Last Updated on September 20, 2021 by Profitable Mommy Blogging
Getting Paid Blogging Jobs
Admittedly, I’ve only just come around to the idea of blogging for pay. That’s right; there are people who will professionally pay you to blog. I learned about this some time back, but just decided to try this to start my writing career.
Marshall Kirkpatrick recently wrote an article entitled “How Much Do Top Tier Bloggers and Social Media Consultants Get Paid?” at ReadWriteWeb.com. Kirkpatrick interviewed top tier bloggers and social media consultants about how much money they made. The answers varied, depending on whether the writers were freelance ($10 – $200 per post, averaging at $25), in-house employees (salary range $45-$90K) or consultants, who are a very small portion of this sector but make the big bucks. This is a new, small field, but it is definitely worth it to try to get into if you are interested.
How did I find a job in this field, with no professional writing background?
I put the standard job hunting principles into finding a writing gig. When you are job hunting in any industry, you have to your resume in shape, write a focused cover letter, and spend time every single day looking for work. In a typical market with a reasonable background in the field, it’s possible to land a job in a few months.
It’s the same with blogging.
When you don’t have professional writing credentials, you have to start somewhere. If you have a personal blog, start taking it seriously. Consider removing inflammatory topics like politics or any curse words or raw humor from your blog. Start posting consistently, with fresh content relative to your topic and, more importantly, of key interest to your target audience.
Another good idea is to start writing articles. Often these positions will ask for a writing sample, so it’s best to have a few lined up to address various issues. You can create one that is 500 words or so and thin it down or beef it up for submission requests. Again, target topics that are of interest in the area you want to write about.
Beef up your skill set.
The added skill that will help you get a position blogging is to be familiar with search engine optimization techniques. Take the time and look into good search engine books or courses. There are lots free or cost effective ones out there. Early on, I decided to learn just the basics and do what I can in terms of coding, categorizing, and creating content with plenty of keyword phrases. I wrote an article about some of the basic SEO tips I use on my business site. Use your own blog to practice and your skills will grow.
Now it’s time to work on your resume.
If you’ve written any article or thesis that has been published, or done teaching or speaking, put it on the resume. If you have interest in other types of writing (creative, etc), put it in under “hobbies”. If your education has covered communication, journalism, media, or broadcasting, make that stand out too. Any technical skills will be helpful as well – what have you done on your blog? Are you part of any social networks, like Twitter?
Finally, when applying for a position, put together your email just as you would a cover letter. Do you have a particular niche area where you can promote your prospective employer’s blog? State why you are a good fit for this job, how you would benefit the company, and what special skills you can bring to table.
All blogging gobs are not created equal
Note that when you are hunting for a blogging position, there are several media blog outlets that want you to blog and will post ads as “blog for pay”. These are online systems where you join, blog there, and share some of the revenue for the income made off the advertising on your blog in place of regular pay. I have not yet tried one of these systems yet because I was offered my first paid blogging gig sooner than expected.
Good luck getting starting with a career in professional blogging. Like other writing disciplines, jobs are hard to find and you will have to pay your dues before making regular money. If it is your passion, though, go for it.
