Confessions of a Professional Blogger

How I Make Money as an Online Writer

Miranda Marquit

• Publisher: Miranda Marquit Freelancing, LLC
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780991038534
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Negocios y empresa
• Subtopic: Marketing digital

Confessions of a Professional Blogger offers a straightforward approach to becoming an Internet freelancer. This book pulls no punches, telling the truth about what it takes to successfully build a freelance business with online writing.

Chapter 1: Sometimes I Don't Write What I Know

“Write what you know.”

This is the standard advice given to anyone who starts writing. Whether you write a novel, or look for the perfect beat as a journalist, the assumption is that you should start from a place of knowledge (and maybe experience).

My professional blogging career didn’t come about because I wrote what I knew when I graduated from journalism school. 

I tried that. No one wanted to pay me. I knew politics, science, and religion. I applied for gigs, but was turned down. Associated Content was just starting up, so I started submitting what I knew on that site. Soon, though, I discovered that what really got the pageviews (and brought in the bonus pay) were lifestyle articles. 

I may not have known much about weddings and parenting (other than what raising my then-toddler provided me with), but submissions on those subjects not only resulted in higher up-front compensation from Associated Content, but they garnered more views, leading to higher bonus payouts.

The lesson? Writing what you know might be fun and fulfilling, but it probably won’t pay the bills — at least at first. In today’s blogging environment, writing what you know can eventually turn into a revenue stream, assuming you have the patience to build up your blog’s traffic and authority. But if you want to get paid right now, writing what you know isn’t nearly as useful as writing what’s in demand.

You might be called a “content whore” (I actually prefer the term “companion” — that’s a shout-out to Firefly fans), but does it matter if you’re earning money? In the early years, I couldn’t afford to have pride. It means some people don’t respect what I do, or how I go about it. Plenty of folks think that there’s something wrong with the fact that if you pay me enough, and I don’t think you’re completely awful, I’ll write for you, even if I don’t agree with what you’re saying. 

For the longest time, the money was the main thing. That’s changing now; I have other motivations now that survival isn’t my driver. But if survival is your driver right now, you can’t afford to wait around until what you know and love starts paying the bills. You can’t wait for your passion to become profitable. If you’re doing this for a living, do what it takes; write what other people want you to write.

Do the Research, Learn Something New

I was fortunate to land a gig writing for PhysOrg.com. That was when what I knew actually began profiting me. Science has always interested me (I was offered a college scholarship to study physics), and I assumed that my work with a physics website would lead me into science writing.

However, just the one gig didn’t quite pay all the bills, so I kept posting at Associated Content. My regular posting caught the attention of Robyn Tippins, who invited me to blog. I didn’t know much about Forex, or retirement planning, so I began researching. 

Over time, as I read more, and acquired more knowledge, and interviewed experts, I learned about finances. Now, I consider finances my niche. While I write a technology column for my local paper, and occasionally write about non-finance topics for others, subjects related to investing, small business, personal finance, and taxes have become major focuses for me.

The truth is that you don’t have to write what you know in order to be a professional blogger. It helps to have a strong background in the subject of your choice, and you will probably enjoy the writing more, but you don’t need it to get started — as long as you have the research and/or interview skills to help you obtain the information you need. 

While I’m not what anyone would call a financial “guru,” I do have a fairly solid grasp of finances. By now, I also have knowledgeable contacts I can interview, and a pretty good idea of which resources are reliable when I perform research. And I have even written enough — and learned enough — in the past few years to begin developing my own financial style as my family and I figure out what works for us.

If you want to make money writing about what you love, you might have a long road ahead of you as you attempt to establish your expertise. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you are already an expert, and decide to start a blog, or provide blog content to major websites, you can begin making money a little faster, since you have the credentials that establish you as an authority. That’s great. But if you have decent writing and research skills, you can make money writing about topics that are in demand as soon as you find someone willing to hire you.

General Topics? Or Niche?

There are plenty of writers who cover a variety of topics. In my case, a niche sort-of chose me. I love the financial niche; it’s been good to me, and I’ve really connected with other bloggers in this area. Niche writing has provided me with a number of money-making opportunities as a professional blogger.

But it’s not the only path. When I first started, I wrote on a number of topics. In fact, I wrote keyword articles on everything from window treatments to flooring to appliances. I wrote about weddings and babies and organic gardening.  

General Topics Writing

If you can prove that you can, in fact, write about anything, you can find work a utilitarian writer. Unfortunately, as a professional blogger, it can be difficult to find work that pays well when you write on general topics. Much of the work on general topics, when it comes to entry level online writing, is through content brokerage sites. You produce content (usually at a fairly low pay rate) on a number of topics. The article quality doesn’t have to be very high; mediocre is usually good enough to earn between $10 and $20 per 500-word post.

On the other hand, there’s almost always professional blogging work available for the jack-of-all-trades writer, especially if you have a fast turnaround. Create a website that highlights your ability to write on almost any topic, include plenty of good writing samples, and you are likely to find work — and find it quickly. 

Create a blog that emphasizes your ability to write. Your professional home on the web can include writing tips, research tips, and other general writing information. Also, include posts about how to write for different industries and in a variety of niches. Presenting yourself as versatile and reliable is of the utmost importance when you write on general topics, since it can be harder to establish yourself as an expert on one topic when you don’t spend enough time in the niche to be considered a specialist.

