Welcome to Smiling Writers, your resource for finding freelance writing jobs, earning money online and promoting your work. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the various options available to writers looking for a community to participate in, and highlight some of the best ones.
Choosing the Right Online Writing Platform
There are many lucrative markets online and one of the most popular ones is freelance writing. The demand for content creators is growing and so is the competition. To succeed as a freelance writer, you need to establish and maintain a presence on multiple platforms. This way, when a client comes looking for some content, you’ll be the first person they’ll see. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the various platforms you could potentially use.
WordPress.com
If you’re looking for a free platform with a lot of features, you could try WordPress.com. This is the world’s #1 content management system (CMS) used by millions of websites around the world. To be completely honest, we think WordPress is a bit over-hyped and over-relied on as a content management system. But, if you’re looking for a free platform with a lot of features, it’s hard to avoid recommendation. Especially since WordPress is so popular.
Medium.com
Have a look at Medium.com and you’ll notice that it’s a bit like WordPress.com but with a focus on media instead of content. This is because Medium.com is often used as a blogging platform where you can post articles and engage with your audience. When you register on Medium.com, you get a free blog space to connect with your audience. You can also take advantage of their all-you-can-eat content option which gives you access to a massive library of articles to choose from. If you want to be completely honest, we think Medium is a bit over-relied on as a blogging platform. However, it’s a popular choice for those who want to make money online and have a presence in the media.
Quora.com
Another popular platform for those who want to make money online is Quora.com. This was originally started as a question and answer site where people can retroactively answer questions. Because it started as a Q&A site, it’s heavily reliant on questions and answers for content. This means articles on Quora tend to be longer than those on other platforms. If you’re looking for a place to hone your writing skills and build an audience, Quora is a great choice.
HubSpot.com
Speaking of audiences, HubSpot.com is a business management and marketing platform that also allows you to create websites and blogs to attract potential customers. If you’re looking to earn money online and inbound marketing is your game, HubSpot is a great place to do it. Especially since you can create websites, blogs, and social media accounts easily from the platform. If you want to be completely honest, we think HubSpot.com is a bit underrated as a marketing platform. The community is extremely warm and welcoming which helps boost your confidence as a brand new member.
Etsy.com
Speaking of brands, Etsy.com is the world’s largest online marketplace for brand-name products (mostly handmade and crafty items). If you’re looking to create a brand for yourself, you could try your hand at crafting on Etsy.com. You could sell your goods to people all over the world or use Etsy as an online shop to display your wares. If you want to be completely honest, we think crafting on Etsy is a great way to make a little bit of money online and build your brand. People on Etsy love to buy brand-name products so it’s a win-win situation if you can provide those products.
Livestream.com
This is one of the newer entrants to the online writing community game but it’s already making a big splash. Once you Livestream.com, you’ll notice that it’s a bit like YouTube but for live video. If you’re looking to become a full-time freelance writer, you could try Livestream.com where you can live stream events, interviews, and classes to an audience. You can also use Livestream.com to conduct virtual talks with potential clients. If you live in the US, you may want to consider applying for citizenship as it’s not easy to get a working visa in the country. However, the good news is you can make a lot of money as a US citizen and have plenty of options for work-related travel.
Live.com
Speaking of work-related travel, Live.com is a video-streaming platform specifically designed for businesses. This means that Live.com is a bit like YouTube but for live streams. As a business owner or marketer, you may want to consider using Live.com to broadcast company events, conferences, and webinars. You can also use Live.com to educate and engage with your audience. If you want to be completely honest, we think Live.com is slightly underrated as a video
platform for businesses. You get quality content that’s easy to find and extremely relevant to your audience.
Writer.com
Finally, we have Writer.com. This is a platform that was designed for professional content creators. It provides you with a community of other content creators, a place to discover and publish content, and a revenue-sharing model that takes the word “writer”‘s meaning out of it. If you’re looking to become a full-time freelance writer, you could try Writer.com since it provides you with a place to find clients and prove your worth as a writer.
Choosing the right online writing community for you isn’t easy. Especially if you want to make sure that you establish and maintain a good presence on multiple platforms. Once you find the right fit, though, it’s invaluable. Writers can earn hundreds of dollars per day from their blogs or websites which makes earning an extra buck a satisfying experience. If you’re looking for legitimate opportunities to make some money online, you could try these platforms out. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to take care of the tech stuff yourself.