For the past 10 years, one of my favorite hobbies and part-time jobs has been writing online.
There are several things to consider when writing online. You might expect me to say it’s just grit and hard work, but yes, that’s part of it. But most of my writing opportunities come from being in the right place at the right time, and surrounding myself with situations and people that create opportunities.
I should mention that I only write part-time, not full-time. This means that I am very picky and can only commit to or accept exciting work where I can learn something new. Because of this, I end up writing less than others for months or years, and that’s okay.
So think about what you want to get out of writing. If your primary goal is to make money, you may be willing to take on a less enjoyable job.
On the other hand, if you want to make a little extra money writing about something you love, you might decide to take on fewer clients and wait for opportunities that appeal to you.
So let’s take a look at the different ways I make money writing online.
1. Corrections and feedback for non-native English speakers
A. Creating a student report
When I started teaching Business English online, I thought everything would be done orally. But I soon realized that I would also write. You will be required to provide a fairly detailed feedback report each time you teach a class. This includes both positive and constructive notes in 10 different areas.
B. Modification of writing sample
Another job I did as a Business English teacher was editing writing samples and providing positive feedback and suggestions for improvement. If you love grammar and are the type of person who always finds grammar mistakes in books, this might be for you.
This is one of my favorite ways to make money writing. Because helping people who want to learn and watching them grow and improve over months or years is extremely rewarding.
How to join this work:
If you want to focus on the writing side of ESL, working independently is the best way to go. You can find students in the community and on social media. Another option is to find students through marketplaces like Preply or iTalki. Marketplace allows you to create lesson plans and market yourself as a teacher by focusing on your writing skills.
You can also start with an online ESL company like Education First. Most online companies require you to write a student report. During the interview, you can ask if there are any complementary jobs or opportunities that involve writing.
2. Write an article on Medium
For new writers, Medium is a great platform to build your portfolio, connect with other writers, and get opportunities.
On Medium, you can write about anything that interests you. You can publish personal essays, poetry, self-help content, book reviews, and more.
For more information, check out this article on how to make money writing on Medium.
Another benefit of Medium is that as your company grows, seek partnership opportunities such as writing blog content for your company or using its affiliate links in your articles if your readers click or make a purchase. There is a possibility that a company will contact you in exchange for a portion of the sales. your link.
A few years ago, an audiobook company even approached me about turning my Medium blog posts into short audiobooks.
How to join this work:
To get started, use this guide to set up your Medium profile, write and publish your first article.
Once you start using it, read content from different people to get a feel for the platform.
If you see someone you like, follow them and leave a comment.
In my experience, the best way to grow is to consistently post, publish quality content, follow Medium’s guidelines, and participate on the platform.
3. Creating social media content for clients
If you prefer short-form writing, social media content is a great option.
My first experience was co-managing a Facebook page for a personal development brand. In exchange for my post, I received a free course developed by the brand.
A few years later, I started volunteering at a microfinance organization, managing social content for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Then I started writing weekly blog posts for my freelance writing clients. A few months into my job, a client asked me if I was interested in social media management for Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. I was able to jump into this new role because I already had experience doing this through blogging and volunteering.
How to join this work:
If you have no experience, you may want to try volunteering to gain experience. I’ve done this a few times and it was a great way to improve your skills in a low risk way. As a volunteer, you’ll have more opportunities to make mistakes, learn, and grow without as much stress.
You can also work on growing your personal account. For example, if you like writing about career tips, you might want to start posting regularly on LinkedIn.
Social media is something many small business owners want to do, but they often don’t have the time, especially if they’re a sole proprietor. Try giving a cold shoulder and offering your services to local businesses that don’t have a presence or actively post on social media.
4. Write blog posts for clients on Upwork, Reddit, etc.
Freelance writing is my favorite way to make consistent money. If possible, we like to find opportunities with clients who are looking for freelance writers to post weekly or monthly rather than one-off posts.
I’ve had good experiences using Upwork and Reddit to do this. As I said before, this comes down to persistence and luck.
When I started using Upwork, I submitted several proposals, but it took me a few weeks to find one that interested me. I like to wait for opportunities that I’m excited about and then make sure to submit a high-quality proposal. Meet all submission guidelines. If possible, look into the business and do some research.
We also have some clients from Reddit. One of my clients was publishing career guides, so I did some research and wrote guides for various technical jobs. I also wrote a blog post about running a small business for another client on Reddit.
How to join this work:
Reddit allows you to promote yourself as a writer and apply for jobs. To promote yourself, follow r/HireaWriter. You can read other examples and then post your own. Share the type of writing you do and how your clients benefit from working with you.
