3 Ways to Make Money Writing Online

Most writers, at some point in their lives, are asked when they’ll pursue a “real job.” However, the misconception that there is no money in writing is outdated and simply untrue. In fact, pursuing a career in writing has never been easier.

As the online world continues to expand, so does the need for quality writers who can help businesses sell products, tell stories, and so much more.

If you’re a young author looking to start a career in writing, are on the hunt for supplemental income, or simply want a job change, this blog explores the best ways to make money writing online and how to get started.

Can You Make Money Writing?

To answer your burning question, yes—there is money in writing.

Novel-writing aside, there are hundreds if not thousands of opportunities available today to make money writing. Even with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), writing is a highly valuable skill set worth embracing.

As the AI boom continues to grow, writing skills are more important than ever. AI tools are powerful and advanced, but there is one thing they will never be able to replicate: human touch. Your voice, opinion, creativity, and intuition are all highly valuable traits that will serve you well in a writing career. Don’t worry—a robot can’t replace you no matter how hard it tries.

With the right strategies, it’s completely possible to make a living as a writer.

How to Make Money Writing Online: Top 3 Remote Writing Jobs

As I mentioned before, making money writing has never been easier—thanks to the internet. There are so many resources and opportunities at our disposal, and while you can pursue in-person writing jobs (which is what I have), they aren’t for everybody.

There are countless ways to make money writing online from the comfort of your own home. Below, we list some of the best remote writing jobs to consider.

1. Freelance Blog Writer

A blog is an online library of written posts, which can either be personal or used for business purposes. Many businesses have blogs on their websites to draw traffic to their products or services, provide useful information relevant to their industry, and nurture their readers into customers.

Aside from the few food service jobs I had in high school, my first “real job” was as a blog writer. When I was 17, I learned about copywriting and blog writing and realized I was pretty interested in digital marketing, especially the content side of things. I binged every By Sophia Lee video and consumed every free resource I could get my hands on to learn how to write blogs.

Then, I got a job as a freelance blog writer for a company that sold ghost-written blog posts to different websites and businesses. They had an onboarding course that taught me the basics of search engine optimization (SEO), how to format different styles of blog posts, what their workflow looked like, etc. This was incredibly informative and I’m grateful for what I learned!

I had this job for about a year, then left to prioritize my schooling and the Lone Player trilogy.

How Much Money Do Freelance Blog Writers Make?

How much money you can make as a freelance blog writer really depends on your approach. According to ZipRecruiter, the nationwide average hourly rate is $25. However, that’s a pretty entry level salary; you can make even more with enough effort, time, and experience.

The freelance position I had was pretty entry level and I earned about $20 for every 1,000-word blog post. However, it takes about 4 hours on average to write a well-researched, SEO-friendly blog—especially if the topic is in an industry you know nothing about—so it ended up being about $5 an hour. This low pay is partially why I left my previous position.

However, if you’re the one advertising your own services and have control over how much you charge, you have control over how much you earn. With enough experience and testimonials, you can reasonably charge anywhere from $100 to $1,000+ per article.

A good strategy is to start out offering your services for free in exchange for testimonials to generate a solid portfolio. Then you can start charging for your work, and increase your rate as time goes on.

How to Become a Freelance Blog Writer

If you’re interested in becoming a freelance blog writer, there are tons of ways to go about doing this, but here I’ll highlight two main approaches: partnering with a business, or building your own business as a freelancer.

• Partnering with a business: This is the route I used. I wasn’t an official employee since I was working freelance, but I was a static part of their team. I had the freedom to choose my workload and availability and worked closely with other team members to produce content on a regular basis. Consider checking job sites like Indeed.

• Starting a business as a freelance blog writer: If you’d like more control over what you’re writing, when, and how much you get paid, you can start your own business as a freelancer. Sites like Fiverr let you post gigs to an established audience but you can also make your own website or social media page advertising your services. The possibilities are endless!

2. Freelance Editor

A freelance editor offers professional editing services on a client-by-client basis. This is a really flexible job, since you are your own boss and have complete control over the rate you charge, your availability, the clients you work with, and the projects you take on.

There are many different types of editing services you can offer. Here are the most common options:

• Developmental editing: Provide novel writers with a comprehensive critique and offer insight to help them improve their story. This focuses on the overarching story as a whole, including character arcs, pacing, structure, and so much more.

• Copy editing: This is primarily used in novel-writing. The goal is to improve clarity, style, and consistency (like a character’s eye color or capitalization patterns).

• Proofreading: Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You can offer proofreading services for content writing (blogs, web copy, etc.) or for books.

How Much Money Do Freelance Editors Make?

According to Glassdoor, the estimated pay range for a freelance editor is $48k - $83k a year. But again, your earnings can be more or less depending on your experience, how much you charge, and your approach.

After a month at that ghostwriting job I had, I was offered the opportunity to do freelance editing with them as well. I would go through different blog posts created by our writing team to proofread them and make sure everything was SEO-friendly, and that it stuck to the company’s specific structure and style guidelines.

