How Can I Make Money By Writing Articles Online?
Do you love writing and want to get paid to write? I’m guessing the answer is yes since you clicked on this blog post!
Whether you’re looking to make extra cash on the side or transition full-time into writing, there are a lot of opportunities to make money online. And one of the best ways to earn money online is by writing articles. You can write from the comfort of your home, work around your schedule, and you don’t need a college degree or even a high school diploma to get started.
Keep reading to learn the different ways you can start earning money online. I’ll be ranking these from least lucrative to most lucrative, in my opinion!
5 ways to make money writing articles online
1. Medium
Medium.com is a popular blogging platform that’s open for anyone to share stories and insights. While you can make money from Medium, it takes a long time and it’s very competitive.
Medium has a membership program, which means users pay a membership fee that allows them to read and write as many articles as they like. When a paying member reads and claps for your story, a part of their membership dollars go into your bank account.
According to SmallBizTrends.com, in the first few months when active writers are building their profiles on Medium, they make about $25 a month.
By posting regularly and focusing on quality content creation, writers earn more. In numbers, top members can make about $1,000 a month.
2. Start a blog
Blogging is a tried-and-true method for writers to make money online, although it may take some time for your blog to gain momentum before you see much income.
The first step in starting a blog is picking a topic that is specific and unique. Then, you will need to pick a domain, design your blog, and set it up.
There are plenty of resources out there to help you with this but remember: you get what you pay for. Free blog hosting sites and free templates are great, but top bloggers agree that you will need to spend a little money upfront if you want to make money blogging in the long run.
A blog is a slow process and takes a lot of effort to establish and maintain.
With blogging, it’s important to post frequently and promote posts on social media. You’ll also need to engage with your readers to make them more loyal.
Once you’ve built a little bit of a following, you can monetize your blog by selling ads, setting up affiliate links, or selling digital products.
3. Ghostwrite for bloggers
Believe it or not, many popular bloggers actually pay ghostwriters to create their own content.
To start ghostwriting, the first step is to figure out what types of blogs you’d like to work for. Once you have your ideal blog/blogger in mind, create a portfolio of at least 3 sample pieces, and start contacting bloggers and ask if they need a ghostwriter.
4. Write articles for an online publication
Online magazines and newspapers often accept articles from freelance writers.
Each website has its own process for getting published, so check its submit page and make sure that you follow the instructions.
Whopayswriters.com is a great database that shows the pay rates across print and digital media. You can see how much a publication pays, the format of articles published (print or digital), copyrights purchased by the publication, and whether or not the publication issues contracts to its writers.
Alternatively, you can seek out a part-time writing job with an online publisher. Watch this video to learn how to apply for writing jobs.
I also recommend checking out The Writing Coach Podcast by Rebecca L. Weber.
5. Get into copywriting
We’ve arrived at the most lucrative way to earn money online: copywriting!
Here’s an easy way to define copywriting: anytime you see or hear words from a business, whether in the form of an ad, a website, an email, a blog post, or a social media post – those words are considered “copy”. So, what a copywriter does is write those words.
Unlike other forms of writing like editorial and fiction, writing copy is all about getting your audience to take action, i.e. “Buy this product”, “sign up for this email newsletter”, “follow our Instagram!”
Businesses want blog articles as part of their inbound marketing strategy and to boost their search engine optimization (SEO) ranking on Google.
Not sure what SEO is? Watch my one-hour SEO Workshop to learn the basics that all freelance writers should know.
Businesses invest heavily in blog writers to create more and more content so that they can be at the top of Google’s organic search results.
There is a lot of work in this field. And because these businesses tend to have more money in their marketing budgets, they have more money to pay writers compared to online newspapers or magazines that have thinner profit margins.
Long story short: online copywriting is where the moola’s at!
Freelance blog writing for businesses is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to freelance copywriting. But blogs are a great place to start if you don’t have much experience.
If you want to learn more about how to get started as a freelance copywriter, watch my How to Start Freelance Writing in 3 Simple Steps Masterclass. You’ll learn my proven 3-step method for getting started – no experience required.
I also offer a self-guided business course that teaches you everything you need to know to run a successful freelance copywriting business. It’s called The Freelance Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy, and you can become a Galaxy member here!