How to get paid to write articles? We’ve heard a lot lately about the “side hustle.” Between the pandemic and the mass move to online work instead of in-person, there is so much talk about making some extra cash freelancing. Freelancing is making people everywhere almost an entire second income on top of their regular job.
Writing has become one of the most popular freelancing tasks to complete because you don’t need anything you don’t already have. You only need a laptop and what you can put on the page. But how does one go about it? There are a few different ways to start a side hustle as a freelance writer, and it’s easier than ever to do it. Your side hustle as a freelance writer can begin in a variety of ways. Something you should probably first consider is what kind of writing you want to do.
How to Start a Freelance Writing Side Hustle in 2022
There is much opportunity in almost every aspect of writing, and you can do as many different types of writing as you’re practised in and capable of, which brings us to the first point, practice, practice, practice. Write some prompts you see, re-write articles you might read and think you could improve, and look at aspects of writing you like and want to emulate.
Depending on which faction of writing you wish to do, look at other material that is successful and notice which pieces you’d like to bring to your writing style. In any venue you select, you’ll likely also need a portfolio to show potential buyers what you can offer as their writer.
While you’re building this portfolio, try to think of the different services you can provide and the various tones you need to show that you can provide. For instance, if you’re interested in offering prose or something on the creative front. You would do well to have different examples of this.
Choose your niche.
Creative writings that you’ve done, poems you might have written, and pieces you might have that lend themselves to that creative medium. If you’re thinking about going into the article and blogging format, it might be a good idea to research the types of pieces you might need to write and the tones that they convey.
You might be asked to do informative bits, educational articles. Or more fun-loving pieces, and you need to be comfortable with all of these types as one of the most important things is to be a versatile writer.
Another thing to get comfortable with is how to use focus words and SEO concepts if you are moving into freelancing for blogging and articles. There are many free videos and articles on how to properly SEO your piece. So that your employer will have everything they need to correctly catalog and push their website using your article.
The words you use and repeat throughout your article help with web traffic and expertise for the site you’re writing for. It’s important to understand that ordering and those principles will put you above your competition. These things add up to making you a great freelance writer and having repeat customers who bring all of their projects to you.
Create Your profile on Freelance Sites
The next thing you’ll need to know is where you can provide your services. A big venue to sell your writing services is Fiverr. Fiverr allows you to get paid to write a blog post, web content, ebook, etc. So, you can create different gigs so that you can diversify the types of writing you’re offering. You can test multiple formats and items to see what sells best. Think of this setup as a marketplace of your writing styles.
For instance, your profile can have a creative writing gig, an article gig, and a proofreading/editing gig all at once. You can then see which gigs work out best for you. Then, follow that gig to align with what seems to be becoming your niche.
Tips for Grow on Fiverr
Fiverr is algorithmically based so that if you do follow a niche, it will help your business. It’s why they recommend staying in one division until you grow your customer base, and then you can expand into other areas of Fiverr.
You can set your timing, prices, and what you’ll deliver. Some basics for writing include offering and providing references and citations, a comprehensive report of your work’s originality if requested, and a highlight of the focus words used if requested.
These are little things you can do to show that you are a seasoned and experienced writer, ready to deliver on any request you’re given. Another thing worth mentioning is that you can pitch to buyers on Fiverr.
On the tab “Buyer Requests,” you can create an offer for a generic ask of writers. Like custom offers, you can pitch yourself and give a time expiry, time limit, price, and what you will provide to them if they select you.
If you differentiate yourself enough, you can get gigs at a price you set for a particular job. It’s one of the best ways to gain repeat customers by creating a relationship with them before they even click on your profile.
Buyer Requests are so great for finding clients instead of waiting for them to come to you, which is precisely the kind of attitude you need to be a freelance writer on these platforms. Your best asset is your go and get it attitude!
How much do Writers charge for a 500 word article on Fiver?
It differs from writer to writer. When you start a career, you can set the gig price at $5 for 500 words or 1000 words. After getting a few orders and positive reviews from clients, you can increase your prices. This is a good strategy that almost every freelance writer follow.
There are experience writers get paid $20 to $60 for 500 words article. If you become Fiverr pro verified user, you can make more than $100 per order. However, It depends factors like your writing style, experience, niche and more.
This bar chart shows how freelancers get paid to write per word count. The top 1 percentage of writers earn up to $2 per word and also 50% of writers make $0.54 per word.
Upwork
Another platform you can use is Upwork. Upwork is a great platform, similar to Fiverr, they allow you to get paid to write and sell other services. They’ll keep track of your work, catalog your portfolio, and advertise your profile to potential clients.
The differences between the two are small variances like discrepancies in fees and the workflow interface, but the rest evens out. It’s a good idea to sign up for a few different platforms at first to see which one ends up taking off for you because sometimes it’s at random. You can then consolidate your platforms and figure out what works best for you and your writing style.
The other thing that comes up a lot with starting a side hustle as a freelance writer is that the marketplace is said to be saturated. While there are a lot of people on the platform, there is no reason to be discouraged. Your profile will elicit something different for a potential buyer than the next one will, and that’s why there are indeed so many people on the platform.
Make sure you have everything filled out on your profile. Have welcoming pictures of yourself, and plenty of portfolio material to offer as an example of what you can deliver. It’s only a saturated market if you think it is one! Just keep at it, keep your reviews high and your response time low, and you will be very competitive on the site. The algorithm favors those who work at it.
Can I Get Paid to Write in 2022?
Yes, you can earn money for writing articles and short stories. There are lots of writing jobs available on freelance websites like Fiverr. But, If you have no experience, first, you should develop your skillset.
Freelancers are projected to make up most of the US Workforce by 2027, and there’s no reason not to be a part of it. Freelance writing makes up so much of the freelance sites that nothing is stopping you from finding opportunities and delivering a product.
It is an excellent outlet for creativity and an even better side hustle to gain a second income, even replace an income if you really work at it and put in the effort. A career in freelance writing is just a click away; you just have to start writing!
