Get Paid to Write: 26+ Ways to Make Money Writing Online [2022]
Unlock the power of monetizing your writing skills on the internet
Do you have a laptop, an internet connection, and a desire to make money writing online? Then this article is for you.
Here’s a quick backstory.
I quit my IT dev job in 2021 to be a writer. Yup, I quit being a computer engineer to pursue digital writing. Full-time.
My family thought I went cuckoo. My friends didn’t believe me for a long time. It’s not the part about me writing that they couldn’t believe. It was the fact that I made more money from writing than I did in tech.
Today, when you consider writing online, you’ll see that there are hundreds of ways you can get paid to write. Your creative pursuits can be much more than hobbies. You could write things you’ve always wanted to and build a business, or even a side-hustle(whichever you’d like) out of it.
Here’s how you start.
∘ Do some soul-searching — Start with what you like ◉ Get paid to write compelling content for businesses
1. Become a full-time writer for a company
2. Hop onto freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr
3. Check out different content mills/agencies
4. Get paid to write directly by clients who find you
5. Cold email or DM the brands you want to write for
◉ Get paid to write for yourself and build your writing empire
6. Get paid to write on Medium
7. Write on Vocal
8. Start a Patreon
9. Your fans can “buy you a coffee”
10. Set up your blog with Ghost
11. Earn ad revenue from your blog
12. Try affiliate marketing
13. Make money from brand journalism and sponsored posts
14. Create a newsletter on Substack
15. Start a newsletter with Revue
16. Get paid to write books on Wattpad
17. Self-publish your book on Amazon
18. Sell digital products on Gumroad
19. Courses, Consultations & Coaching
◉ Get paid to write for publications
20. Cracked
21. Copyhackers
22. Narratively
23. Listverse
24. Reader’s Digest
25. Chicken Soup for the Soul
26. What Culture
Do some soul-searching — Start with what you like
Ask yourself what kind of writer you want to be.
What kind of work and life are you after? Do you want to write for fun, because it makes you happy and you’re looking to make a little money on the side? Or are you looking to convert a hobby into a thriving career?
The kind of writing you want to do depends entirely on your motivations and interests. I’ll elaborate on this later as we go through each way you can get paid to write in 2022 — with examples, tips, and detailed resources.
If you’re still thinking, ‘I really don’t know what kind of writer I want to be,’ don’t worry. That’s normal. You don’t have to figure everything out right away.
Just keep an open mind, experiment a lot, write about things you love, and stay consistent.
Now, let’s get into all the ways you can make money from your writing, shall we?
◉ Get paid to write compelling content for businesses
When you tell people you’re a writer, 9 out of 10 times, they’re going to picture you as a “struggling artist” burning the midnight oil writing novels and poetry.
Creative writing is wonderful and you can make money writing fiction(we’ll cover this in the next section), but a lot of people aren’t aware that writing is an integral part of content marketing.
And in content marketing, you can make bank. We’re talking six figures, USD.
Here’s a breakdown.
❖ Why do companies need content writing and marketing?
The content marketing industry’s value is expected to increase by USD 487.24 billion in the next 4 years. In a 2021 Hubspot survey, 82% of marketers reported that their companies actively focused on content marketing.
Right from small startups to business titans, everyone’s looking for ways to market their products and services. And it’s been proven for years that the best way to have a strong online presence is through great content.
Consistently publishing terrific content
- establishes trust and builds relationships with potential customers
- drives organic traffic to websites
- generates social shares and tons of new leads to retarget
This is where writers and content marketers come in.
❖ What writing do companies pay for?
If you learn the skill of writing remarkable content that’s well-researched, formatted, and SEO-friendly, you’re eligible to take on plenty of lucrative writing assignments.
You can get paid to write
- Articles and blog posts
- Website content(landing pages, the home page, etc)
- Social media content
- Ad copy
- Whitepaper and brochures
- Email newsletters
- Technical content and reports
- Product descriptions
❖ How to get started as a content writer or copywriter?
