell, an online course to promote, or an event you want to get publicity for, email marketing is your top communication channel. If you want to get started with email marketing, sign up for ConvertKit designed especially for bloggers and writers .

• How much you can earn: $0 – $1,000,000 (depending on the size of your email list, and what you have to sell)
• Real-world example: HubSpot, a popular marketing automation service, did a great job of gathering 19 successful examples of email marketing campaigns. Use them as a source of inspiration.

14. Write a Book and Become an Expert in Your Field

Traditional publishing is not the most lucrative money-making avenue for new writers. But having a book that’s published and sitting on bookshelves in bookstores automatically positions you as an expert in your field. Forget about the small royalties from book sales. A book gives you a perfect opportunity to generate publicity and build your brand. Now you can go on podcasts, interviews, videos, radio shows, and other places that’ll allow you to become famous and boost your income from other services you provide.

• How much you can earn: $1,000 – $10,000 per year in royalties
• Real-world example: Michael Hyatt, an author, podcaster, blogger, speaker, and the former chair and CEO of Thomas Nelson, created a powerful personal brand by publishing books like Platform and Living Forward. This enabled him to propel his career forward in many unexpected ways.

15. Earn Through Paid Speaking Engagements as an Author

Becoming a published author is your number one way to get invites to paid speaking gigs. After all, you are now perceived as an expert in your field, and you have something new and valuable to share. You can become a guest speaker at one of the dozens of conferences taking place around the country and earn handsome fees for showing up on stage. Plus, many event organizers let you include a quick pitch at the end of your speech and promote something in a low-key manner.

• How much you can earn: $500 – $35,000 per speaking engagement (depending on your level of fame)
• Real-world example: According to Dorie Clark, an author of Entrepreneurial You, you can earn $500-$2500 per speaking engagement if you’re a new author. But if you’ve penned several titles, some of which became bestsellers, you can bring $20,000-$35,000 per speech at a big conference.

16. Get Paid by Publishing Sponsored Posts on Your Blog

If you have an authoritative blog, this is one of the easiest ways to make money. Brands need extra exposure, and you can help them by publishing their sponsored posts on your blog. Let’s say you’re blogging about financial services. An insurance company approaches you and says they want you to publish something related to their travel insurance package. You publish the post that they write, and they pay you $200 – $1000 for the privilege. You only have to abide by Google’s guidelines, and tag the sponsored links on your blog as “no-follow” or “sponsored.” The best part is that you don’t even have to wait for someone to offer you a sponsored post opportunity. You can submit your site to a database, where brands can find you.

• How much you can earn: $200 to $1000 per post (depending on the popularity of your blog)
• Real-world example: The author of nopassiveincome.com is making between $150 and $500 per sponsored post on his blog. The same goes for Alexis, the author of fitnancials.com, who’s earning $2,000+ per month from sponsored contributions.

17. Join Large Freelance Writing Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer.com

This is the easiest way to earn if you’re a complete beginner. Freelance writing platforms attract thousands of people from all around the world. This usually creates a huge amount of competition for every single job posting. For example, even gigs paying $30, can attract up to 50 proposals on these platforms. But the positive side is that 80% or more of these proposals come from people with no skills or experience. So if you’re a professional, with two or three years of experience, you can even make a full-time income on these sites.

• How much you can earn: $30 – $60 per article (or much more if you have more experience or land a long-term gig)
• Real-world example: Getting started on UpWork was my first experience with freelance writing. I began by completing a few low-pay gigs, but when I attracted positive reviews, my pay and conversion rate grew higher.

18. Become a Writer for Your Alma Mater

This is a sneaky way of earning money. If you graduate from college, you have a much higher chance of getting hired as a writer by your Alma Mater. Colleges put out a tremendous amount of content each year. This includes textbooks, magazines, interviews, web articles, etc. If you spent three or five years studying at a particular college, you can reach out to the editorial board and ask if they need writing services.

• How much you can earn: $200 – $1,000
• Real-world example: Kevin T. Johns was featured in a Carleton University article called “Student Storytellers: Creative Writing and the English Department.” This helped him to get more notoriety as a novelist.

19. Become a Content Strategist for a VC-backed Startup

This is another sneaky way in which you can produce income by applying your writing skills. Reaching out to established companies is fine. But most of the time, they already have an established content team, so it’s harder to get your foot in the door. However, startups that received millions of dollars in funding from venture capitalists are much more open to hiring new people. They want to grow as fast as possible. So if you show up at the right moment and flaunt your impeccable portfolio, you can count on above-average pay and long-term cooperation.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $200 per article, or much more if you establish a long-term relationship
• Real-world example: A content marketing-related startup called Market Muse recently raised $6.7 million in financing. On LinkedIn, you can see that their headcount is snowballing as they roll out their offer to a broader market. This is a perfect example of a company you could reach out to if you’re looking for a fresh freelance client. It’s always best to get in touch with either a marketing director, a content manager, or an editor-in-chief.

20. Write More “Listicle” and “How-to” Articles

We would all love to spread our creative wings and write with complete disregard for search engines. Unfortunately, even if you write a literary masterpiece, Google won’t pick it up because it’s not keyword-focused. That’s why if you want to earn money, invest more time in producing content in proven formats. “Listicle” and “how-to” articles are two of the most popular forms of content around the web. If you want to get more advertising and affiliate marketing revenue, upload more articles like this to your blog.

• How much you can earn: $10 – $1000 per month in advertising and affiliate revenue
• Real-world example: Let’s take one of my articles as an example. In 2016, I wrote an article called “40 Best Essays of All Time”. It’s 10,000 words long and took me a while to produce, but since the date of publication, it attracted 327,000 views. I was able to earn a nice chunk of change passively because of that one article.

