Over 200 million people have read my work, my copy has sold hundreds of thousands of products, my self-published books have sold tens of thousands of copies, and now I’m building up my social media profiles, already writing a post with over 1 million impressions.
But I wasn’t always so successful.
I used to write for other people’s blogs for free, dreaming of the day my words would pay the bills. I was thrilled just to see my name in print, even if it was on some small blog no one had heard of.
Gradually, my popularity grew.
My articles would get a few thousand visitors. A few months later, tens of thousands became the new norm.
That’s when I knew I was getting good. Other sites took notice too, offering to pay me to write for them.
At first it was only like $100 an article but it eventually grew to $500, $1,000, $3,000, and – can you believe it? – $5,000 per article. I was making six figures, writing just a blog post or two a week.
But one day it occurred to me…why was I writing for everyone else and not myself?
So I started this blog on the side. It took off like a rocket, getting hundreds of thousands of visitors the first year and eventually becoming the most popular writing website in the world. It’s made me millions of dollars.
So do I know how to make money writing?
Yeah, I think it’s fair to say I do.
Here, I’m going to tell you exactly what I would do if I was starting over. This guide is step-by-step, brutally honest, and also completely realistic if you’re willing to put in the work.
Let’s dive in.
Phase 1: How to Get Paid to Write
So you’ve always dreamed of being a writer.
Maybe you always got good grades in English class. Maybe you kept a diary or blog, pouring your heart onto the page. You know you’ve got a way with words – and you’re ready to make a living from your talent.
There’s just one problem:
The world is full of people like you.
The harsh truth is, the market is utterly saturated with people who have a basic grasp of writing. If you can string together coherent sentences, organize your thoughts logically, and empathize with a reader – congratulations, you have the same skills as a gazillion other wannabe writers.
But here’s the rub – those skills alone typically translate to a paltry $100-$1000 per month. There are just too many writers out there with that baseline level of competence.
I should know. When I was starting out, armed with a shiny new English degree, I assumed my clever turns of phrase and knack for crafting compelling arguments would have editors clamoring for my byline.
What a wake-up call to realize nobody in the publishing world gave a hoot. I was just another starry-eyed liberal arts major trying to break into the brutally crowded field of freelance writing.
So what did I do?
I added a few more basic skills to the mix that most aspiring writers DON’T have.
Networking to Build Relationships
Most writers are introverts, so you know what they really suck at?
Networking.
I should know, I’m also an introvert, but I couldn’t help noticing that most editors give work to writers they know.
So, despite the discomfort, I made it my mission to become a known quantity.
- I followed other writers and editors on X (once called Twitter) and responded to every tweet.
- I sent friendly follow-up emails after turning in assignments. I asked about their kids, congratulated them on successful projects, and sent birthday gifts
- I met up with writers and editors at conferences, looking for my next writing opportunity. My bait for gathering a crowd? A box full of doughnuts.
Slowly but surely, everybody knew who I was and gave me a chance.
Which brings me to…
Don’t Be a Neurotic Writer
Having managed literally thousands of writers, I can tell you with absolute confidence that 90% are neurotic.
- They procrastinate until the last minute.
- They get upset when you edit their work.
- They never proofread their work, because that’s the editors job.
So if you want to stand out, here’s a simple tip: do the OPPOSITE of everything I said above.
Turn in your work early, never get upset about edits or rewrites, and proofread your work to make the editor’s life as easy as possible.
They will love you and invite you to write again and again and again.
That’s how I clawed my way up from content mill serfdom to better-paying gigs. It wasn’t my innate writing talent that did it (although that certainly didn’t hurt). It was my willingness to hustle, connect, and prove my reliability and professionalism at every turn.
The Bad News?
While everything I’ve said here works to get you paying freelance writing jobs, it doesn’t really mean you’ll be paid well.
$1,000 a month of extra cash on the side? Sure.
Maybe even $3,000 a month if you really hustle and work full-time.
But if you want to make a GOOD living writing, you need to seriously level up your skills, which brings us to…
Phase 2: Delivering Outcomes
Want to earn real money as a writer?
Then you need to stop thinking about writing in terms of words and start thinking in terms of results.
Clients don’t really care how pretty your prose is. They care about tangible outcomes like:
- Ranking at the top of Google
- Generating sales
- Building a social media following
If you can deliver on those, you can command fees that would make your average freelance writer weep. I’m talking $50,000 – $90,000 per year and up.
But to get to that level, you need to develop some key specialties:
SEO Writing
SEO writing is all about creating content that ranks highly in search engines. It requires:
- Understanding search intent – what people are actually looking for when they type in a query
- Optimizing internal link profiles – linking to other relevant pages on the same site
- Strategies for external link building – getting other sites to link back to your content
Example:
Let’s say you’re writing an article about the best running shoes.
An SEO content writer would make sure to include terms people actually search for, like “best running shoes for flat feet”. They’d link to other articles on the site about related topics like running form or race training. And they’d reach out to other running bloggers and publications to try to get them to link to the article.
The result?
If they do everything right, the article would rank, their client would get traffic, and they would get a testimonial proving they got results. This would then allow them to raise their rates.
Copywriting
Copywriting is content writing that’s designed to drive a specific action, like making a purchase or signing up for an email list. Key types of copywriting include:
- Email marketing copy
- Sales pages
- Opt-in pages
- Checkout pages
- Ads
The goal is always to persuade the reader to take the next step in the sales process.
