How To Earn Money Writing Blog Content

Some writers earn ALL their income from writing blog content, while others use blog content for marketing their books or as a way of earning extra income from their writing.

And all of these are extremely advantageous because the income can be quite substantial.

How Do You Make Money Writing Blog Posts?

I’ve spent years making money from writing articles for my websites and blogs. I’ve even had websites that were simply for nothing else except revenue that I earned from writing articles for them.

And the following is how I did it.

Monetising Blog Posts and Articles

The two simplest ways I found to make money (and there were many) was through advertisements and promoting affiliate products.

I distinguish between blog posts and articles because posts are short and fast to write (300 to 500 words) whereas articles are longer and take more time to write (500 to 3,000 words). 

But both can be used to make money.

Finding Keywords to Write About

When I’m only writing blog posts and articles to generate revenue from advertising and affiliate sales, it’s important to get as many people as possible to read them.

This is where keywords are important.

I have a free Google AdWords account that I use to find keywords and key phrases to use.

I try and include them in the title, first paragraph and at least one sub head.

I choose keywords with low competition and low searches to help get my pages indexed on the first page of Google search results.

How to Write Articles Quickly

Time really is critical when working this way so the more articles I can write, the better.

To write quickly I often use my fast article writing system and write an opening paragraph, an ending (conclusion) and at least three points in between that I want to cover.

This is akin to the well-known writing maxim of:

• Say what you’re going to say (beginning)
• Say it (three points to cover)
• Say what you’ve said (conclusion)

This makes article writing so much faster AND easier.

Two Important Points to Remember

Before you write anything at all, there are two things that you need to do.

First, know exactly who you’re writing to. Be able to picture your target market and write directly to them.

Others will visit your site but they are not who you’re writing for so ignore them.

Secondly, make sure that your articles and blog posts contain great information.

Readers should feel like they’ve learned something so make sure that your posts and articles contain at least one great tip.

And that about wraps it up.

Done correctly, you can earn quite a decent income from writing your own blog posts and online articles.

Just make sure that everything you sell (affiliate products) are quality items that  you truly recommend because if someone comes to your site and buys junk, they’ll never trust  you again.

So provide quality both in products you sell and your writing.

----------------------------------------------------------------

How I Earned Over $4,000 Writing Articles
In Just One Day

I did it using my simple 15 Minute Article Writing System which Includes Research, Writing and Proof Reading.

Nine Short Story Markets

Today I have a list that I've put together of nine (I somehow just couldn't crack ten) writing markets for short fiction.

Each one in the list has dozens of fiction writing markets and one is a list of short fiction writing opportunities that pay $1,000 or more.

So if you start working through this list and write and submit stories to all the suitable markets for  your work, you could earn six-figures from your fiction writing.

It's food for thought, isn't it?

Where to Submit Short Stories: 25 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work
http://thewritelife.com/where-to-submit-short-stories/

46 Literary Magazines To Submit To
http://letswriteashortstory.com/literary-magazines/

Short Story Submission Guidelines
The following guidelines are for general submission for publication in our anthology series.
http://www.thefictiondesk.com/submissions/short-story-submission-guidelines.php

Narrative Magazine
WE WELCOME SUBMISSIONS of previously unpublished manuscripts of all lengths, ranging from short short stories to complete book-length works for serialization.
http://www.narrativemagazine.com/submit-your-work

Short Story Magazines
This page contains details of short story magazines that accept unsolicited submissions and regularly publish fiction.
http://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-tips-and-writing-advice/short-story-magazines.php

Top 50 Literary Magazines
Our criteria for this list has changed and we feel the literary magazines on this list are much better ranked than our previous list.
http://www.everywritersresource.com/topliterarymagazines.html

Show Me the $$$! Literary Magazines That Pay
Here is a list of some of the paying lit mag markets. All information is taken from the journals’ websites.
http://thereviewreview.net/publishing-tips/show-me-literary-magazines-pay

MorgEn Bailey's Creative Writing Blog
Selling short stories to women’s magazines is big (although has depleted in recent years) business here in the UK and below are some of the details…
https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/submission-information/submissions-flash-fiction-short-stories/submissions-womens-magazines/

12 Short Story Publishers that Pay $1,000 or More
The following is a list of publishers that pay $1,000 for short stories. Included in this list is a variety of types of publications, including literary journals, magazines, and eBook publishers.
http://www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/uncategorized/8-short-story-publishers-that-pay-1000-or-more/

How Much I'm Enjoying Writing Fiction & What I've Been Doing

A couple of weeks ago I told you about my epiphany when I realised that I wanted to start writing fiction more than non fiction.