21. Find Freelance Writing Clients Who Offer a High Rate Per Word

Being a highly paid freelancer is all about positioning. You need to position yourself as an expert who deserves a higher remuneration than a novice. If you’re starting, you may accept gigs that pay as little as $0.05 or $0.07 per word, just to build your portfolio. But once you have some experience, you can apply to gigs that pay $0.15 or even $0.25 per word. The same goes for your hourly rate. You may start with something like $20 per hour, but as your value and expertise grow, you can earn up to $150 per hour. You could politely decline offers from clients who want to pay anything less than that.

• How much you can earn: Aim for higher rates per word ($0.25) and per hour ($100+)
• Real-world example: According to Kate Toon, an award-winning SEO copywriter, these are the rates you can ask for depending on your experience in the field: New/junior copywriter: $50–$80 per hour Mid-level copywriter: $80–$120 per hour Top-level copywriter: $120–$200 per hour.

22. Get Paid by Selling Your Poetry

Writing poetry is probably not going to make you rich, but it can certainly fatten up your bank account. I know that poetry is about art, inspiration, and creating something beautiful that other people will love and appreciate. But did you know there are over a dozen ways in which you can sell your poetry and earn money ? These include self-publishing , selling your poems to literary magazines, submitting your work to anthology publishers, taking part in poetry competitions , or even becoming a freelance poem writer.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $200 per poem, or up to $25,000 if you’re lucky enough to win a poetry competition
• Real-world example: I wrote a whole article about how you can earn money by selling your poetry . It has a lot of examples of useful links in it. If you are a poetic soul, I suggest you check it out.

23. Enter a Writing Contest and Earn Up to $10,000

This one will require a lot of luck (and of course, skills) but it’s something you can try. There are specific deadlines and requirements you have to meet to take part in a contest like this. But the good news is that to enter, you rarely have to pay any fees. Plus, there are prizes for the first, second, and third place, so even if you don’t hit the jackpot, you can still earn quite a lot for your efforts.

• How much you can earn: $1,000 – $50,000
• Real-world example: Type “writing contests prizes” in Google, and you will find a list of writing competitions that are free to enter and offer a couple of thousand dollars in prizes. You can start by checking out the following list compiled by Jerry Jenkins.

24. Cold Pitch Potential Clients Through Email and LinkedIn

This is one of the most underrated strategies for earning a full-time income as a writer. As you know, there are thousands of websites and companies with a “write for us” page. But these entities attract dozens of applications and pitches from thirsty writers each day. That’s because they are out there saying, “We are open for business!” However, you might often find that the best opportunities are not advertised (or at least not yet). Let’s say a content agency lands a new client, for whom they will need to produce 50 articles per month. They are about to start a frantic search for fresh and dependable writers, but they still haven’t put up any ads. Now, if you pitch them at this precise moment, you are like a grand blessing from the heavens above. It takes a little bit of luck, but the “cold pitch” approach may lead to many long-term opportunities.

• How much you can earn: $50 – $200 per article (usually much more because you will establish a long-term relationship)
• Real-world example: I was working as a content manager in an online media agency. We signed up a new client who wanted all the content by yesterday. We had to start hiring writers as soon as possible – even if their skills or dependability were not up to par with our expectations. We have to save our skins and smooth out the waters later.

25. Get Cash by Showing Display Ads on Your Blog

This is one of the best and most passive ways in which you can supply your bank account with a steady stream of income. As a beginner, you can start with Google AdSense. That’s how most bloggers earn their first few dollars online.

But as your traffic and prominence grow, you can sign up with specialized advertising platforms like:

• Ezoic (you need 10,000 sessions per month to apply),
• MediaVine (you need 25,000 sessions),
• AdThrive (you need 100,000 sessions).

These platforms will enable you to achieve a higher EPMV (rate per 1000 views). The more profitable your niche, the more you can earn.

• How much you can earn: $6 – $25 per 1000 views.
• Real-world example: On my blog, I’m using an advertising platform called Ezoic . It uses machine learning algorithms to test ad placements in different spots. It’s all automatic, and over the last few months, my earnings per 1000 views grew a lot. Now my EPMV is at $9.5, so I happily earn around $300 a month on autopilot.

26. Earn Money by Becoming a Transcriptionist

This is a tough gig, but if you work for the right company, you can earn $30-$40 per hour. Transcription is important for podcasters, interviewers, journalists, legal professionals, and doctors. You can do it up to three times faster if you use dictation software instead of typing on your keyboard . I use Nuance Dragon for dictation because it boosts my writing productivity considerably. You can use the same type of software to earn more per hour as a transcriptionist. You listen on your headphones and then speak to the microphone to transform speech into text. It might not be the most exciting gig in the world, but it’s a surefire way to earn a few extra bucks as a freelance writer .

• How much you can earn: $10 – $40 per hour
• Real-world example: If you visit a freelancing platform like Upwork, you can find dozens of opportunities that pay $10-$40 per hour. All you need to do is check and see if there are any exciting projects to work on. I was once a podcast transcriptionist, and I’ve learned a lot.

27. Offer Your Proofreading and Editing Services

As a writer, you have 90% of the skills necessary to work as a proofreader or an editor. You can take a few proofreading tests and you’re on your way. This is a perfect side gig for writers, because it’s not so demanding, and you’re helping other writers become better. As an editor, you give direction to the writing project and make sure that it’s coherent and written well. As a proofreader, you’re in constant search for missing commas or misspelled words.

• How much you can earn: $20 – $50 per hour
• Real-world example: I do freelance editing and proofreading. New articles land in my inbox and my job is to fix them and then forward them to a content manager. As an example, for editing and proofreading a short article, I get $14. I can easily do two or three jobs like this per hour, and this amounts to quite a decent hourly rate.

