The Only Paths That Actually Make Money Writing Online
Stop wasting time on content mills and personal blogs
Writing online changed my life, but not in the ways most articles claim.
After 5 years of trial and error, losing money, and finally finding what works, I’ll share the real paths that actually make money writing today.
No fluff, no theory — just what’s working right now.
The Truth About Writing Income
Most writers make very little money online.
Only a few writers consistently earn $5,000+ monthly.
The difference? They pick the right path and stick to it.
Path 1: Technical Documentation ($70–150/hour)
Companies desperately need writers who can explain complex products simply.
Technical writers who know programming basics often make six figures.
To start:
Learn markdown and basic HTML/CSS
Pick one technical area (APIs, software user guides, developer docs)
Create sample documentation on GitHub
Apply for technical writing jobs on Ladders (which specializes in high-paying job listings), LinkedIn, and WeWork Remotely.
Real example: Sophia started by writing free documentation for open-source projects. Six months later, she landed a $90/hour contract with a software company.
Path 2: SaaS Content ($200–500 per article)
Software companies pay premium rates for writers who understand their products.
This isn’t regular blogging — it’s detailed product education.
Key steps:
Study 3–5 software tools deeply
Write comparison articles between competing tools
Pitch content managers on LinkedIn
Start at $200 per article, raise rates every 3 clients
I started here writing about email marketing tools. My first paid article was $75. Two years later, I charged $350 per article with a waiting list of clients.
Path 3: Expert Ghostwriting ($1+ per word)
Many experts want to publish online but hate writing.
They’ll pay well for writers who can capture their voice.
How to break in:
Pick an industry you know
Follow 20+ experts on LinkedIn and Twitter
Study their writing style
Offer to ghostwrite their social media posts
Graduate to articles and ebooks
One writer I know makes $15,000 monthly ghostwriting for tech CEOs. She started by writing free LinkedIn posts for local business owners.
She was doing it with her full-time job, so she used tools like Taplio to streamline her workflow. She used to schedule content in advance on weekends and used Taplio to get inspiration from viral posts in her client's industry.
For those focusing on Twitter/X ghostwriting, engagement is crucial for building a client's presence.
Many successful ghostwriters use tools like Hypefury to make their workflow more efficient. It can automatically retweet your client's best-performing tweets and many writers particularly value its ability to set up automated welcome messages for new followers.
Path 4: Email Newsletters ($2000–5000 monthly)
Companies need help writing emails that sell.
Focus on conversion-focused writing for steady income.
Getting started:
Study successful marketing emails
Write sample email sequences
Look for “email marketing specialist” jobs
Start with small e-commerce companies
Build a portfolio of results
My friend Tom writes emails for 3 companies. Each pays him $2000 monthly for 4 emails per week. The work takes about 15 hours in total.
The Truth About Other Writing Paths
Content Mills (Upwork, Fiverr, etc.)
Good for practice only
Race to bottom on prices
Better than nothing when starting
Blogging
Takes 12–24 months to make money
Need 100+ posts to see real traffic
Ad revenue is tiny until you hit big numbers
Medium and News Sites
Takes 6–12 months to make decent money
Need to post 3–4 times weekly
Partner program pays $100–700/month if you work hard
I have also noticed huge success on Medium lately — my views grew surprisingly fast using a specific posting strategy.
I’ve compiled everything I’ve learned into a Medium Growth Checklist.
It’s the exact blueprint I wish I had when I started — no fluff, just pure, actionable strategies that have helped me gain over 17000 followers in the last 120 days.
Essential Tools
You only need a few tools:
Grammarly (free version works fine)
Google Docs
LinkedIn profile
Simple portfolio website
ConvertKit (free version works fine for beginners)
Don’t waste money on courses or fancy tools. Focus on writing samples instead.
Finding Real Clients Who Pay Well
The best clients never post jobs publicly.
Email 10 small business owners in your city each morning. Say: “I noticed your website could use fresh content. I’m a local writer who can help. Want to chat?”
Join Facebook groups where your target clients hang out. Help people for free. They’ll start asking to hire you.
Check job boards like ProBlogger, Ladders, and LinkedIn Jobs daily. Apply to posts under 24 hours old.
I found my best client by commenting helpfully on their LinkedIn posts for 2 months. They hired me without even asking for samples.
Common Mistakes
These mistakes kill writing careers:
Writing about too many topics
Not picking a specific industry
Copying other writers’ styles
Working for exposure
Not raising rates regularly
What’ll Actually Work in 2025
The highest-paying opportunities will be:
AI/ML documentation
Crypto education content
Health tech articles
Financial newsletters
SaaS onboarding content
These areas pay well because few writers understand them deeply.
Questions? Feel free to email me. I answer every message from new writers.
Your First Steps
Pick one path from this guide
Create 3 writing samples
Find 20 companies that need that type of writing
Contact 2 companies per day
Take any paid work at first
Deliver amazing results
Raise rates every 3 months
You can start earning within 30 days if you follow these steps exactly.
Money comes from helping businesses make more money. Focus on that and you’ll never struggle to find writing work.
Good article, because although it is a bit discouraging for those of us who are not in those areas, it helps to understand what works to make money. I have been thinking about the subject a lot and I realize that writing astrology, like writing literature or philosophy for others, is useless in terms of making a living. In fact it has never been very useful, except perhaps in the 70s and 80s. Things have changed. Maybe it is time to align ourselves with preferences if one wants to have food on the table.
Really helpful & actionable. I appreciate the simplicity as well--thank you.