- Make a list of topics you’re interested in and/or you have expertise in.
- Start writing and publishing online. You’ll be building your portfolio, crafting your writing voice, and figuring out if you like this niche.
- Upskill by learning SEO(search engine optimization) and content marketing. I know, I know. Creatives collectively groan when they hear ‘SEO’ because it can be a pain. But SEO gets your content right in front of people who are looking exactly for it.
- Arm yourself with a few valuable skills like these and once you have a body of work, you’ll be ready to get paid for writing.
❖ Ways to make money writing articles and other content —
1. Become a full-time writer for a company
If you’re looking for a 9-to-5 job, get your resume ready, and scout job platforms like LinkedIn, Meetup, and Indeed.
Check if the job descriptions and companies could be the right fit for you, apply for positions, and attend interviews.
Here’s a little secret if you’re new to this. You don’t have to actually search for job openings anymore, they come to you.
All you have to do is optimize your LinkedIn profile with keywords and results, and voila, you’ll start getting emails notifying you about positions.
I get at least a couple of messages every week from managers/headhunters who find that my profile matches what they’re looking for. They don’t offer a job right away of course, but they do invite me to set up an interview.
Get your FREE LinkedIn optimization checklist here and make sure you’re not missing out on the best content writing offers out there.2. Hop onto freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr
You can get paid to write on freelancer platforms like —
These platforms connect you with companies and clients who are looking for well-written content. The platform takes a portion of your payment as their fees, and you build your credibility on the site through reviews and completed assignments.
Now, I’ve tried 3 of these platforms and I’ll tell you that it is good practice for beginner writers to exercise their writing skills. However, I don’t enjoy competing with several other freelancers and dealing with clients who undervalue my work.
Keep in mind that this is not always the case. There are many talented writers who have built their writing careers on these sites. You’ll just have to test and see what works for you.
This is Al Anany’s ultimate guide to making money on Upwork. This guide helped me navigate Upwork as a newbie and craft better proposals myself. Al covers Upwork, Fiverr, and other freelancing stories and you can find more of his writing here.
3. Check out different content mills/agencies
Content mills are similar to the third-party platforms above, but typically with lesser control over your rates and the work you take on.
For example, on ContentFly, I accepted assignments, went through the content briefs, submitted them on time, and got paid $0.05/word for each assignment.
This is another place for people to really stretch their writing muscles, try different niches, and hone their skills. Remember that in most cases, the content you write is owned by the clients and you don’t get to add this work to your portfolio.
Writing for content mills can be a good option if you’re a beginner or just looking to fill income gaps in slow freelancing months, but I wouldn’t suggest doing this for too long.
I came across this brilliant article by Meg Stewart, which clearly explains the differences between different freelance writing platforms, and how to choose the right one for you. She calls this the 'Freelance Ladder' and this is something I wish I had read at the start of my writing career.
4. Get paid to write directly by clients who find you
This is the sweet spot — the crème de la crème of professional content writing.
You get to work directly with clients, have more freedom and control over your writing, and you can command higher rates for high-quality content.
But how do clients find you? Through your own content on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and so on.
This is why building your personal brand is of utmost importance. It may seem like thankless work initially, but trust me, when you have a large body of content and an engaged community, you attract high-quality leads and you’re finally at the top rung of the freelance writing ladder.
Here’s how you can get there.
- Make a note of who your ICP(ideal client profile) is. What platforms are they present on? What kind of content would they like to see?
- Now that you know what and where to attract your target leads, publish well-written, insightful content there.
- Engage with people in your niche, make genuine connections with your ICPs and provide free value through your posts and messages.
Remember that LinkedIn optimization checklist I mentioned above? If you tweak your profile, you can get inbound leads even without posting content.I know because I got my first freelance client this way, and it was before I started posting on LinkedIn.You can get the checklist here if you haven’t already.
