7 Most Popular Types of Content to Write For Yourself [And Get Paid]
Twitter isn’t just for shit-posting, it’s a huge asset for creators
When I first started writing online, I thought the only way I could do it as a career is if I wrote for businesses. As a professional content writer.
Fast-forward to 2020 when I discovered digital writing platforms that allowed me to be as creative as I want while getting paid pretty well. My whole perspective on careers and online businesses changed.
We live in a time when creators and writers make money from their skills, not just by working for others, but for themselves. The creator economy allows people to create content directly for their audiences, making a living doing exactly what they love.
Take the ‘1000 True Fans’ concept — To be a successful creator, you don’t need millions of fans or dollars. You just need 1000 true fans.
Here is a list of 7 popular types of content you can write for your own brand while making money from it —
1. Blog posts and articles
Years ago, when people thought about getting paid to write articles, we’d automatically think of print journalism — writing for newspapers and magazines. But today, your options as a writer are much broader.
You can write news stories, listicles, personal essays, critiques, opinion pieces, and a long list of articles in any niche out there.
For example, if you’re into the food niche, you could write recipes, food tips and tricks, personal stories about food, and food reviews.
If you’re a cinema buff, you could write movie reviews, TV series recommendations, news updates, and entertaining listicles.
Where to write blog posts and articles?
- Choose platforms like Medium and Vocal that pay writers for their work. On these platforms, you get to build an audience and monetize your writing while having maximum creative freedom.
- Your own blog. This way, you have more control over your audience and your personal brand than you do on third-party platforms. Monetize through Google Adsense, affiliate links, and digital products.
2. Email Newsletter
Do you have a deep passion and expertise in any topic that you’d love to write about? Maybe it’s time to launch a newsletter.
You can send out a newsletter to your email list at consistent intervals — say weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Structure the newsletter well, be transparent and authentic with your audience, and overdeliver value with every email.
Where to write and promote an email newsletter?
- You can start a newsletter on platforms like Substack, Revue, ConvertKit, Steady, etc.
- To drive traffic to your newsletter, you can publish on high-domain authority sites like Medium and add CTAs about your newsletter, cross-promote other newsletters in the niche, and promote on social networks.
- When you’re providing a lot of value for your audience, you can charge subscribers a fee for special, exclusive content that they will love. If 100 subscribers pay $5/month, you could make $500 every month.
3. Digital Products [eBooks, Guides, Templates, Checklists]
If you have any knowledge on how to solve problems in a niche, you could create products and sell them.
Here’s an example. Say you’re a freelance marketer and you notice that many of your peers have trouble making sales calls. And you have been on this road and have solutions to help them. Create a checklist or a guide that tells others exactly how to improve. (This can also be a consultation service).
Where to create and sell digital products?
4. Short stories and books [Fiction/Non-fiction]
You can channel your creativity to write that novel you’ve always wanted to. Or a series of short stories in your favorite genre.
Where to write and submit short stories?
- Platforms like Amazon KDP and Apple Books. Or you can approach publishing companies and print copies as well.
- Upload chapters and short stories on websites like Wattpad[which allows writers to earn from stories]. Although Medium is used more for non-fiction, it has its own fiction nook too, just like many other platforms.
- Submit to websites that pay writers for short stories, poetry, and other fiction material.
5. Poetry
When your inner muse is inspired, you pen a lot of beautiful words — maybe even a poem or two. Poetry can be creatively fulfilling, cathartic, and challenging(in the best way) for many of us.
Well, now, you can publish your poetry online or in physical form too.
Where to write and submit poetry
- You can write them online on websites like the ones mentioned so far. For example, I personally write my poetry on my Medium account with publications like The Lark and Creative Cafe. I get paid through the Medium Partner Program for my submissions.
- Another option is to publish collections of poems traditionally with publishing companies or self-publish.
- Also, consider posting visuals of your poetry online and building a massive audience on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. [Example: @brokenheartdrunkensoul on IG]
6. Video Scripts
Many writers tend to shy away from anything that has to do with video and audio, but this is still a great option to consider.
Here’s why —
- Video scriptwriting and planning get your creative juices flowing, especially if you love the concepts you’re working on.
- Studies show that video is the most popular media format right now. If you could learn the basics of video creation and write terrific scripts for your own content, you could eventually do it for brands too.
Where to write scripts and upload videos?
- Create videos on YouTube — The YouTube Partner Program is a great option to monetize this. [Pro-tip: You can convert your blog posts into video scripts quickly]
- Also, consider writing scripts and creating short videos on TikTok(if your ideal audience could be on this platform or if you feel this will be fun to try).
You can promote your other writing projects there and even build a business out of this.
Example:
7. Tweets
Twitter’s monetization policies are still in the beginning stages, but with the rate that the creator economy is growing, it’s highly likely that the Twitter creator programs will develop soon.
Writing and monetizing Tweets
- ‘Super Follows’ is a Twitter program that lets creators get monthly payments for creating conversations. As the About page says,
‘ You may earn a share of revenue from paid subscriptions offering your most engaged followers an extra level of access and bonus content.’
There are certain criteria to be met like being a US citizen, and having at least 10K followers.
- You can charge your audience for attending exclusive Twitter Spaces( live audio conversations like Clubhouse).
- Repurpose your Tweets on LinkedIn and grow your audience there as well.
Twitter and LinkedIn may not have direct monetization for all yet, but they are powerful tools for building your personal brand, promoting your writing, and connecting with potential clients, all of which pay you a lot indirectly.
The most important thing to remember before monetizing Twitter or any of these platforms is to make sure you are providing loads of value to your audience. Give them so many reasons to subscribe or support you that they’re happy to do it without you having to annoy them with sales messages.
- Start with one of these content types, stick to it consistently for at least a month, and review your results.
- If you enjoy writing this content and see more potential, keep going and build it as an income stream. Once you’re ready to take on more, try other content types too.
Keep experimenting and keep writing. The creator economy is a huge, welcoming place filled with plenty of opportunities for writers, and it’s up to you to explore them as you like.
My newsletter ‘Create with Bertilla’ is about the latest trends, resources, and insights into the creator economy. I share exclusive interviews and takeaways from my creative projects, so if you’d like a free front-row seat to watch my journey, you’re welcome to sign up here.
