Most people think that to be a writer you have to sit at home alone in your room all day long, churning out manuscripts while dreaming of a million dollar check. That’s not necessarily true. There are ways to get paid for writing even if you don’t have a million dollar book contract. You just have to know where to look. The following will discuss 6 ways to make money as a writer.
1. Build a Platform
The first step to becoming a wealthy writer is to build a platform. This means creating a following of readers who value your opinion and are willing to pay for it. The easiest way to do this is to simply write and share interesting articles about whatever you’re passionate about. You can take advantage of one of the biggest mistakes most people make when trying to become a writer; which is publishing poor quality material first. It’s better to write something genuinely good and wait a while before publishing it. As a result, you’ll start building a following of dedicated readers who will value your opinion and are likely to buy your books when they’re published.
The internet makes it easier than ever for anyone to start a blog. Doing so can be extremely profitable. The following are the top affiliate marketing tricks used by top bloggers to make money online.
2. Start a YouTube Channel
YouTube is an extremely popular platform. In fact, it’s the second largest search engine after Google. If you can figure out how to use it to your advantage, you can make a lot of money. One of the things that makes YouTube so valuable is the community that gathers around it. There are people searching for just about anything on YouTube, and chances are, there’s a subsection of that community that finds value in your content. These people are called “superfans”, and they’ll be more than willing to pay you to advise them on whatever subject you choose.
You can take advantage of this by creating educational content that is specific to a niche. For example, if you’re a foodie and have a lot of experience in the industry, you can create videos teaching people how to cook various dishes. You might even make a series of videos showcasing different meals or offering tips on how to make the most of your ingredients. While this may not seem like a moneymaker at first glance, consider the fact that you’ll likely be able to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. From there, you can move on to the next step.
3. Start an Amazon Affiliate Store
Amazon is a behemoth in the world of online retail. Not only is it the largest online retailer, it’s also one of the most popular websites overall. Naturally, this makes it extremely valuable. Even if you don’t have any products to promote, you can use Amazon Affiliates to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. All you need to do is sign up for a free account and follow the instructions. You won’t make any money right away, but over time, you’ll be able to build a steady stream of revenue. You might even decide to specialize in a certain product or industry and create an entire blog around it. At the end of the day, it’s all about having a following and making money off of your audience.
4. Start an Instagram Account
Instagram is another popular social media platform, and it’s quickly becoming one of the largest sources of online advertising. Even if you don’t have a substantial audience yet, you can take advantage of this. All you need to do is follow the instructions on how to create an Instagram account and then start posting regularly. People will start to notice your content and eventually begin to follow you. From there, you can begin to utilize Instagram Live, which allows you to broadcast yourself live through social media. Doing so allows you to interact with your audience and have real-time conversations. Your live videos don’t need to be perfect, but they should be compelling enough to keep your viewers interested. This is usually done through a combination of different video formats and a little bit of quirky comedy.
5. Start a Newsletter
Newsletters are one of the oldest forms of online marketing, and they’re still incredibly effective. The only difference is these days, people are coming to newsletters more frequently than ever before. It’s not simply a case of signing up for a few newsletters and then forgetting about them. Today, people are engaging with newsletters on social media, through emails, and on websites. The more engaged they are, the more revenue you can expect to generate. The trick is to figure out what will resonate with your audience and then craft content around that. You can experiment with different subject lines and pitches to see which ones bring in the most subscribers.
6. Start a Blog (part one)
This is probably the most obvious one, but it’s an important one nevertheless. If you want to get paid as a writer, you need to start a blog. People are often surprised to find out how many different ways there are to make money online, and many of them don’t even know that being a writer is a viable option. To help you along the way and establish your blog, we’ve put together a complete guide on how to start a blog for writers.
Blogs are a fantastic way to build an audience, and once you have one, it’s relatively easy to monetize it through affiliate marketing and other means. The only downside is that starting a blog takes a lot of time and isn’t easy to do on a part-time basis. If you’re looking to write for a living, you’ll need to commit to several hours a day, five days a week. Factor in the time it takes to build an audience and you’re looking at a full-time commitment. Not many people can afford that.
7. Guest Blog For Free Websites
If you’re a talented writer and you want to make some extra cash, you can always resort to guest blogging for free websites. Essentially, this is when you get paid to write for a website that doesn’t have its own editorial staff. You will find freelance writing gigs listed in your local paper or on websites like Up Work and Fiverr. You just need to be prepared to write about whatever the website owner asks you to write about. This can be anything from product reviews to event coverage to how-to guides. Just make sure that you’re providing value and that you meet the criteria for the website owner searching for a guest blogger.
8. Start An Online Store
A wonderful way to generate revenue is to start an online store. This can be anything from a simple online shop selling your own products to an online store that specializes in selling and renting clothing and accessories for women. It can even be a store that sells flowers or artwork. Anything that you can list for sale online, you can potentially set up an online store for.
The beauty of an online store is that you don’t need to have a physical place of business to make money. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. Naturally, this makes it easier for anyone to do. You might even consider doing this as a side-hustle while you continue to write on a full-time basis. The great thing about online stores is that you don’t need thousands of dollars to get started. You can use platforms like Shopify, which is completely free, to build your store. Then, when you’re ready to launch, you can use Shopify’s impressive array of marketing tools to drive traffic to your store.
The key to success as an online store owner is to focus on providing quality content that is valuable to your audience. While it’s great to promote your own products, you must continue to write about other topics that your audience cares about. Keep your content varied and interesting, and don’t hesitate to experiment with different formats. In addition, make sure that your website is secure. Even if you don’t have any sensitive information for sale, hackers may still try to access your accounts or steal your customers’ sensitive information. Make sure you use a secured connection (HTTPS) while on public Wi-Fi or on a website that you don’t control. This will help ensure that your personal information isn’t shared or viewed by anyone else. Finally, make sure that you work hard to build credibility. A lot of online stores simply exist to make money. While that isn’t a bad thing, you want to be sure that your audience knows that you’re a reputable source for the information they find valuable. One way to do this is to regularly submit high-quality content to renowned websites. Doing so will inevitably lead to more work in the future.