Writing articles for money offers some great benefits, especially as a side hustle or supplemental income stream. Here are some of the top reasons to start writing for money:
-
Supplemental income – The extra money from writing articles can help cover expenses, pay off debt, or boost savings. Even part-time article writing can generate hundreds of dollars per month. The flexible schedule makes it easy to write around a regular job or other commitments.
-
Flexible schedule – Article writing provides complete control over when and where you work. You can write early in the morning, during a lunch break, or in the evenings when it’s convenient. Work from a home office, local coffee shop, or even while traveling. The ability to set your own hours and work location is ideal for many.
-
Work from home – No commute or travel is required. Article writing is a perfect remote work opportunity, enabling you to establish a writing career from the comfort of home. The remote flexibility removes geographical limitations as well, opening up opportunities with publishers worldwide. All you need is a computer and internet connection.
The combination of extra income and a flexible work-from-home job makes article writing hugely appealing. The ability to choose your own hours and work around other commitments is a great reason to start writing articles for pay. While it does take effort to succeed, article writing can become a lucrative side business or full-time career.
How Much Can You Earn Writing Articles?
The pay rates for writing articles can vary significantly depending on your skills and experience level. Generally, most freelance article writing jobs pay between $10-$50 per article, though rates can range from as low as 2 cents per word to $1 per word and beyond for highly skilled writers.
Some common pay rates include:
- Entry level/inexperienced: $10-$20 per 500-word article
- Intermediate: $20-$40 per 500-1000 word article
- Expert/highly skilled: $40-$100+ per 1000-2000 word article
Top freelance writers who write very fast or in high demand niches can earn over $100 per article. The earning potential writing articles depends on your speed and consistency. Writing 5 articles per day at $20 per article would be $100 per day or $3,000 per month. Some prolific writers are able to research and write 8-10+ articles per day, leading to very high earning potential.
Factors that increase earning potential include:
- Writing speed and efficiency
- Level of expertise/experience
- Quality of writing and research
- Relevant niche experience and qualifications
- Ability to write on trending topics
- Relationships with high-paying clients
- Pitching clients directly rather than relying on job boards
Building a portfolio and relationships with clients over time allows you to increase your rates and earn more money writing articles. It’s possible for skilled writers to earn over $50,000 per year writing articles alone with consistent effort. However, it takes time to reach high earning levels in freelance writing.
Top Sites to Write for Money
For many writers, the goal is to get paid to write articles for high-paying clients and publications. Here are some of the top sites that pay well for quality writing:
-
Constant Content – This marketplace connects freelance writers with buyers looking for web content, blog posts, ebooks, and more. Some listings pay over $100 for a single piece. You retain rights to resell your articles too.
-
Scripted – Companies and agencies hire writers here to create marketing copy, blog posts, product descriptions, and other commercial content. Many projects pay $100-200.
-
Contena – This is another content marketplace where clients post writing jobs for things like white papers, case studies, and guest posts. The average pay is around $90 per piece.
-
iWriter – This site has lower paying gigs starting around $20-30, but also has premium writing projects that pay up to $150-200.
-
Textbroker – You can find blog posts, articles, product descriptions and more to write for Textbroker’s clients. The pay starts at a few cents per word up to over $100 per piece.
-
Skyword – This is a content marketing platform that connects bloggers and writers to brands. Some assignments pay over $100 for 500-1000 word articles.
The key is to apply for the well-paying writing jobs on these sites, provide excellent work, and build up your portfolio and profile over time to access higher tier assignments. With experience, you can command rates of $100-200 per article.
Getting Started as a Paid Writer
Getting started as a paid writer requires some diligent upfront work, but the payoff can be well worth it. Here are some tips for launching your paid writing career:
Build Your Portfolio
The most important thing when starting out is having a strong writing portfolio to showcase your skills. A portfolio with 3-5 samples of your best work in different styles and formats is ideal when pitching to editors. Some writing samples to include:
-
Articles – Have a few complete articles that demonstrate you can research and write successfully on different topics. Pick subjects relevant to publications you want to write for.
-
Blog Posts – Many online blogs accept contributed posts. Write a few high-quality blog articles to add to your portfolio.
-
Reviews – Product reviews showing your experience critically examining something are great portfolio additions.
-
Interviews – An interview transcript or article also shows versatility.
Having an online portfolio site or blog to direct editors to is highly recommended.
Pitch Editors
Once your portfolio is polished, start pitching editors at publications you want to write for. Briefly introduce yourself and your relevant experience. Be clear you’re interested in paid writing opportunities.
Provide a few targeted article ideas relevant to that publication. Give a short paragraph summary for each idea rather than just a titl and offer to send e. Link to your portfolio full samples.
When an editor shows interest, send your best portfolio samples reflecting that publication’s style. Follow up professionally if you don’t hear back after 1-2 weeks.
Get Accepted
With perseverance, you’ll get positive responses and paid assignments. Completing your first few successfully will give you published clips to add to your portfolio.
As you build your reputation, editors will begin coming to you for content. Leverage good relationships to get more regular paid writing work.
Stay focused on pitching and writing high-quality articles. With consistent effort, you’ll join the ranks of professional paid freelance writers.
Writing Effectively for Money
When writing articles for money, it’s important to follow guidelines, optimize content for SEO, and p…
Output trimmed for rendering. Click “View Full” for full output.