3 Writing Services You Can Sell as a Writer (That Will Make You More Money Than Writing on Medium)
Earning money writing is easier than you think.
Nope, you don’t need a degree (yes, even when journalists try to tell you that). And yes, Medium can be a great income stream.
But thinking Medium is the only income source writers can earn money from is like thinking the puddle down the street is Lake Superior.
It’s not.
Here are 3 other writing services you can sell as a writer to make more money than on Medium.
#1 Copywriting
Sales sells best.
As you probably know, in sales, the sky’s the limit. Gary Halbert earned triple-digit millions because of his sales letters.
Of course, you won’t start there.
You’ll create an e-mail strategy for a friend or a landing page for a client. But it doesn’t matter because there’s an incredible potential to it.
Most people and every company need some form of sales copy.
Of course, you need to like selling stuff to some extent (everybody who says you don’t is a liar).
But if you’re OK with it, you can earn big time. And once learned, you can apply it to almost any type of writing.
This will earn you even more.
#2 Ghostwriting
That’s what I started with.
As I had no idea when I started writing, I chose ghostwriting. I had some experience before and was happy to not be in the spotlight (yeah, you read right).
Ghostwriting means you’re writing for someone else and put his name on it after you’ve finished. It’s common for business leaders who are too busy to write.
Or did you really think Michelle Obama wrote “Becoming” herself?
Depending on what you do, it pays well and up to six figures for a single book (nope, I never got this money).
But you’re always writing for someone else who doesn’t want others to know he didn’t write it himself.
Meaning it can be challenging to create a reputation in the game.
That’s why you need to connect with others and do warm and cold outreach, and project sizes are usually on the bigger end.
This gives you stability but can lure you into thinking you figured it out, as it did me. Boy, that’s dead wrong.
Ghostwriting can be very lucrative, but getting a foot in the door is difficult.
#3 Technical writing
That’s something I haven’t done before.
Technical writing involves writing guides and how-to’s for technical stuff. This includes software, apps, hardware, certification standards, and such.
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You can earn a lot of money, but you must like it. Why?
Because it’s the least creative type of writing you can do.
If you’re a real nerd AND communicate well, this one’s for you.
Why? You need to dive head-first into new standards, technologies, apps, and so on to explain it to some type of stakeholder.
It can be rewarding. You can land a job at a fancy tech start-up or big company. But to me, it sounds like the most boring type of writing.
At the same time, it’s the most stable.
What’s right for you?
Seriously, I don’t know.
Both copy- and ghostwriting can be very lucrative and, depending on the project’s scope and requirements, will have a future.
But it doesn’t mean you don’t have any chances when it comes to self-publishing.
All while you keep writing on Medium and improve there, too.
At point 3, you should earn enough money to pay some of your bills.
How long would it take?
Depends on you, really.
People are doing this in 2–3 months.
Then, there are others needing 2–3 years.
There’s no right or wrong time to reach things.
It needs to feel good for you. You need to make it happen.
I’m somewhere in between. For me, it took 2 months to earn substantial money from ghostwriting. But it took me 3 years to realize a personal brand is something you can’t go without.
Be more thoughtful about personal branding.
Medium is a great way to start earning money writing. Still, it’s not the final destination for earning the big bucks writing.
Ask bigger writers, and they’ll tell you the same.
Thanks for reading!
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