The Honest Guide to Making Money as a Freelance Writer/Blogger

 

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed for the Zero to Travel podcast to share my tips on getting paid to travel as a freelance writer (if you missed it, you can take a listen here). Talking travel with Zero to Travel host and founder, Jason Moore, was a real treat because in the year since I’ve launched The Pin the Map Project, I hadn’t really sat down and discussed with anyone the whirlwind adventure of going from point A of launching a blog to point B of traveling on assignment and earning money from my writing.

 

Since the podcast aired, I have been flooded with supportive notes, compliments and, of course, questions. They are questions I receive often from readers: How did I become a travel writer? What is the difference between a travel writer and blogger? How do I make make money off travel writing? All questions I have asked other bloggers many times as I waded through the waters of the blog-o-sphere, determined to carve a name for myself and The Pin the Map Project site.

 

When I began this site, it was with the promise of being utterly candid with my readers about how I would get from a 9-5 job to becoming a travel writer/blogger. Knowing the feeling of wistfully scrolling through wanderlust inducing imagery while at work on a Monday morning or dreaming about travel while commuting to the office, I remember the mix of frustration and admiration for people who had managed to become full-time travel bloggers and writers. How did they do it? I would ask myself the question repeatedly, would scour blogs and travel sites for the secret formula on how to turn a passionate side hobby into a career. As I embarked on the greatest journey of all-turning The Pin the Map Project into a reality-I learned from many bloggers how to be successful in my travel blogging endeavor; as well as learned from my own trials and errors. When asked how I earn money as a travel writer/blogger, I explain that my income comes from three different buckets:

 

1. Advertising
2. Freelance & Temp Work
3. Brand Partnerships & Sponsorships

 

Below I share an honest guide on how I make money as a freelance writer and blogger, in hopes of answering some of the questions I’ve received in the past few weeks.

 

Advertising

It’s no secret that advertising generates money for a website. With my career background in digital advertising, I am all too familiar with website advertising and putting together media recommendations for global brands with budgets of over a million dollars. So, when it came to The Pin the Map Project, I knew that banners were necesssary to make money off my website. Now, the thing about banner advertising (especially through Google) is that advertising networks are running banners on behalf of clients across many many sites; while you can choose to not have certain ad content appear on your website, it is ultimately up to Google what advertiser banners appear where. Likewise, as a small, niche travel site-I do not have the adspace available on my webpage to accommodate many banners, nor do I want to bombard my readers with ads at every turn, so it can be a fine line to walk between keeping the integrity and aesthetic appeal of your website while also trying to earn money through ads. This brings me to Passionfruit Ads. If you haven’t checked out The Pin the Map Project Advertising page, this would be a good time to get an idea of how Passionfruit Ads works! In short, Passionfruit Ads allows you to create an ad store where you can create ad spots for advertisers or sponsors to purchase directly from your page. The beauty of this is you:

 

1. Have complete control over who runs advertising on your site.
2. Enjoy a seamless payout process with a price that you set.
3. You can inlude additional opportunities for advertisers to purchase, such as blog consultation, social media mentions, etc.

 

Freelance Writing & Temp Work

 

On the Zero to Travel podcast I was asked what is the difference between a travel writer and travel blogger. I often introduce myself as both and sometimes people question whether there is a distinction between the two; the answer is yes. In my opinion, to say I am a freelance travel writer means I create content on behalf of another publication. Usually my stories and photography are paid for and always subject to the approval and changes of the editorial staff at whatever website the article is contributed to.

 

On the other hand, travel blogging means I am a blogger for my own online property where I am essentially editor-in-chief. I have the creative freedom to write what I want, when I want as well as manage the social media promotion. When I approach brands for potential partnerships, I always say I am both a travel blogger and freelance travel writer because this tells them that I can secure editorial coverage on other publications with larger followings (although ultimately up to that editor’s discretion) as well as coverage on The Pin the Map Project, which is more enticing when I am hoping to review a hotel, flight or tour in exchange for editorial coverage.

 

Earning Money from Freelance Writing

Payment for freelance writing varies from publication to publication-some pay $25 per story, others $1000, others $500; some pay their writers immedietly while others will mail a check five months after publishing. The ugly truth is that to land paid writing gigs, you need to have been published on other sites, which means you’ll likely be writing for free right off the bat. When I first started, I wrote for Thought Catalog (for free), Elite Daily (for free), Vagabondish (for free) and other sites that really helped me build my following and portfolio. Eventually, those unpaid stories led me to paying assignments with FOOD & WINE, Matador, The Daily Meal, etc. For tips on pitching editors, check out my guide to Breaking into Travel Writing. In addition to freelance writing assignments, I tend to look to copy editing and ghost writing odd jobs as a means to earn money on the side. To find these, I will check out sites like Elance, ed2010, Indeed and more.

 

Temp Work

Freelance is a renegade world where paychecks can be inconsistent, work can prove sporadic and sometimes the pressure of not having enough money can weigh down on you. Despite best efforts and good intentions, sometimes you need to take up a temp job to pay those pesky student loans and other bills. When I first went freelance, I had felt disheartned when a month later I had to trudge back into an office for a temporary job to help make ends meet; but there is absolutely no shame in hustling for a dream. In a city like New York, I am always coming across artists, photographers, comedians, writers and other creatives who hold a day job, temp job or side job to support their blossoming craft. So, while it is the dream to live solely off your writing and blog-and one day you just might-the fact is that when starting out you may need to lean on temp work to fuel your passion.

 

Brand Partnerships & Sponsorships

The third bucket from where my income comes from is partnerships between brands and The Pin the Map Project. Sometimes these partnerships are paid, sometimes they allow me to host giveaways to increase readership (enter the Tinggly + The Pin the Map Project Travel Giveaway here!) and othertimes they are in exchange for free travel, a hotel stay or tour. In my experience, I secure brand partnerships and sponsorships by either approaching a brand I admire directly, having a brand reach out to me or by searching for relevant opportunities.

 

I recommend creating a page on your blog that outlines how your site and a brand can work together (as an example, here is mine) and the capabilities you can offer. As your website grows, you’ll notice that brands will reach out to you more and more in hopes of working together, securing sponsored content on your site or seeking advertising space. When selecting a brand to work with, just make sure that you are maintaining the integrity of your website by choosing a brand that resonates with your content (for example, I wouldn’t work with an auto brand as this would be left field for a site focused on food and travel). When searching for sponsorship opportunities, there are resources like:

 

• Tomoson that pairs brands with bloggers looking to for paid product reviews and giveaways.
• Blogger Bridge, Blog Meets Brands and Blog on Brands that also connects brands who are looking to work with influencers and bloggers.

 

The Takeaway

To recap: when it comes to my freelance writing and blog, I make a living from a mix of advertising, freelance/temp work and brand partnerships. There are a slew of other creative ways to make money from a blog, such as e-commerce, video channels, affiliate networks and more but these three buckets are how I earn a living. Unfortunately there is no “magic formula” to living off your blog other than hard work, perseverance and patience. Money will come once you grow your blog following and engagement , which does take time but CAN happen!

 

 

It’s your turn! Have you found creative ways to earn money from your blog and writing? Share your comments, thoughts and questions below!