How To Write For Real Money Online.

Article publishing sites, like HubPages, are inundated with an endless stream of questions about the apparently perplexing subject of,

How to make money writing online from home.

Real money, as in income; income, as in enough to make a living.

Actually, it’s nowhere near as complicated as people make out.

(I say this from personal experience making money writing online from home - enough to make a living - which I'm about to share with you, so don't be affronted if you've found the going tough prior to now.)

The short answer, logical when you think about it, is to

Write for organisations that pay real money for the online writing they need.

Wanna go back and read that again? It’s pretty simple, yet apparently somehow overlooked, judging from that endless stream I mentioned.

Even the expanded answer isn’t much longer. But it involves three steps, so you might want to concentrate here,

1: Find out what types of organisation pay real money for the writing they need.

2: Develop the writing skills (or hone / refocus the ones you have) that will enable you to write the kind of work those organisations pay real money for.

3: Write for them.

I don’t want to appear glib here people, but that really is all there is to it.

But it is important, so, if you like, I’ll wait a moment while you go back and read that again too.

Now, I imagine your initial research will lead you to a large number of potential writing fields.

But, remember, you’re not looking for 'places to write'. You’re looking for organisations that expect to pay real money, for the writing they need. (Whether online, which is the main focus of this article, or for the many other spheres that continue to need writers).

Real money, as in income; income, as in enough to make a living.

Here’s a tip; by those criteria, very few of them will be article publishing sites. Virtually none in fact. Even though a few writers say they do make enough money writing online articles to make a living (by their own criteria), for many others, myself included, even making ‘recreational’ or supplementary income is a 'nice if it happens' possibility, but not a serious expectation from publishing articles online.

And to be fair, none of the genuine article publishing sites actually claim that you can expect to make enough money writing online for them alone, to make a living.

So, there’s really no basis for that other endless stream of “I’ve written two articles, where’s my Adsense money?” questions that also inundate sites. Fact is, if you want to make enough money writing to make a living, it’s up to you, to make it happen.

"There must be more to it than that", I hear you saying.

And there is. Here’s where the going starts to get tough, but to paraphrase the old saying, it’s also where the tough will see what they need to do to get going, to start making real money writing online.

So, please, think of what I’m about to say not so much as ‘tough’; more as ‘tough love’.

The problem begins with the widely-held belief that ‘you can be what you want to be’ online; just by saying so.

Nowhere is this belief more frequently shown to be self-delusional than in the sphere of online writing. HubPages and other similar sites are littered with (another) endless stream of outpourings, prematurely published by people who can barely string a sentence together, can't spell, struggle to establish and present a cogent point in an article, (or don't understand how vital that is), can't be bothered reviewing, editing, or crafting their work, don't think any of that matters - yet insist on posting articles, about writing, proclaiming their 'expert' skills and knowledge; while in reality providing written evidence to the contrary.

I did warn you; tough. But also fair.

For online content writers with real ability, trying to make real money, this wasteland of waffle does nothing but undermine the whole field, from both a credibility and financial return perspective. What makes it all the more distressing to me, as a regular contributor to HubPages, is that there are literally thousands of genuinely talented writers here who do possess real writing knowledge and skills, and what’s more, have posted thousands of Hubs from which anyone who truly wants to learn the skills that make a ‘good writer’, can do so.

But, I digress.

My purpose in writing this article is not to discuss online writing in toto, but rather to suggest a particular writing avenue in which genuine skill can, and will, bring enough financial reward to make a living.

One of the most lucrative ways to earn money writing online, if you can write well, to a brief, is copywriting.

If you can write clearly, concisely and compellingly, using the same skill set that enables you to research and write quality Hubs, or articles for other open publishing sites, you have a good chance of establishing a career as a successful freelance online copywriter.

I say ‘career’ because that’s what it is - not just a way to write a lot, load it online, and hope to make some money from Adsense, Amazon et al. Online copywriting is a real life job. That will earn you real job income levels. Much more, if you’re really good.

One of the enormous benefits that the net has brought to people who believe they have what it takes to succeed as a copywriter, is the effective elimination of barriers to entry. Yes, I know, that’s the very thing we just covered, the thing that unfairly causes the market to hold all ‘content’ writers in such low regard, but there is a difference. Fundamental, and (virtually) inviolate. So, bear with me.

Warning, here comes the tough hand again...

If you can’t consistently deliver great copy that's on brief, on target, on budget, on time; and delivers great results, you can’t expect to succeed as an online copywriter.

That's something I definitely recommend you go back, and read again. Three times if you like, because that's the 'fundamental and inviolate' rule I just spoke of.

While effective copywriting is frequently about altering perceptions, anyone writing copy must be able to demonstrate a real ability to imbue words with the power to do that.

If that sounds too hard to you, then it probably is; for you. But, if you're certain of your writing passion and skill, just less certain of your commercial talent, and what I've just said strikes you as more of a challenge than a dismissal, I'd encourage you to have a go. There’s nothing more powerful than enthusiasm coupled with talent, and a genuine willingness to put the 'hard yards' into learning, and growing, and achieving a personal goal.

