I’ve been content writing full-time for several years. After hearing about the potential windfall from famous bloggers, you might be thinking about jumping into the content writing game yourself.
Can content writing make you rich?
Content writing can make you rich but it is not an easy or automatic way to get rich. Most content writers make between $30K and $77K per year. Content writers who make the most money work hard, diversify their income streams, and produce high-quality content.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how content writing can make you rich.
Can Content Writing Make You Rich? (Detailed Answer)
Is content writing really a viable way to make a living? The answer might surprise you: it’s absolutely possible.
Content writing can offer you the stability and financial security that many other creative professions don’t. There are plenty of people out there who have found success as freelance writers, providing web copy, blog posts, and marketing materials for their clients.
I do a bit of all of these things.
In addition to getting paid for the work itself, content writers may also receive bonuses or royalties from their clients if their work is particularly successful.
You can also content write for yourself.
My main income comes from running a portfolio of websites that I own. They are all in different niches and make the bulk of their money through display advertising and affiliate marketing.
The great thing about content writing is that it can be done from anywhere in the world.
This means freelancers don’t need expensive office space or even steady “regular” employment in order to stay afloat.
You can live in a cheaper US state or even another country yet make US dollars through content writing.
There are many different ways for content writing to make you rich.
But will it actually make you rich?
Will Content Writing Make You Rich?
Short answer: Probably not.
“Can” is a matter of possibility (and yes, content writing has the potential for making you rich). “Will” on the other hand is a matter of probability (and the odds are not stacked in your favor).
Content writing can be a lucrative career path and even allow content writers to make a good living, but it’s unlikely to make someone rich.
In 2021, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that writers and authors earned an average annual income of $69,510.
While this is certainly an impressive annual salary, it does not necessarily consider someone as “rich.”
In fact, most content writers do not earn six-figure salaries.
For example, according to Medium’s Partner Program report from December 2020, only 1% of their content writers were making $1,000 or more per month.
I feel blessed to be a part of that small percentage of writers on Medium.
But I also write and publish 1-2 articles per day on the platform, obsessively study my analytics, and work hard to improve. It’s possible but not easy.
Content writing may not make you rich overnight or quickly turn an individual into a millionaire.
However, it can still be an excellent way to make steady money over time—especially if you are willing to put in the effort and dedication required.
Many successful content writers have built up their careers by working hard every day and actively looking for opportunities that might amass into larger projects over time—such as taking on side gigs or long-term contracts with varying payouts.
Again, I do all of these things.
You should probably do them, too, if you decide to go into content writing full-time.
Is Content Writing Easy Money?
Despite its advantages, content writing isn’t necessarily easy money.
It requires both skill and dedication in order to produce high-quality work that stands out among the competition.
You’ll need to develop your skills over time through practice and research into areas like SEO optimization and keyword density if you want to maximize your earnings potential in this field.
You’ll also need patience.
Finding long-term clients takes time. As does growing websites from scratch or building up followers on platforms like Medium or Substack.
Another challenge of content writing is managing deadlines while juggling multiple projects at once.
Something which can be difficult for those new to working freelance jobs.
It’s important to find ways to manage your workload effectively so that you don’t miss any deadlines or let quality slip due to burnout or fatigue.
How Much Can I Earn As a Content Writer?
As with any type of job, salaries for content writers vary greatly depending on experience level, client base, income diversity, and subject matter expertise.
Here is a simple table with information on how much you can earn as a content writer:
| Content Writer Income Level | Content Writer Income Projection |
|---|---|
| Low (1-4 years of experience) | $33K (or lower) |
| Average (5-9 years of experience) | $50K-$69K |
| High (10+ years of experience) | $77K (or higher) |
Keep in mind that experience does not always equal income with content writers.
No one gives you a raise (you have to increase your prices or make more through display advertising, affiliate marketing, etc). You get better, charge more, and can make more money.
Generally, though, beginners should expect lower rates until they build up their portfolios over time.
But, even then, experienced writers often still earn significantly less than what established professionals command per project or assignment.
