Are you looking for ways to make money from home? Perhaps you’ve tried online writing to see if it’s a lucrative career path. Truth to be said, there’s plenty of money to be made online, but not all types of content are created equal. For instance, affiliate marketing/making money from home, the key to success is in the researched data you’re promoting. You’ll need to make sure that you can convince someone to buy your product or service by presenting valuable information regarding the subject matter.
In the following paragraphs, we’ll discuss the various types of online writing opportunities, the corresponding earnings potential, and tips on how to become the best writer you can be.
The Demand For Online Content
As previously stated, not all types of content are created equal. Some sectors, like e-commerce and marketing, are always in high demand. For instance, many big brands have their own digital marketing departments and they’re always on the lookout for content creators to help bring their message to life via blogging or social media posts.
Marketing and e-commerce make up the vast majority of affiliate marketing as well. According to a recent report from the GlobalWebIndex, there will be more than 25 billion digital marketing and e-commerce transactions this year.
On the other hand, established journalists’ careers can be fairly unpredictable. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, traffic to many news and media sites plummeted as people stayed at home and consumed news via digital platforms.
- The New York Times saw its monthly unique visitors fall by 83% between March and May 2020 compared to the same months a year ago.
- BuzzFeed News traffic was down 66% in March and 64% in April compared to the same months a year earlier
- The Guardian saw unique visitors fall by 64% in March and April compared to March and April 2019
- The Washington Post saw unique visitors fall by 59% in March and April compared to the same months a year earlier
What Differentiates Top Performers From Average Joes?
So how do you stand out among the masses and become the go-to source for your industry? The answer is by consistently producing quality content that’s both interesting and informative.
There are four areas you can focus on to become the best affiliate marketer, content strategist, or online marketing person you can be. They are:
1. Research
The research segment plays a crucial part in any form of digital marketing whether you’re promoting a product online or offline. It’s important to understand your audience’s needs and wants so you can tailor your messaging to persuade them to take action – in this case, make a purchase. While there are plenty of lucrative opportunities in the form of data-driven content, like the pharmaceutical industry, not all industries can be so lucky. With a bit of imagination, you could turn your passion for history into a steady stream of income via online tutoring.
Even if you don’t have a formal education in history, you can still become an expert tutor by doing extensive research on the subject and then producing useful information that benefits your students.
2. Vocabulary
One of the biggest turnoffs for many readers is poor and inaccurate vocabulary. Like with any other profession, you’ll quickly find that many online words don’t mean what they seem like.
Instead of using words like ‘literally’ and ‘figuratively’ to mean something different, a lot of digital marketeers and content creators use pretentious vocabulary that doesn’t mean anything to the average person. Although this type of content can be quite intriguing to the elite audience that consumes it, nobody else really cares. As a result, your articles won’t have the broad appeal that you need to be both successful and lucrative – at least not at first.
3. Plagiarism
The stigma of plagiarism in today’s world is largely based on old media. Since the dawn of time, writers have been known to borrow heavily from the work of others. In modern times, the ‘rules’ about borrowing seem to have changed and there’s not really any penalty for shamelessly swiping someone else’s work. For better or worse, this is what the academic world and mainstream media have become used to.
Since the world of academia and traditional media still have a lot of influence, it’s no surprise that many people are uncomfortable sharing their work on the web unless they’re absolutely certain that nobody will accuse them of copying someone else’s ideas.
While in principle this is a great thing for the growth of knowledge, in practice, it can be quite frustrating for those trying to learn and succeed on the web. Since nobody wants to look like a plagiarizing jerk, many content creators self-censor themselves so as not to put their future work at risk.
4. Style
An often-overlooked element of any freelance or independent content creator’s success is style. In a world filled with flashy word-salads and simplistic ideas, your distinctive voice stands out and makes you memorable. For some, this might mean using more analogies or comparing things to something that they’re more familiar with. For others, it could mean sprinkling your work with interesting facts that add a bit of flair.
While many outlets will pay you based on the number of downloads or views of your content, the style and voice of your writing will always be your own. The only thing you have to lose is the stigma that comes with self-censorship. As long as you have content that’s both interesting and easy to understand, you’ll have no trouble attracting readers and fans who appreciate your fresh take on an often-rehashed topic.
The Many Niches For Online Writers
If you’re looking to make money online, there are many established niches where you can do so. For instance, if dog walking and pet sitting is your thing, you can create a blog around that topic and become a source for dog owners to come back to time and time again for more information. Since dogs are an increasingly popular topic among online readers, especially during COVID-19, you can bet that there’s a niche for you.
With so much competition and so many people willing to write for free, the key to success is in both extensive research and creating unique content that stands out above the rest.