So you want to become an online writer? Well, trust us: If you hone your skills and become really good, this may turn out to be your best decision ever.
And I’m dead serious.
Reason?
You can earn huge sums of money in a month- in fact; believe
it or not, some veteran online writers take home more than senior bank managers
in Kenya!
You might be wondering: Kwani exactly how
much do online writers make in Kenya?
Well, keep reading for answers and some tips to help you get
started…
How much do online writers make in Kenya?
In general, online writers make between shs.20000 (writers
who work part-time) to over kshs.100000 (mostly those who write full-time) in
Kenya, on average.
Before we proceed, you need to know that there are two
categories of paid online writing jobs for Kenya writers- academic writing jobs
and article writing.
The pay for academic writing jobs in Kenya is roughly
between kshs.200 to shs.400 per page working for account owners while the pay
for online article writers in Kenya starts at Kshs.500 for 1000 words (lowest)
and can rise to roughly Kshs.2000 for 1000 words.
Note that these rates are when you’re writing for
intermediaries- people who own either academic or article writing accounts in
Kenya (with international writing companies) or website owners (for article
writing).
In other words, you’re likely to make more money if you are
working for clients directly-we fondly can such employers DCs (Direct Client)
or when you own an account yourself.
So: precisely how much do online writers
make in Kenya if they run accounts with online writing jobs sites?
In a word, much more than the figures we have quoted above.
Indeed, many highly experienced online writers in Kenya make
well over kshs.100000 every month consistently writing articles or from academic
writing accounts such as Uvocorp writing account.
The good news is that most beginners successfully transition
to account owners after gaining enough experience and so can you- and double or
trip your money.
Now, forget online writing accounts for a moment…..There is
another option that pays probably the best money- blogging.
Since I don’t want to leave you hanging, I will explain what blogging is and how much you can make as a blogger in Kenya next.
What is blogging?
Blogging simply refers to writing content that you
self-publish online in your website.
Here you create your own website (this is not difficult as
people often think) and load it with articles about a topic/niche that you have
selected.
You keep uploading articles until you start attracting an
adequate number of visitors, say 100 people per day.
You then monetize the website through showing Ads from
Google, promoting products from big companies like Amazon (for a commission),
or selling your own digital products (eBooks, courses, etc.)
To be clear, there are other ways of making money from
blogging including selling advertising space to companies.
As mentioned, this is one of the best-paying online writing
jobs in Kenya (see the actual figures below).
How much does online writing pay when you blog?
Friend, you can earn the same amount the Kenya president
earns (Google how much he is paid). And I’m not kidding!
Even if you don’t reach those dizzying heights, skilled
bloggers earn several hundred thousand shillings monthly especially when their
websites are in a lucrative niche such as finance or real estate.
How to learn online writing
You can teach yourself by Googling and
watching YouTube Videos and tutorials covering various examples of online
writing.
An easier way of learning when you want to save time is joining an online writing course.
How to be a good online writer
There is only one secret: write every day. Even if it means
assigning yourself a new topic and writing about it, do it.
You can have your mentor read it and make comments.
That said, many Kenyans start by taking a course about
online writing jobs from home either online or by attending face-to-face
training.
Benefits of online writing in Kenya (freelance writing)
In addition to the excellent income, there are other
benefits of freelance jobs in Kenya:
- Freedom- you
work when you want. There’s no fixed 8.00am-5.00pm schedule like office
jobs. Here you work the time that is most convenient for you (early
morning, at night, daytime, etc.).
- Passive
income- if you move to blogging, your site will be paying you
even when you’re asleep. How sweet can that be? Imagine finding that Jumia
or Amazon has credited Kshs.50000 to your account every end month even
when you have not touched the website for a whole month? And they’ll still
pay you next month. And the month after…And after.
- You
learn a lot– at some point, you’ll be like a walking Google! Since
you’re writing on different topics every day, you become super
knowledgeable over time.
Disadvantages of online writing
On the downside:
- Loneliness–
you can become a loner and lose your social network particularly if you
work from home.
- Risk
of burnout– some writers work without taking breaks and end up
suffering terrible exhaustion. As a result, you may be unable to write for
days (which means lost income).
- Sometimes
you may not earn– unless you have your own website bringing in money
every day, you don’t earn anything on the days you don’t write. In
addition, not many academic writing jobs are available when schools and
colleges are closed in the US and Europe (a majority of the academic
writers rely on these markets).
How much do online writers make in Kenya – frequently
asked questions (FAQs)
Which companies offer online writing jobs in Kenya?
There is tons of academic writing companies and article
writing sites in Kenya that hire….
From falcon writers, guru.com, kuhustle writing jobs,
Upwork, PayPerHour, to Fiverr, there is no shortage of places to look for
writing jobs.
What are the requirements for online writing?
The only key requirement is that you must have at least a
fair grasp of English grammar (spoken and written).
It’s a plus if you enjoy reading and you’re a good
researcher.
In terms of equipment, a laptop (or desktop computer) is necessary and of course, you need to have access to a reliable internet service.
Final thoughts
These are, of course, just estimates though they’re not far
off since I’m myself an online writer.
Most importantly, they have given you an idea about how much
you can make as an online writer in Kenya.
I must, however, say that online writing is not a get-quick-rich
scheme.
It takes proper skills, enough effort, and maximum
dedication to make money from online writing freelance jobs in Kenya.
To put it simply, you may not succeed if you join the
industry thinking only about the money- first, you must work on your skills and
try your best to be great at it.
Plus, it is important to remain patient as growth is
gradual.