Blogging itself is not so hard: You have to be very passionate and work a lot on your writing. But blog promotion is definitely a long process that can sometimes involve high costs.
In the other hand, big blogs such as Tutsplus are always hiring bloggers to write guest posts. The average payment is $100 per post, which is not bad at all. So if you haven’t made a living with your own blog yet, what about considering making money by blogging for others?
Are you ready to be a freelance writer?
[tweet]Making money with your own blog is possible, but excepted for a few, you’ll have to work a lot and be very patient before seeing the first results. Happilly, you can make money now by blogging for others.
To handle popular demand, high traffic blogs started to ask people to blog for them. The process, called guest-blogging, was initially something done for free in exchange for exposure and traffic. But as the competition increased, blogs started to pay other bloggers to write posts for them.
These days, many people are making a living on freelance writing. As a guest post is paid an average $100 by blogs, the maths are simple: If you want to earn $2000 a month you’ll have to write 20 blog posts per month. This is less than one per day! Of course, $2000 isn’t a fortune but it is definitely a good start.
If you have the knowledge and know how to write a killer blog post, freelance writing is definitely a very profitable job.
Blogs hiring bloggers
An increasing number of blogs are looking for bloggers, but the main problem is to find those who fits your skills. As I mostly know the web dev/web design and blogging niches, here are a few blogs to start with:
In the web development niche, my other blog Cats Who Code is looking for contributors. Posts are paid $70.
Pro Blog Design is a great blog focused on blog development, blog design and WordPress. They pay up to $100 for your contribution.
Whether you’re a Photoshop expert, a web developer or an Adobe Illustrator master, the TutsPlus family is definitely something to consider. They pay $150 per post and blogging for them will be definitely a great addition to your portfolio.
Who doesn’t know WebDesigner Depot. The site is focused on design, inspiration and usability. Price for a post is up to $150. 1st Webdesigner, another popular webdesign blog, pay up to $40 per post. This is not a fortune, but it’s better than nothing, for sure.
Do not hesitate to take a look to this list of 13 blogs that pay you to write to find other opportunities.
How to get hired?
Now, the next step for you is to get hired. There’s no established rule to be sure that your posts will be accepted, however a few guidelines can help:
Always follow the site guidelines for guest authors: As an example, the Tuts+ sites require you to send them a complete post with your application, so don’t try to apply without sending them a post. The competition can be hard on some sites and the first rule to get noticied is to respect the rules of the blog you’re applying.
Talk about yourself, but not too much: A successful blogger is most of the time, very busy, so he do not necessary have the time to read a 35 lines email sent by someone who’d like to write on his blog. Be precise, but be concise: A first application email shouldn’t be longer than 8 or 10 lines.
Have your Paypal account ready: This can sound very basic to most of you, but believe me, many people are asking me to blog on Cats Who Code while they do not have a Paypal account. How the site will paying you then?
For those who live in countries where Paypal is unavailable, make sure to find the most painless way to get paid, for both you and the site owner.
Always include references: If you recently wrote for a popular blog, don’t forget to let the site owner know about it. Experience is definitely what can do the difference to get hired as a freelance writer.
And you, have you ever used paid guest blogging to make money? Do you plan to do it soon? Feel free to share your experience in a comment.