To all the aspiring creative writers out there: ChatGPT can't replace you, and very few people can do what you do.
Developing creative writing skills puts you in a unique position. Businesses will need you to help them sell. So, you'll make them a ton of money if you're good.
If you're starting with no experience, you won't hit $50,000/month in the near future. But, if you do what I did, you'll hit your first client, then $10k, then scale from there.
It's not a get-rich-quick scheme. But small, incremental wins compound over time.
Here’s how I make money as a creative writer:
Niche was everything for me. Freelance writers don't need rigidity (you can work with many different clients). But you do need specificity.
Since I honed and specialized, I’ve:
What I mean by this is that I don't write anything and everything. No one's looking for a generalist writer when they’re hiring.
I write for several differing Twitter accounts, but there's a general similarity in the types of content they publish.
This is a win-win — I've already researched the frameworks that work for that type of content and can easily tailor it to fit different accounts and audiences.
Check out this video I made about Ghostwriting:
Niche was everything for me. Freelance writers don't need rigidity (you can work with many different clients). But you do need specificity.
Since I honed and specialized, I’ve:
What I mean by this is that I don't write anything and everything. No one's looking for a generalist writer when they’re hiring.
I write for several differing Twitter accounts, but there's a general similarity in the types of content they publish. And I qualify them based on my criteria.
For example, Dan Koe sells digital products and consults (among other things).
He's much different from Jasper, whose company helps data analytics companies master client acquisition.
This is a win-win — I've already researched the frameworks that work for that type of content and can easily tailor it to fit different accounts and audiences.
Since I was already self-publishing, I already had a ~sort of~ case study going into this. I know I could grow accounts systematically.
Still, it isn't until you work with a client for a few months and attributing your activities to revenue, engagement, or followers that you can really point to the results.
So I knew I needed to put my money where my mouth was. I eventually had my 'big break' client, who gave me permission to structure our...
...into a real case study.
With a few months' experience under my belt and a case study that proved my strategy works, I had a way to sell my creative writing services with confidence and execute them with structure.
Basically, it looked like this:
I wasn't selling $4k/month packages right out the gate. These were lower-paying gigs.
But I finally had an offer I could scale.
Once you start selling the same service package to multiple clients, you really start to make money writing.
For me, this turned hours' worth of prep into a few clicks.
The first few months were all outbound sales, but then I started getting referrals and inbound requests.
But for the first few clients, I had to get out there.
I found people in my niche, engaged with them on their posts, and followed up with a personalized DM weeks later.
By treating Twitter like my own blog, I was able to garner a following of like-minded entrepreneurs and people who wanted to follow along in my journey.
I've made over $50,000/month from my creative writing career doing this. But, I've also made $250,000/month with my other businesses.
That's the beauty of a personal brand. It guarantees you're recession-proof and allows you to grow/pivot.
There are tons of other ways to make money with creative writing.
Here are my favorites for making money online:
Email newsletters drive massive sales for digital creators and DTC ecom brands.
Basically, you write a weekly newsletter that's creative, informative, and promotional. You have to know how to blend copywriting with brand storytelling.
With VR/AR growing so quickly, there's a real need for writers in the gaming space. And it's really undersaturated.
I've never done this myself, but it's something that I know for a fact will make you money.
The most lucrative skills you can develop as a creative writer are...sales writing.
This means:
This path is a bit more conventional than ghostwriting, but you can still do it freelance. In fact, I'd recommend that as a starting point.
YouTube creators are making more than movie stars these days. And that means they're spending more than ever on production.
That's where you come in.
YouTube creators need scripts written for high-converting, engaging content there's a lot of money to be made here. You can easily charge $2k/video when starting out.
Tons of business owners (and like-minded people) casually hang out on Twitter. Especially younger ones.
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: This is the best place to DM someone an offer and learn how they're making money.
LinkedIn is an especially good sales tool if you already self-publish on the platform and/or want to build a LinkedIn ghostwriting business.
More than half of LinkedIn users are high-income earners. Tons of decision-makers are active on the platform every day.
The outreach methodology is the same as Twitter. It goes down in the DMs. And keep it simple.
Honestly, I'd stay away from Upwork (and other job boards). All the work is on others' terms, so you won't be able to create an offer.
Plus, there are a lot of scams. And the pay is usually garbage.
Freelancer is a better platform for finding writing jobs because it vets its content writers (and clients).
Plus, clients are more serious and willing to pay more.
*NOTE: Other articles suggest writing contests, but those are better for traditional publishing (e.g., writing fiction). For business writing jobs? Not so much...
I know… $50,000 might be a little ambitious. You might make less. Or, you might make more (some of my students make over $70k).
Starting a creative writing career offers untold benefits in the form of:
As a freelancer running your own business, the game seriously changes. I can’t stress this enough.
Getting off the ground isn’t easy, though.
If you’re serious about going from 0 to 100, apply to join my Growth Ghosts cohort. If we’re a good fit for each other, I’ll gladly join you on the rocket ship and show you the ropes.
I show you how to build a high-paying creative business without doing work you hate.
