If you’ve got kids and you like writing, chances are you blog about parenting.
Maybe you don’t even mind when people call you a “mommy (or daddy) blogger”. After all, you’re a parent. You’re a blogger. And your family inspires your writing.
Maybe you started blogging as a kind of baby book, a way to remember all the cute things your kids did. Maybe it was just a way for you vent about your experiences as a parent. But at some point, you realized that what you’re doing is different from what most “mom bloggers” do.
Not to be rude about it, but you’re damn good at this.
The truth is—and I don’t want to sound mean, but it’s a fact—a lot of parenting bloggers aren’t that great at writing. And many of them don’t even want to be. Some of them struggle with basics like grammar and word connotation. Others are good writers but don’t really understand blogging style, so their blogs rarely gain traction. Only a handful write at a professional standard.
Luckily, you’re one of them.
So it ought to be easy for you to make good money writing about parenting, right?
But it’s not. In fact, you’re starting to think it might be impossible.
The trouble is that your potential clients—all those parenting businesses and websites—don’t seem to understand the difference between average and awesome when it comes to blogging. So many moms are happy to write for free, or for rock-bottom rates, that clients are shocked you’d want to be paid more. Why should they pay you $50 a post when someone else is happy to write for free?
But don’t give up and start looking for a new niche yet. The secret to making money as a parenting blogger is simple: you just need to be more valuable than those cheap writers—and then find clients who know the difference.
So how can you become a parenting blogger who’s worth $50/post or more?
Follow the Number One Rule of Blogging
I hesitate to talk about blogging “rules”, because really they’re different for every client. But one rule—the #1 Rule of Blogging—is true for almost every site you’ll ever write for. It’s this: Your post is about the reader.
And this is an easy way to set yourself apart, because the majority of parenting bloggers write about themselves.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean you won’t ever write stories about yourself and your kids. But you’ll always bring it back to the reader. Whether you’re offering practical tips for parents or sharing a universal story that readers will identify with, you’re not writing about you. You’re writing about them. Keep that in mind with every word you’ll write, and you’ll see the caliber—and traction—of your posts start to rise.
Be of Service
In journalistic jargon, a “service” piece is a how-to article—something that gives the reader practical advice on how to do something. This kind of post is the backbone of most high-paying parenting sites. And while it’s great if you can offer information out of your own knowledge, it’s even better if you can write a researched piece with expert interviews and quotes.
The bonus? This type of article is also the staple of most print magazines about parenting. Get good at it, and you could open the door to a whole new market for your writing—one that pays as much as $2 per word.
Give other parents tips for navigating this crazy new world of discipline and diapers, and you’ll find plenty of paying clients for your work.
Be Controversial
If you’re willing to put your parenting opinions out for the whole internet to criticize, you can quickly gain a niche for yourself. Many websites love controversy, because it gets readers engaged. And every mom has an opinion about other people’s parenting styles, so if you’re confident enough to jump into the debate, you can have a certain type of site lining up to buy your stories.
Be bold enough to write opinionated pieces about hot topics, and your linkbait posts will start going viral.
Break Out of the Parenting Box
You don’t have to stick to parenting sites to sell posts about parenting.
There are hundreds of high-paying lifestyle, women’s, and health sites that buy parenting stories. Parenting is a near-universal experience, so general interest sites often buy parenting posts as well. Expand into these markets, and you’ll find plenty of places eager to buy your stories about trimesters and tantrums.
Avoid Cheap Markets
In the sea of parenting sites—where a new one pops up almost weekly—it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. While it’s okay to send pitches (even the same pitches) to multiple sites, you don’t want to waste your time emailing the editors of sites that don’t pay.
Fortunately, there’s one easy way to estimate whether a site pays professional rates: look at the bylines of the posts. Find a few names and Google them. If a writer for the site you’re wondering about has a professional-looking writer website and a portfolio that includes big sites and national print magazines, you’ve found a winner. A writer of that caliber won’t waste her time writing for a site that doesn’t pay real rates. But if the site’s bylines all link to small blogs of writers with no portfolios, don’t bother pitching.
And if you want a shortcut to finding high-paying markets for your parenting posts, get a free copy of the updated Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs, which now includes 25+ high-paying parenting sites!
Image: nerissa’s ring
Lisa Baker says
Thanks for the opportunity to guest post, Sophie! It’s funny — last night I was researching markets and came across a web publisher with a bunch of parenting sites that look like they pay well, and I was wishing I could send you an addendum for the Ultimate List! I’m constantly surprised by how many web markets there are — even as a lot of print markets are changing or disappearing. Blogging is the future of writing, for sure. 🙂
Sophie Lizard says
Ooh, send me their info –I’ll add them to the next update! Yep, higher blogging pay rates will exist as long as professional bloggers keep on proving their value. Yay for us. 🙂
Ciara says
Helpful article, Lisa. Thanks for your contribution to the Ultimate List of Better Paid Blogging Gigs.
