Do you have a special goal you’re saving for this year? Would an extra thousand dollars make a big difference? If so, I want to show you how you can easily make an extra $1,000 this year by writing an hour or less per week.
Now that I’ve been freelance writing for several months I’ve learned the ropes of finding gigs. Most of my writing jobs are for other blogs with a couple business websites thrown in.
The writing jobs that I have pay in the range from $20-$40 per post. This depends on the frequency and the client. For example, when I first started writing for other blogs I charged $20. With each new job I’ve tried to slowly increase that amount.
For posts that require more work or research or that are one time deals I’ll charge more. However, writing for most blogs doesn’t require a whole lot of research; it just requires you sharing your life experience and other topics you’re already knowledgeable about.
The Math
If you start out and charge $20 per post you can write one post per week and earn $1,040 per year. If you charge $40 for a post you write one post every two weeks and end up with the same amount of money.
It generally takes me anywhere from 30-60 minutes to get a blog post ready depending upon whether I’m given a blog topic or have to come up with one myself and also the length of the post.
If you’re an expert in a certain field then I think you can demand more than $20 a post – it’s just going to depend who you write for.
Sound like something you want to try? Here’s what to do.
Pick a Topic You Love
I come up with the topics for almost every blog I write for which can, as imagined, be challenging at times.
However, if you’re only writing one post per week then coming up with topics shouldn’t be too hard – as long as you pick a topic that you’re passionate about.
Think about topics you could write on for days. It could be something you enjoy doing or something you’re knowledgeable about now, like what you do at your day job.
Start Your Search
The most effective way of finding jobs that I have found is to email bloggers or business owners who I want to write for and ask if they need help. (You can view my email templates for this.)
Make a list of the sites you want to write for that coincide with your chosen topic. I would recommend adding about twenty different sites to your list. You can also try your hand at writing job boards but I have found this to be a less reliable method.
Before You Email
Before you email the business owner you need to have your ducks in a row. This means having writing samples.
If you have a blog that may be sufficient. If you don’t have a blog that’s okay, too. Start by offering guest posts to a few popular blogs. Having two guest post published should be enough.
You may also want to consider putting together a writer’s website with your writing samples and an about page. Here’s how you can build a writer’s website for $18.
Send Out Those Emails
Now it’s time to go back to your list and start emailing. In my experience it takes emailing 10-20 different blog owners to get a response. However, if you’re worried that you’re going to get more jobs than you want just email a couple people at a time.
Do be aware though, that you won’t get responses to all of the emails that you send. In fact you might only get a response to one or two.
Keep It Targeted
By targeting your topic, matching your writing samples, and emailing only blog owners in this chosen criteria you’ll be well on your way to finding yourself a gig.
And, if you pick a topic you love then writing that one blog post per week can be a creative outlet in addition to an easy way to earn an extra $1,000 a year.
_____________
Thanks to the following blogs for including me in their carnivals over the past couple weeks: Carnival of MoneyPros hosted by The Money Principle, Carnival of Retirement hosted by See Debt Run, Carnival of Money hosted by Carnival of Money, Carnival of Financial Independence hosted by Reach Financial Independence, Carnival of Financial Camaraderie hosted by The Four Hour Workday, Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Start Freelancing Now, Carnival of Financial Planning B hosted by Financial NerdFinance Carnival For Young Adults hosted by Urban Departures,Carnival of Retirement hosted by Lisa vs the Loans, Carnival of Financial Camaraderie hosted by All Things Finance, Carnival of Financial Planning hosted by Savvy Scot. Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by The Broke and Beautiful Life, Festival of Frugality hosted by Save and Conquer, Carnival of Money hosted by Carnival of MoneyCarnival of MoneyPros hosted by Save and Conquer, Yakezie Carnival hosted by Moneystepper, Carnival of Money hosted by Carnival of Money, Carnival of Financial Independence hosted by Savvy Scot, Carnival of Financial Camaraderie hosted by Your PF Pro, Carnival of Financial Planning B hosted by The Color of Money, Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Figuring Money Out
Do you ever have people that don’t pay you?? you never mention that so i was just wondering. Also do you find that claiming that money for taxes is a pain to keep track of or is it pretty easy?
No, I never had someone who didn’t pay me. I’ve had people who are really late. What’s kind of funny about that is the bigger type businesses I’ve written for have been late but with the other bloggers I write for are always super quick to pay.
As far as taxes…..I’ve been able to keep good records because 95 percent of my payments come in via Paypal so I just print that out. But I haven’t filed my taxes yet and I’m kind of nervous to do so this year!
Great explanation, Alexa! For someone that makes $0 on side income $1,000 can be an overwhelming amount, but you explained exactly how to go about it. I think everyone can use an extra $1k!
Yeah when I first started looking for side hustles I would’ve felt great with an extra $1,000 a year. If you save the whole $1,000 and put it toward one goal it will go pretty far!
Thanks for this, Alexa! Writing for others has been a terrific source of income for me over the last several months – you really can make serious cash at it!
Yeah, you really can. It takes some effort, but it’s worth it if it’s something you like doing.
Thank you for sharing this information, Alexa.
You’re welcome!
Great post Alexa! I don’t write for as many websites as I used to, but I’m hoping to ramp that back up again. It’s a great way to make some money from the comfort of your home.
$40 a post is pretty good money, Alexa! I think a lot of people will benefit from this guide. Thanks for sharing the tricks of the trade, which I know can be a little tricky since you put in the work to figure this out in the first place.
Hi Alexa,
This was a really well-done post and I’m sure it will inspire would-be writers to screw up the courage to get started! I just started consulting last year and while this is an extremely conservative approach, it gave me a lot of cushion so I was never worried about coming up with the money at tax time (I’ve done mine already this year).
Here’s what I did….
– 10% of gross to Vanguard for investing
– 40% of gross into a liquid account earmarked for taxes
– 50%, the remainder, to live on.
I did have excess in my “tax” fund; however, that allowed me to fun my IRA for the prior year with the balance. It didn’t allow me to max out my contribution, but it did make a dent and that also lowered my taxes! Nice 🙂
Alexa, you offer some amazing tips and they are always so timely for me! I’m starting the process of finding clients, etc. and am glad that my process is similar to what you’ve detailed.
Great post Alexa. I made well over $1,000 in the last few months of last year just by really hustling and putting myself out there. It’s so easy once you set your mind to it.
Great work Alexa, other than building a clientele and some cash, you probably get some links back to your site? Helps you gain exposure to your blog too!
Though not for freelancing, I’ve been slowly building up my own stock-pile of post drafts every time I have something I think about or an opinion on something. I figure between all the different things I could with them with my multiple websites, guest posts, possible freelancing, etc that having them around is probably a good thing!