If you are writing online, you might be doing it for fun. But the chances are you are also doing it for money.
Being adequately remunerated for the copy you create is a top priority for writers. Today’s scribes face challenges such as competition from a deep pool of online professionals and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI); but there are still a huge number of opportunities to be paid for online writing work.
So, which avenues can you take for paid writing? In this article, we will assess the options for writers who are seeking online work.
Online job marketplaces
Job marketplaces can be seen as the ‘online dating’ of the paid writing world. There are thousands of potential clients who want copy, and thousands of writers that are willing to provide it – finding the right match is the key.
Sites such as Upwork, People Per Hour and Fiverr are teeming with available jobs for writers. Depending on the format of the marketplace, buyers can advertise the writing jobs they are offering, or choose a writer from the profiles on the site.
These websites allow writers to dive straight into paid online work, bidding for jobs and showcasing their experience with portfolios and resumes. Needless to say; job boards are competitive places. There are always writers ready to sell their services at rock-bottom prices, but on the other hand, not all clients are willing to sacrifice quality for the cheapest possible rate.
As a starting point, writers can stand out from the crowd by defining their services and specialities clearly, making their service proposition attractive, and putting together an impressive portfolio that demonstrates their experience.
The quicker you complete jobs, gain positive reviews and become accustomed to communicating with potential clients, the more traction you will gain. For this reason, you might find your journey in online marketplaces smoother if you concentrate on building your profile on one or two sites, rather than spreading your talents too thinly.
Copywriting agencies
It might feel like you are spending as much time looking for work on job boards as you are doing the work itself. That’s why copywriting agencies can offer several perks.
A copywriting agency assigns jobs to its team of freelance or contracted writers. It finds the clients and then offers the work to writers, who are paid directly by the agency. For a writer, this takes the ‘hard yards’ of looking for work out of the equation, leaving you to focus on crafting the copy.
There are caveats. When you work for an agency, you aren’t typically able to choose the type of writing work or subject matter.
Of course, there is nothing to stop you from turning down work. But taking on projects and delivering copy consistently is the best way to become trusted by an agency and be assigned more work.
Different agencies have different pay structures. For example, some agencies may pay writers according to the writer’s rate structure, while others may have their own rate structure that they don’t budge from.
A quick Google of copywriting agencies in your region will bring up a number of companies. You may be asked to send your CV and work examples in order to apply. Or there might be an application process that requires you to take an assessment or test in order to gauge your writing ability.
There’s nothing preventing you from working for a writing agency in another country, although in many cases, agencies may favour writers from the same region as them.
In-house writing gigs
Online work isn’t only available to freelance writers. In our digital world, remote work has become more common.
Over the past decade or so, many professionals have spread their wings and are working remotely for a company in another location, or even country.
Writers are in the category of professions with opportunities to work remotely, full-time, for a company. If you fancy being a ‘digital nomad’ but are perturbed by the insecurities that can cloud the life of a freelancer, there are in-house writer jobs that may appeal to you.
These opportunities are routinely advertised on websites where job vacancies are made available, such as Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor. Many of the companies looking for a full-time, in-house writer will want to see demonstrable experience in providing content for their particular niche or sector.
The advantages over being a freelance writer include the security of a full-time job and guaranteed monthly income, paid leave and the potential for career progression within an organisation. There is also no need to go out and look for work.
On the flip side, in-house writers may be required to work certain shifts, and almost certainly to hit a certain number of hours per week or month. And while you can expect paid holiday leave, when and for how long you take a break is likely to be restricted.
Contract work
Some companies are in need of an in-house writer on a temporary, part-time or project basis. This could be for a set period – such as three or six months – or for the time it takes to deliver a specific project.
These opportunities are typically advertised on the same job boards that you would find full-time, in-house writing gigs. If you specialise in a particular niche, or match the requisite profile sought by the company, you can apply with the required documents.
If you are a freelancer, contract work may require you to shelve any other commitments in order to free up enough time. For freelancers with ongoing client requirements, this could prove tricky.
On the other hand, if you are a writer seeking a full-time in-house role, contract work could provide a route to a more permanent position with a company, allowing you to show them what you can do.
Contract work isn’t be for everyone, but it can offer higher rates than you would expect for freelance or full-time work, due to the temporary, but intensive, nature of the project.
Freelance journalism
Remember the journalists you used to aspire to be when growing up? The intrepid war correspondent sending updates from far-flung regions, the sports reporter who has the enviable task of covering your favourite team, or the showbiz hack who breaks the big celebrity stories?
Journalists are still required to paint pictures with words, but there has been a huge shift from print to digital over the past two decades. This means that copy is typically found online first, before it is published in newspapers and magazines. Some journalists now work for publications that are exclusively online.
While numerous publications have journalists on their pay role, there are still plenty of opportunities for freelance journalists to have their writing published. You can pitch article ideas to editors online – some websites openly invite journalists to pitch pieces to them, while others may be interested in discussing your idea.
The skill of pitching intriguing articles to a publication can lead to regular work. But don’t have the misconception that this is an easy gig.
If you are a freelance journalist pitching to a publication, what do you have to offer that their in-house writers couldn’t provide? It might be in-depth research on a certain topic, speaking to several contacts about a particular subject or travelling at your own expense to an event to file a report.
In order to make money from freelance journalism, your copy needs substance, authenticity and, quite often, exclusivity.
Monetising blogs
Why rely on others for paid writing work, when you can engineer your own income?
Starting your own blog might occur to you as something fanciful for a professional writer. But blogs aren’t only to indulge a personal interest – they can also make money.
Start a successful online blog and there are multiple ways to monetise it. You might go down the search engine optimisation (SEO) route, creating helpful, keyword-targeted content to rank higher in the Google rankings. Once you have built up your traffic, you will have the option of monetising the site from advertising.
And if there is a product or service related to your niche, you could also write content that is suitable for affiliate marketing, such as product reviews, buying tips and guides. This strategy will allow you to earn money from commissions when visitors click through to retailers and buy their products. You’ll have to be careful to position yourself as an unbiased authority on a particular subject, who is there to help readers with their buying decisions. That’s the way to gain credibility as an advisor on products and services.
A benefit of both these tactics is that they give you the opportunity to earn passive income. As readers visit your site and buy products through them, you can literally earn money in your sleep.
But a monetised blog certainly shouldn’t be seen as a way to achieve overnight success. It can take months, even years, to build blog traffic, and you will also need to pay attention to updates to the Google algorithm. The world’s most popular search engine is regularly tweaking the way it reads and ranks web pages, and staying up to speed with best practices is necessary.
Buckle up for your online writing journey
To make a living writing online, you should keep your mind open to new possibilities, and always be ready to adapt your work according to demand.
With hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to learn new things, the sky is the limit for a writer who wishes to earn an income online. Don’t get disheartened during the quiet periods, and when you have a lot of work on, enjoy the rewards!