If you enjoy writing, chances are you’ve considered monetizing your talents. You can make decent money from home by becoming an online writer or editor and pursuing freelance work. There are a plethora of platforms where you can publish content for businesses across the globe, if you know where to look.
The key to making money online is to develop a following. You can do this through a blog or on social media. Once you’ve accumulated a decent sized audience, you can use your platform to pitch freelance writing and editing jobs. Before you begin aggressively pursuing paid gigs, though, it is essential that you develop your own blogging strategy. Launching a blog isn’t enough; you need to grow and monetize it effectively if you want to see returns on your investment.
The Importance of SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the ranking of a website or blog in search results. SEO plays a pivotal role in bringing in business and earning revenue from your online endeavors. If you want to be able to monetize your content effectively, you must incorporate SEO strategies into your digital marketing plan. There are a variety of tactics you can use to improve your SEO, including but not limited to:
- building a website that is mobile-friendly;
- optimizing your social media accounts for search engines;
- creating high-quality content that is informative, entertaining, and/or helps solve a problem;
- and much more!
Monetizing Your Blog
Blogs, in general, aren’t very lucrative sources of revenue. You can put in the work to establish yourself as an expert in your industry and build a following, but odds are you won’t see extraordinary results immediately. That being said, you can use your blog to establish yourself as an authoritative source of information and build a platform that you can then market to potential employers. Once you’ve established yourself as a thought leader in your industry, you can look to make significant sums of money from home. There are, however, several key things you must do if you want to turn a profit from blogging. First, make sure you’ve optimized your blog for the most popular search engines. Following are some of the things you can do to make money from a blog:
Create High-Quality Content
Even if you’ve got a well-optimized blog with tons of content, if you want to make money, you must focus on creating new content that is of a higher quality. The better the content the better the ranking and the more visible you’ll be on the web. If you want to establish yourself as a trusted source of information, you must produce content that is informative, well-written, and concise. Remember, Google only shows the first few results of any given query so if you want your content to reach the largest audience, make sure that you’ve crafted something that is of the utmost value.
Market To The Right Audience
Once you’ve established yourself as a thought leader in your industry, you can look to market your blog to potential employers and top-tier institutions that are looking for authoritative sources in your niche. For example, if you’re a fashion blogger, you might want to target brands that are looking to secure sponsorship deals or if you’re a real estate blogger, you might want to target brokers and agents. In both cases, you’ll want to make sure that your audience is comprised of individuals who are in positions to purchase the products you’re promoting. Even if you’ve got a profitable blog with great content, you need a strategy for marketing it. Use your blog to establish yourself as an authoritative source of information and then use your platform to pitch freelance writing and editing jobs.
Build Your Editorial Portfolio
If you’ve been writing for long enough, you’ll have amassed a sizable collection of articles, blog posts, and/or résumés. This is your editorial portfolio and it’s something you can use to garner interest in becoming an online writer or editor. When pitching freelance writing and editing jobs, you can use your editorial portfolio to show initiative, experience, and knowledge of the subject matter. For instance, if you’re composing a press release for a business you’re representing, you can use the press release to introduce yourself to the publication’s editors. Additionally, if you’ve got a significant number of articles in your editorial portfolio, you can use them to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. Publishing online is a great way to get your name out there and establish your expertise. You can use your editorial portfolio to compile a list of websites, blogs, and publications that you think are relevant to your target audience.
Pursue Paid Work
Once you’ve built your blog and established yourself as an expert in your industry, you can look to make money from home through the pursuit of paid work. You can edit for businesses and websites that are looking for content, build out a freelance writing business, or become an online marketing or PR consultant. Pursuing paid work isn’t easy and it takes a lot of hustle, but if you’re looking for a way to supplement your income, it’s a viable option. There are plenty of opportunities out there, depending on your skillset.