Most people think that in order to write for money you have to have an English degree or have a ton of experience on a subject to start writing. Heads up, you don’t need all of that.

overview of person writing in notebook

From writing blog posts to social media captions, you can pick and choose what medium you want to make extra money in, according to your strengths and knowledge. To help you on your journey to make money writing, we’ve made a list of the 5 best ways you can start to write for money.

How Can I Make Money Writing Online?

There are different ways to make money writing online. You can choose to make this a side hustle or it can potentially become your long-term career, depending on your goals.

In this list, we’ll go over a few options that can be good ways to make some extra pocket money and others that have massive earning potential and no ceiling.

Freelance Writing Course

Make $1,000 to $5,000/month as a freelance writer

Go from writing as just a hobby to becoming a professional paid writer.

Can You Make Money Writing as a Beginner?

Short answer: yes. There are obviously different writing formats that might ask you to have an extensive background in writing or even specific knowledge on the topic that you’re writing about. 

There are other options that might not demand as much from you. For example, you might need specific market knowledge and credentials to write for Forbes but almost no experience to write social media captions. 

What’s important is to have an open mind, willingness to learn, and have a competent enough skill set to deliver valuable writing content.

Do You Have To Become a Freelancer To Make Money?

Freelance writing is one of the first steps toward writing for money. The flexibility of becoming a freelance writer is one of the most sought after reasons why people pursue freelancing. In my opinion, it is also a great way to start making money and learn along the way. 

How Much Money Can You Make Writing?

It is hard to say how much exactly can be made writing online. Truth is, there is no earning cap to writing. 

If you practice different disciplines like copywriting, you can produce millions of dollars in sales with writing. If you are doing something like writing blogs or articles, you can make in the range of $100 to $500 per article you write.

Your earnings very much depend on the kind of content you write. And what you decide on can depend on your writing goals, your niche, what kind of content you’re passionate about, and so on. You might be doing this for a long-term career as a journalist, or as a side hustle writing product reviews to make an extra couple hundred dollars per month.

What Are Some Websites Where I Can Get Paid to Write?

There are currently endless sites that pay you to write for money. From Fiverr to others like Penny Hoarder, you name it, there is a website for each individual niche and style of writing. 

That is why it’s important to have a clear view on the subject you want to write about and also the format in which you will be writing.

If you want to do extensive research and journalistic work, you might find it refreshing to write for blogs and websites that share articles and relevant news.

If you are more interested in social media, then you can write long Instagram posts or even YouTube or LinkedIn posts to nurture your audience and gain authority in the space. 

How to Start Writing for Money: 5 Best Ways for 2024

1. Write Blog Posts for Money

There are plenty of websites out there that will pay you to write blogs on your personal experience. Each website essentially has a different niche that you’d have to write about. You can even start your own blog and use this as a channel to grow an audience that you can later monetize or simply share your personal findings with.

Here are a few websites that will pay you to write blogs for money:

BuzzFeed, this is a popular site that will gain you serious exposure. It is often based on popular cultural topics, in 2022 BuzzFeed amassed over 103 million monthly visitors according to resources.audiense.com. The typical pay ranges from $150 for an article with around 150,000 views, but up to $10,000 for articles that cross the 4 million view mark. 

The Penny Hoarder

This is much more of a personal finance website. The range of topics are meant to provide people with information on getting ahead with their finances and live a more frugal lifestyle. They typically pay freelance publishers up to $800 per article that is approved. You can pitch and submit your article to their editorial team at [email protected].

Income Diary 

This is one of our favorite options as well. It is an awesome place for writers and content creators to expand their skills and make money. IncomeDiaryt currently pays around $150- $300 for articles written on the topics of SEO, content creation, and making money online, amongst others. 

2. Write Reviews for Money

Companies need a way to continuously make their products better. Market research costs them a ton of money, and what other source would be better to review their products, than the actual consumers of those products?

That’s where writing reviews comes in. You can earn extra cash for writing about your opinions on specific products like software, books, services or even movies. 

This is a fun way to keep a few awesome products for free and write about your experience using them. Although this wouldn’t be a full-on career path, it is great to make a couple extra hundred dollars per month to pay utility bills or simply have extra money for gas.

3. Write Articles for Money

Writing articles for money is one of the most straightforward ways to make money writing online. If you’re looking for a side hustle or a way to increase your income this is a proven and reliable way. It is also a great option for students in university to find a way to capitalize their writing skills while they are enrolled in school. It’s also a great way to build your resume and get paid while doing it.

Here’s a list of websites that will pay you to write.

Most paid articles are typically around 1200-3000 words. You’ll have to have knowledge in the subject, and have your article approved to post for the publisher. 

The bar to have one of your articles published is not as high as you might expect. This could also be a good way for beginners to start building their body of work to later pitch their services to other more established businesses, like Forbes or The New York Times to name a few. 

4. How to Make Money With Copywriting

Out of everything on this list, this is the one that can actually bring you the most amounts of money.

Copywriting is essentially having the skill to write words that sell. You can use copywriting for copy on websites, funnels, email newsletters, and even social media posts.

The art of copywriting is essentially getting the reader to take a desired action like filling up their personal information like email and phone number in exchange for a lead magnet or PDF educating them about a specific subject. 

Copywriting can also be done to do sales letters which are essentially a way to present and sell a product or service through written word.

Reality is, most online businesses need copywriters. It is common for copywriters to get paid on a retainer basis, but the best and most effective copywriters get revenue or profit splits on the generated income their writing produces for the business they are working with.

5. Writing Social Media Posts for Money

This is one of the newest avenues to write for money. Most online businesses have a social media presence. They are usually using social media to nurture their audience by providing value and offering their product or services to them.

This can be your opportunity to start to bring valuable content to viewers and potentially monetize that attention with your words. 

You’ll be able to test different hooks and headlines, and recognize what type of content is better for your intended audience.

Linkedin, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram are some of the most popular platforms you will be able to make the most impact with your words, with the first two being the most native for writing.

The Last Words On: How to Write for Money

There are many ways to write for money. It all depends on where your strengths lie. You first have to choose a specific niche to focus your topics on, then you have to understand the different types of formats to be able to execute your vision.

If you are looking for longer formats of writing you’d be interested in writing articles or blogs.

If you are looking for something more short and punchy, social media posts or reviews could be the best options for you.

It all depends on how much you are willing to work and if you want to make this a career, a side hustle, or just something you do for fun.

Out of the few listed, the one with the most earning potential is Copywriting. The sky’s the limit with this skill, and it is no wonder why it is one of the most sought after positions in digital marketing. It is said that copywriters pretty much print money out of thin air. 

All in all, if you’re looking for ways to write for money, you probably find sense in providing value, have strong opinions, and can articulate ideas in an appealing way to others. 

All these are skills that can be easily transferable to other areas of life and the reason why we think writing is the ultimate money making skill.

FAQs

How much money can I make writing?

The answer to this varies, since writing can be used to bring in a few extra hundred dollars a month, or it can be a long-term career that you pursue. What matters most is your writing goal. You can make anywhere from $500 to $10K+ a month, depending on the writing vehicle you pursue.

What do I need to start making money with writing?

Not much. You can be an absolute beginner and start to write for money in a few weeks if not earlier. Preferably you would want to start by being a guest on other people’s blogs or websites and have published some of your work publicly, although not completely necessary.