Over the last few months, I have churned out more than 22 articles that have earned me a total of $6,550—wondering how I did that?
That’s why I got this article written for you.
So let’s dive into how I made this happen—the ups and downs and how you can achieve it too!
Now, the hacks I will be sharing with you are not for Software Engineers or Technical Writers only. The hacks are applicable to you in as much as you are a freelance writer regardless of your specialization or niche.
Okay, if you’re bothered on how to implement this and you’ve got these overwhelming tendrils up your sleeves, then let me burst the myth right here and now: The hacks are really simple to implement—they are what you can easily work on.
So you needn’t worry an ounce!
Now, I’m pretty sure your sense of curiousity must be tingling up right now. So let’s get to knowing how I did it—how I made $6550 writing articles.
How did it start?
Let’s just cover a little on my background so you know I’m not some genius that fell from space—I’m very much like you.
Writing, for me, have always been a second choice. All I did was write for fun, or write to share my knowledge with others. You know, just all those stuff. I never thought of making anything—living, career—out of it.
Then I got into blogging, and for the first time I found something that made me consider writing worth more than I valued it: I wanted domain authority and I was going to pursue just that. You know, this is the pursuit of every blogger and I wanted that too—that was worth all my passion for writing, at least, for the time being.
But my perception about what my writing skills held in value didn’t all change until I discovered I could make a living—not just living, bulks too— off writing and content creation. It was simply mind-blowing!
This year, 2020, a friend let me in on the information that got the deal: that there were companies willing to pay me for writing. You know, I was a dedicated Software Engineer and that was all I got in my head—little did I know I was undervaluing my writing skills…
So we started applying to different tech companies—my friend and I—to write for their tech blogs.
And luckily… I got it.
But I got in first—before my friend who brought the news about the deal.
Want to know why I got accepted first?
The Whys behind the What
Have Good Written Contents:
Remember when I was writing for fun and for free?
Well, during those times, I had written articles that got trending on Medium—and on Google SERP’s first page.
One of the articles got more than 50k views, gaining more than 20 hours of membership read-time.
This article has helped a lot of people and some people even reached out to me thereafter after to hire me for contract jobs!
When I applied to these companies with my previous article links and stats, of course you know the rest of the story. They couldn’t reject me.
Always have excellent previous writing experience and great previous written samples.
Tip: If you are still writing, then stay on it—and don’t keep them. Get them out there. Get them published!
Where to Apply
Don’t wait until you think you are qualified enough before you start seeking out companies that value the type of content your create.
Don’t be like I was at first. At least, know where to apply.
I learned this the hard way. My friend and I had to do a lot of Google searches, reaching out on Twitter before we gained insights on where to apply and the process involved—joining online communities and groups would play a significant role in shortening this process for you.
To make the process easier for you:
Here is a list of companies that are currently paying freelance writers, the description of what kind of content they are interested in, and how much they offer per article.
https://github.com/malgamves/CommunityWriterPrograms
Understand the Business
When applying to write for a particular company, you might be asked to submit your proposed topic right away.
So learn to study and understand what the company does and how you can use their product to come up with a great article.
If you can come up with a topic that is not already covered in their platform then your chances of getting accepted are higher.
In my case, I started out by studying their business and the kind of product they offer.
Next, I look up their blog for previous contents to see if what I have in mind is covered—in which case, I check out how I can improve upon the existing content based on my experience with the same tools—or I come up with entirely new topics.
Achieving my Goal
Now that I was accepted to write, how did I write the articles and how did I make up to $6,550?
Have A Plan
I decided to come up with a plan that will earn me an average of $2,000 a month as a part-time writer —as I also had a 9–5 full-time Software Engineering role.
With that income plan in mind, I decided on writing eight articles per month which would earn me an average of $2,000 a month—logically, that was two articles a week.
The calculation might not collate because I am calculating based on average, some months it above $2,000 and some months it’s less.
The lesson here is:
Create a plan and be disciplined enough to stick to it.
I have always stuck to writing at least two articles a week.
Write to your Audience
Coming up with topics based on the products of the company you’re writing for could be hard. For instance, some companies only publish content specific to their products. Secondly, the space might get very competitive—you might have to compete with hundreds of other writers as well. So you need to be strategic in your approach.
Here is what I did:
I always made sure to run Google searches on what challenges users encountered using the products of these companies and/or I discover topics of interest around the products, and based on them, I develop my content.
Tools like Keyword Everywhere, Keyword Surfer, Ubersuggests are very helpful here.
Doing this extra research and work will help your articles gain more visibility when they eventually get published on the blogs of the companies you are writing for.
And aside the visibility benefit, you could also get other benefits too—like I got. I was paid performance bonuses on my most viewed articles and content.
The lesson here is:
Don’t hold back from going the extra mile to do your job effectively and efficiently. You know, you can never tell who would be watching.
Final Thoughts
Writing is a skill that you can develop and master. It is a career paying lots of people.
You need to decide to be a Writer to become a Writer.
You don’t need a degree sort of.
All you have to do is start sharing your experiences with others in form of writing.
While writing, you get to build your portfolio, and if you have a blog, you also gain reputation and domain authority.
So start setting your writing goals, come up with plans that fit, join online communities, build your portfolio, start applying to companies that value your content and start getting paid for your work. Success!
