I Made $500,000+ by Writing on the Internet

If you had told me I'd end up making money by typing words on my computer a few years ago, I would've laughed—a lot. Yet, here I am — having published more than 600 articles on the internet, making a living by writing online and teaching others how to do the same.

That's the beauty of life: It's unpredictable. I never thought I was a great writer (I still don't), and I've never been particularly creative. I studied business administration and quit in my final year because I wanted to do my own thing.

Writing was one of many side hustles I tried, but the only one I really liked. I loved how independent I was. I loved that I could write anywhere, at any time of the day. That I could just let my thoughts flow and share my ideas with people from all corners of the globe.

If I had to start all over, I'd give myself a little notebook with these 50 lessons to keep in mind. I will summarize them under seven headings to make it easy for you.

1 — On Getting Started

In the beginning, your writing won't be good. As a new writer, you'll have lots to learn, but that's okay. You can experience quick progress if you're dedicated and consistent. Just don't expect your work to be amazing right away. Writing is hard, and learning takes time.

Octavia E. Butler says, “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually, you get better at it.”

As a new writer, be mindful of anything you read. Why did you click on a headline? Why do you (dis)like a sentence? Dissecting other people's work is a great way to learn what you want to sound like. You'll discover your own voice and style by analyzing others.

You don't have to feel like a "real writer" to start writing. Most of us feel like imposters most of the time. You're a writer when you write. Ignore labels. Just do what you want to do. The results will follow if you do it for long enough.

Ask yourself these questions to find out what you should write about:

What do you talk about on a Saturday night?

What are you excited, angry, upset, or inspired about?

What's something you find easy that others find difficult?

2 — On Consistency

Consistency will beat luck any time of the day. As a new writer, you'll need lots of reps to improve your writing, sharpen your ideas, and attract an audience. Every piece you publish is a shot you take. The more shots you take, the faster you'll see results.

3 — On Improving Your Writing

Great writing = Great ideas + Great editing. Building an audience and growing a digital writing business is mostly about clearly articulating your ideas and relentlessly editing your work to be clean, clear, and compelling.

Learn from those you want to imitate. Don’t pay someone to teach you if their strategies and approaches don’t align with your desires. If someone publishes lots of content daily, they’ll likely teach you how to rely on quantity over quality. Don’t follow their advice if that’s not what you want to do. Look for other mentors who are growing their audiences in different ways.

Put important words at the beginning or end of your sentences. This is particularly important for headlines because we subconsciously pay more attention to the first and last words of a sentence.

Creating value is only half of the battle. Growing your audience is about emotions and stories just as much as it is about value. You can “create value” within seconds by using tools like ChatGPT. But you can’t replicate human connection, emotions, and personal stories.

Writing is a lonely job. Connect with peers who are excited to support you.

4 — On Creativity

If you want to write for a living, you have to treat writing like a job, not a hobby. You can't just write when you feel inspired. You have to train your mind to constantly discover exciting ideas to write about. And you have to sit down to actually write.

According to E.B. White, “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.”

Your experiences, voice, and style will make your writing unique, even if you write about popular topics covered by thousands of other writers. As Cormac McCarthy says, “Books are made out of books.”

You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Do what works. Repeat messages that obviously resonate with your readers. Don't be afraid to repurpose your content and drive traffic to resources you created months ago. Most people haven't seen most of your work. Work smarter, not harder.

5 — On Building an Audience

People are sick and tired of generic and repetitive content. They're desperately looking for interesting and unique ideas that make them stop scrolling.

If you don't care about your audience, you don't deserve one. I still reply to most of the comments and answers I receive. These conversations help me stay connected to my audience and get useful feedback on my work.

Your ability to write click-worthy titles and hooks will determine most of your success. If your first few lines suck, you won't get a chance to impress readers through the rest of your work.

Structure and formatting can play a huge role. Make sure the formatting of your content is aligned with the platform you're publishing on. Most readers are looking for content that's easy to digest. Long walls of text are the opposite. Each platform has its best practices, and it won't take you more than an hour to study the rules.

Your bio/profile should tell your readers what you can do for them. Remove irrelevant credentials and tell us why we should pay attention to your work.

Being vulnerable and honest is the most effective way to connect with your readers. We're all sick and tired of boring, robotic content, and AI tools just made it worse.