28. Set Your Rates Higher as a Writer

Many writers think that to earn more money, you just need to work more hours. But a much better approach is to work fewer hours at a higher rate. If you know your services are valuable, you should have no qualms about raising your rate. For example, if you write an SEO-optimized article you know will earn your client hundreds of dollars, you should be comfortable asking for a higher price per gig. The same goes for copywriting. If you know that your sales letter is likely to produce $50,000 in income for your client, you can ask $3,000 – $5,000 for the project. It’s all about understanding the value that you provide. There’s a lot of money circling. You only need to ask for it, and you might just get it.

• How much you can earn: Ultimately you should aim for $200+ per article.
• Real-world example: Dan Kennedy, a legendary copywriter, is famous for charging $100,000 per project. Best of all, he’s always working on a couple of projects simultaneously. This allows him to earn over $2 million per year through writing. How about this for a paradigm shift?

29. Aim to Work with Long-term Clients

This is crucial if you want to escape the feast and famine cycle that plagues freelance writers. Yes, it’s great to earn $200 for a one-off gig. But how about signing a contract for six articles per month for $150 each? That’s $900 per month of predictable income, and that’s only one client. Do you see the potential here? Another great benefit of long-term work is that you don’t have to spend so much time pitching and marketing your services. Instead, you can master the requirements of your current clients and grow with them.

• How much you can earn: $10,000 – $40,000 per year, per freelance client
• Real-world example: Nowadays, 35% of the total workforce consists of freelancers. That’s why, as a freelance writer, you’re not only a gun for hire but an integral part of your client’s organization. I’ve been working with one of my clients for around two years now. In the last 12 months, they sent $8,542 to my bank account.

30. Become a Guest Post Writer for Established Bloggers

Many well-established bloggers don’t have time to stick to their publishing calendar anymore. Their businesses may be larger and involve other activities, such as marketing, team building, and strategizing. But they still want to keep their blog section updated and growing. That’s why many of them create a “write for us” page, where you can pitch your idea. If it gets accepted, you can get even a few hundred dollars for your efforts. The only drawback here is that these are mostly one-off gigs. Even so, take advantage of them if you need some extra cash.

• How much you can earn: $50 – $500 per article
• Real-world example: Tenderly is a vegan lifestyle publication hosted on Medium. They accept guest posts that are 500-5000 words long, and they pay $200 a pop. That’s only one example. There are hundreds of more websites like this out there.

31. Earn Money by Sending Low-key Promotional Emails

Your email list is your most profitable marketing asset. But if you spam your subscribers with different offers, you’ll lose their trust. However, if you provide a ton of value upfront, you’re more than welcome to include a pitch in your email marketing sequence. It’s all about balance and sending your audience precisely what they need at the moment. It might be your educational course or even a straight-up affiliate link to a product or service you recommend.

• How much you can earn: $50 – $2000 per transaction, depending on what you sell
• Real-world example: Natalie Bacon is a popular lifestyle and successful blogger in the female entrepreneur space. She has a lot of content related to part-time blogging and how she was able to do it when she had a full-time job . In one of her emails, she recommends the hosting company Bluehost as a viable service provider for new bloggers. If you click on the affiliate link and set up your blog with Bluehost, she may earn a cool $100 commission.

32. Boost Your Income by Specializing in a Specific Niche

You can either be an “I can write about anything” writer or an “I specialize in a specific niche” writer. If you’re the latter type, you are likely to earn more for your efforts. For example, if you read every new book related to technology, you’re ten times more valuable to a tech blog than a generalist. You’re also ten times more likely to land a gig than a generalist. The riches are in the niches baby. So pick one or two profitable ones and stick to them.

• How much you can earn: $50 – $250 per article, depending on the niche.
• Real-world example: According to PayScale, a medical writer, on average, earns $90,156 per year. That’s much higher than the average annual salary of around $60,000 for writers who don’t specialize.

33. Land More Writing Gigs by Creating a Beautiful Portfolio

An impressive portfolio is like a magnet for potential clients. Your prospect has only one question in mind when he or she looks at your profile. “Can this person write well, and has relevant experience in the type of work I offer?” You can clear all their doubts, and let them answer “yes,” by creating a portfolio. Your degree doesn’t matter, your CV and resume might be so-so. But if your portfolio rocks, you are getting the job. So treat it as a business card that will get you business.

• How much you can earn: It’s hard to put a monetary value on an asset like this. But it might help you make thousands of dollars.
• Real-world example: Jennifer Fernandez created a minimalist and super straightforward portfolio that creates a positive first impression. She put her work in three different categories (design, travel, lifestyle), and by browsing through them, you can check the best examples of her work.

34. Earn Money by Writing Short Stories

Do you specialize in writing short stories or personal essays? You probably think that it’s impossible to make money with this type of writing. Nothing further from the truth! You can earn by entering creative writing contests, submitting your stories to popular websites, applying for grants , or getting your work published in a collection. Perhaps it’s not the most remunerative strategy on this list. But hey, if you have a Jorge Luis Borges in you, you can try it.

• How much you can earn: $250 – $2000 per story
• Real-world example: A website like Analog pays 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words). There are many other websites and online magazines that offer similar rates.

35. Get Paid to Write for Magazines and Journals

This is a perfect niche to live in on if you want to treat writing as a career. Writing for large and well-established publications such as the New York Times, The Atlantic, or Esquire, is a fantastic opportunity. It allows you to work on fascinating stories, meet incredible people, and help shape history. To work for a magazine, journal, or large publishing house , you need at least a couple of years of experience as a writer. But you also need a certain literary taste, and having read hundreds of books is the price of admission.

• How much you can earn: $50,000 – $100,000 per year (depending on your role within the company)
• Real-world example: A great example of a thinker who became successful by working with magazines and journals is Christopher Hitchens. He wrote great essays for Vanity Fair, Slate, The Atlantic, The Nation, and many other publications. By working as an independent contributor, he became successful over the years by doing what he was passionate about.

