Careers If You Like Writing

What types of careers, if you like writing, are actually available.  And what can you get paid for each?

Well, if you know how to write, the available freelance writing opportunities are immense.   Businesses are using writing in more creative ways than ever before.

And this is giving freelance writers more options than ever to cash in on … what I believe … is the best gig there is.

There used to be an old TV show … way, way back there … called Dragnet.  It was about a couple Los Angeles detectives.

It starred Jack Webb as detective Joe Friday.  This role was played by Dan Ackroyd in a follow-up movie comedy of the same name.

Joe used an iconic term whenever he was interviewing a female witness. "Just the facts, ma'am."

Want to hear some crazy facts about freelancing and especially freelance writing?

• There were 58 million freelancers in the U.S. as of 2021.
• Out of a total workforce of 161.2 million, 36% were classified as freelancers.
• One source … Askwonder.com … says that 17% of the freelance market is made up of writers. So, that equals about 9.86 million freelance writers in the U.S.
• Most freelancers are temporary or part-time. About 65% of them.
• U.S. based, full-time freelancers tend to be more successful than traditional workers. 36% of them make over $75,000 per year. Consider this – only about 15% of households make more than $75,000 per year.
• 84% of full-time freelancers self-report that they’re satisfied with what they’re doing for a living.

What Criteria Should You Evaluate When Considering A Career If You Like Writing?

Well of course this is entirely subjective.  But a great writing opportunity should give you all … or most … of the following:

• Good Pay:  Is the opportunity there to make good money? Can you make a good living doing this kind of writing?

• Amount of work available:  Are there a seemingly unlimited supply of work opportunities out there? Enough to go around especially with … it looks like … so many writers out there.

• Potential For Growth:  Is this type of writing going to continue to grow?  Are the opportunities going to be there in the future?

• Remote Ability:  Can you work from home … or wherever you want?  Can you set your own hours?

• Consistency:  Freelancing becomes a whole lot more lucrative when you can develop a system. And that comes with consistent work in similar areas. A need that you can easily fill.

• Good Clients:  People who are pleasant to work with. Professional.   Dare I say “kind.”

• Potential:  A career choice that has a future.   Growing with lots of potential.

• Ease of Entry:  No, you don’t need a college degree. I n fact, it might be an obstacle you have to overcome because it instills bad habits for this kind of writing.  Proper training … and experience … is the best degree in freelance writing.

The demand for freelance writers will continue to grow according to everything I’ve read.   Companies expect to use the services of freelance writers even more in the future than they do now.  And the types of jobs available will continue to evolve.

More companies and website owners are trying to compete online now. And that means copywriting is becoming a very in-demand freelance writing career.

I highly recommend that you specialize in a particular niche as well as a type of writing.  As you develop your experience and skills, you’ll save time and money as you develop a reputation for a certain type of writing.

Copywriting Will Always Dominate the Market

Why?   Well, because business owners need it more than ever.  Finding good, competent copywriters is tough.  And copywriting jobs pay the best money.

• Copywriting has become even more in-demand as more companies and website owners compete for an online audience.
• Content has always been king but more businesses than ever need compelling copy and more types of copy.
• All the major freelancing sites … such as Upwork and Fiverr … are noticing a definite up-tick in the demand for copywriters.
• Companies need good, competent copywriters to write creative content that drives opens, clicks and conversions.
• Email copywriting … my favorite … is becoming more in-demand and lucrative than ever before.
• Story-telling strategies … something I was taught to do from the beginning … are helping companies promote and grow their brands.
• The latest research shows that copywriting is now the most popular freelance writing job.

Writing Video Scripts Will be in High Demand

• Video content is becoming a standard feature on websites. I personally am old-school and have always preferred reading to video. I still read a couple books a week albeit usually on a Kindle. But, as the average human attention span shrinks, video is now a bigger part of how companies present their content.

• The demand for video content …videos, images, other media … is only expected to grow.

• Because of this trend, freelance writing jobs involving video captioning and scriptwriting are becoming more and more in-demand.

• Website owners consequently need creative video scripts to go along with this trend.

