As a freelance writer, it’s common to have more than one source of income going at once. For example, if you’re a writer, you can quickly become a graphic designer as well. From here you can pick up photography skills, and then learn to shoot and edit video on top.
When you package your skills like this, you have the chance to quadruple your potential client base, and become twice as valuable to the companies you’re already on contract with.
But as a writer, the bulk of your profit will always stem from the paragraphs you string together. That’s why, if you’re a freelance writer, you should put a blog together.
As far as side hustles go in the digital world, blogging can be described as bullet proof. You could even describe it as ‘recession proof’, able to be relied upon during those times in life when pay is low, layoffs are common, and living expenses are high.
You’re already writing for clients, so why not write for yourself as well? Doing so could diversify your income in a way you’ve never seen before. But if you’re concerned about the time and effort personal blogging might take up, here are a few reasons you shouldn’t be worried.
We Use the Internet Every Single Day
That makes it a marketplace with a captive audience. People are already using the internet every single day, searching out new information, looking up fun things to do, and discovering new useful products to buy. Insert your blog into this space and you’re sure to get your own fair share.
Even better, the internet is incredibly vast with a global reach. Over 5 billion daily users – there’s no other marketplace like it! To take advantage of these numbers, all you have to do is be in the right place.
If you platform yourself with a blog that’s both relatable and enjoyable to read, you could be making a profit within a few months. When there are so many people out there who could discover your content, even 1-2% of the share is going to be significant.
There are Still Countless Niches Out There
You might have heard about profitable niches before, and it’s an important point to make. Not every niche is going to be able to make money – or at least, money able to supplement your main income. Some niches are already too wide and oversaturated with competitors, while other niches are simply inappropriate for monetization. Mental health can fall into the latter camp, although some companies are trying to turn the tables on this.
However, even with this idea in mind, there are still countless profitable niches out there. If you want your blogging side hustle to be as successful as possible, you’ll need to be strict about finding one.
Start by minimizing an already popular niche. Lifestyle blogging, for example, can be broken down into thousands of different topics, and then these sub topics can be broken down even further. It’s the bottom of this tree that interests us.
Say you start with lifestyle. This includes topics like healthy living, which then includes niches like homeopathy, skin care, or yoga. Keep breaking big ideas down to their foundations until you discover a niche that speaks to you. Whether you already have experience in it or you’re simply passionate about it, your blog could corner the audience already present in it.
You Can Upsell
If you’ve ever wondered how a personal blog makes money, you’d be right in guessing that there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. After all, the written word itself won’t make you any money unless you’re literally selling it. That’s why you should think about upselling once you’ve got a clearly established audience.
They’re here for what you’ve got to say, and they’ve been loving what you’ve put out so far. So it only follows that you can write out some more in depth advice into something like an ebook and then put it up for sale.
If you’re worried about this, it won’t be hard to convince your readers to make the jump into paid content. They already get a lot for free, are assured of the quality of your writing, and will want to support you as an artist they enjoy. This sense of loyalty is crucial to build, and is absolutely essential to surviving in the blogging space; if your blog has supported them in the past, they won’t bat an eye at providing support in return.
Automation Tools Take Some of the Pressure Off
Writers already know just how much effort is involved in actually writing. You have research to do, you’ve got an outline to make, you need to write the body of content, and then edit afterwards.
At this point you can submit for review, but if the client wants something changed, there’s a chance you’ll have to go through the process all over again. Even when they approve it, it won’t be long before another client comes along with a writing project that requires the same time and dedication!
But the process doesn’t stop there either. Freelance writers need to consistently network themselves, keep their online presence updated, and routinely market the services they offer. If you’re a one-person operation, you’re going to run out of hours in the day to get everything done.
That’s why you should incorporate automation tools into your blog. It’ll take a lot of pressure off! Start with your analytics, so you don’t have to manually track down your visitor flow and demographic information. Similarly, if you want to set up a mailing list, automate the personalization required for signups.
Automation tools can make selling through a blog a lot easier as well. After all, you’ll need to provide customer service, even if you have no formal qualifications in doing so. That’s where apps like the best live chat for website can help. Let the chatbot collect the queries while you’re busy elsewhere. This gives you more time in your schedule to get back to customers, so you won’t have to worry about being seen as unresponsive and illegitimate.
Blog Posts Can Be Used as Samples
If you’re less interested in personal blogging, and want to remain as professionally focused as possible, starting a blog will still work as a side hustle. You just need to use your blog posts as writing samples instead.
This way you can diversify your niche a little more. Covering multiple topics shows your expertise as a writer – you’re clearly adaptable and have the ability to conduct essential research. These are skills every client is on the lookout for.
Even without concentrated effort, your blog can turn into a portfolio. Create your blog content, leverage it in applications and interviews, and get more jobs. You can even leverage your readership in the same way. Proving you’re a popular writer is just another tick on the checklist!
Blogging Can Be a Reliable Side Hustle, But Stay Realistic
A final note to finish off this post. Blogging is capable of making you money, and the more you blog (and the longer you blog for), the more profitable a side hustle it’ll prove to be.
But free blog content alone won’t pad out your bank account. You need to use your high quality, regular content as a vehicle to running adverts, receiving sponsorships, becoming an affiliate marketer, and building a loyal fanbase who will invest in your products.
Think of blogging as the prime example of what you can do. If people respond to the way you write and what you write about, there’s a chance for long term monetization. It’s a way of enticing people in, whether they’re paying customers or not – capture them now and you’ll have the chance to convert them later on.
And the most annoying thing? It takes patience to reach this point, where you can comfortably supplement your 9 to 5. But you can set a goal for it from the moment your blog goes live.
Freelance Writer? Start a Blog
If you already have experience with creating in the online world, blogging won’t be a waste of time, and for one simple reason: a blog can take the fear out of freelancing. You won’t be anywhere near as worried about where your next job is coming from. After all, you’ve got a loyal audience clicking your links and buying your ebooks month by month.
So, if you don’t have one already, put together a blogging plan and a content schedule. When you’re in between contracts, or steady work is at an unusual low ebb, the passive income you generate can fill the gap.
Concerned about the current turn of the digital world? Don’t be. Even in a world of AI generated content, it’s human written content that gets the most clicks and positive attention. If you put the time and effort in, your blog could become a very popular website within your niche.
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