36. Become a Master of On-site SEO and Content Marketing (Business Writing)

Most writers look at their work in terms of art, communication, and aesthetics. However, most business people look at writing in terms of return on investment (ROI), content, target audiences, conversion rates, strategic objectives, traffic, and links. That’s why, if you want to earn money by working with business clients, you need to master the subtle art of on-site SEO. By focusing on the right keywords, title tags, meta descriptions, vivid imagery, internal and external linking structure, and other nuances, the value of your work increases tremendously. Once you have this skill down, you stand head and shoulders above writers who don’t (at least in the business writing world) .

• How much you can earn: $100 – $300 per article, or $60,000 – $100,000 per year
• Real-world example: Robbie Richards, built a whole website around the topic of SEO copywriting . He offers writing services and shares marketing tools with his audience. His goal is to attract SaaS (software as a service) companies that want to scale fast and get organic traffic by using search engine optimization. The services are not cheap, but they bring results so clients are happy to pay.

37. Join Popular Affiliate Marketing Platforms like ShareASale, CJAffiliate, or Awin

Affiliate marketing is one of the most underrated ways of earning money as a writer. It allows you to earn hefty commissions by recommending products and services you already use and love. Yes, you need an audience, and that’s why you must build a blog and learn how to get organic traffic to it. But once you have the trust of your audience (and a sizable email list), you can earn a lot. The best part is that some affiliate programs offer recurring commissions . This means that you have to refer a client to a company once, and then the money will drip into your bank account as long as this client stays. An example of such a program is ConvertKit which pays out 30% in recurring monthly commissions. To start in the affiliate marketing world, set up an account with one platform mentioned above.

• How much you can earn: $1 – $2,000 as a single commission, depending on the products you recommend.
• Real-world example: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, the author of makingsenseofcents.com, earns over $100,000 in affiliate commissions per month. She recommends many products that can help readers save money and have a better financial future. How did she achieve such astounding success? By focusing on a clear publishing schedule on her blog, providing value upfront, and relentlessly working on SEO.

38. Get in Touch with your Professional Network and Ask Who Needs Your Services

You must have an active LinkedIn account. You may also be a part of a variety of business forums, Reddit boards, and private Facebook groups. Now it’s time to leverage all the relationships you’ve built over the years and ask who needs your help with writing. This may not even be a huge potential client, but regular people in your professional network who need help with writing cover letters, reports, lengthy blog posts, or even a biography. You will never know what possibilities are out there unless you ask. And business coming from a referral is the easiest and best business you will ever get.

• How much you can earn: $50 for small services to $10,000+ if you land a big opportunity
• Real-world example: Carol, from makealivingwriting.com, shares simple tactics on how you can get referrals as a writer. She says the most powerful way to land new business contacts is by following up with the clients you already have. Often, they will be happy to introduce you to other prospects who may need your services.

39. Start Hiring Your Freelance Writers to Free Up Your Time

This kind of strategy requires you to shift your mindset from a craftsperson to a businessperson. However, managing a team of writers is one of the best ways to make a lot of money as a writer. You can hire writers at affordable rates, but you have to make sure you know what you’re doing if you want to make a profit on the back end. Let’s say you run a product review site. You find an attractive keyword that will bring 300 visitors per month to your site. The article will have some display ads in it, as well as a few affiliate links to the recommended offer. If you calculate that within a couple of months, an article like this will generate $50 per month, spend $50 – $80 to get this article written for you. Then you can scale this kind of approach as much as you want and create your empire based on high-quality writing.

• How much you can earn: Potentially, millions of dollars
• Real-world example: Arianna Huffington and former AOL executive Kenneth Lerer started Huffington Post in 2005. They hired hundreds of writers throughout the years and built one of the most influential media organizations around the web. They knew exactly how to calculate return on investment from the content they ordered from freelancers.

40. Outsource Editing, Proofreading, and Other Tasks to Focus on High-income Activities

This one is huge if you want to boost your income fast and become more productive. You only have around 16 hours a day to pursue your dreams and work on your writing business. That’s why it’s so important to focus only on the crucial tasks that will move the financial needle the most. These crucial tasks are writing (duh!), prospecting, marketing, building relationships, signing up for new projects, and making yourself more visible in the online world. The tasks you should outsource are editing, proofreading, formatting, database building, accounting , paperwork, etc.

• How much you can earn: This is an expenditure that you can treat as a cost of doing business. However, by avoiding doing a $10-an-hour task, you can now focus on doing a $50-an-hour task. If you look at it like this, you’re ROI positive with such an arrangement.
• Real-world example: I work with two different freelancers I’ve found on Upwork. One of them is helping me to upload and form content in WordPress. The other is taking care of my social media management. This enables me to save lots of time.

41. Create a Small Empire of Niche Blogs

This is another approach in which you can use your writing skills to create a small fortune. You find a profitable niche, gather the best keywords around that niche, and then start a blog and fill it with content. Then you introduce ads and affiliate links into your content to generate passive income from your writing. Sometimes, even 30 to 60 articles are enough to get you started. You can repeat this process as many times as you want and hire other writers to help you out.

• How much you can earn: $3,000 – $5,000 per site per month (it usually takes around 24 months to get one website to this level)
• Real-world example: The authors of incomeschool.com specialize in creating niche blogs that become profitable. They first wrote the articles themselves, but now they have a whole team of writers who create content according to strict guidelines. One of their most successful sites is camperreport.com, which makes money through ads and affiliate commissions.

42. Buy an Existing Website and Improve It through Your Superior Writing Skills

If besides writing, you also have marketing skills, you can make a lot by flipping websites. Many webmasters are no longer interested in managing their sites, and they put them up for sale. This might be an excellent opportunity for you if you know how to take a mediocre website and make it great (again?) This usually involves optimizing the articles, uploading new ones, and creating tests to maximize conversion rates. You can buy websites for as little as $1,000 apiece, and work your way up from there.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $5,000 per site per month
• Real-world example: You can visit a platform like Flippa.com, EmpireFlippers.com, or WebsiteBroker.com and look at the offers. Buying and refurbishing websites is a business. That’s why you have to know what you’re doing and do due diligence before you pull the trigger on any deal. Stacy Caprio from Her. CEO was able to turn buying-and-selling websites into a full-time business . You can find out more about how she did it here.

