How I've Made $425,000 Writing Online

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I’m not a millionaire.

Sorry to break it to you.

I’m not any of these guys:

• Gary Halbert

• David Ogilvy

• Eugene Schwartz

So, if you’re here to learn how to make millions per year as a writer, you’re in the wrong place.

Feel free to unsubscribe now. No hard feelings!

I never cared for the Bugattis, private planes, and super-yachts anyways.

So, why did I start copywriting?

One word: freedom.

• I wanted time with my kids

• I wanted to provide for my family

• I wanted to live wherever I wanted

And guess what?

That’s exactly what I got when I dove into copywriting.

And, I can teach you how to do the same.

Since 2019, I’ve made over $425,000.

But, what’s even more important are the memories I’ve made with my family.

How did I get here?

It all started when I cracked open The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

“The New Rich ( NR) are those who abandon the deferred-life plan and create luxury lifestyles in the present using the currency of the New Rich: time and mobility.”

The moment my eyes glossed over those words, it was game over.

This was it.

It’s what I truly wanted but couldn’t put into words.

So, in 2019, I abandoned everything and went all in on copy.

Here are four ways I’ve made money as a digital writer:

1. Email Copywriting (Freelance)

60-year-old ladies… Here I come!

That was my target audience with this 7-figure ecommerce company.

Lady Boomers.

Every day I’d send out a “Daily Deal” email.

I felt out of place.

But, sales flowed in. The early morning deal became a habit for them.

After that, I wrote for another 7-figure ecom company.

No daily deal emails here. This time: more automations.

The "Welcome" email series I wrote for them?

It did $350,000 in revenue over ~2.5 years.

We worked together on retainer for years.

One November, we did over $100,000 in email alone.

Email is a crazy lucrative opportunity.

2. SEO Blog Writing (Freelance)

Next up on the menu… Freelance blog posts.

What?

Blogs?

That’s still a thing?

Yep — And there’s good money in it too.

When I first started freelancing in early 2019, this is where I specialized.

Article writing.

Blog posts.

Tip: If you can write long forms on X, you can earn money writing blog posts for clients.

How is article writing a good opportunity?

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 wasn't to write "nice posts."

It was to pull Google searchers from the search engine into my client’s blogs.

Keep them engaged and informed.

Then… draw them into my clients':

• Email list

• Other content

• Products and services

Why do blogs pay well?

Writing blogs helps:

• Rank you high in search engines (traffic)

• Keep your audience engaged (loyal fans)

• Grow your authority and trust (build a brand)

It can also convert someone into a customer on the spot.

I started with $15 articles on Fiverr.

Now, I get paid ~$300-$400 dollars to write them.

I’ve even written some for thousands. And done plenty of lead magnets/ebooks too.

I write a typical blog post in a few hours.

You can earn some seriously good money doing this…

Especially with recurring clients (i.e. “I need 4/8/12 blogs every month").

Not as lucrative overall as email copywriting…

But, it's a great way to generate recurring income as a writer and maintain a great work-life balance.

3. My 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:

1. Display ads

2. Affiliate earnings

Display ads are shown throughout an article.

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

I also have some affiliate links to Amazon.

The income split is like 70/30 (ads/affiliate).

4. This Newsletter

This is my newest venture.

I started on X November 22, 2023.

I launched my newsletter on December 4, 2023.

2 months later?

I officially launched my mentorship program for copywriters and ghostwriters (February 2024).

With an email list of 902 subscribers...

I've since generated ~$4k in just over a month.

How?

A) 1:1 Mentorship to help freelance copywriters and ghostwriters get to full-time.

I teach them how to monetize their writing and earn a living from their laptops.

***Only 2/4 spots left for April mentorship (check the P.S. below)***

I've had other monetization opportunities as well, including:

B) Affiliate income 

I have recommended tools/resources on my website that contain affiliate links so if someone clicks the link and buys, I get a commission (like the beehiiv link you’ll see below 😉)

C) Sponsored ads (haven't tapped into this yet, but it's an option)

The beehiiv Ad Network has brought me ad opportunities that pay out over $3/click.

With ~10% click rate and 902 readers...

I'd make around $250/newsletter if I accepted this ad placement –– An easy $1,000/month since I send one newsletter/week.

But, for now, I'd rather promote my mentorship as my main offer in my newsletter as I get to work with people side-by-side to get them their freedom.

So, there you go.

4 ways I earn a full-time income as a writer:

• Email copywriting (freelance)

• SEO article writing (freelance)

• Two niche blogs (ads, affiliates)

• Email newsletter (mentorship, affiliates)

Your next steps...

If you're building up your writing skill…

But, you don’t know how to monetize:

1. Make a list of all the monetization options.

2. Look at the pros and cons of each one.

3. Pick one (and commit to it).

4. And start earning.

I highly recommend you start as a copywriter or ghostwriter and do freelance work.

You can start earning faster than any other monetization method. And it's a skill that will serve you and any of your future business ventures.

Forget anyone who says you shouldn’t specialize...

You should.

I started with “Blog posts on business/digital marketing."

Over time, I:

• Expanded my skill set

• Broadened my expertise

• Became more valuable in the marketplace

But, I started with one thing.

Find your one thing.

Master it.

Offer it.

And earn on repeat.

Brandon “pick your path” Storey

P.S. Are you struggling to get your first client?

Or, maybe you’ve got a few clients but aren’t earning a full-time income yet?

My April mentorship is starting soon.

I’m taking on 4 writers serious about getting to the next level.

Two spots are already filled.

Reply to this email with “April” now if you’re interested.

In the mentorship, I’ll work side by side with you to fast-track you to $5k/month.

You’ll get:

• 4 One-On-One Calls With Me for 1-Hour Every Week
  We’ll go over whatever you need at the moment (positioning, copy lessons, live copy audit, outreach strategy, hopping on calls, etc.)

• Unlimited Copy Audits
  I’ll send you a Loom video breaking down your copy with feedback and optimization tips to level up your copy fast. How often? Every. Single. Day.

• 24/7 VIP Access in the DMs
  Have a quick question about your copy? Need tips on how to outreach? Not sure how to reply to a prospect? Reach out anytime of day in X or Telegram DMs for daily support.

• 4 × 15 Minute Checkup Calls

  Something pressing that’s easier to hash out on a quick call rather? I got you.

• BONUSES

  Not going to share them with you here. But they’re juicy.

Who has this worked for?

Chase got his first client in under 30 days.
He got his second a few days later. He quit his job 2.5 months into the mentorship. And last week he landed another client on retainer for $1,500.

Tony landed his first client on day 26.
He secured an email welcome series and weekly email project.

Dane landed his first client on day 31.
He secured a website copy project.

The question is…

How fast do you want to land your first client?

How badly do you want to quit your job?

How much money do you want to earn?

It’s hard enough to get to full-time as a writer, let alone do it on your own.

If you want to waste 6-12 months as a lone wolf, that’s up to you.

But, if you want to skip over months of frustration to get your freedom faster, then reply to this email with “April” now.

Only two spots left.