5. Cold email or DM the brands you want to write for
Say you’ve done all of the above and you are getting leads, but you still haven’t entered the radar of brands you dream of working with. You don’t have to wait around, you can directly approach them.
It can be daunting and confusing initially but remember — the beauty of freelance writing is having more control of your work with no limit to your earning potential or your clientele.
Contrary to what your imposter syndrome says, there are clients out there who will pay premium prices for excellent results. With the right pitch and portfolio, you could be the one to provide them with this value.
Anangsha Alammyan is an inspiring freelance writer and friend who posts immensely helpful content to a collective audience of over 130K. She has a FREE 5-day course on how to become a highly paid writer, in which she shares her framework that took 5 years to build.I highly recommend learning more from her on Medium and her YouTube channel.
◉ Get paid to write for yourself and build your writing empire
Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
It can be, but it’s not too good to be true. This is the reality of many writers doing exactly what they love and making money from their writing.
While writing for businesses can pay well, writing and creating what you like is just something else. It can be beautiful, joyful, and one of the most rewarding things you do.
❖ Why write for yourself?
- To enjoy the highest level of creative freedom. You control what you write, when you write, and your writing style. You set deadlines, you get to work on your dream projects, and bring all your ideas to life without being bogged down by someone else’s rules.
- You own the results of your creative genius. You don’t have to sign the rights to your words away as you do in freelance writing contracts. When you build your own website or blog, it belongs to you.
- It feeds your soul and gives you an incredible reason to wake up in the morning. You get to build something you absolutely love and enjoy working on.
So what’s the catch?
It can be difficult and time-consuming. You need to have a whole lot of patience and show up for yourself even when you don’t feel like it.
There will be days you doubt your skills, and feel drained and scared that you may fail. It’s at these times that you need to “pass the test” and stay consistent.
❖ What can you write?
Anything.
Seriously, anything. Think of the biggest idea you have in this field right now.
If it’s already been done(almost everything has been done), that’s alright. You don’t have to go on a quest for 100% originality. You need to find something you like/love and do it authentically — make it your own.
Here’s a list of options —
- Blog posts and stories
- Email newsletter
- Digital products (e-books, guides, templates)
- Books (fiction/non-fiction)
- Poetry
- Video scripts
❖ How to get started and where? —
6. Get paid to write on Medium
In case you haven’t heard of it, Medium is a platform with over 100 million readers, and it’s where you’re reading this.
Anyone can read up to 3 free stories a month, and if they’d like more access, they become Medium members by paying a $5 fee.
Writers in the Medium Partner Program get to publish stories and depending on the amount of time spent by Medium members reading their stories, writers get paid a portion of the $5 fee.
It may amount to mere pennies initially, but as someone who has first-hand seen the power of stories compounding over time, let me tell you, it is totally worth it.
- Start writing stories and hone your craft over time. Pay attention to Medium distribution guidelines and formatting best practices. When the algorithm picks up your story for distribution, it may reach many others who are interested in the topics you’re writing about.
- Engage with your readers and learn more from other writers on Medium. It may sound cliche, but reading does help you be a much better writer.
Medium is fun because you don’t have to pick a niche or focus on marketing your articles. I write for businesses, but my personal Medium account is all about culture and history, and I just hit 300,000 views writing what I love.
There’s also no earning cap on your stories, so they keep collecting reads and pennies every day, which over time, amounts to quite a lot.
Now, I want to make it clear that Medium is *not* a get-rich-quick scheme. I would argue that it may not even be a get-rich scheme. But you have to give it a try without putting all your eggs in this one basket.
[TLDR: focus on Medium, make money writing articles, then diversify].
If you want to learn everything I know, get an actionable guide for creative non-fiction writing on Medium, and get my viral article templates, you can download my Medium Writing Guide here.7. Write on Vocal
Vocal is a platform where writers can share stories, build an audience, and earn money for their writing.
