3 Don’ts For A Profitable Writing Business In 2024: Don’t Miss Out!

Crucial mistakes to steer clear of for a flourishing writing career

Have you put your foot in the world of digital writing yet?

If yes…

You’re worth a pat of appreciation because those who haven’t are still stuck in their heads trying to brush off the thoughts that are holding them back.

Am I right?

Don’t worry though, I was you just some years back as well.

• I was stuck in the barriers of the ‘what content should I make?’
• I’m new and inexperienced, why would anybody read what I have to say?
• What if I ended up in their memes?
• How will I make original content when everything’s already been written about now?

How did I break through?

I was recommended the book, ‘show your work’ by Austin Kleon. Here is my favorite quote from the book:

Be curious about the world in which you live. Look things up. Chase down every reference. Go deeper than anybody else — that’s how you’ll get ahead.

I never knew it was as simple as going online and being discovered by ANY type of work that I could publish.

The only difference was, showing up frequently.

How has writing helped me evolve as an individual?

Cleared my thoughts and paved my path to building an online writing business.

I have gained more knowledge from my mentors than I have from school and college.

At the end of the day, I feel proud I took that first step and now I am playing my part in the digital world of business by sharing my knowledge to all of you here, reading my work today.

1) Don’t start the career to make money!

Yes, it’s far from anything crazy.

➡ DO IT FOR FREE first.

Be it any type of content, it’s best to start free of cost for someone and just let them judge your skills.

Based on this judgment, if you prove your credibility, they will go out of their way to pay back the value you are providing them and their company. Be it showers of cash or a list of referrals that might open doors of opportunities that you could only think of.

➡ In case you happen not to be good enough, you get to know where you stand and don’t deserve to put a price tag on your services just yet, instead, focusing on building a professional portfolio and learning necessary skills needs prioritization.

“Your portfolio is your calling card.” — Lisa Grossman

So, if you’re new to this realm of making money as a writer, don’t ever underestimate the power of free work and make your boss indebted to you for your valuable work.

2) Don’t focus on increasing followers!

I was never told focusing on getting readers is a bad intention.

I have learned it from experience.

Yes, there needs to be an audience for your work to be sold but there’s a difference between people who follow you and those that connect with your content and are ready to pay for it in the future.

Your sole job is to focus on building a readership that is hooked to what you have to offer. You will spot them when they converse with you.

Be it a comment or a DM, there needs to be a conversation between you people.

➡ Make sure if they take 1 step towards you, you ought to walk to them personally.

Questioning validates interest

Try creating focused content surrounding their problems because let me get this straight into your head,

THEY ARE YOUR POTENTIAL FUTURE CUSTOMERS.

Moreover, it’s easier to make money if your readership is hooked. Be it a small group of people, they will surely buy value from you and it’s enough to make you a lot too.

➡ Never ruin the business in greed.

So, acknowledging the content that is worth it to leverage the amount of it in the future is your strategy.

3) Don’t start with a website!

Truth be told, we live in a highly competitive digital world, and making a way through it requires new writers to start out from a digital writing platform that’s suitable for your type of content because:

• No technical knowledge is required, they already have built-in templates that make it easy to create a professional-looking blog.
• They have a built-in audience, you can build readership quick even without SEO; best to get a head-start.
• The community of bloggers available is highly useful to get and share ideas and experiences.
• Some websites have built-in monetization options, be it advertising or affiliate marketing, so it’s possible to make money out of writing.
• These websites hardly cost anything. Just login and start writing.

➡ I started out on Medium and now I lead my traffic to my website from there. LinkedIn is one of the many options as well.

Moreover showing up on the website with new content frequently is the best advice I could ever get from my mentors.

It’s the fastest way to gain readership for sure.

I know it can be hard for beginners as they are still struggling with other things like time management and so was I but then I solved this matter by creating content in bulk.

How did that help?

Batch content helped me be consistent and posting regularly.

It eventually boosted my productivity and highly reduced my stress level.

I could map out my content calendar, ensuring that it covers a variety of topics and maintains a consistent brand voice.

It was a big help in maintaining a balance in my work and personal life as I could save a lot of time.

Your turn, what techniques worked best for you? I am so curious to hear your side of the story too.

This post comes from my weekly newsletter — The Friday Fireside Motivation Letter — which will help you stay motivated throughout the week.