There is more to tech than just building websites.
Not that long ago I was working as a cashier at a local supermarket. It was one of the most physically demanding jobs I have ever had, and I frankly hated it. It also didn't help that the pay was so appalling.
I wanted out, as quickly as possible.
As if by divine providence, my friend, named Mark, introduced me to web development as we were having a casual discussion about how websites come to be. Our discussion moved me to research more about web development as a whole.
My interest grew.
I started reading books on programming and reading/watching content online – anything I could get my hands on. I also took some free courses which were absolutely knowledge-packed.
As I progressed, it became apparent that there are ways to make money other than building websites, such as by writing tutorials and software documentation. I started to delve deeper into those areas.
So far, I've produced more than 100 articles, tutorials, and guides for a variety of blogs, magazines, and private clients, and I was paid for each one. Most of them were on software-related topics, but a few were in the writing, self-improvement and personal growth niche.
For the rest of the article, I share some important tips and advice for those of you looking to earn money through writing.
Get Specialized Knowledge
You need to learn specialist information if you wish to write for a living. Software and web development, copywriting, health and beauty, dating and relationships, fashion, and fitness are some of the trendiest themes right now.
If you want to write for a living, you need to write about subjects that people will pay you for and you need to write with an audience in mind.
Posting journal entries online is one of the worst blunders I see plenty of people doing. It's okay to publish your personal essays—I do it myself on Medium—but regrettably, you can't get paid to write them.
People desire answers to their problems, instruction on how to accomplish something, and guidance from others who are more informed than they are about a certain subject. There is money to be made there.
Start blogging
It's time to share what you have now that you have something to say.
A wonderful location to start blogging right away is here on Hashnode. I personally started blogging first on dev.to, which is very similar to Hashnode.
Do not wait till you're an expert before posting because it's not important. You can just share what you learned that day and add your own personality to it rather than waiting till you are an expert before posting.
Another thing. Don't be concerned that there are 100s of articles on the same topic. You are unique, as are your thoughts, and your writing style. This, therefore, means that the information you produce will be different. Decide what works for you and work harder at it.
Understand the different writing styles
For different types of content, there are several writing styles. You'll need to read a variety of internet articles and analyze their structures, points of view (POV), and tones in order to comprehend each of them.
In How-to guides, for example, you'll be instructing the reader on how to carry out an action or complete a task in how-to guides. You must thoroughly explain each stage in the entire procedure so that the reader can follow along without becoming lost.
Additionally, as the teacher that you are, your tone should project authority and professionalism. Normally, your writing would have a polished tone. Friendly and conversational, but not too casual.
Different content follows different formats. A listicle has its own style, and so do other content forms such as how-to guides, press releases, software documentation, media reports and news content.
Different formats will be requested by your clients. Based on the information (outline) provided by the customer, you should be able to determine the best way to structure the content.
Learn at least the basics of SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing website content to make it more likely to appear to users in search engine results.
There are so many rules and guidelines for SEO; much more than I can contain in this post. However, the underlying idea is straightforward: Google wants to only display the greatest material to the right users. You are accountable for providing that.
Using the appropriate keywords is one of the most crucial ways to achieve this because they let the Google search engine know what your content is all about. You should also understand how to structure information correctly, including how to use appropriate headings, optimize images, include a table of topics, use brief paragraphs, and other techniques.
Learn the fundamental techniques for enhancing SEO to increase your marketability. Many clients will pay you more to write SEO-optimized articles.
Reach out to blogs and publications
Once you have a solid amount of your work online, you can then start looking look for blogs and publications that’ll pay you to write for them.
Depending on the niche you choose, a straightforward Google search for “my-niche> sites in that pay authors” will turn up such blogs for you.
Please feel free to check out the following blogs if you're seeking for ones about software programming:
Over to you
Above all, consistency matters the most in anything you do. Write often and don't be afraid to hit the publish button.
Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions.
Goodluck!