43. Write Medium Posts and Earn Money for Each View

Medium is one of the largest content platforms that allow writers to make money. However, there are no fixed rates per article, like with other sites. Instead, you submit an article and get paid based on the number of views that your content generates. That’s why if you want to maximize your income, write something that will stir emotions and make your article go viral.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $400 per article (if it becomes popular)
• Real-world example: Tom Blake from thisonlineworld.com made over $600 writing for Medium. Of course, it took him a bit of time to set up his profile and craft the right content for the platform. But ultimately, it was worth it.

44. Become a Popular Writer on Quora and Send the Traffic Back to Your Blog

Quora is a potential paradise for consistent writers as it has over 100 million monthly viewers. In short, this platform allows users to ask questions and answer them. It’s a vast knowledge base about every topic imaginable. If you’re good at providing answers to popular questions, you can indirectly earn money by referring traffic from your posts to your website. That’s because Quora allows you to place external links within your answers.

• How much you can earn: It’s hard to put a monetary value on this one. It all depends on what you do with the visitors once they go from Quora to your site.
• Real-world example: Neil Patel, an online marketing expert, was able to bring 9,872 visitors to his website from Quora within one month. He did it by providing answers to the most popular and trending questions and then placing links back to his site.

45. Develop Extra Skills that will Enable You to Earn More

Being a writer is great. But to make more money, you should always strive to develop extra skills.

These include:

• Search engine optimization
• Marketing on Pinterest
• Graphic design
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Video Marketing
• Social selling

If you can master these skill sets, you will future-proof your career as a writer.

• How much you can earn:: Tens of thousands of dollars extra.
• Real-world example: Elna Cain, a popular writer/blogger, is known for producing beautiful graphics. She’s a writer but this one extra skill (along with knowledge of how to market on Pinterest), brought her a lot of extra business.

46. Reach Out to Local Service Providers and Offer Them Your Services

Local business owners like to work with local business providers. Maybe it’s the fact that you can step into their office and have a chat over coffee. Perhaps it’s something else. But if you create a list of startups and even established businesses within your area, you have a much higher chance of landing a writing gig. You can go on LinkedIn to see what companies are being formed within your region. Then, start reaching out to editors, marketing people, and content managers and ask if they need writing services. You might be happily surprised by their replies.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $200 per gig, or much more if it’s a long-term project
• Real-world example: Savannah R, from WriterAccess.com, recommends reaching out to local businesses and offering your writing services. She says it’s all about making the content actionable, providing useful statistics and facts, and being relatable to the small business environment.

47. Write a Useful E-book and Sell it on Your Blog

This is a perfect income-earning avenue for writers who have a popular blog. Instead of publishing your book on Kindle, you can design and sell an ebook on your platform (i.e., blog). Now you don’t have to give away 30% of your profit to Amazon, and you can also command much higher prices for the product you sell. Some of your readers may buy an e-book on the spot, but most likely, you will need to sell it through email marketing.

• How much you can earn: $9.99 – $49.99 per ebook sale
• Real-world example: The authors of a popular weight loss blog called Avocadu came up with a 21-day mini-course (which is a series of ebooks). They sell it for $47 a pop straight on their blog and through an automated email marketing series. Could you do the same in your niche?

48. Get New Freelance Writing Opportunities Straight to Your Inbox

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get fresh freelance writing gigs without having to reach out or check twenty different job boards? Well, you can. Various platforms will send you gigs straight to your inbox. All you need to do is sign up for their email list, and you can get a steady stream of potential jobs every day.

• How much you can earn: $50-$200 per gig or much more if you land a long-term client.
• Real-world example:
• Let’s Work Remotely
• Authentic Jobs
• Cision Jobs
• Freelance Writing Job Board
• FreelanceWriting.com Morning Coffee Newsletter

How are People Earning Money Through Writing?

Let me show you a couple of examples of regular people who earn money as writers in different fields. Rupi Kaur – an Indian-born Canadian poet and author. Her books reached the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. How did she do it except for having talent as a poet? She used Instagram to share her works and attract millions of followers from around the world.   Matthew Woodward – he was a dead-broke shoe salesperson, earning 5 pounds an hour in the UK. But now, his blog generated over $1 million in income from advertising and affiliate commissions. How did he do it? By learning how to blog. Joanna Penn – she wrote over 30 books which sold 500,000+ copies. How did she do it? She kept writing as a side hustle for years while working as a business IT consultant. Finally, she went full-time and built a vast audience through her popular podcast. Rafal Reyzer – a Polish-born, self-taught English language lover who, after working for years in the content marketing industry, decided to start his own company and become a freelance writer, blogger, and source of inspiration for others who want to do the same. How did I do it? By working my ass off for years. As you can see, there are different avenues you can pursue if you want to clock cash as a writer. The best part is that you can start even if you have little to no experience. You don’t even need a college degree to make a living as a professional writer. Even a high school dropout with enough talent and determination can find a place under the sun to flourish as a wordsmith. This article will serve as a broad overview of some of the best, most lucrative ways you can earn income as a writer. Do you have some persistence within you? Do you have the guts to follow your dreams? So do it!

Get Lucrative Writing Gigs Through Referrals and Facebook Groups

Did you know there are Facebook groups that are overflowing with money-earning opportunities for writers? Yep, all you need to do is join them, and you will get notifications about new opportunities coming up.

