Six Ways to Make Money Writing in 2021

I can’t imagine what it used to be like to make a living as a writer. Unless you were able to land a solid writing job, you probably spent most of your time sending letters via snail mail to magazines trying to get them to publish your article. As romantic as that process seems, today, there is certainly a better way.

Thanks to this handy little thing called “the Internet”, there are more opportunities than ever to get paid for your writing. Here are just a few of them.

Social Media Manager

If you like to write content and are good with social media platforms, you might want to consider a career in social media management. Although this job entails a lot more than simply writing posts, good copywriting is still key. You’ll also probably be working with influencers, and managing a content calendar for social media. Lastly, you’ll want to learn a bit about other mediums besides writing, as you’ll probably have to work with a designer or maybe even throw a few graphics/videos together yourself!

Requirements: A bachelor’s degree will suffice, preferably in marketing or English, and you may have to get a few years of experience in a related role before you land your dream gig.

Freelance Writer

My first professional work as a writer was all in a freelance capacity. The reason is simple – when you’re starting out without experience, it’s easier to convince someone to pay you per project than it is to get someone to hire you full time. Full time jobs are a significant investment, and you have to put in the work sometimes before you can get them.

Experienced writers also will often choose to go freelance once they’ve had significant work experience for a different reason. Their skills and experience are now valuable and companies will pay a lot to rent them. Freelancing affords a high degree of flexibility. You will have to hustle for clients a lot though, which could be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your likes and dislikes.

Requirements: technically just the ability to write well. However, at the higher levels, you’ll need to have a strong understanding of a variety of different content types and what makes them work, and the ability to work with many different types of personalities.

Novelist or Author

Many people don’t realize that you can land a book deal and get published with a significant publisher and still not make a living wage. This is why only the best of the best can really write books full time. Still, if this is what you are passionate about, why not give it a try? There are plenty of helpful online resources that make getting your book in front of the right people easier than it ever used to be.

If you are especially interested in becoming a novelist, you can checkout this interview I did with Kristyn Miller and see how she successfully landed an agent.

Another route here is to self publish. But like freelancing, this requires an incredible amount of business ability and will have you wearing multiple hats as you attempt to write, publish, edit, design and market your own work.

On the positive side, marketplaces like Amazon and others make it easier than ever to get your book directly in front of your reader.

Requirements: To be successful at this job, you have to be incredibly good at planning, have exceptional storytelling abilities, and a lot of patients. Many successful authors write several books before they ever get published. This writing job is certainly not a get rich quick strategy.

Technical Writer

This job is probably one of the very best ways to make a lot of money writing. Another benefit of being a technical writer is that the job also offers a lot of flexibility. There is a lot of money in technology and companies will pay a large amount of money for writers who are comfortable writing about complex topics in clear, concise prose. This is true not only of Technical writers, but of any writer. Still, there is a special place in the pantheon of writers right now for technical writers due to the rapid pace of technological advancement.

If you love technology and love to write, this might be the no brainer writing job for you. Technical writers work with engineers, product managers and additional stakeholders in order to create manuals, tutorials and instructions for technical subjects.

Requirements: A bachelor’s degree will help, as well as specific technical knowledge depending on the industry you hope to work in.

Content Marketing

Content marketing, like technical writing, is in high demand. Companies in the technology and healthcare industries and beyond leverage content marketing to drive demand for their product and revenue for their companies.

Content marketing jobs come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from tactical “writing’ jobs to more managerial strategy roles. The world of content marketing is a big world with a lot of different hats to wear. You can expect to create ebooks, white papers, blog posts, social media posts, and more. If you’re really good at what you do, you’ll always have a job, and be able to take advantage of some pretty cool perks like flexible working.

Requirements: A bachelor’s degree is usually required for these jobs, as well as several years of prior experience working as a writer in a specific niche. You will also need to have working knowledge of digital marketing as well as incredible writing abilities, and the ability to work well under pressure.

Blogger

The 2020s are a great time to be a writer. If you can specialize and hone your craft as well as are committed to continued, professional growth, you will certainly succeed as a writer today.

Additionally, thanks to the Internet, writers have an incredible opportunity to create their own brand, blog, podcast and revenue generating website. Blogging is a great option for creative writers who want total control over their own work. Although a long term strategy, creating a successful blog presents many opportunities for writers to make passive income as they also pursue other writing employment.

Requirements: Enthusiasm over the content in your given niche, and the ability to write articles with interesting headlines that people will want to read. Social media skills will also help as posting regularly to social media will increase overall traffic flow to your website.