Are you a savvy wordsmith interested in learning how to make money writing?
Whether you claim to be a writer or not, there’s an opportunity for you to make money online by simply using your words.
If fact, I never imagined that I’d be writing this article sharing how I’ve been able to earn money online as a writer.
Me—the woman who vehemently insisted that I was not a writer to my copy-editor as she finalized my second book.
At most, I always considered myself to just be a blogger.
I wasn’t trained to write and certainly don’t have a journalism degree. I simply did well enough to put words together in a way that people actually enjoyed.
Today, I get paid to write my thoughts online and you can too.
You don’t have to be a journalist or even consider yourself a writer to earn money with your words.
In this post, I’ll share four ways that you can make money online as a writer.
Keep reading to learn how!
4 Ways to Earn Money Online as a Creative Writer
ebooks
Writing short digital books are a popular way to make money online as a writer.
An ebook is a book that is published in a digital format that can be read on a computer or handheld device.
These are popular among consumers because they can be accessed on the go and don’t take up any additional physical space.
They’re also preferred because of their immediate access. Once an ebook is purchased, it can be immediately downloaded and read from anywhere.
These are a quick way to earn money because they are easy to create. You can easily create an ebook to sell as a PDF file without even having a website!
The great thing about ebooks is that they cost literally nothing to produce, don’t require you to hold inventory, and there is no limit on how many you can sell.
Selling ebooks is one of the many ways that I’m able to make money online passively. The digital version of my book, Dump Debt & Build Bank: The Everyday Chick’s Guide to Money made around $600 in passive income last year alone.
How to Create an Ebook
You can create an ebook simply by using Microsoft Word or even Google Docs.
These free tools allow you to write out your content, add graphics, and then generate a PDF version that you can sell.
If you want more of an artistic look, Canva is also an option. I’ve used this free graphic design website to create some of my first ebooks.
The great thing about Canva is that they already have pre-made templates for ebook covers! All you have to do is add your text and customize it to meet your color preference.
You can then add additional pages to type out your content. Although, I’d recommend creating the text portion of your file in a Word or Google Doc and then using a free pdf combiner to add the cover.
Here are some examples of Canva’s ebook cover templates.
This is especially convenient if you lack graphic design skills, but still want to produce something that’s visually appealing.
I even used Canva to create the cover for my book that I sell as an ebook and hardcopy.
How much can you make from selling ebooks?
The amount of money that you can make from selling ebooks is unlimited.
For instance, Cici of @_TheSixFigureChick_ on Instagram has built a 7-figure empire solely from selling e-books and other digital products. She shares her income numbers and teaches others how to build their own digital empire.
What you make depends on how much you price your product for and how well you market to get people to buy it.
I’ve sold ebooks for as low at $7 and have purchased some for as much as $67. It truly depends on the niche that you’re in and what those consumers are willing to pay for that type of content.
Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is a broad term that’s used to describe being contracted to write content for various mediums. This can include writing for news publications, businesses, or even blogs.
This is a new addition to the many side hustles that I have tried and another way that I make money online writing.
How to Become a Freelance Writer
There are different paths to becoming a freelance writer. But in all cases, you’ll need to have a strong background in writing with a portfolio of work that showcases your skills.
My path began with blogging.
Blogging allowed me to spend countless hours improving my writing skills and learning how to create content that people would consume.
As a blogger, I was able to develop a network and expand my opportunities to write for other outlets outside of my own website.
By contributing to other websites (for free at the time), I was able to build up my portfolio and get experience writing about other topics.
This network also gave me access to media companies that were looking for freelance writers to create content for other blogs.
Because of my years of honing my skills on my own blog and guest posting on others, I am now afforded paid opportunities to write.
Currently, I get paid to write for three other blogs outside of my own.
In one month, I was able to earn $600 from writing articles during my lunch breaks at work.
That’s not too shabby for a side hustle.
I have no plans of making this my full-time career, but there are many people who have and can offer training on how to turn freelance writing into a business.
Holly Johnson, a fellow personal finance blogger, makes over $200,000 per year writing full-time. She now teaches others how to do the same with her course, Earn More Writing.
In the course, she teaches you how to land jobs, become more efficient, and ultimately earn more money.
She’s offering a free workshop called, “How to Build a Six-Figure Writing Career” if you want to learn more about the course before enrolling.
How to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
As with most freelance jobs, there are marketplaces where you can advertise your services.
Sites like Upwork and Fiverr are two that you can use to do so. FreelanceMom.com also offers opportunities for paid guest posting.
Most writers will build up a network and clientele to keep work consistent. In my case, I partner with a media company that contracts me to write for their network of sites.
Another way is to join Facebook Groups for freelance writers. Opportunities for work are always shared within these groups.
How Much Do Freelance Writers Get Paid?
The amount of pay that you get as a freelance writer varies by your experience, who you’re writing for, how long your content is, and more.
The Editorial Freelancer’s Association suggests rates of as much as $2.00 per word or up to $100 per hour. As will all things, though, rates can be negotiated.
Blogging
Blogging is another way to make money as a writer. It’s also another main source of passive income for me as well.
Technically, as a blogger, not all money will come from actually writing. However, you will need to write in order to take advantage of the many ways the bloggers can get paid.
Here are the ways that you can make money from writing as a blogger:
Sponsored Posts
This may be the one instance that you can get paid for your writing as a blogger on your own site. Companies and brands will pay you to write content around their product or service.
The rate that you charge is up to you and should be based on the quality of your content, time, and your audience reach. Tracie Fobes, a blog coach & 6-figure blogger, recommends that you charge no less than $250 per sponsored post.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a way to get paid for product or service recommendations. As an affiliate, you can share a unique link to promote items to your audience.
When a purchase is made, you will receive a commission for the referral at no additional cost to the consumer.
By linking products throughout a blog post, you’re able to increase your chances of earning affiliate income. You can see some of the places that I’m an affiliate for on my resources page.
Ads
Ads are another way that bloggers can earn money. You’ve already seen ads displayed through this blog post. Ads are simply selling real estate space on your site.
The amount that you can earn from ads varies based on the ad network that you’re a part of and the ads that are being served.
Products
Lastly, you can earn money as a blogger by selling products. Remember the ebook that I talked about earlier? That can be a product that you sell as a blogger.
I sell printables and an ebook on this site. I’ve also sold t-shirts on my previous websites.
Copywriting
Copywriting is a form of writing used to persuade people to take a specific action, typically to buy something. Whereas the term freelance writing often refers to content writing, which is meant to inform, educate, or entertain.
As a copywriter, you can earn money to write sales pages for brands, copy for Facebook ads, product descriptions, and even social media captions.
If you can use your words to convert readers into paying customers, then this is a great avenue for you.
Final Thoughts on Making Money as a Writer Online
As you can see, you don’t have to be a journalist to make money as a writer. There are so many avenues for everyday people (including me) to get paid for their thoughts and words.
Seems like those writing classes in grade school were actually worth paying attention to, huh?
If you prefer reading instead, I suggest checking out my article on how to become a proofreader.
Yep. You can earn money just from reading as well.
Are you interested in making money as a writer?
I hope that this article was helpful and provided insight into the different options that are available to you.
Let me know in the comments!
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As Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI), she has been teaching personal finances to women & youth for over a decade.
Fo is an established writer and expert contributor on the topics of personal finance, budgeting, debt payoff, money mindset, saving, entrepreneurship, investing, motherhood, personal development, and more.