I actually enjoyed editing blogs a lot more than writing them! Plus, the hourly pay was slightly better. I earned $13 an hour, instead of the $20 I made for each post (which again, took about 4 hours total). But again, this was an entry-level job; you should expect to make more than this eventually.

Like blog writing, if you’re a self-employed freelance editor, you have complete control over how much you charge. You can definitely increase your rates as you earn more experience, connections, and skills.

How to Become a Freelance Editor

The process of becoming a freelance editor is similar to what we discussed with freelance blog-writing. You can either partner with one specific company like I did, or start your own business. You will have more control and income potential with the latter option.

If you’re starting your own freelance editing business, you will need a website and a way to find clients. Fiverr makes it really easy to secure gigs, but you can also advertise your services on social media. With time, content, and great SEO, your website can even start pulling in clients for you.

3. Start a Blog

Starting a blog is a flexible career path with incredible income potential. There are thousands of niches you can choose from; you can literally write about anything you’re passionate about. Whether you want to write about writing or a hobby like gardening or gaming, the possibilities are endless.

When people go to search engines like Google, they usually have a question. Your blog should provide answers to those questions. By consistently producing high-quality, authentic, helpful, and SEO-friendly content, you can establish your blog as a valuable resource in your niche and potentially earn income from ads, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and more.

How Much Money can Bloggers Make?

How much money a blogger makes depends entirely on their SEO strategy, the specific revenue streams they choose, and time. It can take years for a blog to start drawing in enough traffic for you to start making money from it. However, once you do start making money, you have the potential to make a lot.

It’s difficult to narrow it down to one set average, because the range of income in this field is so broad and subjective. Many bloggers turn their websites into a full time job, and some earn well over six figures.

Here are the basic ways you can monetize a blog:

• Ad revenue: Once your blog starts generating enough traffic, you can set up display ads through platforms like Google Ads and make money every time someone clicks on one. This is similar to how YouTubers make money.

• Sponsored content: With enough traffic, you can partner with brands who will sponsor you to promote their products and services.

• Affiliate marketing: Promote products or services and earn a small commission every time someone makes a purchase from your links. You can do this by partnering with brands, or by using Amazon’s affiliate program.

• Selling digital products: Sell digital workbooks, art prints, ebooks, and more, right on your website.

Case Study

I mentioned her earlier, but a great example of an established blogger who makes significant income from blogging is By Sophia Lee. She started out writing dorm decor blogs and went from making around $700 a month to $12k a month within her first year of blogging, and now, she has her own interior design firm and flips houses—all thanks to her blog. You can check out her income reports here.

How to Start a Blog

While you can definitely write blogs for businesses who are trying to bring traffic to their websites (see “Freelance Blog Writer” section), when I say “start a blog,” I’m talking about creating a niche website. This is a content-based website that focuses on one specific topic. 

Writer’s Hoard is a great example of this! We write blog posts about writing and publishing to help authors of all ages and experience levels do what they love.

There are many free resources available out there to help you start a blog. I recommend doing lots of research on YouTube to find a strategy that works for you. You will also need to learn as much about SEO as you possibly can, since this will determine how your content ranks on search engines like Google. It’s worth it to invest in courses to teach you these skills.

Honestly, this could be an entire series of posts—but below I list the basics! There’s a lot more to it, so make sure to do your research.

Create a Content Strategy

From the very beginning, it’s important to know what you want to write about and why. I recommend defining your niche and target audience, conducting keyword research, and creating a detailed content calendar before you launch your website.

Make sure to draft a few blog posts early on so you’re ready to go when it’s time to launch.

Choose a Blogging Platform

While drag-and-drop website builders like Wix and Squarespace are excellent tools for creating aesthetically pleasing websites quickly, I don’t recommend using these if blogging is your main focus. I love Squarespace for portfolio sites and service-based websites (I use Squarespace for my author website!), but WordPress offers a lot more flexibility for blogging.

Pick a Domain and Hosting Service

Spend a lot of time selecting the perfect domain; changing it later on can be a hassle. You will also need a reliable hosting plan. My all time favorite hosting service is Bluehost! It’s super affordable and easy to use, and their support is great.

Design Your Blog

To save time, energy, and many future headaches, buy a theme for your blog. Even if you’ve got a great eye, I don’t recommend trying to design your website yourself unless you’re an expert. Etsy has tons of affordable options! My favorite shop is Code and Coconut. I’ve bought so many of their themes and they’re super easy to set up.

Launch Your Website

Install the theme, create optimized web pages, and fill out as much content as you can from the very beginning. You’ll also want to make sure your navigation is clear and intuitive.

Then you can start publishing your blogs! Consistently put out as much content as you can handle without compromising quality.

Promote your blog and posts using social media and continuously monitor your analytics to learn how to best market your website.

Find More Writing Tips Here

Today, making money as a writer online is more achievable than ever. Whether you’re interested in freelance blog writing, editing, or starting your own blogging website, there are multiple avenues worth exploring. With a solid strategy and a willingness to learn, you can use your writing skills to establish a lucrative career doing what you love.

If you found these tips helpful, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date on the latest blogs, free resources, and more. You can also follow me on Instagram or check out my books for inspiration.

Happy writing!

Xoxo, Julia