When people talk about making money writing, they mention writing for brands. But that’s just one way to go about it. What if you can build a sustainable business out of writing for people?
Let’s talk about passive income or making money writing in a bigger way. Shall we?
First of All, What Is Content Writing All About
Content writing is a form of content marketing (or marketing in general) that focuses on educating, entertaining, and informing an audience about certain topics. The value you provide gets their attention, and you can sell something to them.
This is how content writing works: Value comes first; sales come later.
Many content writers make the mistake of trying to sell before they offer value to the audience. It is so wrong.
The average internet user thinks they have paid for everything by buying internet data. Trying to sell without offering them value will turn them off. It is a fast way to get hundreds of people to unsubscribe from your email lists.
I once wrote an introductory article to content writing. You should check it out.
This post is about clear and specific examples of people building careers through creating written content. We will learn their strategies, lessons, and pitfalls.
Before we continue, it’s important to understand this is all about writing. Other forms of content marketing include videos (as in YouTube), images (as in Instagram), or audio (as in podcasts). But content writing (as in blogs, emails, etc.) mostly focuses on writing as a form of marketing.
Sit tight or bookmark this if you are busy. Let me inform you. It’s for anyone who is wondering how content writers make money.
Meet Sam
It was 2014, and he had just received a good sum for a business he had sold. He wanted to start something else but didn’t know what to do.
So after waiting for a while, he started creating content for business entrepreneurs “who want tactical advice on how to start a company.” The idea of an email newsletter was born through a website called Hustle.co.
Neither did he know that the Hustle would be sold a few years later at a value of $27 million.
If that sounded easy, it is because this is just a summary of 7 years of work, and it involves hiring people, investing thousands of dollars and using his business success.
Sam’s story is interesting, and one of the stories of people who make money writing you can look at for inspiration. It is about writing for a specific audience. It is a big business and about thinking more and more about the type of content you write.
We will return to Sam, but let’s see a second story.
Meet Steph
She is an indie hacker, a programmer and a podcaster.
Let’s start by asking her, what’s your first successful product?
Hey Steph, do you want to tell us how you make your first $100k product?
My ebook, Doing Content Right, wasn’t just my first profitable project — it was the only project that made any real money. The other things I created I hadn’t charged for.
I found her story interesting, selling an ebook that did six figures in 8 months.
Wa —- oh!
And she’s probably someone you haven’t heard about.
This story brings to another thing about making money writing. You can end up blowing your own mind if you think bigger and better.
We will talk about general lessons at the end of this blog post. For now, let’s meet another guy.
Ever heard of ‘Wildbow’
Last year, I searched the internet for ideas on how to make money writing.
I started with I am good, which is fiction writing. So that was how I read about a guy making 4 figures on Patron by writing fiction for an active audience.
I was shocked when I tried to read about how he got to that stage where he could make a living writing.
Here’s a summary of things you should know:
- Wrote and published around 40k – 70k words per month for 4 years before he started making money
- Didn’t get lots of readers until the latter part of the first year.
- Started making little money in the second or third year
- He was a student, so he wrote most of his work at night
- So after writing for some years, he built an audience and started putting his content behind paywalls. He is earning 4 figures now.
Wa —- wa — oh!
This story can blow my mind because of the hard work and dedication it takes to achieve it.
It’s either you get what you want, or you do everything you can.
The Lessons
These are examples of how to make money writing, but it requires more skill than just writing.
But you and I can see the possibilities, so let’s observe a few things.
- There is no limit
Making money Earning writing doesn’t have to be limited to certain ways. Look for brands to hire you, pitch articles, and send cold emails.
You can do that, but then you can do more. And trust me, the reward is greater when you demand more from yourself. Ye
I can continue writing and using stories of writers who built a sustainable business of their writing.
- Read other people’s stories
I just shared some with you. So take an hour this evening and start digging around to see what you can find in forums and the internet.
- Don’t believe every story though
There are a lot of tell-tales out there. You have to turn on your filter to detect what’s a lie and what’s true.
I’m writing this post to grow my blog and learn Search Engine Optimization, but the value is free for readers. Many people will exaggerate their stories to get you to pay for something. Stay careful.
And when you read inspiring stories, get inspired and actually do the work.
- Your experience matters
If you have a background in certain fields and it’s paid you good money in the past, that’s the likeliest thing to build upon. Think of you can build a bigger and better audience.
- It will take years (probably)
You can be lucky. From all the stories shared here, only a few made 6 figures in the first year.
You need time. 2 – 3 years, probably. And if you get your big break in less than a year. Tell your story.
Building something big takes a lot of work
Want to know how to start earning through content writing? Look for other stories of people who actually did it. Then, read a ton of them. Learn from their experiences.