The reason is pretty simple... if you are monetizing your website with the right affiliate program then it can make a lot of money with little effort (of course you need a content rich website with a handsome amount of targeted traffic).
Don't Miss: Sponsorship: An Income Stream That Works For (Almost) Any Blog
It's just that it takes some time to figure out what's converting and what's not. So first things first. Affiliate Programs & Affiliate Networks: What's What, And What's Not? Affiliate programs are also called associate programs and it's a deal between an advertiser and a publisher. For instance, if I've a created a software and is promoting and selling it via my blog then I can also generate additional income by inviting my blog readers to promote it in exchange for a commission. So let's say, if you referred a buyer for my newly created software product then I offer you a 50% commission (or 50% of the additional income that I have generated because of you). So if you refer more people to me then you make more income. That's why affiliate marketing is also known as performance marketing. And it's a win-win, right? Now if I have the resources then I can run an affiliate program by myself --- within my own blog or website --- and then it called an in-house affiliate program. But if I don't have the resources or don't want to manage it myself then I can sign up as an advertiser on an affiliate network.I hate to write “make money online” blog posts as it creates a sense of expectation. If you are a blogger, or a digital marketer, or even a beginner then you already know that it is POSSIBLE to make money online.
What's interesting is that, there are plenty of ways to make money online --- from selling ads, e-books, affiliate marketing, freelance writing, podcasting, consulting, coaching, training, designing, coding, gaming, investing, etc.
The idea of this blog post is to highlight some of those online income streams. Please don't expect overnight success. The thing is, creating an income stream online requires a lot of work, patience, and some money too.
If you are a beginner and is absolutely clueless about where to start then this blog post should help you to kick-start (and that's the idea too). If you have any trouble with any of these options you can email me, and I will do my best to find the best resource to help you.
There are not enough freelance writers. Seriously. Whenever I come up with a freelance writing based topic, I mention that it's extremely competitive. If there's a writing gig on a freelance writing marketplace such as Upwork.com (formerly oDesk.com), Fiverr.com, or elsewhere then there will be a ton of applicants --- even if it's just a micro-project.
Today I have a perspective that contradicts the statement "freelance writing is extremely competitive". Over the past many months I have successfully failed to hire an affordable writer for this very blog --- no, It's not that I am going to make my blog multi-authored --- I just happen to want to write and publish blog posts in a consistent way.
You might already have noticed that neither do I write regularly nor do I focus on a single topic. I only write about things that I find interesting at that point of time. Therefore I don't have any plans to hire an army of content writers to publish 100s of blog posts a month --- like the Mashables and BuzzFeeds of the world are doing.
I was just looking for someone --- preferably a contributor or an editor --- who could help me finish a blog post much faster. Because now I take several days to finish an in-depth or lengthy blog post (like this one). So I thought I could outsource the "writing" process and focus only on research and editing by myself --- to save a lot of my time and effort.
And you know what happened? It never worked --- at least for me!
If you have been following my freelance topics then you probably know that I'm not a freelance writer myself --- but I wish I were one. However, as you can see I can write for myself but definitely not the way someone wants me to. And yet, I got a ton of writing opportunities in the past --- by way of guest blogging, SEO writing, web content, etc. and I was forced to deny all of it. :(
So what's the point?
Simple! You don't have to be a native English speaker or a best selling author to make money writing.
If you can write, then money can be made. Absolutely!
But no, that doesn't really mean that you can become a six-figure writer in few months/years just because you know how to write few sentences. It doesn't work that way at all!
The real questions are... Can you write quality content? Can you write content that meets the criteria or guidelines set by your client? Can you write error free (both grammatically and technically) content? If your answer is 'Yes' to all the above questions then you can become a successful freelance writer. Guaranteed!
Don't Miss: The Freelance Writer’s Handbook — 75+ Tips, Resources & Guides
First Published: June 25, 2012; Last Updated: Monday, August 27, 2018
Freelance blogging is a great way to make money writing articles online because there is immense demand for awesome blog posts, always! But that doesn't make it easy! The problem is... finding high-paying freelance writing jobs will take time and loads of efforts, especially if you're a newbie. In fact, if you visit any of those freelance marketplaces or job sites, you can see that it's crowded with hundreds of thousands of writers/bloggers. And if you don't have an author profile or pricing that is not attractive enough then your would be clients can easily find a dozen of other writers. Another problem is, content agencies or clients on freelance sites do not pay much. Even if you meet their criteria you may not earn more than $10-$15 per 500 words (unless you are a native English speaker).
