You read articles all the time about freelance writers who have earned $30,000, $40,000, or even $60,000 a year doing what they love. In fact, it’s success stories like those that partly inspired you to try your hand in the freelance writing business yourself. Perhaps you earn a few bucks here and there working with writing agencies or you have a few clients, but your income is nowhere near what you’d hoped it would be. Close to giving up on the idea altogether, you can’t help but wonder how they do it.
How is it that some people are able to quit their jobs and work as a freelance writer full-time and bring in a decent annual salary? Yet, on the other hand, other writers (including yourself) can’t seem to earn more than a couple hundred bucks a month. Though some of it has to do with skill and talent, the other part of it is about determination and marketing. Check out the tips below to learn effective ways to increase your earnings as a writer.
Increase earnings by…
Ditch Content Mills and Look for Clients
Content mills are essentially companies that pay writers pennies on the dollar to write content. The articles are typically placed in a database where writers are able to accept jobs, write content, and submit for approval. After approval, writers are paid. However, the rate per article is often very low (for example write a 500-word post for $5).
While content mill sites can be a great place to start getting some practice as a freelance writer, spending hours on these sites causes you to work a lot harder. You spend all day, complete maybe 5 articles, and get $25 bucks (minus any fees). Doing this every day really isn’t lucrative.
Though looking for clients requires more work on your end, it does pay off. Since you’re working directly with clients, you get the full price they’re willing to pay for the content. You can also determine for yourself how much you’re willing to accept for each piece. So, instead of making $5 for a 500-word post you could ask for $25 and make what you would in a day on a content mill site in an hour or so.
Learn New Writing Styles
If you’re a blogger looking for other opportunities to make more money, delving into new writing styles is worth considering. There are all types of companies that need to outsource writing tasks from website content to company policies and procedures.
As a blogger, you already know how to write in a friendly, conversational, and personal tone, but what if you also learned technical writing? Technical writing is often required in businesses for employee handbooks, instruction manuals, website content, and much more. Taking a few free or affordable online courses in technical writing gives you the experience you need to attract a new niche of clients.
Teach What You Know
If you’ve been a freelance writer for a while and simply want to increase your income you could teach others what you’ve learned during your journey. Believe it or not, there are millions of people looking for ways to earn extra money. Therefore, they’ll be interested in learning about how you got where you are. You could start a blog and give out writing tips, provide advice on how to start a business, and even share some of the mistakes you’ve made to help others avoid them. Monetizing your blog will help to increase your monthly earnings as you get more visitors to your site.
Another way to teach what you know is to create an online course or eBook. Each would serve the same purpose as the blog, but would instead be broken up into lessons or chapters that guide interested parties through the ups and downs of being a freelance writer. Set a price for your course or book and then begin advertising your new product online and in-person.
Read: 2020 Writing Contests You Should Consider Entering
The average freelance writer earns about $50,000 a year with some earning double or even triple that annually. If you want to be among those that make a considerable salary, you’re going to have to invest more in yourself. By spending less time with low-paid content mills and looking for higher-paying clients, expanding your writing skills, and teaching others what you’ve learned as a freelance writer, you have a better chance of reaching your earnings goals this year.
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