These days, people are always looking for different ways to bolster their income. Some try to build skill sets just to set up a side hustle.
But if you already have a knack for writing, then you have plenty of options to make money. In this article, we will look at some of the easy ways that writers can make money from the internet.
1. Essay Writing
One popular way to use your writing skills is to become an academic writer. These days, the educational system has high expectations for students, requiring not only top grades but also well-rounded exposure to extracurriculars. Needless to say, this has forced students to turn to academic professionals who can help them with their assignments.
Several academic platforms offer such services for students. These providers are always looking for writers with Master’s degrees or Ph.D. to help students with their writing assignments. This way, writers can help other students achieve their goals too.
2. Guest Blogging
You might be thinking, who actually reads blogs anymore? In fact, despite the shift to video content, search engines such as Google are still promoting blogs as content. Now, blogs have come a long way from being the online journal of individuals.
Today, virtually all websites have either their own blog sections that they use to educate their customers about their products or for content marketing. Such platforms are always looking for writers who can churn out top-quality content.
3. Copywriting
These days, blogs and copywriting have several parallels – especially in the sense that both are aimed at marketing. However, copywriting is more focused on encouraging the readers to take a specific action.
And moreover, copywriting can be in any form. For instance, video scripts, product descriptions, and newsletters – all these have to be written by someone. These days, there is a growing trend toward making copywriting more fluid. Rather than pushing a product directly, companies are trying to convert their audience into customers who believe in the motto of the company.
This means that there is room for copywriters to get creative. However, you will still need to have the skills of persuasion to convince prospective buyers with your writing skills.
4. Set Up a Blog
Writers can also launch their own blogs and create the content that makes them happy. To get started, look for a niche that you are interested in. The key is that you should not get bored after creating content about the same topic. So, make sure you pick one that will keep you engaged for a long time.
Then, create blogs related to the topic, and learn SEO marketing to drive more traffic to your website. Once the blog has sufficient traffic, you can consider joining an affiliate program. In a nutshell, in affiliate marketing, you get money when a reader buys a product through the link on your page.
Bear in mind that you only make money if the sale goes through. Writers can include affiliate links for practically anything, such as products and services. Moreover, there are tons of websites and eCommerce platforms that have their own affiliate programs.
In addition to this, writers can also attach advertisements to their pages and monetize their blog’s real estate in this manner.
5. Self Publishing
If you are a serious writer, you might have thought about writing a book at least at some point. However, the main reason why many people hesitate to write a book is due to the competition in the publishing market.
However, thanks to the internet, now you need not wait for the approval of a publishing company. Instead, you can simply self-publish. Regardless, these days, the author has to take care of the marketing of the book to a certain extent anyway.
The main difference is that when you self-publish, you will not receive that guaranteed advance payment. With self-publishing, the only income you earn will be by selling your books.
Several websites, including Amazon, offer all resources necessary for authors to self-publish their books. With Amazon, you can sell your book in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover formats. Using this platform also gives you access to Amazon’s large customer base as well as its recommendation algorithm. Moreover, these books are only printed when someone buys a copy, so there is no upfront cost involved.
6. Technical Writing
If you are willing to take on writing projects such as installation documents, instruction manuals, reports, and white papers, then technical writing might appeal to you. There is a growing demand for technical writers all over the world, and interestingly, many say that this is relatively less stressful.
However, this requires you to understand how technical writing works. In addition, it can be challenging to translate complex ideas into plain language and use terminology that is specific to the project.
Therefore, it would be best for writers to take a course in technical writing before applying. Then, after completing a certified course, writers can look for jobs in this category via platforms such as Indeed.
7. Become a Writer on Medium
Medium is a blogging website that supports writers from all niches. It also allows writers to monetize their content by getting more paid members on Medium to read their stories.
But bear in mind that making money with Medium can be very challenging. So, essentially, once you get accepted as a writer, you can publish stories on any topic you want. You will only earn money when Medium subscribers spend time reading your work.
Essentially, there are several groups where you can get your content published in order to get more views. However, at the end of the day, your content needs to be interesting enough to attract a large number of readers as well as to keep them interested.
We would suggest this as an option for someone looking to make part-time income rather than hoping to make regular earnings.
8. Become a Freelance Writer
Confused about which way to go? Well, you don’t have to decide right away. Instead, sign up as a freelancer on platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr. You can then scour through the writing jobs available and make a bid on the projects you particularly like.
This gives you the flexibility to work on a project that you prefer and as per your own schedule. These platforms can connect you to one-time or long-term projects. As you gain more positive reviews, you will also be able to get more invitations and be able to increase your rate.
The amount you earn will depend on the specific project and the budget of the client. The main advantage here is that you do not have to choose a project that you don’t prefer, and you won’t get bored as you will be working in different roles based on the demand of the project.
As you can see, your options are plenty. Getting started as a writer might seem overwhelming, but the truth is that it doesn’t have to be. However, you will need to work at improving your skills, work on your communication and be prepared to deal with challenging clients.