You can write fiction, poetry, self-help, entertainment, horror, or anything you like. It is quite similar to Medium and its features include —
- Easy story creation tools
- Monetization through reads, tips, and challenges
- Moderated, ad-free content
I personally enjoy being in the Vocal community and recommend trying this out. The key is to engage with the community genuinely and apply SEO (if you’d like more views from Google search results.)
[A few other platforms like Vocal and Medium are Hubpages, Newsbreak, and Simily.]
8. Start a Patreon
One major downside of some third-party writing platforms is that writers from certain countries aren’t allowed in their partner programs, since Stripe is not fully functioning there yet.
If you’re from such a country or if you’d just like to directly monetize your audience more, you can start a Patreon account.
As Patreon puts it so well, “Let your most passionate fans support your creative work via a monthly membership.”
There are over 200,000+ creators on Patreon, where loyal fans get to support their favorite creators in exchange for exclusive content. This content could be behind-the-scenes footage, an insight into your creative process, or gated content specially made for your patrons.
9. Your fans can “buy you a coffee”
‘Buy me a coffee’ is another platform where your fans can donate and support you directly without any hassle. It’s so quick and easy that supporters don’t even have to create an account, they can just make a payment and leave a message.
You never know which one of your supporters would like to buy you a coffee or maybe even 5!
10. Set up your blog with Ghost
If subscription-based writing is your thing, this is a platform you must check out.
You can launch your own digital publication through Ghost, a powerful app for creators to publish posts and build a business around their content.
— What’s so special about Ghost? —
‘It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members.’
Ghost allows you to customize your site with hundreds of templates to express yourself and let your personality shine.
The functionality is similar to many other platforms like Substack and Patreon, but with Ghost, you can brand your site as you like, having higher flexibility with customization and integrations.
Such cool features do come at a price though — $9/mo for their starter package. I’ve used Ghost myself and I found that these tools were totally worth it.
[You can also set up a blog on other platforms like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace.]
11. Earn ad revenue from your blog
Once you have your website set up, you can use Google Adsense to put ads on your blog. We all know ads can get pretty annoying, but it still remains one of the fastest ways to monetize your blog and make money writing online in 2022.
12. Try affiliate marketing
You knew this was coming, right?
Affiliate marketing can be an uncomfortable topic for many writers since we all know people hate being sold to.
But let’s look at the stats for a minute — More than 80% of brands have affiliate programs and affiliate marketing is responsible for 16% of global e-commerce sales.
You can provide tremendous value to your readers with awesome content, drive massive traffic to it, and earn a commission every time someone buys.
This is ethical, profitable, and can be fun, especially if you’re in a niche you love.
David Utke publishes excellent blog posts and YouTube videos with in-depth tutorials on website building, affiliate marketing, and blogging. You can check out his YouTube playlists here to learn more.13. Make money from brand journalism and sponsored posts
Brand journalism is the art of writing lightly branded content where you tell the story of a brand and solve problems for the brand’s target audience.
As a brand journalist, you become a storyteller first instead of a salesperson. When you focus on genuinely providing solutions, your target audience automatically wants to know more about your product or service.
This is usually done through long-form, TOFU(top-of-the-funnel), SEO-friendly content that gives results. Arlie Peyton is a leading brand journalist and writer who coaches writers on brand journalism —
‘It’s two parts creative journalism, one part storytelling, and garnished it with a sliver of branding. When you serve it up on an SEO platter to get seen online, it’s a powerful cocktail that satisfies both the brand and the consumer.’
You can learn more from Peyton about brand journalism and how to make $1000+ per article here.This can be for clients(as a freelancer) or on your own blog(you control the creative process while getting results that matter for brands you’re working with.)
14. Create a newsletter on Substack
Substack is one of the best platforms to build a successful newsletter — you can run a blog, community, podcast, and newsletter all in one.
Substack has a simple, user-friendly interface, helpful resources, community management, and ease of monetization. Another major benefit of Substack is podcast support since 2019.
Substack is completely free to use, until the time you start charging your readers a subscription fee. Then, Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue.