Example:
A freelance copywriter might craft an email series that gradually builds trust with the reader and warms them up to buy a product. They’d use proven techniques like storytelling, social proof, and scarcity to nudge the reader towards a sale.
With copywriting, you are basically a salesperson, but you use the written word as your sales tool. It’s the highest paid type of writing there is, because the outcome is literally money.
From your email campaign, your client might make $100,000 and pay you $5,000. They got a 20X return.
Think a successful writer like that has a tough time getting clients?
Nope.
Further Reading: Copywriting 101: How to Become a Copywriter
And copywriting isn’t the only type of online writing. Here’s another:
Social Media Writing
With social media writing, the aim is to create written content that gets shared and goes viral. That means:
- Crafting engaging hooks that stop the scroll
- Using storytelling techniques to draw readers in
- Following content frameworks that are proven to get engagement
- Employing strategies for getting more shares and followers
Example:
A social media writer might share a shocking statistic or counterintuitive idea to grab attention, then weave a relatable story around it. They’d end with a clear call-to-action, like asking a question or suggesting readers comment with their own experience.
The outcome? Followers. You literally make your client famous.
And people are vain. The world is full of people who want to be famous. So you will never be out of work.
Which Type of Writing Should You Learn?
Lots of people will tell you to pick one and specialize, but I’ll be honest with you…
All the writers I see making bank know the basics of them all. They develop a well-rounded writing portfolio and then go deep to achieve true mastery in the area that resonates most with them.
That’s been my own approach. I began by mastering SEO, learning how to optimize content for both readers and search engines. Then I developed my copywriting chops so I could write persuasive emails, sales pages, ads – you name it. Now I’m diving into the world of social media writing and content marketing.
By becoming a triple threat – an SEO expert, sales copywriter, and viral content creator all rolled into one – I’ve been able to consistently drive huge results for both myself and clients.
I’m not just a professional writer; I’m a one-man traffic and revenue-generating machine.
You can do the same.
Focus on developing outcome-oriented skills, not just writing for writing’s sake. Choose one specialty to master, whether it’s SEO, copywriting, or social media writing. Learn the frameworks, practice your craft, and get results.
Then, when you pitch your services, you won’t just be selling your time or your words. You’ll be selling your proven ability to rank content, convert customers, and build buzz.
And that, my friend, is how you crack into the big leagues of freelance writing.
Of course, even with an impressive skill set, you’ll hit an earnings ceiling if you’re always trading time for money. To really break through to the next level of income, you need to start managing projects and leading teams…
The Big Leagues: Project Management and Team Leadership
The most successful writers I know aren’t just scribes – they’re project managers and team leaders. They coordinate large-scale content production, juggling multiple writers, editors, and stakeholders.
It requires a whole different skill set:
- Project management – keeping everything on track and on budget
- Team leadership – motivating and guiding a group to do their best work
- Strategic planning – developing content strategies to achieve big-picture goals
It’s a lot more responsibility – but it also comes with a lot more earning potential. Top-level content managers and strategists can easily pull in $100,000+ per year.
I made this transition myself when I became an editor at Copyblogger. Suddenly I was overseeing up to 100 writers at a time, assigning articles, managing deadlines, and making sure every piece met our high standards. I had to level up my communication, organization, and people skills in a big way.
But it was so worth it. Not only did I get to shape the direction of a major publication, but I also got a crash course in what it takes to run a content machine at scale. Those high-level editorial and project management skills would prove invaluable for what came next…
Building Your Own Assets
Want to know the real secret to exponential income growth as a writer?
Build your own assets. Instead of always writing for other people’s blogs and businesses, start creating your own:
- Launch your own blog or website
- Create and sell online courses
- Write and publish books
That’s how you go from earning a comfortable living to raking in millions. You’re not just trading time for money anymore – you’re creating intellectual property you can profit from over and over again.
I’ve followed this exact path. In March of 2010, I launched Smart Blogger, applying all the SEO, copywriting, and content marketing tricks I’d learned over the years.
In the first year alone, it earned over $500,000. Today, it’s the largest writing site in the world.
I used my SEO chops to draw in an audience of over 6 million people, then leveraged my hard-won copywriting skills to sell them on my premium training programs.
The result? Over $15 million in revenue and counting.
And a good portion of it is passive income.
The beauty of this approach is that it lets you fully harness all the skills you’ve developed – SEO, copywriting, project management, team leadership, the works. By combining them to create top-notch content and products for an audience you’ve built yourself, you tap into a whole new level of earning potential.
The sky truly is the limit when you start owning your own assets. You’re not just a successful freelance writer for hire anymore. You’re a full-fledged media entrepreneur.
Further Reading: How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know
Yes, You Really Can Get Rich from Writing
I’m living proof.
These days, my daily routine looks very different than it did when I was a newbie writer hustling for gigs. I spend my time developing content strategies, brainstorming new products, and guiding my team to execute at the highest level. I get to write when and what I want, on my own schedule.
I also get to live anywhere I want. Currently I’m in Mexico with a full-time cook, chauffeur, and housekeeper, living like a king.
So if you’re reading this, wondering if it’s really possible to make a great living as a writer – the answer is a resounding yes.
You just can’t be lazy about it. You have to continually level up your skills, take on new challenges, and think strategically about your career.
You have to be willing to put in the work – but if you do, the rewards can be truly life-changing.
You’ve seen the roadmap. You know what’s possible. Now it’s up to you to take the first steps and start your own journey to becoming a multi-millionaire writer.
Are you ready?