Some of the groups to check out:

• The Write Life Community
• Freelance to Freedom Project Community
• Creative Freelancers Unite
• Freelance B2B Writers
• Writing Revolters

There are many more groups out there. So seek, and ye shall find.

A Few Extra Success Tips on How to Boost Your Income-earning Potential as a Writer:

1. treat writing like a business.

Yes, writing is an art, and sometimes it can even be quite a lot of fun. But if you want to earn money with it, you need a mindset change. Stop treating it like a hobby or a side hustle , and start thinking about it as a full-blown business. Think in terms of goals, statistics, analytics, target audiences, clients, processes, communications, outsourcing, getting things done faster, and automation. Read a couple of marketing books and books about blogging. This will help you a lot.

2. Continually develop new marketable skills

Nowadays, being only a writer is not enough. The situation is similar in many industries. Graphic designers now have to be UX designers and web developers as well. Software designers can’t just code in a single language. They need to go full-stack. Similarly, as a writer, you need to develop more skills to maximize your earning potential.

Some of the top skills you should focus on (in order of importance):

• Blogging (WordPress)
• Search engine optimization (SEO)

All of these skills are potential extra income producers in your toolkit. So take the time to develop them.

3. Focus on developing and engaging your audience

People around the world need encouragement to follow their dreams. You have to be the person who steps up to the plate and says: “here, you can do it, and I will show you how.” By being a beacon of hope and inspiration, you are far more than a writer. You are a leader. This puts you in a unique position to inspire people, and when you have something to sell, people will feel guilty if they don’t buy it. That’s because of the considerable value you provided to them upfront.

4. Start building your email list

A thriving email list is the cornerstone of every successful writing-related business. There are different ways of calculating the average value of an email subscriber, and it’s different in every niche. But it can be safe to assume that a single email subscriber is worth at least $1 a month. More importantly, email is the most direct way in which you can reach your target audience. This is something you can’t put a monetary value on.

5. Increase your writing productivity

In many business writing scenarios, you are a gun for hire. This means that the faster you can complete your assignments, the more income potential you will have. That’s why you should always look for ways to boost your productivity and get more writing done. A person who writes 3000 words a day earns more than a person who writes 1000 words a day. This is the law of averages in its purest form. The more you swing, the higher the chances of hitting a home run. So think about it, how can you write more, faster, and better?

6. Set your income goals and don’t stop until you reach them

Use the best tools for writing and editing Using top tools and developing efficient processes is crucial for earning a lot as a writer. In short, you need to create a stack of 10 to 20 tools that you will incorporate into your writing process. By creating efficiencies, you will save a ton of time, which in turn will let you boost your hourly rate.

Are You Ready to Earn Some Good Money, Scribbler?

Making a full-time income out of something you love to do is a blessing. Being a productive writer gives you a lot of freedom. Perhaps you won’t become a millionaire doing it (who knows), but you will have a more exciting life and more free time than a corporate drone. Another great thing about writing is that you can do it in the comfort of your own home, or in any place that is most conducive for you to be creative. And even if you are wheelchair-bound for whatever cause, as long as your mind is nimble and your story-telling skill is top-notch, you can make your mark as a writer. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you won’t have to work like crazy for the first few years. But the magic always sits, not in the result, so enjoy your journey. I hope that by reading this article, you’ve gathered valuable insights about how to make more money as a writer, even if you’re a beginner. Next up, you may want to check a list of magazines and websites that will pay you for personal essays .

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Rafal Reyzer

Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.

Complete Beginner Guide: How to Earn From Content Writing

So you want to know how to earn from content writing . I don't blame you – I'm a professional content writer and I make a lot of money writing. It's a dream come true for me – I love writing, but I also love working from home, not working 40+ hours a week, and being my own boss. (I answer only to my two cats.)

The good news: Content writing is a highly sought-after skill. There are a lot of different ways to make money writing content. 

The bad news: There is a lot of competition out there, a lot of scams, and a lot of ways to waste your time and write lots of content without making any money.

In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to make money writing content. 

A warning before we go further: there is no real easy way to earn from content writing fast. It will take time. So I recommend that you only undertake this journey if you really, really love writing.

Key Takeaways:

A content writer creates well-written content for marketing purposes. Think blog posts, YouTube scripts, website copy, and SEO.

Skills such as grabbing readers' attention, understanding SEO, and being creative are essential for content writing .

Beginners can start as content writers by diving into learning about SEO, identifying their niche, building a portfolio, and pitching to clients. (I'll also walk you through how I get clients to come to me, because I hate and am bad at pitching, personally.)

Earning potential for content writers depends on factors like industry expertise , language proficiency, and content output.

You can earn from content writing without clients – you'll need knowledge of SEO, affiliate marketing, or selling your products. 

TL;DR Guide to Earn with Content Writing

Don't want to read this whole blog post? No worries, here's the short and sweet.

Earn money writing content for clients

Decide what kind of content you like writing . I recommend blogging on places like Medium to figure this out. (You'll also build your portfolio while you do this!)

Learn the basics of SEO, copywriting, and sales. There is an endless amount of free content on this on YouTube. I have a few videos myself on the subject of SEO and sales. For copywriting, I recommend this list of YouTube channels. 

Join various content writing platforms where you can get paid small amounts of money for your content writing. Examples include Scripted, Textbroker, Medium, and Copify. I cover those in detail in my article on how beginners can get paid to write articles here. 

Update your LinkedIn profile and start applying for content writing jobs on LinkedIn, Fiverr, Upwork, and so on.

Do not – and I cannot stress this enough – pay any money to anyone to teach you to be a content writer or get a freelance content writer job without trying it yourself first. If you struggle and want some cheat sheets/shortcuts, go for it. Find someone you trust and buy their course or coaching or whatever. But try freelance content writing yourself first. 

Work out the nitty gritty. Do you want to pitch or be pitched to? What should your rates be? What kind of freelance writing is your specialty? This takes time!

