make money online

The New Writer’s Blueprint to Quickly Make Money From Writing

Read on for some actionable insights on how to design the life of your dreams by writing about exactly what you want.

Anangsha Alammyan

Mar 7, 2023 • 4 min read

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

You don’t have to wait for years to start earning $$$$.

“How can I monetize my writing?”

“Please guide me on how to find freelance writing clients?”

“How can I build a portfolio as a new writer?”

These are the most frequently asked questions I get in my DMs.

As someone who has successfully monetized her writing and built a sustainable writing business, my answers might sound like they come from a place of privilege.

With my backlog (800+ published articles and 100k+ followers on Medium), it would be hard for any client to say no to my pitch.

But for a new writer, that’s different.

In this post, I’m sharing a detailed, no-holds-barred strategy of the steps I’d follow if I was starting from scratch and needed to make money from writing quickly. Read on for some actionable insights on how to design the life of your dreams by writing about exactly what you want.

1. Build credibility by association

When you’re starting as a writer, your portfolio is like a clean slate. If a potential client were to hire you, they’d need to read a few samples of your previous work.

What better place to start than with reputed blogs in your niche that already get thousands of views?

If I were starting today from scratch, I’ll associate my name with renowned blogs. This will help in:

building a stellar portfolio,
showcasing my expertise in the preferred fields, and
establishing thought leadership in my niche.

To find ideal high-traffic niche websites, I’d search: “niche + free guest post” on Google. This shows a list of websites that fit my niche and can help me garner views and credibility.

I’d pitch at least 10 each day to publish posts on their blog.

Content strategy

Each month, I’d publish:

5 high-value guest articles that showcase my writing, research, and retention skills.
20 posts on LinkedIn — because among all social platforms, it currently has the highest organic reach.

If you’ve tried and failed to get any traction on LinkedIn, I’ve prepared a detailed guide to set up a content strategy and posting schedule and establish credibility on LinkedIn. Check it out here.

2. Stalk my ideal clients

Well, not literally. I don’t want to end up in jail, or worse, with a restraining order! ;)

What I meant was I’d look for my ideal clients and start getting to know them better through their social activities.

The mistake most new writers make

They send cold pitches without giving the people on the other end a reason to hire them.

The pitching process becomes slow and painful, and the writers end up frustrated.

To avoid falling into the same trap, do your research.

How to make pitching easier

For a self-improvement blogger like me, my ideal clients would be the founders or CMOs of brands that cater to journaling, productivity, time management, etc.

To smoothen the cold pitching process, I’d

Engage with their posts,
leave valuable comments,
become hyper-visible on their radar.

After two weeks of making myself visible to my ideal potential clients, I’d DM them to:

pitch my services, and
make an offer they can’t say no to.

Since I’m not cold pitching (they know me from comments), I have a higher chance to win their attention.

If you want to make irresistible offers and pitch like a pro, get my 90-day guide to landing high-paying freelance clients. I give my offer + DM templates no client can turn down.

3. Pitch, follow up, repeat

There’s no secret to this one. You’ve to put in the hard work and keep pitching until you hear back. Here’s what I’d do-

I’d send 10 pitches a day.
Keep following up every 3 days.
Tweak my pitch based on the replies I get.
Send more pitches and book as many 1-on-1 calls as possible.

As I play the volume game, I’m confident I’d soon land my first client.

How to make money quickly as a new writer: A summary

Making money from writing is not an easy job. There are millions of struggling writers out there. To differentiate yourself and create the life of your dreams, you’ve got to put in some smart work.

I’ve been a full-time writer for close to two years now, and if I were to lose all my progress, this article discussed what I’d do to build a high-income life again in as less time as possible.

Summing up, here are the steps I’d follow to land my first writing client —

Publish 5 guest posts + 20 LinkedIn posts.
Stalk my ideal clients on LinkedIn.
Get myself on their radar.
Send 10 pitches daily.
Follow up in 3 days.
Land first client.

What would you add to streamline the process? Leave your thoughts and insights in the comments.