I often say, “a broke writer is broke by choice.” Writing is one of the best skills anyone can possess. Not only does it allow you to communicate your message efficiently, but it also helps you make some cash when you are in urgent need.
There are thousands of articles on how to make money online as a freelance writer. However, none of these articles focus on how to make fast money as a writer. They require time before converting to cash, which is not applicable for a writer who needs urgent cash. This article exposes writers to practical ways to earn money off their writing skills.
1. Join a freelance platform:
You can join popular freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork to offer your writing services to potential clients. Application on these sites takes about 24 hours or less, and you can start getting jobs immediately, depending on how professional your account or profile looks. You can check this comprehensive guide on starting your freelance career on Upwork.
Getting jobs on these platforms might not be as easy and swift as expected. However, many people started getting orders one or two days after joining these freelancing websites. This can be credited to the compelling proposals that standouts them out among others.
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Meanwhile, the backside is that you will need to wait 14 days on Fiverr and seven days on Upwork to convert your earnings into cash for withdrawal into your bank account. The duration may seem long, but it’s not; your fund is 100% secured.
2. Apply for writing jobs on Social Media
People post thousands of writing assignments daily on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and other open-source websites. However, you do not have to be head to toe into the freelance writing business before applying for these jobs. You must craft a winning proposal alongside some writing samples and submit it for application.
While LinkedIn is often open and easily accessible, you might need to join some communities and groups to write offers on Facebook and Reddit. Search for “writing jobs,” and you will see different people and brands advertising their need for writers to do some writing assignments. Look for ones that fit into your specs alongside the payment offer. Then, if you are cool with it, chat the person up.
Meanwhile, it is best to conduct adequate personal research on the client. This will help ascertain that s/he doesn’t have a questionable reputation. It will also eliminate any fear of not getting paid for your service. More so, you can request that the client make an advance payment of a certain percentage before you start the project. Or ask for a credible means of identification from the client.
3. Pitch Websites that pay guest writers
Many websites and blogs pay people to contribute content to their blogs. Some websites pay about $300 and above for each article they accept. Additionally, they allow you to attach a short bio about yourself under your content.
However, many of these websites get a lot of entries from other writers. Therefore, you must create great content that meets their standards and requirement before any hope of acceptance. Meanwhile, if your content is rejected, do not hesitate to revamp it and repurpose it on another website. You can also check out other paying websites that may find your helpful craft. Elite Personal Finance seems to be my favorite because of its fascinating offer.
4. Participate in Writing Contests
There is always a writing contest you can participate in every day. You probably don’t know this because you are unfamiliar with many of them. All you have to do is search for a writing contest for the month of (___) on the google search box. You will see tens of writing contests with prizes and other attractive bonuses like tours, job offers, etc.
However, don’t forget it is a writing competition, not a giveaway offer. You must read and understand the rules to ascertain that you fit their application requirement. Ensure it is a topic you are comfortable writing about and probably worth the time and effort you want to put in. Furthermore, verify the identity and claims of the organizers to ascertain the validity of the contest. When you do this, you’ll be verifying the certainty of the program; there are such programs for content theft these days. Finally, you might want to learn how to write a winning essay.
4. Write Sponsored Posts on Popular Websites
This might not sound straightforward, but trust me, it works! Even better and faster than Fiverr and Upwork and a little more secure than the number 2.
Naturally, people see someone that writes a guest post or opinion piece on websites like HubSpot, Hackernoon, HuffPost, etc., as a semi-god (Omni-writer). They will not hesitate to contact you to write content for their site in return for money. Of course, you must have written something worthy before your post could be published in the first place. Nevertheless, super fantastic writing will attract more clients and higher pay rates, particularly in popular writing niches like legal writing, finance, business, etc.
With this, you create a promising career for yourself and get clients willing to pay you to write content for their blogs. A good friend once did this, not for a website but for Punch, a popular newspaper in Nigeria. He included his email address under the articles he published in the newspaper, and several people contacted him to deliberate further on his opinion. From there, he introduced his services to some, and he earned quite a lot of money in the long run.
5. Reach Out to Business Websites and Blogs
Thousands of business websites and blogs need someone to write fresh content for their blogs. Many websites generally employ freelance writers from Fiverr, Upwork, LinkedIn, etc. Having someone willing and interested in working with them outside these platforms is something they would appreciate. They believe you care, and they would be glad to give you a trial. If you could come up with something spectacular; you are already on the path to getting that fast money you need
All you have to do is create a compelling proposal with your writing history and some of your writing samples. Ensure that the samples fit into the website or the company’s niche. It helps clear doubts that you might not write something in your niche.
Furthermore, you can check the blogs. It could be a trending topic like the Covid-19 pandemic or anything recent that can help promote their website. You can tell them their blog is not optimized for SEO (if it isn’t) and suggest improvements. Please ensure you politely do this to avoid being brushed off.
This was how I got the first content writer for my blog. The young man read some of my blog posts and sent me a direct mail expressing his interest in contributing to my blog. He knew what he wanted and didn’t hesitate to state his price per word. Since the price was commensurate with the service he wanted to offer, I gave him the platform to prove his worth. Today, I have a good story to tell about him.
6. Write Scripts for Video Channels
If you are pretty good at creative writing, this is for you. All you have to do is visit YouTube and check out video channels that fit your specs. Then, check out their videos to see if you can write some content for their YouTube Channel.
Send them a message, introduce yourself, and offer to help write scripts for them. Ensure you understand what they do and show passion and commitment. Tell them how much you love their work and how you would appreciate associating with them.
A friend of mine started her scriptwriting career through this method. At first, it was for passion, but later, it became a stable source of income. She also makes more contact and establishes a relationship with some other YouTube Channel on a payment term.
7. Contact Businesses on social media
Many businesses have a need they probably aren’t aware of until someone tells them. You can check out some brands and the best way to help them. At the same time, sourcing for a way to earn fast money.
My friend once contacted a company that sends him an email campaign to subscribers to their newsletter. According to him, the email is poorly written and less appealing. He offered to write a free copy for the company for a trial. He surpassed the company’s expectations and got a contract to rewrite all the email campaigns for the company. He earned a whopping sum of $850 on that single contract.
Conclusion
There are numerous ways to earn money online in this dispensation. However, possessing writing skills is one of the most fascinating and lucrative soft skills anyone can own. Through this skill, you can apply for numerous opportunities and establish a source of income for yourself for as long as it pleases you.
As stated earlier, this article is not written to teach you how to become a professional freelance writer. It is specifically written for someone who wants to convert his writing skills to fast money. Many of the strategies in this article can secure you about $450 within a few days without committing yourself fully to the freelance writing business. That is enough to survive for a week in Nigeria and a couple of other countries.
Bio
Taiwo Sotikare is a business enthusiast passionate about helping small businesses grow through effective content marketing. Taiwo helps small businesses generate more leads and sales via SEO. In addition, he creates content that hits Google’s front page, where thousands of targeted customers can easily access their products and services. He can be contacted via Taiwo@digitalpud.com