Learn new things. So you know the basics of freelance writing – good! But do you know about domain authority? How good of an editor are you? Do you know how to sell things in your content without being obvious? Always improve. 

Rinse and repeat. I'm a freelance writer and honestly, I'm still working out the kinks in my process. It's OK if it takes you time to figure it all out. Sometimes I go back to basics, pick up a low-paid job on Scripted, and take time to learn a new skill. It's all part of the journey.

Earn money writing content for yourself

I have some freelance writing clients, but I earn a lot of my income through my brand/website. If that sounds like your bag, it's pretty much the same steps: 

Once again, decide what kind of content you like writing . If you're just doing this for yourself, you definitely don't need to niche down immediately. Have fun!

Start a website and an email list. I like Durable AI for a website option – it's very swish. I recommend ConvertKit for a newsletter option.

Learn the basics of SEO, copywriting, and sales. You'll need SEO to get views on your content. You'll need copywriting to keep people on the page. And you'll need sales to earn any money.

Write stuff for your website and your email list . Don't overthink it – try once a week for both. 

Throw in a new social . Instagram, YouTube, X. Somewhere you can see yourself posting regularly and growing an audience.

Do not – and I cannot stress this enough – pay any money to anyone to teach you to be a content creator. If you struggle and want some cheat sheets/shortcuts, go for it. Find someone you trust and buy their course or coaching or whatever. But try content creating yourself first. 

Work out the nitty gritty. What is your niche? What kind of affiliate products do you want to recommend? Do you want to sell a course, ads, or sponsorships? You can try multiple things!

Learn new things. Learning never ends Always improve. 

Rinse and repeat. I recently started learning affiliate marketing. It's all a journey!

These are not mutually exclusive! You can do both. 

OK, want more details? Let's go deeper.

What even is Content Writing?

Lots of people google “how to write content” because it sounds like a great gig... But they don't know what a content writer actually is.

A content writer turns info into content on behalf of a brand. (The brand can be you!) This content should captivate audiences and drive them towards a specific product or service. 

“Content” can be a social media post, thought leadership content , or blog posts, just a few examples. As a freelance writer, you'll be hired by a company to make this kind of content, or you'll make it for your website/brand.

Example: You might have a company that sells a backend development course to beginner coders (real client of mine). That client might ask for content that is related to careers in backend development, so that a potential customer is likely to land on the blog, read the expert advice, and sign up for a course to land a job. That's content writing. 

While content writers primarily focus on marketing and promoting products or services, their role goes beyond mere advertising. They have the power to spark emotions, educate, inspire, and entertain readers. By crafting well-written and engaging content, content writers contribute to building brand trust, establishing thought leadership, and forming deep connections with the audience.

Skills Needed to Earn From Content Writing

Freelance writing requires a unique set of skills to effectively engage readers and convey brand messages. Here are some essential skills that every freelance writer should possess:

Ability to Hook Readers: A skilled content writer knows how to grab the attention of readers from the very first sentence. They understand the importance of creating a compelling introduction that entices readers to keep reading.

Mastery of Brand Tone: Content writers need to adapt their writing style to match the brand's tone and voice. Whether it's professional, casual, or conversational, you must effectively convey the brand's personality through your writing.

Attention to Details: Content writers should have keen attention to detail to ensure accuracy and consistency in their work. You need to be meticulous in grammar, punctuation, and spelling to deliver polished content.

SEO Knowledge: Understanding the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for content writers. They need to optimize their writing with relevant keywords, meta tags, and backlinks to improve search engine visibility and drive organic traffic.

Creativity: Content writing requires creativity to captivate readers and offer unique perspectives. Content writers must think outside the box and bring fresh ideas to the table to keep readers engaged and interested.

How to Start as a Content Writer with No Experience

If you're interested in becoming a content writer but don't have any prior experience, don't worry! It has never been easier to get started.

Just start writing . To earn from content writing, you need to be good at writing. Do the reps. See what resonates with your audience. Learn how to find a voice. 

Identify your niche : Determine the area or topics you're passionate about and have knowledge in. This makes it a hell of a lot easier to get clients later on, and/or establish authority with your audience. 

Be online and findable: Create profiles on platforms like Medium and LinkedIn. Share your thoughts, insights, and expertise to showcase your writing skills and build an online following.

Build a portfolio : Even without prior experience, you can create a portfolio by writing sample articles or blog posts. Be sure to showcase your range of writing styles and cater to different industries or topics to demonstrate your versatility. (I recommend Medium for this because you can join the Medium partner program for $5/month and get paid when people read your articles.)

Start pitching : Once you have a portfolio, start reaching out to potential clients or publications. Craft personalized pitches highlighting your skills, niche expertise, and the value you can bring to their projects. Be persistent and don't be discouraged by initial rejections.

Tips for Starting as a Content Writer

Starting as a content writer with no experience may seem daunting, but it's entirely possible to break into the field. Here are a few additional tips to help you on your journey:

Network with other writers and professionals in your niche. Attend industry conferences or join online communities to connect with like-minded individuals who can offer guidance and support. I like the Superpath Slack community to start. Medium is also a great place to find writing buddies. 

Consider offering your services for free or at a discounted rate, in the beginning, to gain experience and build a solid client base. This can open doors to paid opportunities in the future.

Continuously improve your writing skills by seeking feedback from clients or joining writing workshops. Stay updated with industry trends and best practices to stay competitive in the ever-evolving field of content writing.

Remember, starting as a content writer with no experience requires perseverance, dedication, and a willingness to learn. By following these steps and taking advantage of available resources, you can embark on a rewarding career in content writing.

Earning Potential for Content Writers

So, what's the big number? 

According to a survey by PayScale, the average salary for a content writer in the United States is $50,000 per year. Indeed reports the average is $20.20/hour (or $42,016 a year). I'm in my fifth year of writing content, and my third year of doing it as a full-time living, and I make $100k+ a year.

