Can I Make Money Writing Online? 16 Best Ways to Get Started

There are many misconceptions about the process you would use to make money writing online. One of these misconceptions is that you need to be a genius or have some type of special talent to make it as an online writer.

If this were true, then only the people who were born with such talents would end up being successful and famous writers while everyone else would remain unknown and struggling. This couldn’t be further from the truth though because anyone can learn how to write well enough for it to become their profession.

All they have to do is follow a few simple steps which will help them get started on their journey towards building an online writing career and earning money doing what they love most. Therefore, if you want to know how you can start your own writing career, here are 16 tips to help get you started.

Find Your Niche

The first step to becoming a successful online writer is finding your niche. This means that you need to identify what it is that you’re good at writing about and focus on writing articles or blog posts that relate to this topic. For example, if you’re passionate about cooking, then you could start a food blog or write recipes for other food bloggers.

Alternatively, if you love animals, then you could start a pet-related blog or become a blog writer for pet-related websites and magazines. Once you’ve found your niche, stick to writing about topics that fall within this category so that your readers will know what to expect from your content.

If you’re having trouble finding your niche, here are some questions you can ask yourself to get your mind thinking:

• What topics do you enjoy writing about?
• What are you passionate about?
• What do you know a lot about?
• What do you find yourself reading about most often?
• What do other people ask your advice on?

In addition, if you’re still struggling to come up with a niche, try thinking outside the box. For example, if you love to read books, then you could start a book blog or become a book reviewer. Or if you’re into fashion, then you could start a style blog or become a freelance writer for fashion magazines.

Do Your Research

Once you’ve found your niche, it’s important to spend some time researching the topics that you want to write about. This way, you’ll be able to provide your readers with accurate and up-to-date information.

If you’re not sure where to start your research, try using Google Scholar or other online search engines that focus on finding academic papers and articles. This is a great way to find reliable sources of information for your blog posts or articles that are not only great for human readers but also for search engines.

You could also use AI writing software like Jasper to not only come up with ideas for content but also as a way to help you write the actual content for your writing blogs and online writing business. Using Jasper is how I earn money and get paid to write without continually looking at job boards.

Create a Writing Schedule

One of the most important things that you can do as an online professional writer who wants to get paid to write is to create a writing schedule and stick to it. This will help to ensure that you’re consistently producing new content and that your readers always have something new to read on your freelance website.

It’s also a good idea to set aside specific times for writing so that you can make sure that it’s getting done. For example, you could wake up an hour earlier each morning and use this time to write a blog post or you could write for an hour after dinner each night. Once you’ve created a schedule, do your best to stick to it as closely as possible.

For example, I can’t write in the morning for either my freelance writing clients or my other writing services. Instead, I prefer to write a blog post at night when the kids have gone to bed. This helps me to focus and get into a flow state more easily without feeling like I’m taking time away from my family while I earn money writing.

You might feel the same way or might have a different circumstance that works better for you or your family. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to coming up with a writing schedule. Whatever works best for you and your situation (meaning the time that allows you to write the most) should be the solution you choose. This will help strengthen your writing process, leading to more quality writing jobs and better paid writing opportunities so you can make money writing.

Start Guest Posting

Guest blogging is a great way to get your name out there and to start building up a portfolio of published work. If you’re not familiar with guest posting, it simply involves writing an insightful article, writing gig, or blog posts for other people’s websites or blogs (as long as they accept guest posts).

In most cases, you’ll be able to include a short bio at the end of your guest post which will allow readers to learn more about you and your work. If you’re interested in guest posting, start by reaching out to other writers, bloggers, or website owners who run sites that are related to your niche.

Not only will guest posting allow you to link to your own website (most of the time), but it will also give you articles that you can use for your portfolio to show other potential clients of your freelance writing services.

You’ll likely have to match the writing style with that of the website you’ve pitched. However, writing a blog post for someone else can help kickstart your own writing and help you earn money faster with more writing opportunities.

