The Real Scoop on Paid Blogging: Why to Start, and How It Works
By Tammy Powell

Blogging can be a great, low-stress opportunity for new copywriters to start building a portfolio of writing samples and collecting paychecks.

A few years into my copywriting career, I found myself focusing on blog posts and online articles. There’s a huge demand for bloggers, and now, blog posts are what my clients request from me more than any other type of project.

Here are some reasons to get started, and some important things to know about being a paid blogger …

What Is Blogging?

A blog post is like an online article. And they’re extremely popular right now, with an estimated 5-7 million blog posts published per day!

Savvy business owners and marketers recognize that blogging is an important part of their content strategy — a marketing technique designed to build trust with prospects by providing valuable information.

However, business owners and marketers might not be comfortable enough in their own writing skills to create this content themselves. Or, they might be too busy. So, it makes sense for them to hire a writer like you for this task.

Is Blogging a Good Fit for You?

Here are some of the reasons why I love being a blogger, and why you might enjoy it, too …

• Steady and Predictable Pay

  I’ll admit that blog posts are not my most profitable type of project — at least, not when looking at pay per project, or pay per word on the page.

  However, blogging is profitable in its own right: specifically, in terms of pay per hour and consistent pay over the long-term.

  Blog posts often don’t take as much research as other projects might — especially if you choose to write within a niche you know very well.

  For example, within my veterinary niche, I find that my professional background saves time because I’m never starting from scratch. My knowledge helps me outline a blog post and know what to look for when I’m researching.

  Also, blog posts provide consistent payments, which helps with avoiding the freelancer “feast or famine” cycle of income.

  Each month, I know exactly how much I’m going to earn from blog posts — which helps me create our household budget and worry less about monthly bills.

  To me, my regular blog posts are like the “Old Faithful” of copywriting. They’re a reliable, dependable source of income.

• Good for Beginners, with the Potential to Grow

  One of the great things about writing blog posts is it’s fairly straightforward to get started. Reading a lot of online blogs, as well as getting some basic training in writing online content, is really all that’s needed at first.

  It may make sense to do some unpaid or lower-paying blog posts in the beginning, for experience. Just be sure to move on to better-paid blogging projects after your first few posts.

  Also, after gaining some experience, a copywriter can start raising their rates.

  As your services become more in demand, you may find yourself raising your rates more and more over time.

  That’s what’s happened for me. As I got busier, I started charging more for blog posts than I did my first couple of years.

  Additionally, if a client is happy with your blog posts, this may open the door to additional projects with them in the near future.

  The point is, there’s room to grow. As you gain more experience, new opportunities arise, and your income can go up.

• Easy to Build a Wealth of Writing Samples

  Unlike a web page that’s only updated every few years (or maybe even less often), blog posts are needed ALL the time.

  My clients need blog posts from me anywhere from every couple of months, to one post consistently every week. And some businesses post more frequently — even multiple times per day.

  Don’t worry if this seems like a lot to keep up with, though. You can tell a client your limit for how often you can write blog posts. Some businesses use multiple bloggers, so they’re happy to give you assignments on a schedule based on the workload you can handle.

  Also, the large demand means you can build a writing portfolio very quickly.

  So, if you’re looking for writing samples to show clients, blogging may be a great way to create those samples in a relatively short time frame.

• Shorter Projects for Quick Wins

  Although long-form blog posts have become more popular, there are still plenty of opportunities for short content, such as a 500-word blog post.

  That’s a project that could potentially be finished in less than one day!

  Also, blog posts typically don’t go through as many rounds of editing as other projects, such as a web page or print article — at least, not in my experience.

  This can save a lot of time and allow for freedom in your work schedule.

  In fact, some of my clients, after working with me for a while, put me on a “set it and forget it” type of arrangement.

  They trust me to create blog post topics (which I submit to them for approval from time to time). Then, I just work down my blog post list one by one, without needing to check in too often.

  This allows me to truly work independently, on my own schedule.

• Development of Your Writing Skills and Style

  Each client has a different style when it comes to their blog posts. And you, as the writer, can have fun growing your skill set by creating the best tone and voice for each client.

  For example, in the pet and veterinary space, some clients like me to use cute terms like “fur kid” or “furry friend,” while others prefer a more factual tone. And some like italics font, while others do not.

  And don’t worry, integrating these preferences into your writing gets easy over time …

  With a little practice, you’ll develop a “feel” for each client’s voice. So, the process of writing blog posts in that voice naturally gets faster and simpler with each subsequent post.

  It also gets easier to come up with ideas over time, as you flex your creativity “muscle.”

  One of the most common concerns of new bloggers is how to think of new topics to write about so often. However, like any skill, this is something that gets easier with practice.

With blogging, there’s a lot of variety. So, your blog posts, style, and writing routine might look different than mine.

However, no matter where your blogging journey takes you, I believe the above benefits hold true for any blogger.

Blogging is a great way to create a steady, predictable freelance income — with plenty of room to grow your income and career opportunities as you gain experience.

Getting started is simple. After some basic training, you can even begin by writing blog posts on your own website, for practice and to boost your website with writing samples.

Since blog posts are relatively short projects, many clients are willing to take a chance on a new writer for a blog post. And that can lead to additional projects with that same client down the line.

Blogging for clients can be a consistent, steady writing opportunity. But if you also want to see how 10 people have taken blogging for themselves to unbelievable levels, check out this article.

Are You Ready to Get Started?

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If you’ve written blog posts before, what’s your experience been like? Please share with your fellow writers in the comments.