Lisa Baker says
Thanks, Ciara!
Mi Muba says
Extra care is required while doing pre-sell on a parenting blog because any advice must not be counter-productive and if there are any chance you must vocally describe them putting aside all types of courtesy. In short selling on parenting blog needs an extra responsible attitude where a wrong recommendation may directly hit the user of the product and here users are obviously little kids.
Lauren Tharp, BAFB Community Helper says
Care and responsibility is a requirement for all writers, no matter which niche is their forte.
Thanks for stopping by, Mi Muba!
Timo Kiander says
Hi Lisa!
This is a very interesting article – indeed!
I guess I fall under the category of parent blogging – even if I just recently changed my blog’s angle a bit. Anyway, my plan from now on is to wrote more detailed and researched topics (what you talked on your post).
I have written about productivity topics for work-at-home dads (more about online business productivity from now on), but I could write about other types of parenting topics as well.
We have a son of soon two-years old and it seems that I learn something new everyday 🙂
Cheers,
Timo
Lisa Baker says
Timo, I love your blog title! I’ve got a bias for superhero parent blogs. 😉
C. Lee Reed of Helicopter Mom and Just Plane Dad says
Lisa, I absolutely agree. I try to provide value with my writing and entertainment so I have no issue with charging more than a typical writer. While I usually get the fees after their review of my site, I have met some “brands” that want free or very low priced material. I refuse to work with them. Until the above standard writers ban together and refuse to settle, we’ve got to keep plugging along. We will succeed above those that are just in it for the money. Great post!
Lauren Tharp, BAFB Community Helper says
Good for you for valuing your work! Keep on plugging along. 🙂
Terr says
Thanks Lisa for this thoughtful, easy to implement post. I have a couple of questions:
1. I’m not a parent. I’ve had for the most part really crappy parenting. However, I believe these facts help me view parenting in a very sensible, objective way. Might I be able to pitch ideas to parenting blogs, although I’m not a parent?
2. Do you think readers of parenting blogs would react favorably to a writer who doesn’t have children? (Although the reader doesn’t need to know that, right?).
Lisa Baker says
Terr, you absolutely can! In fact, *many* of the editors I pitch — including editors at national parenting magazines — are not parents. In writing, it’s all about the idea! Just leave it out of your bio in your pitch. 😉
But take a look at editor bios on a lot of parenting sites sometime — you’ll find quite a few “She loves to babysit her twin nieces” or “She’s mom to a cat and a ferret” mixed in with the parents.
Amber Schultz says
This is such great advice. I find that although I had carefully planned a site that was unique from other parenting blogs, it’s easy to get pulled in by all of the other mommy blogger’s excitement and lose focus. Thanks for reminding me to set myself apart instead of joining the crowd.
Lauren Tharp, BAFB Community Helper says
Standing out is exciting too! It’s a win-win. 🙂
Thanks for commenting, Amber. Glad you found Lisa’s article helpful.
Andrew Kardon says
Great post, Lisa! I’m a freelancer writer but also a daddy blogger and proud of it. 🙂 I know exactly what you mean about most bloggers not being good writers. It kills me at times to see some of the worst offenders (as in horrific grammar, boring posts, etc.) snagging all the huge high-paying sponsorships, while I sit there twiddling my thumbs.
Lisa Baker says
Fortunately, working with those kinds of brands is one of the lowest-paying ways to make money off a blog, so no loss there! 😉
Lisa Baker says
Oops, sorry, that was supposed to be a reply to C. L Reed! Must stop posting on phone. Andrew: remember, those bloggers are not your competition. 😉
Samantha (aka RichSingleMomma) says
Hi Lisa and thanks for this post! It validates the kind of writing I do on my own website, RichSingleMomma.com. I rarely write about my life and my kids in detail but prefer to write articles that will help parents live better personal and financial lives. I was kind of worried that maybe I wasn’t personal enough because I wasn’t writing like other bloggers. I felt like maybe I was too wordy and would bore my readers. But it’s feels hard to dumb down my writing to be like other bloggers. Your post validates my style and I think I could really do well writing for larger parenting sites. I’m going to grab the list offered and would love to have the other sites you found as well. Please shoot me an email with your list too if you don’t mind. Thanks! 🙂
Lisa Baker says
Samantha, I love the title of your blog too! I’ll check it out when I’m on my computer. And yes, I don’t have any more definite info yet on more sites, but I’ll keep you updated!
Lee Sinclair says
This blog is like so many others, a lot of talk without really saying anything.
Becoming a guest blogger at high paying sites is not as easy as you make it out to be. Serious sites will look into your blogging background and demand credentials. Being of mom of two won’t cut it.
Being controversial is one thing, stating parenting tips nobody agrees with is the quickest way to ruin your reputation.
As a new blogger you will have to content yourself with low paying gigs until you’ve build up a reputation of credibility.
