7+1 Ideas to Make Money as a Writer in 2023
Ideas to turn your words into wealth
A few days ago, I put up a story on Instagram asking people what topics I should make more videos on. The number one requested question was, “How to make money as a writer?”
To fulfil your wishes and to answer your questions, this article will talk about 7 ways (and a bonus) in which you can make money as a writer starting from scratch.
The creator economy currently has more than 207 million digital creators worldwide. To stand out and to build a sustainable career as a writer, follow these seven steps to diversify your income streams and make good money as a writer.
If you’d like to watch a more candid version of this in video format, here’s a link —
1. Publish on Platforms That Pay
Three platforms currently come to mind when I talk about this.
Medium
Medium is an American blogging platform where writers are paid based on how many minutes their stories are read by paying members.
Currently, the Medium Partner Program is open in 33 countries, but soon they’re opening up to 60 more countries, including countries like India, Brazil, etc.
If you’re a new writer looking to build a portfolio while making money online, Medium is the best place to start. Check out this video to learn how to get started on Medium.
Vocal.Media
Vocal.Media pays writers based on the number of views their stories have had. Check this video for a detailed guide on how to get started with Vocal and what you can expect from being a writer on that platform.
NewsBreak
NewsBreak is currently open to people from the US. The topics that NewsBreak looks for are local news items and feature pieces on local businesses, etc. I have made a video covering everything you need to know about getting started on NewsBreak. You can find it linked right here.
2. Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is basically when companies or websites pay you to write content for them, and this content is published on their platform. If this content is published under your own name, then you’re a freelance writer. If it’s not published under your own name, then you’re a ghostwriter for that platform.
Freelance writing can pay anywhere from $50 to $600 to even $1,000 per article, and it’s a great way for writers to make more money. The only caveat here is that you need to have a strong portfolio before you apply for any freelance writing client.
I’ve made a video covering how you can build a strong portfolio as a writer; you can find that video linked right here.
I also have built a 90-day guide on how to find your first high-paying freelance client. If you’re interested in making money from freelance writing, make sure to check it out.
3. Submit Articles to Paying Websites
There are multiple websites that pay you in different niches. All you have to do is conduct preliminary research, write your article, and send a pitch to the editors. If accepted, you can earn upto $750 for each published article. More on that here —
4. Paid Newsletters
A newsletter is basically an article or any post you send to your email subscribers every once in a while. The publishing frequency can be daily, weekly, twice a month, or anything that’s convenient to you and your readers.
You can make money from a newsletter in multiple ways, but the biggest and the most convenient two ways are:
- To put your content behind a paywall, so people who pay to subscribe to your newsletter only can read your content,
- Have sponsors for your newsletter.
If you write in a particular niche and you can find brands that cater to that niche, then you can ask these brands to sponsor your newsletter. Personally, I’ve made $1,200 for a single newsletter issue, so you know that there’s huge potential in earning from sponsorships through your newsletter.
5. Reader Support
The fifth way to make money as a writer is to ask your readers to support you. There are multiple platforms like Buy Me a Coffee, Patreon, Ko-fi, etc., that let readers pay you directly to read your content.
If you can create valuable content that makes your readers want to support you and engage with your content, this is a great way to earn some extra cash while writing about the topics you love.
6. Brand Sponsorships
You can do brand sponsorships on your social media, blog, website, etc. All you have to do is stick to one particular niche and establish thought leadership in that niche.
When you get a significant amount of readers and a high click-through ratio, then you can hunt for brands that cater to your niche and ask them to sponsor your content.
Brand sponsorships can be a lucrative and easy way of making money as a writer, but you need to establish yourself as an expert in your niche before you start approaching them.
7. Digital Products
Once you’ve established yourself as a subject matter expert in any particular niche, you can start teaching your skills to people. Whatever topic you might be interested in or whatever special skill you have, you can break it down into step-by-step actionable points so that anyone who reads can follow them.
Then, you can make tutorials, either in text form or in video format, and you can combine this and make a digital product. Then, you can sell it to your audience.
If you’re new to this field of earning from digital products, I’ve made a detailed video covering one of the platforms on which you can monetize your digital products. Check it out here.
[Bonus] Guest Posts
The bonus step of making money as a writer is to submit guest posts to websites that pay.
How can you do that?
Pretty simple!
- Search for your niche + “paid guest post” on Google.
- You’ll get a list of websites that pay you for writing about the topics that you specialize in.
- Send them a pitch, have a conversation, negotiate your rates, and you can earn money by writing guest posts.
These were the 8 ways you can make money as a writer in 2023. I’m sure there are multiple other ways I might have missed as well. If you can think of anything else that will be helpful to other readers, please leave your insights in the comments.
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More on succeeding with your writing side hustle here —