I’ve never been the type of writer who focuses only on numbers. Sure, I want to make money writing — and I always tell students never to write for free — but making bank has never been my main motivator. And it certainly isn’t a driving factor when you’re pitching essays.
But who doesn’t love money?
The reality is, writers who focus exclusively on creative forms — novels, essays and other projects that don’t come with an advance payment — may have trouble making ends meet. But for those of us who can transform ourselves into content-producing machines, crafting targeted messaging for myriad industries, the power of the pen can mean a lucrative six-figure business.
“I made $163,000 last year and I can name five writers in my network who made more than $200,000,” says Jennifer Goforth Gregory, B2B Technology Freelance Content Marketing Writer. “There’s no reason it can’t be you.”
Ready for the challenge? These 8 strategies will help you start raking in the dough:
- Aim high. Plenty of “make money writing” articles suggest that writers should take any and every job they get, no matter how big or small. The reality: You can make a better living if you select your clients carefully. Instead of soliciting work from lower paying organizations or pay-per-message outfits, reach out to more lucrative publications and agencies. Whether you’re writing a feature story or crafting content marketing pieces, the key is to start at the top and go from there.
- Write what you know. You don’t have to be a “writer” to make money writing. Freelancer Elizabeth Hanes BSN, RN, health content writer and founder of RN2writer transitioned from a nursing career to writing. “I enjoyed nursing, but I loved writing,” she says. “My late husband encouraged me to take my degree and become a writer with it.” As a nurse, what she loved most was patient education. So she took that passion and used it to educate millions of patients at once through her writing work. Don’t love writing about what you know? Consider it a way to “get in the game” so you can make money doing what you love.
- Diversify. Writing is just like the stock market. Well, it’s not just like the stock market, but I think you know where I’m heading. It’s important to diversify your client portfolio. After all, if you write only for one or two high-paying clients, your income can take a nosedive if one of those regular gigs dries up. As someone who has been doing this for the better part of two decades, I have the ability to carefully select at least three “anchor” clients (not just one), so If one of those anchor clients vanishes, I still have two others to fill the hole. In addition to those three anchors, I work for several other clients during a given year, not only to keep money coming in, but also to keep things interesting.
- Deliver quality content. Early in my career, I worked with a team at AOL producing health content. When AOL began laying off staff, every member of that team took me with them to their next gig. Before long, I had writing assignments for EverydayHealth.com, Real Simple, and WebMD — all because these individuals knew my work and enjoyed working with me. In fact, it’s not uncommon for editors and content managers to share their best writers with their colleagues.
- Try content marketing. Many traditional journalists, including me, made the pivot to content marketing years ago. In addition to the occasional science story for Discover Magazine and essay for The New York Times and Good Housekeeping, I write health blogs and feature articles for academic medical centers, hospital systems and healthcare nonprofits. Hanes, too, began her writing career writing for women’s magazines and various print publications. Now, she writes exclusively branded content, including her own RN2Writer course materials.
- Make it easy for clients to find you. In today’s world, building a website is a relatively simple pursuit. Create an optimized site by including key words that describe exactly what you want to do and you may discover that clients come to you before you even have a chance to reach out. When Gregory started her content marketing blog in 2013, she got a high google ranking for “content marketing writer” by using that term in all of her content. That helped launch her content marketing career. “This week alone, I’ve had three or four contacts reach out to me for work after finding me online with a simple search,” she says. Don’t have the chops to create SEO content? There are plenty of web savvy folks who would be happy to help. To find them, post in freelance writer groups or even on Facebook.
- Develop a niche. The writers who make the most cash tend to be the ones who specialize in a certain area. “You can absolutely be a generalist, but you can’t market yourself as a generalist,” Gregory says. “You have to market yourself to the agriculture and technology companies differently, even though you’re the same person.” Equally important, narrow your niche. So instead of ‘specializing in healthcare,’ for example, drill down so your niche is cancer, diabetes or heart disease.”
- Consider ghostwriting. Don’t want to write for an agency or about your own life? Ghostwriting may be right up your alley. Whether you write for a historian, physician or a powerful executive or thought leader, there’s money to be made crafting other people’s messages for them. One writer I know makes a huge chunk of change writing peoples’ personal histories for retirees. Another has a lucrative side business penning obituaries. While it can be difficult to find these gigs, becoming a member of freelance organizations, such as the American Society of Journalists and Authors, can point you in the right direction.
Unless you’re David Sedaris, Lena Dunham, or Joan Didion, essays probably won’t become your bread and butter. It can be tough to make a solid living on essay income alone. But essay writing does have a remarkably high payoff: It’s cheap therapy!
TLS CHALLENGE
If you missed my last newsletter, let me bring you up to speed: I launched a New York Times’ Tiny Love Stories Facebook Challenge for writers who want to pen a full-length love story in 100 words or less.
Writer Nikki Campo came up with this promising contender:
Three 2-liters of Diet Coke and three sleeves of Mentos, please,” I said. Not for decades had I consumed either snack, but in the weeks before this stock-up, I’d made seven identical trips to our neighborhood convenience store.
My 8-year-old struggled with anger. Glitter jars and meditative breathing no longer did the trick. He wanted to watch something explode.
Together, we stacked Mentos in a paper tube. He let them fall into the 2-liter. I stood back. The explosion, Coke shower, my son’s smiling face. Just like the soda, his rage eventually settled into a quiet fizz—small, harmless.
Want to join us? First, friend me on Facebook. Then, send me an email with “TLS Challenge” in the subject line and I’ll invite you to join my TLS-authors-in-the-making Facebook Group.
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