How many blogs do you read every day?
You’re reading a blog right now, so that’s one. Did you check Buzzfeed this morning? That’s two, and the link you followed on Facebook is three, and the New York Times Well section is four, and you can probably get up to 10 without having to think too hard.
All of these blogs need writers, and if you’re interested in becoming a freelance blogger, there are plenty of ways to get your foot in the door and start making money.
Start with these seven ideas, courtesy of The Write Life’s 71 Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer (which, full disclosure, I helped write — so I know it’s good). Then pitch your first blog post this afternoon!
1. Guest blog
Guest blogging is a great way to get your byline out there and earn a little cash while you’re at it. Many of your favorite blogs accept — and encourage — guest posts from contributors; it’s one of the ways they’re able to keep providing compelling content, day after day.
Read The Write Life’s 7 More Writing Blogs That Want Your Guest Posts to get an idea of which blogs to pitch. Or check out Be a Freelance Blogger’s The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs for a list of 500+ blogs in over 20 niches that pay $50 or more.
Before you pitch, familiarize yourself with the blog you’re pitching so you can craft a guest post that its readers are sure to love.
Be sure to follow any posted guidelines as well; some bloggers have specific rules for word count, and others have a list of preferred topics they’d like to see guest bloggers cover. Some even include a “password” you have to include in your pitch — and emails without that password go straight to the trash!
2. Ghost blog
Ghost blogging is like guest blogging, except you won’t get your byline on the post!
When you’re a ghost blogger, you work with another person to ghostwrite a post that’ll run under their name. They often give you the post topic and the examples they’d like to see you use, and then you craft a blog post draft which they can shape into their own voice.
Ghostwriting is a long-standing literary tradition, so consider earning money as a ghost blogger. If you and a client build a good relationship, you might be asked to ghostwrite bigger projects, such as e-books — and those bring in even more money!
3. Blog for businesses
A lot of businesses have blogs as a way to share news and ideas with their customers. These businesses need people to write blog posts — they don’t always have someone on staff with that particular skill — and that’s where you come in.
I’ve written blog posts about A/B testing for landing page company Unbounce, for example. That’s the kind of work you’re going to want to look for; businesses that need interesting posts on specialized topics. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of an A/B test before; if you’re a freelance blogger who knows how to research, you can write for just about any business.
4. Become a SEO blogger
Plenty of clients hire writers to write blog posts in a way that makes them easily searchable on Google. If you know a little bit about SEO, start looking on job boards for clients who want SEO bloggers — or put out your own shingle, the way Kevin Cole did.
Whenever you get into SEO, you run the risk of working with people who want low-value or unethical content; think “spun articles,” where you grab somebody else’s work off the internet and rewrite it just enough to pass plagiarism filters.
That’s not the type of SEO writing we want to promote. To quote The Write Life:
“Our definition of SEO writing involves high-value writers and bloggers who know how to create compelling, readable articles and blog pieces that simultaneously rank high in Google for both trending and long-tail keywords. No stuffing, spinning or spamming required.”
So look for those kinds of blogging jobs, and see what SEO can do for you!
5. Blog for pop-culture sites
Pop-culture sites are, as the name suggests, popular — and they’re ready to pay writers for listicles, quizzes, hot take, and other pop-culture blog posts.
Check out sites like Listverse, XOJane and Cracked for pop-culture blogging opportunities, or pitch your own favorite pop-culture site.
6. Edit blog posts
All these blog posts need editors, right? Some sites will let you write directly into WordPress, add your own images and post; others have an editorial team who edit blog posts to match the house style and add the all-important images.
Look online for blog editor jobs, but keep in mind that one of the best ways to get these jobs is to spend some time working directly for a blog as a writer. If you become a regular contributor, they’re going to eventually ask you to take on some editing responsibilities. Trust me on this one.
7. Monetize your own blog
You’ve been keeping up your own blog this whole time, right? A well-written blog, in conjunction with a compelling writer’s website is one of the best ways to bring clients to your door (or email inbox, as the case may be).
But don’t just write your blog posts; make sure to monetize them, too. Whether it’s putting a few ads in the sidebar or including a “donate” button, there are plenty of creative ways to monetize your personal blog.
If you feel uncomfortable asking people to donate, for example, you can make your donate button read “Buy me a cup of coffee!” Everybody knows writers love coffee.
These aren’t the only ways you can make money as a freelance blogger, but I hope they jumpstart you into pitching a new guest post or adding a new sidebar ad to your own blog.
Don’t forget to read the other 64 ideas in 71 Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer, and let us know which ideas inspire you to take action and start earning more money!
Great post Nicole! Nicely summarizes all the income opportunities for freelance blogging. You are definitely right about SEO blogging usually being the least paid. That is something I have found out. This is due to the fact that more emphasis is placed on ‘keyword density’, meta titles, and so forth than the actual content. As a result, there are people in 3rd world countries able and willing to do it for very little.
Cheers for the post.
Awesome post Nicole!
