For beginning writers, the greatest challenge isn’t to identify good topics for their stories, but to find well-paid online jobs for writers. While you might be thinking that options are limited when it comes to writing careers, truth is there are plenty of opportunities out there. All you have to do is decide which of these jobs for writers fits your skills and personality the best, and then commit to turning your passion into a career.
1. Contributing / freelance writer
As a contributing or freelance writer, you don’t have to work on-site, and you can collaborate with as many companies as you want, but first you need to convince them that you’re trustworthy and able to create high quality content and to manage tight deadlines. Contributing writers need to be consistent and hardworking in order to turn writing into a career that pays the bills.
Advantages:
- No office: you can work from the beach, from your favorite coffee shop or from the airport, if you’re a nomad writer.
- No fix work hours: your schedule is extremely flexible, and you can work whenever you want as long as you meet the deadlines.
2. In-house content writer
If you love writing but you’re not into freelancing, a good alternative is to become an in-house content writer. Pick your niche, identify some companies you’d love to work for, create a convincing resume and pitch your ideas. But keep in mind that an in-house writer often has to write on a daily basis, with or without inspiration, and if you work for a company who builds websites for example, you might have to create content for niches you’re not that fond of.
3. Ghostwriter
Ghostwriters are undercover writers who produce texts for people who are too busy or lack the skills to create their own texts. To become a good ghostwriter, you need to be able to read your client’s mind and to adjust your language and style so as to express your client’s thoughts in the best way possible.
Drawbacks: Some clients are awesome, others aren’t. The latter often change their requirements and terms halfway through the project, and some even forget to pay once the work is delivered. Do take the time to research the client before accepting a (freelance) ghostwriting opportunity.
4. Copywriter
Copywriters are paid to create catchy headings and sales materials. They’re part of the marketing team and need to have a good understanding of the product they’re writing about, as well as of the target audience and their needs. Effective copy means more than writing a touching text; copy that sells has strong calls to action, and is created to influence people’s behavior.
A good copywriter works closely with the design department to make sure the text is placed into the perfect place and complements the website’s theme and tone. Also, a good copywriter is flexible, able to adapt the text quickly and to work with tight deadlines; he/she is capable of analyzing trends and identifying topics and stories that have the potential to become viral, in order to deliver a company’s message to the public in the most profitable way.
5. Product reviewer
Next on our list of online jobs for writers is the product reviewer. If you enjoy testing products and writing about their advantages and drawbacks, you might want to give this career a try. There are lots of big companies out there that pay decent fees to bloggers for reviewing their products, and if you already have a blog or plan to build one, writing reviews can be a starting point. Beauty bloggers are often compensated for their reviews, or are offered products for free or exclusive deals in exchange of honest feedback.
6. Technical writer
A well paid job for someone who’s passionate about technology and can analyze and describe a product’s physical features and functioning. Technical documentation helps people understand how to use a product, how to install a software application, how to troubleshoot or operate a piece of equipment, how to prevent accidents and how to safely use certain products.
A technical writer needs to be able to simplify complex technical communication, so as to make the content easy to understand by the targeted audience. Good technical writing means more than useful information; the texts have to be accurate, relevant and coherent. This career is ideal for someone who enjoys writing product catalogs, user manuals, training courses, FAQs, policy documents, customer service scripts, contracts, instructions, warning labels, white papers and product packaging information.
7. Scriptwriter / screenwriter
Another solution for those who are looking for online jobs for writers is to try the scriptwriting career. If you have a head full of brilliant ideas and you’re a storyteller by default, it might be a good idea to take this path. Whether your dream is to create screenplays for movies, TV shows, video games or Broadway shows, it’s never too late to start being paid for your talent, so as soon as you have a story idea, you should pitch it to a producer.
Recommendation: Do take a course, as writing a good script requires not only talent but also technical knowledge.
8. Proofreader / editor
This is the ideal job for grammar Nazis and for people who would love working in this industry but lack creativity or dislike telling stories. As an editor or proofreader, you’re responsible for fixing all grammar and spelling errors before the content is published, and for editing the text so as to improve its coherence. A proofreader can make a decent income even as a freelancer, as there are always writers who need a second pair of eyes to look over their manuscripts.
9. Affiliate blogger
Not all niches are suitable, but some of them are excellent for affiliate blogging, so if you already have a blog and want to monetize it without adding annoying ads on your page, you can try joining one or several affiliate programs.
How it works: you write about a product or service promoted by a company and post a link to the company’s website in the article. When your visitors click on that link and purchase the product from the company’s page, you are offered a small commission.
The more products you promote in this way, the higher the rewards can be, and the great part is that you don’t have to praise the company or service if you don’t think it’s a good one. An honest opinion, some pros and cons of that product are good material for an article, and you’ll still get your money if the visitor buys the product.
Recommendation: Choose a niche that gives you plenty of opportunities, like tech gadgets, travel or fitness. A set of dumbbells is still a set of dumbbells, regardless of the website it’s promoted on, and people are less picky when it comes to such products. On the other hand, if you choose diet supplements for example, it’s harder to generate sales, as people have different tastes and nutritional needs.
10. Novelist
Novelists can have any background and can come from various social classes. What matters the most in this career is the talent and ability to write great content, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. Professional novelists can make a living writing novels, but in order to gain prestige and build an audience, they often struggle with their debut books. An experienced publisher can be of great help at the beginning.
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