My 'tough love' comment above, is intended for the self-delusional who 'write' among us. There's no place in the commercial world for the kind of mediocrity and dross that pours unhindered onto most content sites, and frustrates the hell out of anyone trying to quickly find well-presented, helpful information. Organisations that ‘expect to pay real money for online writing', don’t pay for words that don’t earn their keep.

NB: Unfortunately, while I stand firmly behind what I said earlier about being unable to build a career if you can’t consistently write great copy, honesty demands that I explain why I said ‘virtually inviolate' in the earlier text....

While I’d love to be able to make the absolute claim that poor copy never makes it onto the commercial screen; sadly even a cursory look at random websites indicates that it often does.

However, and here’s the good news: One of the easiest and quickest ways to establish yourself as a quality online copywriter, is to trawl the net, looking at sites belonging to big companies and corporations, (ie, where the big communications budgets are), finding content that’s doing them more harm than good - believe me, it’s everywhere - and pitching your services to clean up their rubbish, and restore them to their rightful place in the market.

To be fair, often what you find isn’t so much junk copy (a subjective analysis), as disjointed content (an objective analysis). Which means, you don't need to take the clients' ad agencies head-on; concentrating your focus on the less 'glamorous' content elements will prove to be a perfectly fertile hunting ground.

Present yourself the right way, (keep reading, I can help you learn how to do that), and you'll be perceived as the expert writer they didn't realise they so desperately need. That's because, frequently, untrained (in writing) staff members are required to contribute content to big sites with plenty of pages and information. But, with each person writing in their own style, the end result is often that there’s no single ‘voice’ speaking for the organisation. Tonality, (specifically defined, and consistently applied) is one of the most critical aspects of effective online communication, and it often takes an outsider, a professional online content specialist, (that’s you) to not only spot the problem, but to fix it.

Maintaining a consistent, customer-focused voice across all channels of online communications, from the website to newsletters, autoresponders and e-mails, is paramount.

All of these elements, of course, need to be written. And written well. And paid well for. Am I getting through to you?

Tip: Don’t approach the outside vendor / contractor / agency responsible for the design, functionality and content flow of the website, who may well become defensive about allowing this lapse to occur, and go about fixing it themselves. Go for the jugular instead. Check the ‘about us’ section to find the senior company executive responsible for communications, and pitch them direct. By e-mail. It’s effective, you can outline the problem as you see it, and propose a solution. And because you’re targeting organisations who ‘expect to pay real money for the online writing they need’ it can be very profitable too. In fact, I built my own freelance copywriting business from scratch, by doing just that. Pitching clients worldwide, delivering the work online (of course...) billing online, being paid by direct credit into my bank.

Nice work if you can get it? If you can write well, you can.

Always remember, as a real copywriter, not just someone pretending to ‘be who you want to be’ you’re selling a uniquely valuable skill; not a price-point commodity, and you can reasonably expect to be well rewarded, if you’re good.

To explain more about the opportunity, and the process, I’ve posted a series of Hubs that show you how to position and present yourself as a freelance online copywriter, and how to apply your powers of persuasion to overcome price resistance, get more work, and earn more money. The series adds up to a step-by-step process template, designed to help people in the early stages of their career as a copywriter, but it’s also an excellent way for other types of writers (like online article authors...) to get a feel for what the business is about.

You'll see what new skills you need to develop, in the area of positioning, pricing, and selling yourself, but you may also be surprised at how similar it can be to what you're presently doing as a contributor of quality articles, before you commit to it as a career. The whole series is effectively a 'reveal' of how I ran my freelance copywriting business, and made a very satisfactory living from writing online, so I know it works. The only reason I'm sharing it is that I'm virtually retired now, and happy to pass on whatever I can to - talented - people coming through. I've included hotlinks later in this piece, so you can click through for a look.

What does 'real money' really mean?

First off, it's worth repeating what I said above,

"Always remember, as a real copywriter, not just someone pretending to ‘be who you want to be’ you’re selling a uniquely valuable skill; not a price-point commodity, and you can reasonably expect to be well rewarded, if you’re good".

Let's forget for a moment the writing genres where the chance of monetary success, virtually irrespective of whether or not you're a talented writer, is more like a lottery. We all know what those areas are, so no need to lay them out here. (This isn't intended as a criticism, just reinforcing the reality that you won't make real money, by any definition, writing the 'gentler things' organisations don't want to pay any money for).

Instead, let's look at the disparity that's always been there, between the different forms of paid writing. 'Making a living' writing. Before the net (yes, there was a fully functioning paid writing world back then...), that pretty much used to break down to journalism vs public relations (PR) vs advertising. Journos liked to think they held the authoritative, credible, moral (sometimes...) high ground. Money wasn't (acknowledged to be) important to their craft. PR folks sat in the middle (making corporate business objectives look like public benefits...), so got paid better than journos. Advertising copywriters cut straight to the chase, and took the money; for the good ones, shiploads of it.

