Being a writer can very easily lead you into the path of entrepreneurship if you take your craft seriously. The beauty about writing is that you can take writing jobs as a side hustle and make extra cash or work at it full time. So if you have great writing skills and wish to make money off them, here are some ideas that could be perfect for you.
1. FREELANCE BLOGGER
Do you have a laptop? Fast internet? Dedication? And a love
for writing? Then you’re all set to make money as a freelance blogger. There
are numerous blogs out there that require services from freelance contributors
at a fee. You can start off by signing up on freelance platforms like
upwork.com, guru.com, and freelancerkenya.com.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Most small businesses have warmed up to social media because
it’s free and an effective marketing strategy to reach clients. However, not
all business owners are familiar with the management of different social media
platforms so opportunities for social media managers are limitless. If you are
a creative soul and can write short intriguing posts with a bit of graphic
design skills, you can as well make money off it.
3. SHORT STORIES WRITER
Everyone loves reading a good story whether it’s fiction or
a journal of real-life experiences. My personal favorites are Mwalimu Andrew
and Lizzy’s World on Daily Nation. If you have been writing stories and
probably just stashing them away in your drawer, it might be time to consider
fine-tuning and making extra cash out of it. Start off by pitching your content
to local dailies and magazines and you might just be the next favorite
columnist.
4. MARKETING CONSULTANT
Marketing is a major part of every business. Even the
smallest businesses have basic marketing strategies which makes consultancy in
marketing a viable business idea. You have to be extremely creative though and
be in touch with what customers/clients want to see or hear. With skills in
creating catchy content for different communication channels and ads for
marketing campaigns, you are good to go.
5. TRANSLATOR
Are you fluent in one or two international languages? If
not, you could consider learning an extra language especially if you are quick
at picking up new languages. Translating documents is an expensive business and
you can make on average Ksh. 30, 000 per page depending on the document type
and target language. It’s certainly an opportunity you should consider.
6. AFFILIATE MARKETER
Affiliate marketing is one of the latest e-commerce trends
and a quick way to make extra cash. If you have your own blog, affiliate
marketing is something you should consider. All you need to do is add affiliate
links within an article or anywhere in your blog and you can earn a commission
once a customer is referred to an e-commerce website through your blog and they
make a purchase.
7. RESEARCHER
Are you passionate about market research, surveys and
analysis? As part of their growth strategies, most organizations conduct market
research so as to know how exactly their products/services are doing in the
market and which areas to improve on. With great research and writing skills
especially in writing surveys, drafting questionnaires, gathering data and
writing reports this is an opportunity you can tap into.
8. SONGWRITER
Songwriting is a lucrative industry that pays quite well
especially if you breakthrough. The opportunities for songwriting are not
limited to writing for established singers, you can also write songs for
adverts, T.V shows, and movies. Songwriters make money from royalties based on
how well a song does.
9. TEACH
Have you been writing for a while now? Do you have a number
of published articles? Or you probably have authored a book or two. There are
quite a number of upcoming writers out there seeking for opportunities to grow
in their skills and you could be that inspiration for them. You can consider
offering themed workshops on writing at a fee.
10. GRANT WRITER
Are you passionate about humanitarian work and social
entrepreneurship? Many NGO’s and social enterprises are always looking out for
funding through grants and proposals. If this is your area of interest, grant
writing is a field you can consider.
11. SCRIPTWRITER
Since the Communications Authority enforced the 40% rule on
local content by all local T.V stations, the demand for scriptwriting has also
increased. With a background in film production, a passion for creating content, and some connections in the film industry, you can try your hand at scriptwriting. This is not just limited to local TV programs but also plays.
12. SPEECHWRITER
Speech writing is a lucrative business especially if you
break through to writing speeches for top corporate gurus and politicians. You
can start small by writing speeches for your local politicians and your close
friends in the corporate world then grow from there.
13. GHOSTWRITER
With ghostwriting, writers are hired to produce content but
the credit goes to the person who hired them. Most of the content produced by
ghostwriters are autobiographies, memoirs, magazine articles, and scripts.
14. BUSINESS PLAN WRITER
There are quite a number of people out there with great
business ideas but they need help putting their ideas into a working plan as
their first step in implementing their ideas into action. If you have the
skills, you can help such entrepreneurs draft a business plan at a fee.
15. E-BOOK WRITER
If you are an expert at something or if there are topics you
have wide experience and knowledge in, you can create an e-book on the topic
and sell it online on platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publish, Lulu, and
Blurb.