How I Make Money as a Freelance Writer

Do you have a passion for writing? Have you ever been told that "writing/blogging isn't a viable career path"? Then you are in the right place. I started my freelance writing journey in November of 2020, and I haven't looked back since.

I had my own doubts when I left my corporate job, but I was confident that I could make it work somehow. Whether that meant I ended up working a part-time job, driving for Uber, or well...going back to my original job/industry.

I was at the point in my life where I knew I couldn't continue working the same job for the rest of my life. I enjoyed what I did, but the company was restrictive, my coworkers weren't all that pleasant, and I didn't feel like I really belonged there.

On top of that, there were the long hours. For some reason, companies have this inane idea that we need to work 8-10 hours a day. Even though I could easily complete my work in the first 4 hours of the morning.

So I told myself it was time to take the jump. Life is too short not to take some calculated risks. Besides, as I had just shown, there were plenty of job possibilities if it didn't work out. So with a few months worth of expenses saved up, I took the leap and joined the world of online freelancing.

The Art of Copywriting

One of the biggest difficulties is finding how and where to make money as a writer. During my initial research, I was drawn to copywriting because of its versatility. It can be used in a number of different ways and provides a variety of avenues with increased earnings potential.

If you aren't familiar with the term Copywriter it's essentially just a writer that focuses on creating content that can be used to generate sales. Copywriters are responsible for writing a wide variety of content including:

• Sales pages
• Advertisements
• Blog posts with CTAs (call to action)
• Product descriptions
• And much more

Copywriting is quite versatile and can apply to many different things. Even writing an informative blog post with a quick blurb about a company can be seen as copywriting. That's why I felt it was a smart move to learn and improve my copywriting skills.

So how have I been able to utilize my copywriting skills?

Online Earning Opportunities for Writers

Becoming a proficient copywriter opens up even more doors when looking to monetize your writing skills. However, writing can be quite a profitable skill on its own. These are some of the different avenues I utilize to generate income.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a platform for freelancers to productize and sell their services. This is how I generate the majority of my income and connect with clients. It's a great way to jump right in as it allows you to start making money right away. You can check out my profile on Fivver to get an idea.

New sellers typically have to start out by selling their services for cheap until they can gain reviews and build up social proof. Once you have some 5-star reviews you can start increasing your prices until you feel comfortable.

A lot of buyers will ask for samples of your work which can be difficult when first starting out. Check out this article I wrote on how I built my portfolio at the start.

Vocal.media

Yes, the website you are on right now is one of the ways I monetize my writing. Vocal allows writers to publish their blogs and articles to the website and then get paid based on the views it receives. Using Vocal was a no-brainer because it took care of two birds with one stone.

I was able to build my portfolio and establish myself as a published writer, and I could also get paid for the articles I was writing. Now, most people won't generate a livable income off of Vocal right away. This is more of a long-term investment because it's dependent on the popularity of your articles and that can increase over time thanks to SEO.

As your writing and SEO skills improve, you can use those skills to write articles that will passively generate income for the foreseeable future. Vocal also offers weekly contests on different topics and the winner can walk away with a prize of over $1,000.

Vocal is completely free to sign up and start publishing, but they also offer Vocal+. Vocal+ increases your earnings per view so it can actually pay for itself. It also gives members access to additional contests, lowers fees, and decreases the minimum withdrawal balance.

Ebooks

Ebooks are an excellent option for writers with the dream of publishing their own book. Amazon Self Publishing can make this dream a reality by allowing you to self-publish your writing as an ebook. The ebook can then be sold on Amazon and the Kindle store to provide a nice passive stream of income.

This does require some marketing of your own to increase awareness of your book and begin building positive reviews. But self-publishing is an excellent way to get started and build recognition. In fact, several well-known authors got their start through self-publishment.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is another amazing way to get started building an income because it uses our copywriting skills. Affiliate marketing is where a company offers a commission-like structure to individuals that refer their product to customers.

This is a great opportunity for copywriters because we often find ourselves writing sales content for other people, so why not do it for ourselves? Affiliate marketing gives writers the power to pick and choose which companies they want to work with and which products they want to recommend.

Just be careful about what you advertise, because it can reflect back on you. If you recommend a poor product just to make a couple of dollars, your audience will remember that and might choose to avoid you. That's why I prefer to only recommend products I myself use and find value in.

Fiverr Affiliates is a great place to start if you want to get into affiliate marketing. It will allow you to recommend different services from the Fiverr platform and then get paid when readers use your link to buy. Amazon also has a program that allows you to earn small amounts of commission from recommending products from their website.

Dealing with imposter syndrome

One of the biggest hurdles for new or potential writers is managing to get over the imposter syndrome. We all have doubts and question our own abilities, but we can grow and improve as long as we don't quit (this includes quitting before you even start).

Most of us continue to face imposter syndrome even after reaching certain levels of success. I currently have over 100 five-star reviews, and I still ask myself "why would anyone choose me?" Don't let self-doubt limit your potential and prevent you from living the life you deserve. Pursue your dreams and take some calculated risks, there are always fallback options.

If you are having a hard time getting out of your head, try taking some courses. Online courses can be quite cheap and most of them are packed with really helpful information.

Fiverr Learn is a great place to start and the courses are reasonably priced and won't take a lot of time. This course is a good starting point for copywriters and writers in general.

Udemy is also a great place to learn a wide variety of topics and offers some great deals.

Youtube is a phenominal resource for free content so if you are looking to save money then I highly recommend it. Try searching for topics like SEO and general copywriting guidelines.

Finally, if you're an avid reader like I am then I'd highly recommend reading Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini. The book is practically the bible for copywriters and marketers. It explains everything you need to know on how to create quality content and be a better copywriter.

Starting your journey

I hope that reading this article has helped bring some clarity to you and given you the confidence to begin your journey. Freelancing is by no means easy, but with some hardwork and perseverance, you can start building the future you want to live.

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to chat, you can find me on Twitter at @CJ_3FW.

Some of the links in this article contain referral links that provide a small commission to me without any added cost to you. All of the links and services I have promoted have been used by me, and I wouldn't promote anything that I did not find useful or valuable.