If you’re looking for a new venture, perhaps you’re pondering a career in writing. There are many lucrative fields in writing, including fiction, non-fiction, and screenwriting. However, if you’re looking to make money online, many opportunities exist to help you do so. Here are just a few of them.
Advertising
If you have a friendly face and a smile that can charm your way into people’s hearts, you can become an advertisement writer. You will be hired to write ads for products and services that you’ve never used, and sometimes you won’t even know what they are. But as long as you keep the copy concise, interesting, and easy to understand, you can ensure you’re on the right track to making a few extra bucks.
Blogging
If you’ve ever taken a look at the success of big-name bloggers like Ryan Holiday or Pat Flynn, you know how valuable a blog can be in helping you establish yourself as an expert in your industry. Many large companies and brands will hire writers to create content for their blogs, so that they can attract, engage, and retain customers. The nice thing about this is that you’re able to do whatever you want with the blog. You can either write about topics close to your heart or you can take a stab at a profitable niche.
Content Marketing
With the rise of digital content and the content-curious consumer, having a steady flow of engaging content has become essential for almost every business. Luckily for you, there are thousands of topics that you can write about, helping you establish yourself as an expert in your industry. However, in order to succeed as a content marketer, you need to develop the skill of sales-copywriting. This is where you will take content that you’ve created and turned into prose, and using the power of sales copywriting, you will convince your audience to buy your product or service. Developing this skill is not easy, but the pay-offs can be invaluable. You’ll be giving life to your ideas and creating content that people want to read.
Copy Editor
If you’re an expert in grammar, punctuation and spelling, you can find work as a copy editor. While this may not seem like a glamorous job title, all you need to do is show up, do your job, and get paid. You will be responsible for taking someone else’s words and making sure they’re written clearly and correctly. This requires a certain level of intelligence, so if you aren’t confident that you have what it takes, this might not be the career for you.
Editing
If you’re an expert in grammar, punctuation and spelling, you can find work as an editing member of a content team. Your role will be to take a piece of content that is already written, and polish it up until it’s perfect. After that, you will pass it on to another editor or content strategist for further edits. This is a relatively straightforward process that will help bring your best effort to bear on each piece of content you work on. The people you’ll be working with might not even be in the same industry as you, so you’ll have to learn to trust their judgements and opinions as much as your own.
Ghostwriter
If you’re a fast typer and can bring something new to the table, you can become a ghostwriter. This is a person’s name used when something needs to be written but the author doesn’t have the time or inclination to do it themselves. You’ll be given a topic and you’ll need to come up with words and sentences that flow well together. While there is some creative freedom in what you write, the overall theme of your work must follow a specific formula or it won’t make sense. Many times, your work will be compared to that of the original author, so make sure you write compelling enough to stand out from the crowd.
Humour
If you’re someone who is consistently funny and can write jokes and gags, you can become a humour writer. This can be anything from short poems that make people chuckle to long-form essays that are comedic in nature. If you can find a distinctive voice and can contribute a unique perspective on the world, you’ll be able to land some pretty cool gigs. But to be able to write for a living, you will need to hone your skills and learn how to write for different audiences. Make sure you have a sense of humour that is consistent with the work you’re given, or else you may end up offending people unintentionally.
Infographics
If you’re an expert at visual representation, you can find work as an infographics designer. You will be creating charts and graphs that make complicated concepts easy for the average person to understand. These are highly detailed pieces of artwork that can take a lot of time to create, so don’t expect to churn out a lot of these every day. When you do find the time to inflate your productivity, however, you will be able to charge a premium for your work.
Magazine Articles
If you’re a fast typer and can contribute original content to a publication, you can become a magazine writer. The nice thing about this is that you’ll usually be given a topic that you can research thoroughly. From there, you can produce an article that is an in-depth exploration of the topic. It doesn’t need to be overly long, but it should pack in as much information as possible. As with most other jobs, experience is key here too, so make sure you’re contributing to reputable publications with a steady flow of interesting content.
Online Publishing
If you’ve ever paid for content on behalf of a business, you know how expensive that can be. Luckily for you, there are hundreds of free blogs that you can contribute to, establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Many of these are quite popular, and all you need to do to get started is find a niche that you feel confident in, and you’re good to go. Make sure you’re contributing high-quality and original content, and above all, make sure that you’re not violating the terms of use for each individual blog. You will, of course, need to learn how to properly write various types of content, including SEO-optimized copy for webmasters. This is where your expertise as a writer will really be put to the test.
Public Relations
If you’re good at creating and following a story, you can become a public relations specialist. You will be responsible for pitching news items to the media and establishing press releases and blogs for businesses to use. The nice thing about this job is that you can work remotely, so you have the flexibility to arrange your schedule as you please. You will also need to have a good understanding of media coverage and how to maximize the impact of your work. This is a job that can really showcase your storytelling prowess.
Spelling/Grammar
If you’re an expert at spelling and grammar, you can find work as a copyeditor. Your role will be to take someone else’s words and make sure they’re written clearly and correctly. This requires a certain level of intelligence, so if you aren’t confident that you have what it takes, this might not be the career for you.
Video Production/Editor
If you’re a fast typer and can handle animation, you can become a video producer or editor. You will be responsible for taking a script and turning it into a compelling video that tells the story of the script. The nice thing about this is that often you’ll get to test out your skills, as clients will be far more open to new ideas when you’re doing something they’ve never done before. Make sure you’re looking at the big picture and considering all the elements that go into a successful video. The pay here isn’t bad, and it can be a lot of fun too.
The above is a representative sampling of the jobs available online. But rather than limit yourself to just those, consider all the other ways you can make money online. With the right mindset and some initiative, you can truly make money online, even if you don’t have specific training or prior experience. Keep your eyes open for new opportunities, build your network, and find a way to monetize your skills. Good luck out there.