The amount of income you can earn as a content writer depends on:

How good you are at selling yourself to clients and your audience. Many talented content writer has failed just because they don't like to say, “Hey, I'm the best person around for this job. You should hire me.” or “Hey, I made this awesome product that solves your problem. You should buy it.”

How good you are at putting yourself out there . How often do you pitch new outlets, apply to new jobs, or send emails to your list? How often do you send a simple follow-up email?

Specialty skills . I hate to say it, but if you're looking for low-paid SEO work, you have already been outcompeted by AI. The better you know a subject, the more likely you are to earn money writing content about it. (Language proficiency is also a solid pro here.) 

How fast you are at creating high-quality content . If it takes you 20+ hours to write something good, clients won't love your style, and you will be outcompeted by people who can create good content faster. 

The Future of Content Writers in the Age of AI

OK, the elephant in the room: will AI steal your job?

Short answer: no. Being good at writing content will be a human monetizable skill for the foreseeable future.

Why? Because AI cannot truly understand and replicate human emotions , which is a crucial element in creating compelling and engaging content.

While AI tools for content writing are becoming more prevalent, they are still far from being able to match the creativity and emotional intelligence of a human writer. Content writers have the unique ability to connect with their audience on a deeper level, understanding their needs, desires, and pain points. This human touch is what sets them apart and makes their work invaluable in the digital landscape.

AI Tools for Content Writing

That being said, I still recommend getting your feet wet with AI if you want to earn from content writing for four reasons:

Speed up your workflow. I use AI for title ideation, editing, adding examples, and big-picture research. 

Look for what you're missing . AI is great at pattern matching. I can ask AI to tell me what elements it would include in an article about the best AI tools for writers, and it would be able to summarize 

Do things you can't do . I use AI to create HTML tables, help me code, make cool images, and more. 

Stay ahead of the curve . If you're not using AI, your competitors are – to get faster, more comprehensive, and better at writing content that earns money. 

Pros of AI Tools for Content Writing

Time-saving

Improved grammar and readability

Data analysis for optimization

Cons of AI Tools for Content Writing

Lack of emotional intelligence

Inability to replicate human creativity

Potential for robotic-sounding content

How to Make Money from Content Writing

Let's go over the two main ways you can monetize your skills and make money writing content: blogging and freelance writing. These are some of my favorite strategies, suitable for beginners. But warning: they are not make-money-fast strategies; these will take time to start earning money. 

Monetizing a Blog

Old but gold. The formula is simple: make a blog, rank for keywords, place ads, and get paid through AdSense (or similar, other platforms are MediaVine or Ezoic). 

Another option is affiliate marketing , where you promote products or services on your blog and earn a commission for every sale or lead generated through your referral.

Additionally, you can offer sponsored content on your blog. This involves collaborating with brands or businesses to create custom content that aligns with your audience's interests. In return, you receive compensation for featuring the sponsored content on your blog.

Freelance Opportunities

The second-oldest profession, as I always joke. Freelancing is a popular choice for content writers looking to make money. It allows you to work with different clients and projects, offering flexibility and variety. Numerous freelance platforms, such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr, connect writers with businesses seeking content creation services.

The typical formula is to bid low, get reviews, and start increasing rates once you've got some solid references. But in my opinion, this race to the bottom is demeaning and means you end up doing work for very little pay.

I instead recommend creating a portfolio elsewhere : Medium, your blog, LinkedIn, anywhere. You own that content. Use that expertise to pitch and win new clients on those platforms, at a rate you deserve.

I also hate to say this, but networking within the industry, attending conferences, and joining relevant online communities can also lead to valuable connections and freelance opportunities .

You will have to keep at it for a while until you start getting somewhere. But 

Here's the long and short of it: you can make real money writing content. That content can be about just anything under the sun. The beauty of our World Wide Web is that there's probably an audience for it.

So your job, if you want to make money writing content, is to a) find an audience and b) learn how to monetize the content.

Finding that audience means : learning SEO, learning how to pitch, and learning how to go viral on Medium. Be consistent. Discover what you love writing about, and how to serve the audience that loves that writing.

Learning how to monetize means : setting rates, setting up AdSense, learning how to bargain, learning how to pitch yourself, learning how to create and sell digital products.

Your hardest obstacle is likely to be yourself. It's hard to be consistent, especially in the face of failure. You'll be rejected from job interviews. Your big story won't go viral. You'll get fired. Nobody will click on your affiliate link. 

But it's possible, if you keep going, keep learning, keep improving, to make money writing content online.

How much can a beginner content writer earn?

This depends a lot on your beginning skill, and how lucky you get. Glassdoor sets the entry-level content writing salary at $46,591/yr. But this assumes you're able to get a job right out of the gate.

I would say that a beginner is likely to earn very little, but within a year can earn $50,000/year, either through clients or your blog/platform.

How do I start as a content writer?

Start writing, and keep writing. Learn what works – what samples get you hired, what content resonates with your audience – and adjust.

It sounds simplistic, I know, but that's really how you can start today as a content writer.

How much should I get paid for content writing?

You should get paid what you deserve. I would recommend going no lower than 10c a word if you're working with clients or $50/hour.

If you're creating your content, the math changes slightly. I would track the amount of time you spend doing something (e.g. writing LinkedIn thought leadership) and the outcomes (landing clients, getting newsletter signups). In a month, figure out if it's worth it. 

Which content writing pays the most?

Ghostwriting is by far the highest-paid content writing. It's a bit of ego death – you're writing as someone else – and it's not for beginners, which is why I didn't cover it in this guide. It depends almost entirely on networking. But once you land one good client, they'll lead you to others.

If you're dead set on starting with this route, I recommend you take some low-paid ghostwriting gigs on Reedsy and go from there. 

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