avatarAlana Rister, Ph.D.

Summary

The web content outlines four methods for writers to monetize their work without the need for an email list, including participation in the Medium Partner Program, writing for Vocal Media, engaging in affiliate marketing, and securing direct audience support through platforms like Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee.

Abstract

The article "4 Ways to Monetize Your Writing" provides valuable insights for writers seeking to earn income from their craft without relying on an email list. It introduces the Medium Partner Program, where writers can earn a portion of the membership fee when members read their stories. The article also discusses Vocal Media, a platform that pays writers based on the number of views their content receives, and offers additional monetization opportunities through bonuses, tips, and writing challenges. Affiliate marketing is suggested as another avenue for monetization, where writers can include affiliate links within their content and receive commissions for sales generated through those links. Lastly, the article covers direct audience support, encouraging writers to use platforms like Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee to receive donations from their readers. The article emphasizes the importance of building a monetization strategy from the outset to maximize earnings as the writer's audience grows.

Opinions

  • The author suggests that building an email list is not the only way to monetize writing, implying that there are more immediate methods available.
  • Participating in the Medium Partner Program is presented as a straightforward way to earn money, with the potential to reach a broad audience through publications on Medium.
  • Vocal Media is portrayed as a lucrative platform for writers, with a transparent pay rate and multiple avenues for earning beyond just views, such as bonuses and challenges.
  • Affiliate marketing is recommended as a method that can provide recurring revenue, especially when promoting products or services that the writer genuinely endorses.
  • The article advocates for transparency in affiliate marketing by advising writers to disclose their use of affiliate links to comply with FTC guidelines.
  • Direct audience support is seen as a personal way to connect with readers and secure regular funding, with the suggestion to create membership options and promote support pages effectively.
  • The author's opinion is that while initial earnings from these methods may be modest, they can significantly increase over time with a growing audience.

4 Ways to Monetize Your Writing

Without an email list

Edited by Author: Background Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash and Overlay Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Writing can become a great way to earn money either as a side hustle or a full-time living. Most experts will suggest that you build an email list and then sell products to help monetize your writings.

While this is great advice, there exist important ways to be able to monetize your writings directly, without building products or needing an email list.

Medium Partner Program

Medium provides a direct way to monetize your writing through the Medium Partner Program. Through the partner program, you will receive a share of the $5 a member pays, when a member reads your stories. You do not have to become a medium member to earn money through the partner program.

To earn money from your stories, you do need to meter them, which means that non-members will not be able to read your story once they hit their 3 free stories per month.

Tips to maximize earnings:

  • Focus on your headlines to encourage people to click and read your article.
  • Write a great introduction that will hook the reader. The longer a reader stays the more you get paid.
  • Make your stories valuable for the reader.
  • Publish into publications to reach a larger audience.

Vocal Media

Vocal is a platform similar to Medium that will pay you for views on your writing. Once you sign up for vocal, you are eligible to receive payment on all of your articles. Unlike Medium, Vocal’s pay rate is known. If you are not a paying member, you will receive $3.8 per 1000 reads. If you become a Vocal+ member, you will earn $6 per 1,000 reads. Importantly, the people who read your stories do not need to be paying members to get paid.

Vocal also has three additional ways to monetize your writings: bonuses, tips, and challenges. Vocal gives bonuses — usually around $5 — for having a top story, reaching story milestones, and other achievements. If people like your stories, they can tip you directly through Vocal from $1 to $20. Lastly, Vocal has regular prompted challenges that they run, where you can submit stories and win money if you place in the top 3 stories.

Tips to maximize earnings:

  • Look at the communities available on Vocal first and write directly for them.
  • Write consistently on Vocal. This will help you to hit the story milestone bonuses.
  • Promote your stories. You get paid whether the reader pays for Vocal or not. Therefore, external traffic can be a great income source.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when you include affiliate links for brands that you believe in within your writing as a way to promote them. As a result of the promotion, companies will pay you when someone buys something using your link.

You need to become an affiliate of companies first to obtain access to their affiliate links. You can become affiliates of individual companies or networks. If you are starting out, I would suggest investigating Amazon affiliate program and share-a-sale affiliate network, as they do not have minimum page views or audience sizes to join.

Tips to maximize earnings:

  • Get started including links early. The more that you include, the more you will earn as your audience grows.
  • If possible, find brands that give recurring commissions. These are usually brands that take monthly or yearly payments, like Canva or Kajabi, and will give you regular commissions from your referral payments.
  • Only promote products and brands that you have used and believe are helpful to your audience.
  • Always disclose affiliate links. This will keep you in compliance with FTC guidelines.

Audience Support

The last method to earn money is through direct audience support. By setting up an account, you can allow your supporters to donate small amounts or give monthly donations to support your work.

Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee (referral link) are two sites that allow you to create profiles and share with your audience to receive direct monetary support from your audience.

Tips to maximize earnings:

  • Create a monthly/annual membership option to allow recurring revenue.
  • Write a story with your support page link in it and pin it to your page. Here is an example. This will help those that find you learn how to support you.
  • Share on your social media and include on your link in bios.

Directly Monetize Your Writings

Being able to monetize your writings is important to be able to pursue your writings as a side hustle or career. There are many different ways to monetize your earnings; however, many require the creation of an email list.

You can monetize your writing without an email list by posting your writings on sites like Medium and Vocal. Within your writings, you can include affiliate links, which will allow you to make money from product sales. Finally, you can create an ability for your audience to support you directly to monetize your work.

As with all things, the money you will receive at the beginning from all of these systems will be small. However, as your audience grows, your income will increase, especially if you started using these monetization sources from the beginning.

Writing
Entrepreneurship
Business
Monetization
Writing Tips
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