3 Ways I Make Money As a Digital Writer

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1. Email Copywriting (Ghostwriting)

I do email copywriting for ecommerce companies.

For one client, I used to wake up at 6 am.

I’d write a “Daily Deal” email.

The funny part?

I was writing to 60-year-old ladies.

That was my target audience.

I felt out of place.

But, sales flowed in.

I put myself in my audience’s shoes.

And wrote to them like I spoke. Every morning.

I wrote for a few other big clients.

Another 7-figure ecommerce company.

No daily deal emails here.

With this one, I dove deeper into automations.

The Welcome Series I wrote for them?

It ended up generating nearly $350,000 in revenue in about 2.5 years.

One December, we did just under $100,000 in email alone.

We did a few different promotions.

• Limited edition product launches (with a waitlist and giveaway)

• Normal product releases

• Week-long bundle-deal sale

It was crazy to see how people kept opening the emails…

And—kept buying…

Despite ramping up our sending frequency from around 1 email per week…

To one every day.

…And even two per day at the peak of the month.

Email copywriting can earn you a lot as a creator.

Email newsletters are so profitable because you’re communicating with people who have directly opted into your marketing messages.

It’s permission marketing.

They’ve shown more desire for you and your products than social media followers.

So, give ‘em the goods.

2. SEO Blog Writing (Ghostwriting)

Next up on the menu…

Freelance articles!

When I first started freelancing in early 2019, this is what I dove head first into.

Ghostwriting articles.

Freelance style.

Money X Tip:

If you can write long forms on X, you can write articles…

And get paid to do it.

The reason blog writing pays good?

Businesses need customers.

The only way to do that is with traffic.

They need eyeballs on their brand and their products.

Article writing (mixed with search engine optimization) is a great way to do this.

You use Google, right?

People who need information search for things on Google.

My job is to write words that pull people from their Google search into my client’s blogs.

Then… draw them into their email list.

And into other content.

To eventually become a customer.

Writing blogs helps:

• Generate search engine traffic 

• Keep an audience engaged (loyal fans)

• Build authority and trust (build a brand)

It also can convert someone on the spot.

I started with $10 articles on Fiverr.

Now, I get paid hundreds of dollars to write them.

I can write a typical blog post in a few hours.

I’ve even written some big ones (and lead magnets) for thousands.

You can earn some seriously good money doing this…

Especially with recurring clients (i.e. “I need 6 blogs every month for $2,000 dollars).

Not as lucrative overall as email copywriting…

But, is a great way to build consistent income as a creator.

And something I still do to this day.

Tip: Some blog clients will publish your name as the author. Having these on hand is really juicy for landing new clients. Not easy to get at first, but…

Many prospective clients will request samples published in your name (to prove to them it was actually you who wrote the article you sent them).

That’s why it’s important to have your name attached to your writing at least somewhere (blogs, X, LinkedIn, Medium, etc.).

You’ll notice it’s my name on those two blogs above for beehiiv and Mighty Fine.

But the vast majority of blogs I’ve written are put in someone else’s name.

And that’s fine by me, because I’m getting paid to do it. :)

Like this one below (one of the first blogs I ghostwrote in 2019):

3. I Run My Own Two Niche Blogs

I was writing for other people for years.

Seeing the traffic they were getting.

The money they were making.

And then one day I thought…

Wait a minute.

Why don’t I have a blog?

So, I started a niche blog in early 2022.

Since then, I’ve earned thousands with it.

It’s been a nice way to generate “passive” income.

It’s not truly passive.

I still put in the work.

But I’ll go weeks without writing a new post sometimes.

And the money keeps flowing in every month.

How?

I earn on the blog in two ways:

• Display ads

• Affiliate earnings

Display ads are ads that get shown throughout an article.

Are they annoying for the reader?

Yeah, a bit.

But, if the value in a blog is high enough, people will stay despite the ads.

And guess what?

Lots of people click ads still, which helps the visitor find relevant solutions they actually like or need.

The best part is, the ads are done automatically through your display ad network.

You don’t have to manually place them or toy around with them.

For someone who’s not super tech-savvy like me, it’s easy.

I use Mediavine.

It’s a “premium” ad network.

You need 50,000 visits/month to apply.

Among a few other factors (audience, engagement, etc.)

But, I started on Ezoic (no traffic requirement) and earned there. Just less.

The longer someone stays on the blog (and the more people who visit), the more you earn automatically.

I also have some low-end affiliate links to Amazon.

Anytime I mention a tool or product that’s helpful in a blog post, I place an affiliate link.

And, some of my blog posts are completely product-based:

For example, “Best cameras for filming ice hockey.”

The earnings aren’t as juicy as ads (since it’s Amazon), but I know people who are earning primarily through affiliate income as bloggers. I’ll eventually get better partnerships going with better affiliate networks.

Just figured for now, I’d throw up a quick link to Amazon if there’s something that’s actually helpful.

The income split for my blog is like 70/30 (Ads/Affiliate).

There are dozens of other ways to monetize the blogs (newsletter, info product, physical product, app, etc.).

But for now, I’m primarily focused on display ads.

So, there you go.

3 ways I earn as a writer:

• Email copywriting (ghostwriting)

• SEO article writing (ghostwriting)

• My own blogs (ads/affiliate)

Are they the only ways to earn as a writer?

No.

Do you have to do these methods?

No.

Are they proven ways to make a full-time income as a creator?

Yes.

I’ve done it for years.

And I love it.

If you’re stuck…

Building up your writing skill…

But, you don’t know how to monetize:

• Make a list of all the monetization options.

• Look at the pros and cons of each one

• Pick one, and master it

• Offer it as a service

• And start earning

Forget anyone who says you shouldn’t specialize.

You should.

At least when you start.

You need to take your chosen skill and narrow it down.

Then target the person/business who needs THAT specific skill.

I didn’t start by launching my own blog WHILE offering articles, AND email copy.

I started simple.

“Articles on business/digital marketing.”

Over time, I expanded my skill set, broadened my expertise, and became more valuable in the marketplace.

Skill stacking.

But…

I started with one thing.

That’s it.

You have to start with one thing.

Find your one thing.

Master it.

Offer it.

And earn on repeat.

-Brandon “I make money writing words” Storey

P.S. I want your quick feedback! (takes 3 seconds)

To help you get to full-time creator faster…

Let me know which monetization strategy you want to learn more about (or if you have an entirely different topic in mind):

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