6 Psychological Strategies To Make Money as a Content Creator
Some harsh truths about being a writer in the creator economy.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock Lyubov Levitskaya
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There has never been a better time to be a creative. But not everyone sticks with it. They come in bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and leave when things don’t go according to plan or get too hard. They give up too soon, right before success is about to blossom.
If you want to put a part of yourself in the world and make money online, be wise and set your expectations, so you don’t give up easily.
These truths won’t discourage the serious writer. Nothing will stop you if you love to write and want to earn money from putting words onto the page. I’ve written lots of words — mostly long-form posts. I get paid for my words.
There is no secret. It just comes down to writing a lot.
As trite, route, and routine as that advice is, it is the unsexy truth. You have to practice.
The more you practice, the better you get. The better you get, the more you want to do it. You cultivate a passion.
Here are some hard truths about being a writer who wants to earn money from her writing.
1. Some people will earn far more than others.
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Writers who earn a sustainable income from writing share one thing in common, they didn’t give up.
Writers who make big bucks had the smarts to jump on a platform before that platform started paying its writers — preparation meeting opportunity.
Even if you’re one of the lucky ones who makes a ton of money from writing, there is always someone who makes more.
There will always be a JK Rowling (820 million net worth) and a Danielle Steel.
Steel’s net worth bought her a 15 bedroom home on the top of San Francisco, where rumor has it she sits in one room and writes daily. Steel continues to write even though money isn’t something she needs. She just published her 185th book.
There is someone who makes more money than you. That’s OK.
2. Have a plan.
Unless you just chain yourself to your desk, you have to have a plan that turns into a routine.
Honestly, I kind of chained myself to my desk and wrote every day for 90 days straight without taking a day off. This turned into a routine. There’s a kinder way for your soul and psyche: come up with a routine and stick with it.
Repetition builds the habit. Habits build routines.
There are one of two ways to produce content through a routine, 1) you can write every day and edit on the same day. This causes more friction. When you switch from writing to editing, productivity gets lost in the switching. It takes your brain a bit to change gears, making this way less efficient for the writer.
The second way, 2) choose two days and write during large blocks of time. Write one story, do not edit. Take a break and write another.
I do this for 3 or 4 hours during my long writing days and edit on two other days.
When I first started writing for money, I wrote every day. Now I write for two days and edit on different days. This strategy gets you into the flow state faster and increases output.
I simply write more content when I work my schedule this way.
3. Not everyone can earn a living from writing.
The truth is most writers earn below minimum wage.
I used to work in publishing shortly after college. It’s a tough business and more competitive since the internet; the music industry has taken the same hits since anyone can record a song in their bedroom with basic equipment.
I have a few friends who are traditionally published and make about $60 every few months.
You have to sell millions of books to make money from the publisher to be financially successful. Because of self-publishing, anyone can write and publish a book easily. Just because you have a book deal or write online doesn’t guarantee you will earn enough to live on.
Copywriters can charge anywhere from $50 to $250 per hour and probably make more money than those who have written a book.
There are many ways to monetize writing — here are just a few:
e-book
courses
one on one sessions with clients
ghostwriting
BitClout
A blog (I’m currently working on two).
4. Quality writing is eventually rewarded, but usually only with marketing effort from the writer.
Quality writing is the goal. Good writing stands out and can’t be ignored. Remind yourself of the old Steve Martin quote, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
When you have the writing part down, that is only half the battle.
The other half is marketing yourself. I don’t have a marketing or selling bone in my body. I want to just show up, be fabulous and have everyone read my work. I’m sure you would too. To my chagrin, it doesn’t work that way.
Marketing is my least favorite part of the job, but I do it.
The writer has to have or has to hire someone with marketing skills to fill the role of publicist, organizer, web developer, social media expert, and so on. If you want your work to be read, it doesn’t stop after completing the writing part.
It’s only begun.
Unless you have name recognition, you’re going to have to do some work.
Steven Pressfield wrote for decades before he saw a modicum of success, and then it came in the form of screenwriting. He refused to quit until he was successful.
That is the drive required to be a successful writer. There is so much competition. Those who keep at it might make it.
5. Working writers cheer at every new opportunity to earn a bit more.
I never thought I would try so many writers’ websites and bounce when I realized the earning potential wasn’t there.
Once you start making good money online on one platform, it is easier to make it on another because you’ve developed the habit of writing. You’ve also gained a bit of confidence.
Oh, site B paid me for this; well, let’s see where else I can monetize…
6. Enough people are kicking and screaming about the game being unfair, don’t be another one.
Yes, the game is unfair. The game is a popularity contest in many situations, but complaining about it won’t make building a lucrative writing habit easier.
I’ve noticed a lot of complaining, taking things personally, and egos run amuck lately, especially from newbies who’ve been on writing platforms all of two seconds. I pass right by those articles; the headlines scream red flag warning. Some drip with sarcasm, others with envy.
Some writers make good money for whatever reason, high-quality content, they’ve been around for a while, they write about their high earnings, add a dollar sign in the title, or write about how they can make money from writing.
All these tricks work to generate engagement.
But the high-quality content writer is in it for the long term. When you retaliate with an article poo-pooing these things, you sound childish, petty, and jealous. You’ll get a few jaded readers who are right there with you, but for the most part, readers want to be inspired, not told what they can’t do.
Summary
I won’t believe you if you tell me you can’t make money in the creator economy if you put in deliberate, sustained focus for one year. Spend three or four hours each day pursuing your goal of making money online.
If you do that, you’ll be making good money a year from now from the content you share online.
Thank you to those who subscribe to this newsletter. You keep me writing.
See you next Tuesday! Have a fabulous week.
xoxoxo
Still waiting for your fan fic!