How to Make Money Writing and Quit Your Day Job in 2024

Do you want to learn how to make money writing?

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

At Millo.co, we specialize in teaching freelancers how to start their own writing businesses, land the best jobs, and scale their businesses using the latest and greatest technology available.

Whether you’re a freelance beginner or you’ve been in the game for a few years, we’ll help you figure out how to turn your passion for writing into a regular paying gig.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to make money writing as a freelancer, including how to fill a niche, apply for the right jobs, and meet your clients’ expectations every time.

5 Ways to Make Money Writing as a Freelancer

Freelance writing is an umbrella term that encompasses a vast spectrum of different tasks and niches. Some writers try to cover all these bases with their services. But the experts recommend you choose just one or two niches and focus all of your efforts there.

This helps you develop a name for yourself within a specific industry, and market yourself as a specialist in your field of choice.

Here are some of the best, most in-demand ways to make money writing as a freelancer.

1. Blogging

There are very few websites on the internet nowadays that don’t have their own blog. Blogging is basically a form of content writing, but it often falls into the content marketing category too, depending on who you’re writing for.

If you already have your own blog and a community of regular readers, there are plenty of ways for you to write and monetize your content.

However, you can also write blog posts for other websites as a guest blogger, which is a great, and highly sustainable way of making money from your creative writing.

If you’re a talented writer who has experience with keyword usage and search engine optimization (SEO), you already have much of the experience needed to create powerful blogs for your clients and their brands.

It’s also easy enough to learn SEO basics such as optimization and proper keyword usage by taking some short online courses to up-skill yourself. Once you’ve done this, creative writing jobs shouldn’t be hard to find.

2. Feature Writing

This is certainly one of the most favoured forms of writing work among freelancers. Many freelancers write individual features, one at a time, for print and digital outlets.

Feature writers have the flexibility to research and write about topics that they’re truly passionate about and have ample experience in. If you have certain topics that you are knowledgeable about and would love to delve further into, feature writing can provide the opportunity to create a niche for yourself within those sectors.

Remember that if you do consider feature writing, you may need to diversify your income streams to boost your earnings.

There are some feature writers who target this sole form of writing as their primary focus. But in reality, most freelancers will need to take on other jobs to form a complete and steady income.

Think of feature writing as a way to enhance your work portfolio, get your name out there, and make some much-needed extra cash.

3. Copywriting

Copywriting jobs are in big demand nowadays, especially since so many magazines, journals, and news publications have shifted their operations online. These outlets have a tendency to publish content online asides from their print releases.

Plus, they usually have digital magazine websites that regularly publish interesting features, articles, and news pieces.

In addition, copywriters create written content for websites’ homepages, landing, and pillar pages. They craft engaging and explanatory copies that entice visitors to their clients’ sites in order to investigate what products and services are on offer.

Many freelance copywriters find that writing a copy for websites is actually more lucrative than focusing on print newspapers and magazines alone. There are thousands, if not millions, of sites on the web geared to every type of audience imaginable.

This makes it easy to find a niche that you’re passionate about and approach specific clients with your freelance writing services.

4. News Writing

News writing is a specialized form of content writing that requires a high level of accuracy and research.

Most news publications will require you to have some experience in the freelance writing industry before signing you on as a news writer. You may need to brush up on your news writing skills to ensure that you capture the factual tone that online news publications look for.

With that said, news article writing can be highly lucrative if you do break into this niche. You can also quickly create a name for yourself in the industry this way too.

If you’re always reading the latest news updates or you have a nose for hot, new stories that are fresh off the press, this could be the writing niche you’ve been searching for.

5. Social Media Content Creation

Are you a Facebook fanatic? Inspired by Instagram? Terrific at Tweeting? Social media content creation may be perfect for you.

We’re living in the golden age of social media, and virtually every business with an online presence is looking to engage their social audiences, add value to the content they create, and boost their sales and brand awareness.

You can capitalize on this growing demand. Learn how to make money writing by marketing yourself as a freelance social media content writer and writing targeted posts for the various platforms that your clients use.

Planning, scheduling, and creating social media posts across different platforms can be challenging. But if you know social media like the back of your hand, this form of writing can be an excellent, ongoing way to make good money.

How to Start Making Money Now

So, you’re set on a career as a freelance writer—but how and when exactly do you go about starting to make money?

There’s no time like the present, and there’s no better time to start making money from your writing skills than today.

Here are a few essential steps to kick off your lucrative future in the writing industry.

Establish a Professional Website

Your clients need to be able to find you online to discuss your services and rates.

You could, of course, create a professional profile on a networking site like LinkedIn, but nothing looks quite as professional as a personal website. Having your own website also makes it quick, easy, and convenient for clients to get in touch. This has the power to boost your customer base exponentially, too.

You can use platforms like Wix and WordPress to create an eye-catching website that details your freelance writing services, rates, and terms and conditions.

Be sure to add your contact details or an online contact form to your website so that potential leads can contact you with their requests.

You’ll need to add a portfolio of your work to your website to show potential clients exactly what you can do for their brands. Your digital portfolio should contain only the best examples of your work.

If you’re a beginner and you only have a few jobs under your belt, feel free to add them all to your portfolio. This is certainly a better option than offering a very basic, lackluster portfolio featuring just one or two of your recent work examples.

If you have more experience, however, we recommend cherry-picking the best examples of your writing prowess and showing them off on your website. You can always update your portfolio with more recent examples of your work as your freelance career grows.

Create a Niche and Write for Just That Audience

Many freelancers, and especially beginners, wholeheartedly believe that they need to be a jack of all trades when learning how to make money writing.

The truth is, not all niches pay well, and not every service you offer will allow you to earn well either. However, there are plenty of writing niches that do pay well, and it’s in your best interests to focus on them.