For novice writers and seasoned journalists alike, Substack is a go-to newsletter platform since it offers extensive features and does the heavy lifting(tech, design, analytics) for writers.
Here’s another popular platform to try.
15. Start a newsletter with Revue
Revue is another newsletter platform by Twitter using which writers can send editorial newsletters and get paid for them. It’s free to publish and you get to charge subscribers for your content if you like.
Some interesting advantages Revue has over other platforms are —
- Revue takes only 5% of your revenue whereas Substack charges 10%. This may seem like a small number initially, but when you make over $1000 a month, you’ll be paying $50 extra.
- Revue supports custom domains and custom email IDs, which can be crucial for your personal brand.
- You can integrate your Revue profile with Zapier, which helps you cross-publish.
If you are an established creator with a large audience and monetization is a primary focus for you, Revue is the ideal option.
So, how do you start a newsletter?1. Check out different newsletter platforms and choose the one that will suit your content needs.2. Publish high-quality posts consistently. Come up with an editorial calendar and stick to it.3. Grow your email list by posting on high-domain-authority sites like Medium and adding a subtle CTA at the end of your stories.4. Promote your newsletter on LinkedIn and other social networks (wherever your target audience is).
[Similar platforms: ConvertKit(another top newsletter platform for creators), Mailchimp, Steady]
And for my fellow overthinkers out there, don't worry. Whichever platform you choose, you can always export your email list if you change your mind.
16. Get paid to write books on Wattpad
I don’t know about you, but I spent a lot of time as an awkward teen reading Wattpad stories about awkward teen romances.
Wattpad is a famous hub for many young fiction readers and adults as well. This is a great place for new writers to release chapters of their book and build an audience.
You can make money writing fiction by —
- Joining the Wattpad Stars program. This can be a little difficult but is immensely rewarding.
- Affiliate marketing and brand sponsorships
- Paid stories — This Wattpad program allows you to “lock” your story behind a paywall so that it can be read by those who pay Wattpad coins.
To succeed on Wattpad and get more visibility, you’ll need to optimize for search engines, be an active part of the community and promote your stories on social media.
17. Self-publish your book on Amazon
Anyone can write, self-publish and sell a digital book on Amazon.
Here’s how you can strategize and create a plan to help you succeed in book sales —
- Check out Kindle Best Sellers in the categories of your interest and see if you can compete with these books. Can you stand out and create unique books? Is there a demand for such books?
- Aim for categories that are not too competitive but that also have good sales numbers.
- Write an epic book and format it like a bestseller — from the title to the cover design.
- Leverage your email lists and social networks to promote tactically.
As writer Joseph Hogue says,
‘Making money self-publishing books isn’t a get-rich scheme but you’ll be surprised how much money you can make on Amazon.’
To learn more, check out Joseph's blog post on how he made $1,928/month from self-publishing on Amazon. He has a detailed step-by-step guide to show how you can make thousands doing the same.You can go through his blog for plenty of editing tips and other resources.
18. Sell digital products on Gumroad
You can make money from writing guides, e-books, checklists, and other digital products on platforms like Gumroad.
- Identify a problem that people have in your niche or any niche that you’re interested in.
- Do you have a solution for this problem? As Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi puts it, you don’t have to be a guru, you just have to be three steps ahead.
- Create the product, format it well, “package” it digitally, and upload it to your Gumroad account.
I recommend Gumroad because of how easy it is to sell products here and collect emails. You get the option to price the product however you want, and one good way to start off is to have a “pay-as-you-like” model.
You can read Niharikaa’s article on how she made $7000 in under 4 months by selling digital products and how you can do the same.19. Courses, Consultations & Coaching
Once you’ve established yourself as a writer and grown a community, you can choose to coach other writers and help them build a writing career too.
Many successful writers also sell courses online. Some popular platforms you can use as a course creator are Kajabi, Skillshare, Thinkific, Teachable, and Podia.
You can also sell courses, consultations, and coaching services on Gumroad or your own website.