• The cost of producing high-quality videos is lower than ever. This will create more opportunities for freelance writers to create scripts and storyboards for all those videos.

The Best Careers If You Like Writing

It’s kind of funny. If you Google “what does the average writer make?”, you’ll get links to articles and answers that are all over the spectrum.

There’s no consensus at all. Whether it’s Indeed.com, ZipRecruiter or the New York Times. It varies from less than $10,000 a year to $66,000 a year and more.

But you can make a whole more than that. In fact, one of the courses I’ve taken now refers to being a “Seven Figure Copywriter”.

That’s right. It’s possible.

Of course, the best careers if you like writing are obviously subjective. What do you like to do?

• Do you want to make freelance writing your day job?
• Do you want a part-time gig to earn extra money?
• Do you want a full-time career but be in control of your hours? Maybe your idea of full-time is 20 hours or less a week.  Or maybe the more hours, the better.
• Do you want to work with multiple clients?
• Do you have a specialty?
• Do you enjoy just writing content?
• Would you like to get into the high-paying area of copywriting? Writing ads, landing pages and emails.

The opportunities are definitely there to make good money depending on your needs and goals.

Copywriting is my specialty and … if done right … is the highest-paying type of writing there is.  Your earnings are dependent on a couple of factors:

• You’ll see hourly rates of $25 - $100 per hour listed in some articles. That’s dependent on whether you actually want to go to work directly for a company or freelance.  Some companies prefer to pay by the hour but I recommend you calculate your hourly requirements and quote by project.  That way, if you work fast, you can make a lot more.

• I’m not looking but I get hundreds of emails from LinkIn alerting me to copywriting JOBS available with companies.   Some allow remote work.  Some don’t.  Some provide benefits (health insurance).  Some don’t.  This is your call.

What Does Copywriting Typically Pay?

If you check out a popular freelancing site like Upwork, you’ll see most of the earning rates listed as hourly. How much the writers will get paid per hour for whatever work they’re doing.

This isn’t the way I learned this business and always have preferred to quote work on a rate per project. Here are typical fees that clients will actually pay you to write for them:

• Articles or blog posts: $150 - $400+ each to create helpful articles and blog posts on a client’s website.
• Site audits: $1,000 - $2,500 to review websites, identify content problems and make recommendations.
• White papers: $2,000 - $7,000 to write research documents that explain how something works.  And its benefits.  Or a report on an important new study or survey. They're really big in business, technology and manufacturing.  They may take a month to write. And they pay very well.
• Web pages: $250 - $1,000+.
• Sales letter packages: $1,500 - $5,000+ (+ much more in royalties if you’re good).
• Emails: $250 - $2,000+. Many companies will put you on retainer … if they like your work … for $3,000 - $5,000 a month.
• E-newsletter: $800 - $1,500+. You write your clients’ newsletter every month. They send you a check for $1,000. Two newsletter clients = an extra $2,000 a month.
• Case studies: $1,200 - $2,000.
• E-books:  How-to books people write and sell online.  The best ones help solve specific concerns people have all the time.  Things like building a tree house, putting on a great children’s birthday party or other how-to ideas.  They’re also used as a free offering to help build email lists.
• Social media engagement:   Companies and website owners need people who can write to engage their prospects and customers on social media. You can get paid $2,000 a month to manage their accounts. Being a fan of the company and already being a member of their social network is a big asset.

Money-Making Websites

I don’t want to end this post without mentioning another way you can use your writing skills to make a great living.   It does take quite a bit more time to start producing revenue but once you do, it’s sweet.   And can earn you substantial ongoing residual income.

This is a blog or website you create around a passion of yours.   About anything.   It may be about dog training, gardening, craft beer, travel, camping or another interest.

Once you build a following, advertisers pay you to place ads on your website.   Or you can sell your own products or affiliate products.   Build an email list and earn a great income from that.

Conclusion

I emphasize copywriting in this article … and your own website or blog … because those are in my wheel-house.  My areas of interest and expertise.

But if you want to read an excellent article on the various careers if you like writing, I was really impressed by this article:  The 20 best writing jobs: What they pay and how to get them.

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