How To Make $1000 A Month From Writing Online (When You Have No Idea)
It doesn’t take much.
Confession time: when I earned my first $ writing online, I had no idea, what I was doing.
I made many mistakes and wasted a lot of time (and nerves). Now, I know better. After almost four years of being a ghostwriter and seeing many ways to earn money writing online, I’d start differently.
If you’re just starting out, and having no idea what to do, this one’s for you.
Here’s what you can do to earn your first (and second, and third…) $1000 a month from writing online.
Create and monetize a personal blog or website
The most popular way of earning money, writing.
Yet, also the most difficult. And that’s what most people don’t tell you.
Back in 2017, when I was first starting out, I was as green as a greenhorn can be. Fascinated by the blog of The Minimalists, I decided to create my own blog.
I used their affiliate link, signed up on Bluehost, and created a WordPress website. It took me ages. I was frustrated all the time.
All to start posting into the void.
Why?
Because in the beginning, it’s difficult to get people to see your content, if you don’t post it on platforms where people are at.
What does that mean for you?
A blog gives you all the power. You can change and design everything you want, you can run ads, and much more.
If you make it, the rewards are huge.
But you have to play the (very) long game because you have to know how to get your content in front of many people.
Be prepared.
My recommendation: create a blog, if you’re a subject-matter expert or don’t mind creating for a long, long time, without seeing quick results.
Freelancing on writer’s platforms
Why write for yourself and not get paid, when you can write for others and can get paid?
That’s what I thought, as soon as my first blog flopped. I’ve done some freelance translation work before and had a rough idea of how things worked.
And I just moved back in with my parents because of COVID-19 and my frustration made me leave London and go back to Germany.
I had plenty of time and had learned some sales skills, during my short spell in the UK.
And in the end, I made it work. I still make it work.
How can you too?
It’s simple: go on a writing platform, like Upwork (the one I chose). Create a profile. Make it sexy. Create proposals. Make them sexy, too.
How?
The classic: no one cares about your experience. Clients care about their problems getting solved. That’s what you want to focus on.
Make it about them. Relate to their pain and mention how you can solve their problems with your writing.
70% focus on their problem.
30% focus on your skills.
Then, apply. Over and over again.
Be prepared to work low-paying jobs when you start out.
I started with gigs that paid me $10.
Progress. Get your reviews and recommendations from people who were happy with your work. Not only on Upwork but also on LinkedIn. Make them write you a testimonial.
Build your own empire.
When I started full-time freelancing online, my first salary was $1,896.50.
It was incredible. But it’s replicable, too.
One thing to remember: apply for more that you could work on.
Then you can choose, what to take.
My recommendation: choose to freelance to build your skills, learn client management, want some money on the side, and get your name out there.
Authoring and selling eBooks
An advanced way to earn money writing online is by selling your own eBook.
Not because it is difficult to write eBooks (it’s not, I wrote one without having any idea). But because you need a following and a sales funnel to sell eBooks.
That’s why many people do only one of the two:
- writing
- selling
Good writers do both. Because they know copy- and content writing.
Of course, you always wanted to write your own eBook.
But most advanced writers advise you to wait.
Until you gathered enough data from your readers:
- What do they like?
- What do they fear?
- What makes them buy?
When you have these three answers, you can write your eBook AND create a funnel that makes your sales go vroom.
However, be prepared because you need some time to get there. Especially if you aren’t a sales/marketing genius.
My recommendation: start writing an eBook, when you either have a huge following you can sell it to, have someone else selling it, or don’t mind the effort and low sales when you have neither of the two.
Ghostwriting for other people
Promising and profitable, but requires experience.
Ghostwriting for other people, no matter if for a book or on social media, can be super profitable. Just look at Dakota Robertson.
But it also requires much effort and knowledge on your end.
Knowledge in terms of hooks, marketing tricks, and client management. Effort in terms of putting in the constant work.
Easy (but not profitable) ghostwriting is writing an eBook for others.
Difficult (but very profitable) ghostwriting is writing an eBook for a celebrity or doing constant social media ghostwriting.
Let’s be clear: you won’t start out writing an eBook for a celebrity.
Instead, you can aim to write social media content for small companies/solopreneurs.
Ghostwriting can be the ideal start in the world of earning money online writing. Because you get paid for practicing your writing. And it’s easier than selling others your product.
My recommendation: ghostwrite as soon as possible. Try to get people to pay for you to practice creating content.
After having seen all of the above over the last years, here’s what I’d do if I had to start all over again:
- create a profile on Upwork/another writing platform
- pitch to clients there
- create a profile on X, LinkedIn, and Medium
- put out as much (good) content as never before
- try to get people paying for you to practice creating content
If you’re a writer, think of yourself as a spider.
You want to create a web of content, leads can’t escape.
You want to be like Spider-Man in New York.
Displayed on every billboard.
That’s what I’ve missed in the past. I got money, but I never thought of scaling. I never put myself out there. Don’t make the same mistake.
Start creating now.