You have given a wide range of options for bloggers. Ghost blogging is working for me. I seem to be getting more of it and recently got co-authorship with a client on her blog! This was besides being paid. Building great relationships with your clients is also very important.
I’m off to share this!
Great piece of information, thank you very much Nicole. I was particularly drawn to the idea of having a compelling writer’s website. I currently have a portfolio on contently. Do you think thats okay or should I host my own personal website?
Hey Michael,
I’ve seen some pretty successful writers host a portfolio exclusively on Contently, but I would personally tell you to host your own site. If I wanted to hire writers, I’d be looking at their website, so try putting yourself in a client’s shoes.
Alicia, BAFB Moderator
I have a Contently portfolio and then I have a bunch of active social media accounts, but I don’t have a personal website. A lot of clients find me through Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn. Your mileage may vary, but I haven’t felt like I’ve lost opportunities because I didn’t have a website.
BTW I have had a monetized website in the past, when I was focusing more on independent musicianry. So that’s where I had “buy this” and sidebar ads and affiliate links. And then when I transitioned into full-time freelance writing, I found that between Contently, Tumblr, Twitter, and LinkedIn, I was doing pretty great.
I do have “set up personal website” on a long list of to-dos, though!
It’s easy really. And for writers you could use wordpress.com, BUT with a domain name you own ($12 or so yr) -so wordpress wouldn’t show! It would read http://www.yournamewriter.com.
It’s free (there is a small fee I think to get rid of the wordpress.com ending,) can get no bugs or issues. Start with that for few months till you can set up self-hosted wordpress which is more time consuming. As most of us don’t need a lot of bells and whistles on a writer site that should be fine.
I just put a tip jar on my blog. I struggled with the idea for a while. However, I put in a lot of effort and time into my “lessons.” Also, I believe that I am giving a good value. The only problem is that I am not a non-profit – no donate button.
I had to use a buy now button from PayPal and they required me to put a monetary amount. I put in 4 options from 1.99 to 14.99.
Do you think this was right? Or better yet do you have any other ideas on how to go about putting a tip jar minus the monetary amount? I don’t want people to assume I am telling them what to “tip” me.
I think if people click your Tip Me button, they aren’t going to be put off by seeing a list of four amounts. They’ve already planned to tip, so they’ll probably pick an amount and you’ll get paid!
I’d be clear about the Buy Now language, though. If you mean “tip me,” and the button reads “buy now,” it might confuse people.
Hey Susan,
I think putting a few choices of donation is fine. I actually see a lot of places that have options for how much to donate. Wikipedia’s donation options is one example that comes to mind.
I see you put in options that end in “.99” like $1.99 as opposed to putting “$2”. Ending the donation options in “.99” signals a “bargain” or lower price. I think that putting in whole numbers such as “$2” is better for donations since people are contributing on their own accord for the value you provide.
These are just my thoughts though, what do you think?
Melissa
This post is really useful, Nicole!
I hadn’t thought of ghost blogging, but I hear that ghost writing in general is a really great way to get quality feedback on your writing through collaboration. Not to mention building a relationship with the person you’re working with.
For monetizing your own blog, I like how you put a couple ways to quickly start generating income. I think offering to edit readers’ writing/coach them is another great way to monetize. You get to work with your readers and see what their needs and wants are. 🙂
Great post!
Thanks! This is a great list.
Nicole,
Great list.
I’ve recently started ghost blogging and it’s proving to be a lucrative choice! I’m also interested in expanding my services to include coaching and web design.
For now I’ll just continue to blog for clients, guest blog and write on my own blog!
Elna
Hi Nicole,
Great post – and tips. I’ve just popped 71 Ways into my Pocket for reading later 🙂
I hadn’t thought of the ‘donation’ idea before – but I really like the idea of asking for money to buy me a coffee (I love coffee). Of course, I’ve seen similar on WP plugins but not blog posts – nice one.
I ghost write for other blogs but had (perhaps naively) assumed that guest posts were for free – so the monetization was in the links back to your own site but are you saying you can charge for a guest post too? And would you expect to charge less if you’re credited that if not?
Thanks for these tips – off to share this post too .
Best,
Heather
I’ve been blogging for 8 years already, got many jobs as a web designer (my main specialty, which I promote in my sites’ network) and blog advertising. I am looking to diversify even more, so your tips are quite useful 🙂
Dear Nicole,
It is indeed an informative, practical blog post. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences and learning as a Freelance Writer with us!
I appreciate all of the advice. You’ve given enough detail in a concise form. However, I am not interested in writing a blog about writing, or even for writers, but I’d like a blog that is financially useful. My specialty, and my business, is caring for those with dementia and helping their families.
Advertising online is not what I need, my clients are in a small community. But I could earn money with online e-books, or … I don’t know how I’d detour people off their usual cruise through blogs, Twitter , Face Book and endless email, but if I could (capital letter IF) there would be more value to anything I write.
This sounds too good to be true.