That said, this profession has massive potential for growth.
Here is a good video about how much money you can make as a content writer (Hint: the YouTuber is a Millionaire writer):
What Skills and Strategies Will Help You Get Rich as a Content Writer?
If you’re looking to increase your income as a content writer, there are several strategies you can use:
- Develop a roster of high-paying clients
- Start blogging on a paid platform
- Create a niche website
- Learn basic SEO techniques and how to optimize your content for search engines
- Master keyword research and use longtail keywords to target specific audiences
- Sign up for display ad networks (Like Google AdSense, Ezoic, Mediavine, and Adthrive) to monetize your website or blog
- Try affiliate marketing and earn commissions from products you recommend
- Create digital products such as ebooks, courses, or webinars
Develop a Roster of High-Paying Clients
The key to making money with content writing is finding clients who are willing to pay for your work.
This can be done through networking, cold-emailing potential clients, or using freelance job sites like Upwork or Fiverr. The way I do it is to produce really good work, collect good reviews, and build relationships with clients and potential clients.
I text, email, and follow up with my best clients regularly.
Once you have established yourself as a reliable writer (it can take months or years), you can start charging more for your services and increase your income.
Start Blogging on a Paid Platform
You can get rich as a content writer by starting to blog on a paid blogging platform like Medium.
I’ve done this for years now and it is still a viable way to make money.
Medium is one of my main sources of income that allows me to be a full-time writer.
While Medium may not make you rich, it can be part of your overall content writing strategy that you use to grow your wealth, get clients, and pay your bills.
Just realize that you won’t get rich by tomorrow.
Here is the basic gameplan:
- Sign up for Medium as a writer
- Get 100 followers
- Write quality articles (as many as possible per month)
- Study what successful Medium writers do (and then do it)
- Sign up for the Medium Partner Program
As soon as I was eligible to earn from my articles, I made $60 the first month and $800 the next.
Build a Niche Website
Finally, if you’re looking for an even bigger challenge, you could try running your own niche website(s).
This requires more effort than simply working for someone else but can be very rewarding if done correctly. You can get brand deals and sponsorships which can turn into big bucks.
I recommend:
- WordPress.org
- A cheap but good host like Bluehost, HostArmada, or WPX
- A simple and free theme like Astra
- Use Canva to make your logo
- Take a blogging course (more on that later)
Learn Basic SEO
Learning the basics of SEO can increase your chances of getting rich from content writing.
Here are some basic SEO tips to get you started:
- Create keyword-rich content. Use keywords in your content that people are likely to search for and optimize your titles, headings, and meta descriptions to include them, too.
- Optimize your images. Include descriptive alt tags on all your images that contain relevant keywords so they have a better chance of ranking in image searches.
- Link internally and externally. Linking to other relevant and authoritative websites or blog posts can help improve your rankings and create further engagement with visitors. Make sure to also link internally between related pages on your website – this will make it easier for search engines to crawl your site as well as improve user experience.
- Use a good blog post structure. What works for me is to use one H1 header (that’s usually the title), a few H2s, and (usually) a few H3 headers. Headers are basically different sections in your article. Google likes a nice clean structure. I like to use lots of subheadings to break up the content for readers.
Master Keyword Research
Keyword research is an essential skill for content writers looking to get rich.
By understanding how to do keyword research, you can create content that will be seen, read, and shared more widely by your audience.
Here are some of the free and paid methods/tools available to help you with keyword research:
- Google Autocomplete Method – Capitalize on search suggestions offered by Google when typing in a query.
- RankIQ – A paid SEO tool that uses predictive analytics to uncover valuable long-tail keywords related to your niche or industry.
- Keyword Planner – A free tool from Google that provides useful data about search volumes, competition levels, and CPC values.
- Answer The Public – A free resource for discovering relevant queries related to your topic or subject area.
The best is the autocomplete method but it also is the most work.
If we’re talking simplicity and speed, RankIQ is the top dog. It does most of the heavy lifting for you.
Display Ads
Joining display ad networks like Ezoic can be profitable and provide you with a steady stream of income.