I've always enjoyed fiction writing but I've spent most of my career writing non-fiction.

When I realised that my writing output (and enthusiasm) had slowed a lot, I eventually realised that it was because I was no longer enjoying what I was writing and that I'd rather write fiction.

So I stopped writing to my other sites and instead concentrated on what I'd rather be doing.

My Fiction Writing Progress

I thought that I'd be able to jump straight into writing fiction, but first I had to figure out what I was going to write and how I was going to earn money from my writing.

So I got out all my fiction writing ideas notebooks, some of which I hadn't looked at in years.

I sat for 2 full days reading through it all and taking notes about what I was going to start work on first.

In the end I decided to start with short fiction and submit it to magazines.

So I wrote up three short story ideas (the longest of them was 4,000 words) and submitted them to three different magazines.

And I still have dozens of story ideas left.

I've also started work on my next novel which is currently in the outlining stages.

I had hoped to have more done by now but unfortunately I came down with a virus (or maybe a bit of flu?) just after my epiphany and then last week one of our dogs got sick and after 3 trips to the vet it seems that her kidneys are failing.

She is an old-ish dog, nine years, and has been ill since we got her 2 years ago (she's an ex-racing, ex-breeding greyhound), but it's still breaking my heart. For now though, it's a 'wait & see' situation with her.

And in the meantime, now that I'm feeling well again, I'll sit and write every day with my dogs by my side which is where they always want to be.

If you have goals for your writing I'd love to hear about them as well as your successes.

Does Writing By Hand Make You More Creative?

One debate that modern writers always talk about is whether it’s better to write by hand or straight to the computer.

For speed it’s better to write straight to the computer.

Or is it?

Some argue that while typing is faster than handwriting, it slows the brain’s creative process and so it’s quicker to write with pen and paper.

But handwriting also means having to type everything up later.

Personally, I prefer to do all my first drafts by hand. When I type my work up later, I use it as a first edit, because I can type pretty fast.

I also like to hand write things first because when I only have a pad and pen to work with, there are far less electronic distractions. I can’t waste time idly surfing the net or checking emails or Facebook.
My phone isn’t set up for receiving emails and although I do have FaceBook on it, I’m not a big user and I have notifications disabled.

My pad and pen can also go anywhere with no need for internet or electricity.

I also write less critically while writing by hand. Working on a lit screen feels too clinical and so what I produce electronically is different to what I write by hand.

My writing seems to flow better too, for reasons I do not know. Maybe it’s because writing in a notebook feels more private and  personal. It’s all too easy for others to read what I write on a computer screen, but they are usually reluctant to look over my shoulder and try and read my scrawl and scribblings on paper.

And it’s not just me who prefers writing by hand.

I recently read an article about other well-known writers who also prefer handwriting their first drafts including J K Rowling and Joe Hills (Stephen King’s oldest son).

And because I earn my living from my writing, my daily word count is important so I need to hand write at between ten and twenty pages a day, more than that if possible. I also need time to type it up too.

But even though writing by hand is slower, it’s faster overall because I find it easier to sit and write with a pen (or pencil) but I’m more reluctant to sit down and write straight to the computer.

Which makes me more likely to write every day if I’m going to do it longhand because I find it far more enjoyable, so it’s easier to sit down and get to work.

Whereas, working on the computer causes me to not only procrastinate and waste time instead of sitting down to work, and because I’m more critical when I’m using a keyboard, writing takes longer.

I just enjoy writing by hand which makes me more motivated to write, my writing flows better, plus I get more done in a day.

And that’s what really counts.

So if you’re struggling to sit down at your computer and write every day, try handwriting your first drafts instead.

It works for me and it might help you too.