When trying to pick your writing niche, you need to find a balance between an industry or form of writing that’s both in demand and one that you’re genuinely passionate about.

For example, if you have a keen interest in the beauty industry and love to blog, beauty blogging may be an ideal niche. If you’re passionate about a topic, you’re more likely to create engaging content, rather than run-of-the-mill posts that aren’t hugely inspired or interesting.

This also applies to areas in which you have plenty of experience.

If you’re a parent of three who’s looking to make money as a writer, you could do so by writing features for digital parenting publications.

If you have a background in marketing and are a dab hand at social media networking, you could also set yourself up as a social media marketing writer for any niche you desire.

Finding a niche and writing specifically for that audience allows you to build a reputation as something of an expert within that industry and writing style.

Instead of offering as many services as possible and constantly having to switch between them, you could focus on perfecting a certain style and gaining as much experience in a certain niche as possible to land the right clients who are willing to pay you well.

Apply for Jobs on SolidGigs

The freelance writing job hunt is traditionally a time-consuming and tedious affair. Freelancers have spent many weeks in the past sifting through job listings and applying for gigs, only to land one or two interviews after the fact.

Luckily, there are now better ways of doing things!

SolidGigs makes finding freelance writing jobs a cinch. The service sends the top 1% of freelancing jobs on the web straight to your email inbox, many of which are on offer from some of the world’s leading companies.

When you apply for jobs through SolidGigs, you’ll get hand-picked alerts for tasks that you’ll truly want to complete, multiple times a week.

Why waste hours looking for billable clients when there’s a trustworthy online service waiting to do it for you? Learn more about how SolidGigs works in our review.

Network in Your Local Area

You may find the bulk of your freelance writing work online, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect opportunities in your local area.

Networking with other writers and businesses in your area will allow you to build an offline reputation, making it known which services you offer.

This approach can attract top-paying clients just as well as digital networking can—and it always pays to have both online and real-world business identities.

Continually Update Your Writing Skills

The saying, “practice makes perfect” applies to freelance writers too.

There’s never any harm in sharpening your writing abilities or learning new skills. In fact, doing so can actually improve your chances of landing lucrative jobs.

Even the most seasoned writers take the time to learn new words, writing styles, and relevant skills to help them perform at their peak and keep up to date with industry changes. Try to push your own boundaries constantly and enhance your professional vocabulary by writing about new and exciting topics.

Where to Find Jobs to Make Money Writing

There are dozens upon dozens of freelancing websites out there dedicated to helping you find legitimate, high-paying writing jobs.

Instead of spending months networking, waiting for referrals, and hunting for the ideal gig, you can use these writing sites to find hundreds of top-notch writing jobs that will match your level of experience and your specific niches as well.

Do you want to know how to make money from writing through online platforms? Here are some of the best options to get you started…

SolidGigs

We mentioned SolidGigs earlier, and we’ll mention it again here as it’s an excellent online job seeking resource. SolidGigs saves you the hassle of spending hours hunting for appropriate writing jobs online.

The site delivers daily, hand-picked batches of writing jobs straight to your inbox, giving you access to the cream of the crop and prices to match.

The SolidGigs team checks over 100 job sites every day to find the best freelancing opportunities online. A large number of these jobs are from world-leading companies and esteemed clients.

FlexJobs

FlexJobs is another reputable online job marketplace that makes it easier for freelancers to find flexible full and part-time work. This subscription-based platform screens and verifies all of its jobs to eliminate the risk of writing for scammers and no-pay clients.

FlexJobs also has a unique custom job search that allows you to quickly and easily find the perfect writing gig for your level of experience, your work schedule, and your preferred topics.

Contena

Contena is a premium freelance writing job site that offers several unique and helpful tools for its writers.

The site has a ‘writing job finder’ that automatically collates all the best writing gigs on the web and allows you to search through them to find the right opportunities for you.

They send alert emails to your inbox daily to notify you of jobs that match your rate, niche, and interests. Contena also offers writing courses and coaching modules, allows you to view average rates so you can personalize your own, and even lets you publish a custom portfolio on the site.

Upwork

Upwork is one of the biggest and most beloved freelancing job search sites on the web today. It’s home to a whopping over 12 million freelancers and offers over 3 million job listings per year from 5 million clients across the globe.

The platform offers jobs of all kinds, and there are plenty of writing tasks to go around—from blog writing to copywriting, eBook writing, and even high-level technical writing. Upwork offers flexible short and long-term contracts, hourly work contracts, and project-based payments.

Contently

How would you like to work for big-name brands like Microsoft and Coca Cola?

Contently is another freelance writing agency platform that’s ready to connect you with renowned brands that need writers on their teams.

The site works by screening new freelancers and recruiting them for invitations to various jobs and projects. You’ll need to have a comprehensive portfolio in place to get started on Contently. But if you can manage this, you may be able to land top-paying gigs with brands that will look amazing on your resume.

Get Started on Making Money!

It’s never been easier to make money as a freelance writer than it is today.

The age of the internet has created thousands of viable career opportunities for freelancers, and freelance writing job agency platforms have made finding the perfect job even simpler.

To maximize your chances of landing quality, high-paying freelance writing gigs, we recommend:

• Creating a professional website and a comprehensive online portfolio containing some of your best works
• Finding a writing niche and targeting clients within that sphere
• Applying for jobs on trusted freelance writing job sites
• Networking within your local area to build a real-world reputation among potential clients nearby
• Constantly updating and improving your writing skills so you can land more complex, challenging, and lucrative jobs with high-profile clients.

Follow these steps and your future in the freelance writing industry will undoubtedly be a bright one!

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