Write and Get Paid! 

How you can make up to $1,000 monthly as a freelance blogger and ghostwriter

Wondering how to make money online from writing? This article will fill you in on the nitty-gritty.
The internet has significantly increased our access to, and appetite for, information. Every second, millions of people around the world are searching online for news, tips, guidance, how-to stuff, entertainment, gossip and all kinds of information.
Many blog and website owners are making good money online simply by providing relevant and quality information that satisfies the world’s growing thirst for knowledge.
But there’s a problem – people are consuming information at such a fast rate that it’s becoming very challenging for blog owners to produce regular fresh content that satisfies their audience’s hunger and interest.
Freelance writers and Ghost bloggers can earn more than $1,000 per month writing great stuff for other blogs. If you love to write, this is an excellent way to make money online and offline.
Continue reading to find out how it works…

Why will blogs pay anyone to write for them?


Just so that this all makes sense to you, it’s important that we provide a bit of background…
Information is worth more than gold on the internet nowadays. This is the simple reason why companies like Google Inc. have become multi-billion dollar corporations simply by connecting people to the information they’re searching for.
Because millions of people now depend on the internet as a source of easy and reliable information, anyone who can provide valuable content that helps people solve a problem, improve themselves or develop a skill always hits a goldmine.
A recent article on smallstarter.com featured “7 Successful Bloggers Africans should learn from… and become like…” These are ordinary everyday people who are sharing their life’s experiences and knowledge through blogs and are making a lot of money in return.
Due to the huge and rapidly growing demand for information, blogging has become a popular way for ANYONE to easily share knowledge with the world.
And the blogging business is now a huge industry. At the moment, there are more than 150 million blogs on the internet. Anyone – in their bedroom, farm or college dormitory – can run a blog and make serious money from it.
African bloggers like Nigeria’s Linda Ikeji and Bella Naija now makes a full-time living from their blogs. The potentials of blogging are so huge, it’s just amazing.
Our article: “How to make money online – the open secrets many Africans do not know” provides a lot of information on blogging and will be an excellent way to get you started!
Just like every other endeavor in life, not all people who start a blog become successful. Many people think it’s a get-rich-quick thing and get frustrated when it comes to giving their blogs the hard work, passion and consistency it needs to succeed.
The ones who become successful attract such a huge audience who become addicted to their blogs. And with every blog’s success comes a huge responsibility and pressure to continue providing the kind of high quality and useful information that made it successful in the first place.
To keep their audiences hooked, many successful blogs now have to hire freelance writers and guest/ghost bloggers to write for them. This strategy ensures that there is always an interesting variety of information and a steady supply of quality articles for their readers.
Depending on the stature of the blog and the number of articles they need you to write, these blogs are willing to pay a handsome fee to anyone who can write good stuff for them. As a result, a lot of people can afford to work from home and live full-time on income they earn from writing for others.

So, who are freelance writers and guest/ghost bloggers?


Whether they’re freelancers, guests or ghosts, these guys share a common interest – they all love to write! They are able to use the power of words to inform, educate, entertain, persuade and even criticize a topic, an idea, a person, company or product.
Not everyone can put their thoughts in writing in a form that other people can understand and appreciate. Some of these guys were born with this natural talent, while many others have acquired it through learning and practice (yes! Anyone can learn to write very well)!
The difference between these writers is very slim.
Ghost bloggers write articles and content in the name of other blogs and cannot take credit as the author. The blogs they write for do not want their readers to think somebody else wrote the article. 
The identity of a ghost blogger cannot be revealed because he/she has officially given up rights and credits for the written material (that’s why he/she’s called a ghost!).
And of course, it’s almost impossible to find out if an article was ghostwritten because you’ll never know.
Before successful blogs started using this strategy, celebrities, executives, and political leaders have been hiring ghostwriters to write or review autobiographies, magazine articles, and other written materials.
Most times, it’s not that these famous people are not any good at writing; many of them just can’t find the time!
Guest bloggers are often good writers who may already have their own blogs but write for other blogs. Guest blogging is often a great way to attract more traffic to your own blog, gain more subscribers, build your brand and credibility while gaining exposure to a wider audience.
Most writers who guest blog do not get paid but use it as a means to achieving the goals we just mentioned – traffic, exposure, brand and credibility.
Bamidele Onibalusi of WritersinCharge.com wrote a very good article on the subject titled: Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging. It’s a very detailed article that will prove to be very useful and we strongly recommend it!
Freelancers are the most versatile writers of the lot. They are hired to write articles in both offline and online blogs/magazines. Freelancers are also hired to write brochures, manuals, sales copy, marketing emails and eBooks.
There are loads of places on the internet with different opportunities for freelancers. If you really love to write, this is one ‘job’ you’d really love to have.