Now, here's the point of this little historical trip, and listen up please, this is vital to understand.

Whether you slaved for your craft as an underpaid journalist, or made words your slave as a well-fed PR hack, or ad copywriter,

. . .Nobody worked for nothing.

Post the net, two seismic shifts have occurred, neither of them good for writers wanting to earn real money.

First, the available types of media (and the required forms of writing) have become diffuse, the media power balance has shifted forever, and many of the new forms that have destabilised the traditional, eg online newspaper sites (there's an oxymoron), have made both so marginal from a financial point of view that available budgets for staff journalists, and copywriters too, (as ad-spend migrates online, and away from traditional high profit media categories like TV, magazines etc) have also diminished. As a result, many have made the move to freelance.

Parallel to this, has also been the emergence of a profound Game-Changer, one that has literally transformed the world of written communication. A completely new writing form, the one we're all producing on HubPages et al, the one called 'online content'.

Now, change is always with us, and change always brings opportunity. And it has once more. But, time to pay attention again sorry; this brings us to the second of those two seismic shifts I mentioned, as being 'not good for writers wanting to earn real money'.

The rot begins with the process of the article / content writer:

You don't write for an employer. Nor for a client. Nor to a brief. You write whatever you like; to reach an undefined 'potential audience'. There are no barriers to entry. Or publication. Everybody (remember that name) can get a computer; get online; get writing; get paid. (We wish, but bear with me.)

When you see the content model written down like that, it's obvious that it has no basis in commercial reality - for writers wanting to make real money. Of course, that's not so if you're a content site owner. They get to pay absolutely nothing for product / inventory. Then pay less than peanuts for performance. To be fair, (I've said that before, haven't I?), the good ones also get to stump up serious dollars to set themselves up, but at least they're working to a profitable business model.

But, here's the real kicker, the fundamental difference from the commercial writing world Before the Net. The 'real thing' that makes it impossible to earn real money from writing content;

In this new and enlightened age where opportunity is unrestrained, and Everybody with a computer and an ego can be an online 'content' writer, just by saying so,

. . .'Everybody' works for nothing.

Which explains why so much of what passes for content, is crap. At best, clutter. Because it costs the 'writer' nothing to load, and because no-one's being expected to pay for it, there are no natural, commercial barriers to its entry. And its negative swamping effect on the much smaller volume of genuinely good content.

But, here's my question to you, as a real writer wanting to earn real money writing online: Since this torrent of trivia isn't going away anytime soon, "Why don't you?" Go away, and write instead for organisations that expect to pay real money for the online writing they need?

This doesn't have to be an absolute - if you enjoy writing stuff that isn't going to make you rich, but does make you feel good for getting it out there, by all means continue to write for HubPages et al, as well. That's all I do these days.

But, where is it written that you need to go through some kind of prolonged self-flagellation, 'proving' yourself on non-paying (or insultingly low-paying) content sites, in the hope that you'll one day have enough behind you to, "Oh, joy!", get some online writing work that pays real money? If you've got talent, and ambition, why not get on with it now? Read those articles I've posted, and Just Do It.

Oh yes, the promise of this section was "How much is real money?" The answer is as simple as everything else I've written here: Real money is whatever you say it is.

Again, that's not me being glib. There's a real art to pricing, (explained, as I've been boringly reminding you) in the copywriting articles you can click to after you're through here. It's all about "Valuing Your Own Skills, and Charging What the Market will Bear." Please, do yourself a favour, even if you only want to get more confident about what you have to offer. Read and learn. (Did I say that? How arrogant. Sorry). I'm really just reflecting my enthusiasm for helping real writers answer the question of how to make real money writing online. And start earning, instead of yearning.

One last thing; if you do decide to follow this path, please remember, whatever you charge, (which of course will vary from job to job), to always play fair with your commercial online writing peers, and do not work for nothing. In that scenario, nobody wins. Look around you here in 'content-land'; see any zillionaires?

Of course, just as it is in the “World Outside The Net”, to embark on any long term career path, you need to develop saleable skills. Based on your own personal talent and ability. Actual ability – not the self-delusional kind.

Which means you also need to be prepared to invest in formal training, just the same as you would for any other career. But, you don't need to go back to college, or attend night school. They don't teach the kind of stuff you need to know anyway. There are plenty of online copywriting courses and books that enable you to tap into established copywriting professionals’ years of experience, to fast track your own career path, and, provided you have actual writing talent, enable you to earn as you learn.

How do you know online copywriters can always expect to make real money?

Because, the world has always been, and will always be, driven by commerce.

In the modern world, commerce takes place online.

'Commerce' means governments, organisations, financial and educational institutions, businesses big and small, and everyday people, buying and selling stuff.

That means competition.

And that means opportunity, for online copywriters with the skills and ability to help make their clients’ corporate philosophies, people, brands, products and services stand out in the online marketplace; demand them to be noticed.

That’s a skill that no organisation can survive without, and one which they'll always expect to pay real money for.

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