If you’re a nobody, it’s unlikely that anyone is going to pay you $50 per blog post, not when experienced professionals are around.
Sophie Lizard says
Lee, check out the rates other freelance bloggers charge in The Be a Freelance Blogger Rate Guide –bloggers with less than a year’s experience can earn more than $100 per post if they write well and have a good eye for a story. My first ever blogging gig paid $50 a post. The idea that you *have* to start out with low-paying gigs is a trap a lot of beginners get stuck in, simply because they don’t have the knowledge or the confidence to pitch higher-paying markets.
P.S. To all the “nobodies” reading this, I pay $50 per post and you don’t need any fancy credentials to write for Be a Freelance Blogger. All you need is a useful, interesting idea and enough blog writing skill to keep people reading. 🙂
Lisa Baker says
What Sophie said. 🙂 And also, high-paying sites don’t demand credentials. They really don’t. I just wrote a post for $350, and they didn’t ask for any credentials at all. I didn’t send any links to my previous work. I just sent them a well-written idea, and they bought it. Ideas and writing skills are ALL you need. And yes, some really high-paying places (think national print magazines) may turn you down if you have *no* credentials, but there are plenty of places that will take a chance on a newbie — especially at $50/post. That’s not a high rate. That’s a starting rate. High rates are $1/word (and yes, there are parenting blogs that pay $1/word!).
Medha says
I am a parent and also a freelance blogger. What a lovely subject you chose to write. Congratulations, a great post indeed.
I love this topic as a mother and a write a lot on this for my clients. I can very well relate to what you discussed in “Break out of parenting box”. I made mistakes initially when I was a newbie. I used search for sites who are in need of writers in the parenting niche and I always ended up on ‘the parenting sites” alone. I never thought out of box and realized that their are other sites which are related to the niche. How funny!
How I wished I had got this post in those days. But never the less I still picked a couple of points.
Thanks for sharing Lisa. Loved it.
Lisa Baker says
Thanks, Medha! Yeah, it was really exciting for me when I realized how many general sites have parenting articles!
Cindy Brown says
I am getting ready to submit my first piece to a parenting magazine. I hope it works out! I have lots of stories and I’m brave enough to tell them and keep it honest. It takes some guts to be controversial. I’m working on that one.
Lisa Baker says
Congratulations, Cindy! Parenting mags can be hard to break into…keep pitching!
It really does take guts to be controversial. I’m not going to go into details, but let’s just say I’ve gotten torn apart in comments a couple of times. Which is par for the course with blogging — and the fact that readers are engaged is a good thing, right? — but when the topic is parenting, it’s a lot more personal. I have definitely gotten more attention than I wanted sometimes!
But like I said in the post, service pieces are your best bet with magazines, which is great because you don’t have to bare your guts with those. 🙂 Some of them publish essays, but they rarely pay as well. So if magazines are your goal, no need to bare your soul! — just offer useful, well-researched information.
Jim Bessey | SoWriteUs says
This is great advice, Lisa.
In fact, I think each of your key points can apply to many other topic areas for professional bloggers, too. As a tradesman by day, I liked your section “Be of service”. That’s a helpful turn-of-phrase!
If any of you Parenting Bloggers have written a helpful post on the topic “How to get your grown kids to stop asking for money”–please send me the link! 🙂
Lisa Baker says
L.O.L. Sorry, my oldest is 5! It never ends, does it?
Susan Kuhn says
You bring a wonderful perspective to this whole freelance blogging question. Thanks too for the great resources you shared.
Lauren Tharp, BAFB Community Helper says
So glad you found Lisa’s article helpful! Thanks for commenting, Susan!
Vijesh says
Nice points Lisa, as a parenting blogger we need to follow some rules and suggestions you mentioned like keeping our focus on the readers. Most of the time writing controversy topics helps us to be in the blogging race by standing out of the crowd and people do sometimes love reading controversial topics rather than regular ones. Avoiding cheap markets and cheap services too helps us in maintaining a good quality and also helping our readers to be on the right and quality service. I am happy to know that even parenting bloggers to can make money when they know what to give to the reader who needs them the most.
Lauren Tharp, BAFB Community Helper says
Keeping the focus on the readers is an important skill to have no matter which niche you’re writing in. Always ask: “Who am I writing this for?” If you don’t have an answer, you’re probably writing a vanity post–and no one wants to read those. 😉
Thanks for commenting, Vijesh!
Jodi Humes says
This is definitely a helpful article. I had some trouble finding places to pitch my articles to – the ones in the List about covers the higher-paying parenting sites, and I couldn’t really find others that were high quality and would be a good fit for my work. I now realize I can pitch the articles about finances and parenting to money-geared sites, and a lot of my others would do well with lifestyle sites! Thanks!
Daddy's Turn says
My niche is a stay at home dad. I may not be the best writer, but have success with other sites I’ve built. Maybe someone, my new blog will be beneficial to some readers out there.