You can also follow subreddits about topics you write about. For example, I found one client on the r/Entrepreneur subreddit. She was looking for someone to write about running a small business.
We also recommend following the r/freelanceWriters subreddit. This is a great place to find tips and advice on freelance writing.
Upwork recommends that you put effort into creating a solid profile. You can then set aside a few minutes a day or week to browse open jobs. Saving the completed sample on your computer will make it easier when you apply. Also, prioritize long-term work rather than one-off jobs. Finally, customize each job you apply for and avoid sending spam emails.
Although I haven’t tried it myself, Fiverr is another platform that some people have had success with.
5. Sponsored content on my blog
If you have blog or social media content, companies may contact you about sponsored posts or other content.
This isn’t something we do often, but every now and then a brand will contact us and we’ll say yes if it’s appropriate.
Brands often pay a flat fee in exchange for writing and posting articles about their products and services.
Most importantly, make sure the brands you work with align with your blog’s topics and values.
How to join this job:
We recommend that you create a media kit before you need it. The media kit provides information about your audience, demographics, traffic statistics, social media, and more.
Next, we recommend reading up on how to get paid sponsorships, especially if you don’t have a lot of followers at the moment.
6. Affiliate links in blog content and newsletters
No matter where you are in the world, you probably see affiliate links multiple times a day on social media, newsletters, online articles, and more.
An affiliate link is a link to a product that allows the person posting the link to earn a small commission every time someone uses the link and purchases that product.
A brand contacted me about a blog post I had already written. They were going to pay me a certain amount if I took an existing post and added some affiliate links there.
To me, this was a win-win situation. Most of the work was already done by writing the post. It only took a few minutes to add some links. We also knew that the product would fit well with the post so it wouldn’t look spammy or detract from the content.
If you have an email newsletter, this is also a good place to share affiliate links. Please note that some affiliates do not allow links within emails. So check what is allowed for each affiliate brand or network.
How to join this job:
I start by reading this article about making money with affiliate marketing.
You can also do some research on your own by looking at some of your favorite social media accounts and blogs and taking note of how affiliate marketing is used and what you like and dislike as a user.
Some brands require you to have a certain number of followers before you can become an affiliate, but don’t let that discourage you. Please keep looking. There are many affiliates like Amazon that you can join regardless of your followers.
7. Bartering or trading skills for free members
Another option is to barter or trade your skills for things that interest you.
For example, I joined a virtual community for several years and paid monthly membership fees. This gave me access to courses, coaching, online groups, and online communities.
About a year ago, I saw the founders looking for two women to moderate their online community. This requires 10-15 minutes of work each day, but in return you receive the highest level of membership for free. I wanted to be more involved anyway, so this was a way to hold myself accountable, engage with other women online, and receive a free membership. It was truly a win-win situation for me.
How to join this work:
Once you find an organization or person you like, read their email newsletter and keep an eye out for opportunities.
Or just cold pitch! Let’s say you’re part of an online Pilates or yoga group. Check out our social media and website to see how you can add value. Perhaps founders don’t have time, so they rarely post on social media or blogs. We offer these services in exchange for your membership.
If you do a great job, you may be offered a paid job in the future. Or at least provide good testimonials.
Skills that will help you make money writing
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Subject matter expertise, such as technical writing.
- social media
- edit
- WordPress and blog management
Tips for getting an online writing job
- Have at least 5-10 samples of your work on hand. This includes personal blog posts, articles for clients, statistics on the social content you create, reviews, and positive feedback from clients and readers.
- If you’re a complete beginner, try volunteering your skills part-time for a few months to build your portfolio, hone your skills, and get reviews.
- When applying for a job, be sure to carefully follow the submission guidelines.
- If you can’t find a job, go to Google and submit a cold pitch. Look for companies that could benefit from blogging or other content writers and contact them via email.
- Be active on job sites like ProBlogger.
- If you don’t have a writing portfolio of past writing work, search for blogs that accept contributors and write a few free guest posts.
- Focus on your niche and find specific or related topics to write about based on your interests and previous experience.
How to make money with online writing summaries
When you write online, your options are truly endless. In addition to everything I mentioned above, other ways I’ve used my writing skills include writing show notes and synopses for podcasts and doing email coaching where I coach clients entirely via email. There are things to do.
If you love writing, this type of entrepreneurship might be perfect for you.
As you read through these ideas, note the ones that seem most interesting and follow the suggestions. Many of these can be started in a matter of days or weeks.