Invest in a Good Editing Tool

If you want to be a successful online writer who will get paid to write, it’s important to invest in a good editing tool. This will help you to catch any spelling or grammar errors in your work before you publish it, no matter if it’s creative writing, guest blogging, personal essays, or other blog writing in any particular niche. There are a number of different editing tools that you can use, but one of the most popular (and affordable) options is Grammarly.

Grammarly is an AI software that helps writers to edit their work for grammar, spelling, and other common mistakes. It’s also great for helping with ideas for content and writing flow. I’ve had many success stories using Grammarly and use it for all of my online writing jobs and freelance writing (especially writing that I get from job boards).

Get Paid to Write Product Reviews

Another great way to make a living writing is to get paid to write product reviews. This involves writing reviews of products that you’ve used so that potential buyers can learn more about them. If you’re interested in this type of work, there are a few different ways that you can get started.

One option is to sign up for a paid review site or job board such as ReviewStream or Dooyoo. Alternatively, you could approach companies directly and offer to write reviews for their products in exchange for a fee.

Finally, if you have your own website or personal blog, you can use it to review products in your niche. You can then link to those products and get paid as an affiliate for other freelance writers.

Sell Your Own Products

If you’re looking for a more long-term way to make money as a writer, then selling your own products is a great option. This could involve anything from creating and selling an eBook (think content writer) to setting up an online store and selling physical products. You need to either write your ebook or write your product descriptions.

If you’re not sure what type of product you want to sell, spend some time brainstorming ideas or doing market research to see what other people are interested in buying. Once you’ve decided on a product, create a sales page and start promoting it to your target audience.

You could also do this through Instagram by selling products that you’ve made or through other social media platforms.

Join an Affiliate Program

Affiliate marketing is another great way to make money writing online. This involves promoting other people’s products and earning a commission on each sale that you generate.

If you’re interested in affiliate marketing, there are a few different ways that you can get started. One option is to join an affiliate program such as Amazon Associates or ClickBank. Alternatively, you could approach companies directly and offer to promote their products on your own business website or blog.

Not all affiliate programs are the same; make sure that you read the terms and conditions before you sign up so that you know what’s expected of you, especially if you’ll be doing it on social media accounts.

Start a Blog

If you’re looking for a more long-term way to make money online with your writing abilities, then starting a blog is a great option. This will give you a platform to share your ideas and thoughts with the world and to build up a loyal following of readers. In order to make money from your blog, you could sell advertising space, promote affiliate products, or hold writing contests.

You could also create and sell your own products or services. Starting your own blog or website is a great idea because it’s like digital real estate: you can always sell it later if you want to make money from something else. In the meantime, you can earn “rent” by advertising to your blog’s readers through the published article and quality articles you write.

Write Articles for Revenue Sharing Sites

Revenue sharing sites are websites that allow you to write articles in return for a share of the revenue that they generate. This is a great way to get started making money online as it’s usually relatively easy to get accepted and you don’t need to worry about finding clients or customers. One of the most popular revenue-sharing sites to make a living writing is HubPages. However, there are many other options available for ways to make money, so take a look around and see what’s out there.

I don’t have any experience with this, but it’s something that you could look into if you’re interested. The people that make a lot of money doing this are usually the ones who are able to produce a lot of content on a regular basis. If you can’t do that, you’re probably better off finding your own clients or starting your own blog or webpage (even better if you have more than one blog).

Submit Articles to Online Directories

There are many different online directories that accept articles from freelance writers. This is a great way to get exposure for your work and to build up a portfolio of published articles. In most cases, you’ll be able to include a short bio at the end of your article which will allow readers to learn more about you and your work. One of the most popular article directories is EzineArticles. However, there are many other options available, so take a look around and see what’s out there.

The one major problem with submitting articles to online directories is that you usually don’t get paid for them. So, if you’re looking to make some money from your writing, this might not be the best option for you.

Write for Content Mills

Content mills are websites that provide articles and other content to businesses and individuals. They usually work on a pay-per-article basis, which means that you’ll earn a set amount of money for each article that you write.

