I Made $1000 in September 2021 Through Freelance Writing, Transcribing, and Blogging.
Are you thinking about freelance writing, starting a blog, or generally earning money online and are wondering how much you can make?
Here is an honest case study from an average freelance writer.
Some Background About Me
Growing up, I always had a passion for writing. From grade school, teachers used to find my essays interesting or thoughtful (so they said).
So, I kept reading and writing, primarily essays, through high school, but I never thought of ever publishing anything, let alone making money from writing.
After high school in the year 2014, I met a friend who told me that you could earn money online by writing. And I was like, what?
So, I decided to do some research, and that’s when I learned that freelance writing is a career, and people are making a living out of it. And from there on, I was hooked.
I read books, watched YouTube videos, read blogs, and decided now, I can write. So, I signed up to iWriter, a popular site by then, but I don’t think it exists anymore.
I did a couple of articles there, but they were rejected. They had a threshold where if many articles were rejected, they would close your account. I opened more than 7 accounts, and they all failed. I guess that wasn’t for me, so I gave up.
A few years later, I learned about forum posting, where I was getting paid to contribute to forums. I did it for a while until I learned about transcription, where you get audio and videos and convert them to text based on the client’s format.
I signed up on Upwork, and it was surprisingly easy to get hired then than it is now. After working on Forum posting and transcription for some time, I decided to try freelance writing again.
This time, I had learned a few aspects of working online. I had also met great writers like Spencer Haws, Jon Morrow, and Walter Akolo. I paid $40 for a course, and once I completed it, I was ready to start writing, and I didn’t look back.
So, why am I telling you all this? I thought I should give you a background of how I started. Now, I may not be the best freelance writer in the world, but I believe I have learned a few things that helped me hit that mark, and today, I want to show you what I did. I will show you the sites I worked on and how much they contributed to the $1000.
Writing
As I said, I am a freelance writer. So, I made most of my income through actively writing daily. So, where did I get my clients?
· Facebook — That’s right. By joining groups where I think my clients are, I advertised myself, and I got some clients. For instance, if you work in niche sites, sites built for affiliate marketing, gardening sites, etc., you can join related groups and advertise your services. There are also groups like Cult of Copy Job Board that bring writers and clients together. You can apply for jobs or post your services. Make sure you follow the group’s guidelines.
· Reddit — Reddit is another platform that has helped me out a lot. On the subreddit r/Hireawriter, you can post your services or apply for the jobs already posted. Again, make sure you follow the subreddit’s guidelines. For instance, you have to use the appropriate flair, and you need to include [HIRE ME] in your post, indicate your rates (a minimum of 5 cents per word) and attach your portfolio.
· Problogger — I wasn’t very good at writing proposals that met the ProBlogger standards. But after trying for about 7 months, I was shortlisted by two clients and got hired by one. ProBlogger is the trickiest for me but also the most lucrative so far. Most clients on this platform are either looking for experts in a particular industry or experienced freelancers. But don’t be intimidated. It’s an excellent platform, even for beginners.
Income percentage — 60%
Transcribing
Since I started as a transcriber, I didn’t drop it when I started writing. Instead, I outsource most of my transcribing work. I get transcription gigs from Fiverr, a very easy-to-use platform that brings both clients and freelancers together.
You can sell any service on this platform by creating gigs (services). I have actually written everything you need to know about Fiverr in an eBook that I published on Amazon. And it costs $1 only, and I will be available to answer any questions you may have.
You can check it out here — The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Making Money on Fiverr.
Income percentage — 30%
Blogging
Besides writing, blogging is another passion I’ve always had for a long time. I have tried several blogs that failed. But in April 2020, I decided to start a blog in the gardening niche, a niche I have been working in for some time. I tried several methods of keyword research, but only one has worked for me so far.
What you do is use Goggle’s autosuggest to come up with the keywords that not many other blogs have covered. These are also known as low-competition keywords that most forums and small sites are ranking for. If you need me to write more about this, please let me know in the comment section.
I have published more than 100 articles so far. I achieved 9000 visits in September and earned at least $130 from an ad network known as Ezoic and from the Amazon Associates affiliate program.
Ezoic is a good platform that accepts even new sites, allowing you to grow with them. Just place your ads, and every time someone visits your website and views the ad, you get paid. You can sign up here if you already have a blog that’s generating traffic.
I know people making thousands of dollars from blogs. But for me, that’s a huge win since it’s the first time I’m earning money from a website.
Income percentage — 10%
Conclusion
And that’s it. With those three ways, I was able to earn at least $1000 in September. I wouldn’t ask you to start offering all the services all at once. If you’re a beginner, pick one, either writing or transcribing, and stick with it until you’re sure you can do it. Remember, these aren’t the only skills you can offer, but they are easier to start with. Stay tuned for more ways to earn money online, either part-time or full-time.
