Are you looking for a break from the cubicle at your 9-to-5 job? If you know how to pitch a story, why not try and write for a living? When it comes to making great money online nowadays, few things beat freelance writing.
With so much to grab—like flexible hours, excellent pay, the freedom to work from home, and assorted benefits—it’s a no-brainer why more and more people turn writing into their dream job. You can also ditch your home workspace and write anywhere you want, be it a Caribbean beach or a quaint village at the foot of the Alps.
Find out the most profitable writing niches and all the nitty-gritty of becoming an expert writer.
1. Copywriting
Annual income: $35,000-$65,000
If you know how to sell a product or service, you will make an excellent copywriter. A copywriter creates compelling materials that make the audience want to know more. From Facebook ads to landing pages and emails, a copywriter is the person who can sell goods or build up a brand by using marketing tactics and psychology.
If this sounds like something you can do, you are in luck. This skill is in high demand, and it pays a lot more than a content writer, for instance.
Ready to try? Start with Copy Hackers first.
2. Video script writing
Pay: $200-$300 per scripted minute of video
Do you ever find yourself watching an online video but can’t make anything out of it because it could use a script? This is where a video script writer can make a difference. Their job is to produce a script that forms the foundation of the video. It is a job in high demand, and it is going to stay that way for a long time.
Everyone uses video marketing today to promote their brand, product, or service. You could work for large companies or bloggers, writing interviews, ads, presentations, tutorials, and more.
If you want to find out more about video script writing, you can start with HubSpot.
3. Grant writing
Pay: $25-$100 per hour
Grant writers draft and submit proposals that help institutions, organizations, or individuals apply for grant funding. A grant proposal has a specific structure and requires the writer to have great research and writing skills to produce a winning proposal.
As a grant writer, you can work for non-profit organizations or similar entities and secure a steady income once you have established yourself. There are tons of information and resources online to help you learn how to write grant proposals, including the Grant Training Center and Grand Space.
4. Technical writing
Pay: $25+ per hour
Tech content is often dry, so it takes a skilled and witty writer to turn it into engaging texts for the audience to digest. A technical writer needs to have a background in a technical field like computer software and hardware, electronics, medicine, or finance in order to create engaging content for that specific industry. As a tech writer, you could be crafting product descriptions, user guides, reviews of consumer electronics, design tutorials, and more.
If this sounds like you, check out this beginner’s guide and see how easily you can turn technical writing into a profitable venture.
5. Case study writing
Pay: $100-$2,500 per case study
If you know how to pitch a good story, you can put this skill to good use with case study writing. Case study writing starts with interviewing users of a product or service and converting those interviews into a story/copy to show how they benefited from it. This is done for marketing purposes.
Besides writing the copy, you should be the one to come up with the interview questions and go through the process of interviewing the subjects yourself.
If this is exactly what you think you should do, start at Hubspot.
6. Business plan writing
Pay: $500-$3,000 per month
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A commercial venture doesn’t start without a well-drafted business plan. Most business owners and startup founders don’t have the time or resources to write a business plan, so they hire a professional to do it for them.
A business plan is a document that sets out the goals, objectives, and strategies of an enterprise and requires research skills, industry-specific knowledge, and experience in financial analysis.
If you want to make business plan writing your career, there is lots of information online to help you get started. Check out More Business or Entrepreneur.
Freelance writing is profitable, and there is a job for everyone. If nothing else, you can try to write in your free time and see how that goes for you before quitting your job and making writing your career.