While the pay is usually quite low, this can be a good way to get started making money with online writing as it’s relatively easy to get accepted and there’s no need to find clients or customers. One of the most popular content mills is WordAgents. However, there are many other options available, so take a look around and see what’s out there.

While many “professional” writers bemoan content mills, in my experience they can be a great way to get your feet wet in the world of online writing. The pay isn’t great, but you can usually write as much or as little as you want, and it’s a great way to build up a portfolio of published work.

In addition, if you use AI writing software like Jasper to help you out, you can write articles in a tenth of the time, make the pay more than worth it.

For example, using Jasper, I can write and edit a 1000-word article in 31 minutes. If a content mill pays me $0.03 a word, that’s $30 for a half hour of my time, which is not a bad rate, especially if you haven’t found your own clients yet.

Find Your Own Clients

Speaking of finding your own clients, if you’re looking for a more long-term way to make money online, then finding your own clients is a great option. This can be done through a variety of different methods, such as networking, cold calling, or advertising.

Once you’ve found a potential client, you’ll need to put together a proposal outlining the work that you’d like to do for them. If they accept your proposal, then you can start working and get paid on an agreed-upon schedule.

The best tip for finding your own clients is to target those people that need writing who specifically within your writing niche. For example, if you’re a pet-lover, look for pet businesses that might need content for their websites or blogs about pets. If you’re into fitness, look for gyms or personal trainers who need help with their online presence.

Start a Freelance Writing Business

If you’re serious about making money online through writing, then starting your own freelance writing business is a great option. This will give you the freedom to choose your own clients and to set your own rates for writing jobs.

To get started, you’ll need to create a website and start marketing your services of freelance writing gigs. Many people recommend you join a freelance writing marketplace such as Upwork or Fiverr to find clients. However, I’ve found that the writing jobs clients you find on these job boards are often low-paying and not worth your time.

I prefer to use my website to attract high-paying clients that are willing to give me regular work. While it takes a bit more effort to find these clients, it’s well worth it in the long run as you’ll be able to make a lot more money.

One of the best ways to attract high-paying clients is to write great samples that showcase your writing skills. You can then use these samples as portfolio pieces on your website or when you’re pitching to potential clients.

Another way to get high-paying clients is by networking with other businesses in your niche. For example, if you’re a business writer, you can attend events and meetups for entrepreneurs and business owners. You can also join relevant online communities and forums to connect with potential clients looking for online writers.

Finally, you can also use cold-emailing to reach out to prospective clients. This involves sending a tailored email to businesses that you think might need your services. However, you need to be careful with this approach as you don’t want to come across as spammy or unprofessional when selling writing gigs.

Teach Writing Online

If you’re an experienced writer, then you could consider teaching writing virtually. There are many different ways that you could do this, such as creating an online course or providing one-on-one coaching. You could also start a blog or YouTube channel where you provide free tips and advice on writing. Once you’ve built up a following, you could then start charging for your services.

One of the benefits of this method for making money writing online is that you can earn a passive income from it. For example, if you create an online course, you can continue to sell it for years to come without having to do any additional work. This means that you can make money while you sleep!

Another benefit of teaching writing virtually is that you can reach a global audience. This is especially helpful if you’re looking to make money from writing in a foreign country. For example, if you’re a native English speaker, you could teach English writing to students in countries such as China or India to make more money.

Create an eBook

Another great way to make money online is to create an eBook. This can be a great way to share your knowledge and expertise with others, while also earning some passive income. To create an eBook, you’ll need to write the book and then format it into a PDF. You can then sell it on your website or through online marketplaces such as Amazon.

While this freelance writing process might seem complicated at first, it’s actually quite easy to create an eBook. And, once you’ve created it, you can continue to sell it for years to come. This makes it a great way to make money online passively and continue to get paid to write

Conclusion

Many writers have the question, “can I make money writing online” and the answer is yes! If you love writing, there are many different ways that you can get started writing and earn some extra income in the writing world. Don’t feel overwhelmed and try to start every one of them. Instead, pick one or two that you’re interested in and focus on those. If you put in the hard work, you can make a great income as an online writer.

FAQ – Can I Make Money Writing Online?