If you’re a beginner, this income stream comes a little later in your career because you’ll likely spend time learning the lessons you want to share. But this is a great option to keep open if you enjoy teaching and building community.
For example, Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi runs a reputed cohort-based program called ‘Summit 21’ on Gumroad, in which she teaches writers the secret sauce of consistency.◉ Get paid to write for publications
Any publication requires a steady stream of content to stay alive. And especially in today’s digital age, top-notch writing is in heavy demand.
❖ What to write and why?
You can write short stories, poetry, articles, books, or anything else — right from a sonnet to a 3000-word essay. There are publications in almost every niche that pay generously for accepted submissions.
These gigs will
- improve your writing chops as you learn to follow publication guidelines and collaborate with editors.
- help you get more bylines and build your authority in a niche.
- pay a good, sometimes fantastic amount of money for your work.
It may take a while for beginners to understand pitching and get into really big publications, but if you practice digital writing and write for smaller publications, you’ll work your way up into the big leagues eventually.
❖ How to get started?
- Go to platforms like Pitchwhiz and Twitter where editors post pitch calls frequently. You can also just do a quick Google search to find more opportunities. [Example: ‘food writer wanted’, ‘websites that pay writers’]
- Research the publication and get familiar with the brand voice.
- Craft a pitch that meets the editor’s requirements and send an email directly to them.
❖ Here are some websites that pay writers —
20. Cracked
Cracked is a humor site about pop culture — movies, memes, and games.
Read their submission guidelines to see how you can get paid up to $250 per article.
21. Copyhackers
Do you have a great story that falls under branding, UX, marketing, or entrepreneurship?
Pitch it to Copyhackers and earn $300 to $1000 per post. The story has to be over 2000 words and should adhere to these submission guidelines.
22. Narratively
Their tagline ‘Human stories, boldly told’ covers what they’re looking for — personal essays that are long-form, authentic, and captivating.
The pay is $300 to $400 an article and you can find the submission guidelines here.
23. Listverse
Write list posts on any topic you like(entertainment, lifestyle, science, etc), ensuring that they’re interesting and well-researched.
Listverse pays $100 per post via Paypal and you can find the submission guidelines here.
24. Reader’s Digest
They pay $100 for personal stories that are of 100 words or less.
The story will be printed in their magazine and some favorites may be featured on the website. Check out RD’s submission guidelines here.
25. Chicken Soup for the Soul
They accept stories and poems that are inspirational, true, and heartwarming. You know, just like chicken soup is.
If the story is published, you’ll get paid $200 one month later. Learn more about submitting here.
26. What Culture
If you like writing about culture, entertainment, movies, gaming, and sports, ‘What Culture’ could be an excellent fit for you.
The pay per post is $25 to $500 and you can find their submission guidelines here.
Ashley Broadwater is a prolific writer and freelancer who has worked with leading brands like Huffpost, Buzzfeed, PopSugar, and Better Marketing. She shares helpful resources on her Medium profile for writers looking to work with top publications.And if you’d like to get more help from all her experience and skills, you can sign up for her newsletter — A Bunch of Paid Writing Opportunities.
If you’re a new writer, you may be feeling just a tad overwhelmed by now.
It’s okay to feel lost and as though this is all complicated. But if you like writing, you can change your life by monetizing it online.
- Pick one of these 25+ ways and start working on it. Write and learn consistently.
- Then, diversify your income streams by picking another one and working on both or more.
- Pay attention to analytics — drill down on what works and change what doesn’t.
It took me 2 years to get to a point where I consistently get paid to write for clients, for myself, and for publications. It can take years or maybe just weeks for you to work this out. But start out knowing that you can get there and make money doing what you enjoy.
If you have a laptop, an internet connection, and an interest in writing and learning, you’ve got this.
My newsletter ‘Create with Bertilla’ is about the latest trends, resources, and insights into the creator economy. I share exclusive interviews and takeaways from my creative projects, so if you’d like a free front-row seat to watch my journey, you’re welcome to sign up here.