How can you become a ghost, guest or freelancer?


This heading sounded a little creepy. 
Here are a couple of things you should have in mind if you intend to become a paid writer.

Step 1 – WRITE!

Well, there’s no easier way to say this, but the best way to become a well-paid and sought after writer/blogger is to WRITE!
How else will anyone hire your services if there’s no way to prove that you’re any good at writing? People would love to see your previous works to assess how well (or badly) you write. Writing is a skill, and like any other skill, it only gets better with practice.
Starting a blog is one of the most effective ways of staying in touch with your writing and getting better at it. Choose a topic that sparks your interest and starts writing about it.
Very soon, when blogs will be considering you to write for them, the quality and content of articles you have published on your blog will help them to assess your ability.
Our Zero to Pro tutorial offers detailed guidance on starting a blog, how to find a perfect topic, and making your blog successful. It’s a good place to start and we strongly recommend it.

Step 2 – LEARN!

If there are already people who understand what it takes to succeed as a paid writer/blogger, why not follow a shortcut and learn from them? It’s easier, more convenient and will save you loads of time.
Like every other skill and trade, there are formulas for success in guest, ghost or freelance writing. You will need to learn and improve your writing styles, structure and maybe basic grammar.
You need to know how to capture the attention of an audience through your writing.
Depending on the reaction or response you’re expecting from the target audience, you should know how to inform, educate, convince, excite or even incite through the text of your writing.
Fortunately, there are lots of places on the internet where aspiring writers like you can meet, share and learn from more experienced and successful bloggers. We’re more than happy to give you a couple of recommendations…
  • Copyblogger is the top destination for all bloggers who intend to become and remain good writers. It shares tips, advice and very creative ways writers can improve their writing. It is one of the top 50 most powerful blogs in the world and is regarded as a source of valuable and practical information that helps bloggers around the world to attract attention, drive traffic, and builds their blog ‘business’.
  • Daily Writing Tips teaches grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and everything you need to know to write in the clear and correct language. As you already know, writing skills are essential to your success as a blogger. Poorly written text is one of the easiest ways for your audience to lose interest in your articles. It’s very important that you check out this site and follow it very closely!
  • Daily Blog Tips, Problogger and Viperchill are ranked in the top 500 most popular blogs in the world. These blogs cover almost every area of blogging and share free tips that take care of all the usual headaches that bloggers encounter. Problogger, owned and run by Darren Rowse, is arguably the Holy Grail of bloggers. You should subscribe to these blogs and follow them closely as you start and advance in your writing career.


Step 3 – START MAKING MONEY!

Yes, that’s right. If you’ve started your blog and have become comfortable with your writing abilities, it’s time to start writing and getting paid for it!
There are lots of opportunities online for serious bloggers to find writing deals that pay quite well. One of the common ways to start is to join a paid blogging network. These networks act as a bridge that connects paying advertisers with bloggers-for-hire.
By joining these networks, bloggers like you will be paid to write and post their opinions and reviews of advertiser websites, products and/or services.
We have provided (below) a couple of good networks you should join and try out. However, you must know that each paid blogging network has different rules, guidelines and requirements.
Before you sign up, make sure you go through their Terms and Conditions to understand how they work.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good place to start. Visit each of them and sign up, but make sure you go through their rules as advised.
Here they are:

In addition to these links and resources, you could do a quick Google search to find out more places on the web you can get paid to write. Search for phrases like:
[get paid to blog].
Another cool place to find writing and blogging opportunities are on popular freelance websites like Freelancer.com, Elance.com, ODesk.com, and Freelance.com.

Now you know how to make money online from writing…


Today’s information and the digital age is opening lots of opportunities for content providers to make money online. Blogging has become one of the most popular ways for ordinary people to contribute to the internet’s knowledge base and get paid for it.
More people are also finding that blogs are an effective means of generating buzz, favorable reviews for new products, services and campaigns.
Because most blogs are targeted at particular audiences that share a common interest, they serve as a rich source of potential customers for advertisers.
As economic activity in Africa grows and businesses look for more creative ways to reach an increasingly internet-influenced audience, bloggers will be key in helping to achieve these goals.
We strongly believe it’s a great time to start a blog.
If you think making money through writing is something that works for you, our Zero to Pro tutorial should help you set up and run your own blog.
You could also choose from many more amazing business ideas in the Business ideas section of this website.
We would love to hear from you about your successes, challenges, advice, and questions. Do not forget to leave a comment in the section below and share this opportunity with your friends using Facebook, Twitter and Google+ buttons below.
To your success!