Get Paid to Write Online

I’ve been writing in one form or another for most of my working life. And yes, I’ve gotten paid. In the recent past, that writing has been for online venues. I’ve worked for content sites as well as for retailers (with thousands of product descriptions under my belt). I’ve been a ghostwriter and I’ve written my own self-published books.

The one thing I’ve come to know through my online writing career is that there is always work to be had. If you want to work from home and enjoy writing, this may be the route to a fully fledged home based business. It’s one of the easier ways to start running a home business.

Getting Started as a Revenue Sharing Writer

“Experience.” Ooh, there’s that nasty word and for a lot of sites, you’ll  need some writing experience before you can get paid for writing online. But don’t fret, there are ways around that. Either by starting your own blog and writing about things you ultimately want to get paid for or revenue sharing sites.

There was a time that revenue sharing sites could sustain a whole career. But the days of eHow and Squidoo are gone. There are still a few sites that let you write articles and share in the ad revenue, generally through Google Adsense. Some also offer affiliate sales opportunities through Amazon or other retail platforms. It takes time and a lot of articles to make money this way, but what it does do is give you a third-party platform to publish your work. That allows you on online portfolio to point back to when applying for paid writing assignments. A win-win, in my book.

Currently, HubPages and InfoBarrel are still active and accepting writers.

Apply to a Content Site for More Experience 

The next step, or if you have some writing experience already, is to apply to a content mill site. These are writing sites where customers come to buy writing. Once you’re accepted to work on the site, you’ll be able to claim assignments. Payment is usually based on writing ability and determined by a writing test or performance over a period of time.

There are pros and cons to writing for a content mill. The good, of course, is available, paid work. The downside can be crazy rules that have to be followed and met, not to mention lots of competition.

One of the pioneers in content mills that is still running is Textbroker. Another site similar to this is Upwork. This is a freelancing platform that post jobs. Once hired, freelancers are paid through an escrow service. Personally, I’m very excited by a site called BlogMutt. The pay isn’t the highest, but it’s a great place to start an online writing career. And it’s good for fill-in work even once you’ve started making more with other clients. Read my post in the link above to learn more about it.

Find Clients and Start Freelance Writing 

If you’re ready to jump into writing on your own, ghostwriting is the way to go. In this form of writing, you create articles, reports, and eBooks for clients. They get the credit for your work as the author. You receive a one-time payment which is normally discussed in advance.

There’s a lot of ghostwriter work available, but you’ll have to do a little detective work, as well as set yourself up. The best way for the latter is to create a website. It can be a simple Blogspot website, but what you want to do it create an online portfolio of work. Put up as many sample articles as you can and break them down into categories, such as marketing, health, how-to’s, etc.

Then determine a price. That’s not easy, so you’ll need to start to check the writing forums (more about them later). The drawback to this process is that all too often customers expect you to work very cheaply and want huge discounts for multiple orders. That’s just the cost of doing business, but eventually, you’ll start to find clients who you will love working with.

Check the Writers’ Forums

The best way to find out the current writing situations joining writing forums. Many times writing clients come to the forums to look for writers. One of my favorites is the freelance writer’s forum on WAHM.com. Another forum to check is Problogger or just check out your local Craigslist under Writing/Editing.

Other Money Making Writing Opportunities

Like I said, there are many opportunities to get paid for writing online. One area to explore is writing your own eBooks and reports. These can be sold from your own website or through places like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Don’t forget you can also publish Kindle Books, too.

Another method to generate income from writing is with blogs. There are a few things to get started and it may take some time to build before you start making money. The possibilities are endless as you write about things you love. Money from blogging is usually made from ad or affiliate sales.

Want to learn more about freelance writing and all the ways you can earn money? That’s what I like to hear. So here’s the deal, head over to Gina Horkey’s site here and grab her free book, 200+ Writing Niches. That’s right, 200 and her report is free. Once you’re signed up, make sure to browse her site, she’s got some great articles and lots of success stories to share.

Come back soon for more work from home ideas,