Here are the steps to get started:
- Sign up for an account with Ezoic or a similar display ad network.
- Read through the documentation and tutorials provided by the ad network to learn how to place ads on your website and set up different campaigns.
- Start experimenting with different ads, formats, and design layouts to maximize revenue from ad impressions.
- Analyze performance data regularly to inform strategic decisions about what works best for your website and visitors.
You get paid every time a person visits your website and sees the ads.
The more people who see the ads, the more money you make. The more ads a single visitor sees (the ads refresh every 30 seconds or so), the more money you make.
All of this adds up over many articles.
Display ads are one of the main income streams from my websites – I highly recommend trying it.
Affiliate Marketing
You can earn commissions when people purchase items you promote through links on your website.
Here are the steps you can take to start making money with affiliate marketing:
- Choose a niche that you are passionate about and find affiliate programs related to that subject area.
- Research and select affiliate programs that pay competitive commission rates and offer high-converting products or services.
- Sign up for the affiliate program and make sure you understand their terms and conditions before proceeding further.
- Promote the item or service through blog posts, social media posts, emails, or any other appropriate channels that can reach your target audience.
- Track the performance of different campaigns by using analytics tools to identify opportunities for improvement or expansion into new markets/countries, etc.
Create and Sell Digital Products
Another way to make money from content writing is by creating lead magnets for yourself or clients (AKA freebies, freemiums, list-builders, opt-ins, etc).
This involves creating content that will attract potential customers and encourage them to sign up for a newsletter or other services offered by the client.
This type of content is often used in email campaigns and on social media.
You can create digital products using:
- Jasper AI
- ChatGPT
- Google’s Bard AI
- Microsofts Chat AI
- Canva
- Designrr
- OBS studio
- Clipchamp
What Career Opportunities Are Available For Content Writers?
You can write content in numerous ways.
Here is a list of just some of the career opportunities for content writers:
- Write blog posts for individual clients or companies
- Write marketing content
- Write copywriting content
- Freelance content writer
- Start your own website
- Create newsletters
- Work for big businesses (contract or employee)
- Remote editor
- Manage other writers and editors
- Write on Medium
- Social media writing
- Technical writer
- Book writer
- Video script writer
- Magazine writer
- Newspaper article writer
- Prompt Engineer (designing AI prompts)
You can find jobs on these sites:
- Indeed.com
- Freelancewritingjobs.com
- Glassdoor.com
- Fiverr
- BloggingPro
- UpWork
- IWriter
- Problogger
- Flexjobs
- Writer’s Work
Resources To Learn How to Make More Money From Content Writing
There are several great resources and courses available to help you learn more about content writing.
Here are some of my personal favorites:
- The Passive Income Geek Blogging Course. This is a comprehensive course that will teach you the basics of content writing, SEO, and how to make money from your blog.
- Project 24. This is another comprehensive course that offers tutorials and advice on how to start making money with your blog in the next 24 months.
- Niche Pursuits. A podcast for bloggers, including guidance on content creation, SEO strategies, and monetization tips.
All three of these resources run YouTube channels.
I highly recommend that you binge-watch as many of their videos as possible.
By the way, I also run a YouTube channel called Writing Secrets and offer what is basically a free blogging course through my list of articles on Medium.
For the Medium articles, you can read 2-3 free articles per month if you are not a member.
Final Thoughts: Can Content Writing Make You Rich?
Content writing can provide an excellent source of income (and personal satisfaction).
But only if you’re willing to put in the effort necessary – take courses or workshops related to content writing, invest time researching topics/industries relevant to what people actually want to know, and write really quality content.
Other Blog Posts You May Like:
- Is Content Writing a Stressful Job? (Yes, 11 Big Stressors)
- Is Content Writing Easy? (Explained By a Full-Time Blogger)
- Is Content Writing Worth It? (Explained for Beginners)
- How To Write a Blog About Yourself? (22 Best Tips)
Sources
Personal experience as a full-time content writer
BlS.gov
Payscale.com