Niche Writing

On the other hand, if you choose a niche, you can market yourself as a specialist in that area. As you establish a reputation as competent in a niche, you can command higher rates over time. I receive as much as $500 for a 500-word blog post, depending on the client and the amount of research required. (Other types of writing, including white papers and static web page content, can command even higher rates.)

Another advantage of focusing on a niche is that being well-known in your area of expertise provides you with name recognition. In the world of personal finance, I appear on a number of blogs, including the Smarter Investor blog at the U.S. News & Report website. My prolific writing has attracted the notice of many clients. Since I appear all over my niche, clients approach me. I rarely apply for blogging gigs anymore.

That’s not to say that you will be hired as a professional blogger if you can just get your name out there. As a niche writer, you need to portray yourself as an expert. Even if you aren’t an expert in the subject, you need to market yourself as someone who is expert at writing about the subject. I may not have “official” credentials as a financial professional, but I am viewed as an expert when it comes to writing about finance-related topics. 

Establishing your level of expertise can include writing for others, as well as putting yourself out there as an expert media types can quote. After awhile, the amount of research and writing you’ve done will brand you an expert — or at least an expert at writing about your specialty topic.

The downside to focusing on a niche is that it can be difficult to find sufficient work if your niche isn’t popular. During an election cycle, or during especially controversial debates, political niche writing can be quite profitable. If you are an expert on a popular TV show, it’s possible to make a living writing reviews and recaps, following (and interviewing) the stars of the show, and generally being a TV junkie. 

I began writing for AllBusiness in 2006. By the end of 2008, the financial crisis had rendered all things money popular. Experience in the niche and demand for blog content related to finances combined to provide me with almost-endless opportunities. 

Of course, my abandonment of other types of writing means that few clients are going to hire me to write on technology, or on politics or religion. I can write about politics and religion on my personal blog (which no one reads), and it’s great that my local newspaper carries a technology column from me. But, while I have a keen interest in these topics, I’ve ignored them for too long in my professional writing; I’m pigeon-holed as a financial blogger. 

No matter your niche, you can build up expertise to the point where you can command higher rates — and enjoy more work (or, perhaps, less work for higher pay). In order to showcase your writing, it can help to establish a blog on your niche subject. I admit that I did things backward; I have a finance-related blog now, but most of my writing is on blogs owned by other people. Your own blog can provide you with a built-in portfolio that you can point clients to.

General vs. Niche

There are trade-offs no matter which path you choose. As a general topics blogger, you can almost always find work — even though it might be low-paying. However, if you focus on a niche, and build your reputation, after a few years you can begin asking more for your writing. 

One strategy is to start out as a general topics writer, and then look for your niche. Work on building up credibility in the niche of your choice as a sort of “side gig” while you write on general topics for your bread and butter. I’m proof that you can transition from writing on general topics to building a professional blogging business in a single niche.

Ghostwriting Services

Because writing is often used as a marketing tool by professionals and businesses, ghostwriting is becoming popular. Business owners and professionals who want to use blogs as a way to draw traffic to their websites often hire ghostwriters to provide content for them.

Many of my fellow bloggers comment on the frequency with which my writing appears. However, if they understood how many professionals and bloggers I ghostwrite for, they would probably be horrified. In many cases, other bloggers ask me to ghostwrite the guest posts they send to others, and I ghostwrite on behalf of other businesses and professionals as well.

While a good general topics blogger can provide ghostwriting services to others, it is often easier to hire out as a ghostwriter if you have a niche. Professionals and business owners want to know that those representing their ideas (and essentially “standing in” for them) have a good understanding of the topic. As discussed already, though, you don’t necessarily need to know your subject matter before ghostwriting. As long as you have solid research skills, and your client trusts you to represent him or her, you can ghostwrite.

Ghostwriting offers another way to make money as a professional blogger. The downside to ghostwriting is that you don’t receive a byline. There are times that I struggle with the lack of byline. When you see a blog post that you wrote go viral, or watch it receive a good response on a major media website, it’s disappointing to know that you can’t claim credit. Sometimes, it’s hard not to resent your clients when you see them lavished with praise for a particularly insightful article that you wrote.

Your ghostwriting pieces are useless in your portfolio, so it makes sense to charge a premium for these items. I’ve begun adding a ghostwriting premium to blog posts that don’t carry my byline.

Chapter Summary

You don’t need to have complete knowledge of a topic to begin blogging about it, and you don’t need that knowledge to ghostwrite on blogs. What you lack in knowledge can often be made up for with research and interviews with experts. Don’t wait until you think you’re an expert on a topic to begin writing about it. If you can show that you have solid research skills and the ability to ask good interview questions, you can begin a career as a professional blogger.

Chapter 2: You Write A Lot of Crap When Money is the Object

When I first started providing online content, I did it to pay the bills. I assumed that I would supplement my husband’s assistantship stipend for a few years, my husband would get a job after finishing his Ph.D., and I would branch out as a “real” writer, offering items to magazines and perhaps doing a little reporting for a local newspaper.

Because I didn’t realize the implications of online writing, I wrote a lot of crap. It’s nice to think that you’re going to write high-minded treatises on whatever it is you’re interested in — and get paid to do it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that for most of us. If you want good pay for your high-minded musings, you have to be an established writer. If you have time to establish yourself, that works out well.

Most of us don’t have that time. Sometimes, it’s more ...