Writing and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. And make money writing online is a reliable option. With a little creativity and effort, you will be able to make a decent or even substantial income while working from home and looking after your baby. In many ways, it’s easier to work from home after your baby is born rather than go to an office because you get to spend as much time as you need with your child.
The good news is that there are several ways to make money writing as a new mum but it will take some time, effort, and discipline to pull it off. One of the biggest hurdles for new mums who want to earn through writing is that they don’t know how to find writing jobs online.
Best Ways to Make Money Writing Online as a New Mom
1. Use job boards
As a new mom, you will need plenty of flexibility in your writing tasks so that you have enough time to take care of your little one. This is why a job board is a great place for you to start looking for freelance writing gigs. Even if you have no training, you will be able to find ads that don’t require experience and still pay a decent amount for good content.
The huge advantage of job boards is that there’s plenty to choose from and you can apply to numerous projects and make money writing online. ProBlogger is one of the most popular free job boards but it can be competitive. On the other hand, Contena is a paid job board but it has plenty of additional features such as the option to sort by category or niche and will spear you the effort of searching on several job boards. Another huge advantage of using this job board is that you can set the criteria (such as category or rate) for alerts to come to your inbox daily.
2. Contact Websites That Pay for Articles
Writing articles for websites is a great option if you’re completely new to this world and don’t even have your own blog. There are plenty of websites that pay well for quality content, even if you don’t have experience in that field.
These sites generally fall into one of 2 categories – sites that pay on a revenue-sharing basis and sites that pay upfront. Revenue sharing seems lucrative where you get paid for every view or ad click from your article, but this often amounts to a very small fee. On the other hand, websites that remunerate up front are typically reputable sites that pay a fixed fee, so you don’t have to wait for months for your article to generate income.
WOW! is a good place to start as it is a global magazine that supports and offers opportunities to budding female freelance writers. On average, they pay $50 – $75 per article but in-depth pieces with a higher word count and extensive research can get you as much as $150.
3. Scout for Paid Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is still typically unpaid as writers trade their content for the added exposure. However, there are still plenty of paid blogs that offer fair rates for quality content. If you’re just starting out, you might find it difficult to find ways to get paid to blog.
The first step is to create your own blog – it’s a pretty simple process. You can then approach paid blogs that offer content in areas where you have expertise or interest. For example, as a new mom, you might be interested in learning more and sharing info on motherhood and parenting. If that’s the case, you can opt for family blogs that pay for guest posts.
Blogs such as Alaska Parent pay anywhere from $40 to $200 per article depending on the length and complexity of the piece. Before you pitch your blog idea, check if the blog offers an author page/byline as this will help to increase your exposure.
Source: Youtube
4. Pitch Directly to Potential Clients
Sometimes the simplest methods offer surprisingly good results! There’s a lot of mixed opinions about pitching directly to potential clients as some writers have had positive results while others have been discouraged by the lack of response.
Pitching directly to clients is known as cold pitching and it is undoubtedly easy and fast. All you have to do is send out an email inquiring if the client has any content requirements and why you are suitable for the job. Don’t expect your inbox to be flooded with responses but if you create an effective pitch, you’re likely to land at least a couple of new clients.
Ideally, a cold pitch should contain the company’s name as this is more likely to grab the attention of the person who receives your mail. You should also state the purpose of your pitch in a concise manner and then introduce yourself and outline how you can help. If you have experience or extensive knowledge in a particular field, look for websites that focus on those areas as they will value your expertise and are more likely to respond. You can also pitch to consumer magazines as many of these publications pay pretty well for articles.
5. Create Sponsored Content
For those who have been blogging for a while and have a strong online presence, sponsored blogs are a good way to go and make money writing online. Sponsored content is written in the same style and tone and the only difference is that a brand has paid to have it produced.
When creating your content, keep in mind that you need to respect your community and maintain the integrity of your brand while simultaneously pleasing the client. You can pitch to brands for sponsored content along with a media kit with the statistics of your blog and all your social media accounts. If you have a substantial audience, you can get as much as $250 for a dedicated sponsored blog post and approximately $300 if you include social shares. Many “mommy bloggers” have turned their blogging into a full-time job as it allows them to follow a flexible schedule and spend more time with their families.
6. Create Your Own Blog (Use Affiliate Marketing)
Even if you’re a new mum with no experience in writing, you can start your own blog and use it to generate income.
However, before you consider this option, keep in mind that it can take months or even years of hard work and consistent effort before you start to make money writing online and earn a decent amount from your blog. Furthermore, even after you’ve built a strong platform with hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors, you will need to continue to add new content or your blog will eventually die off.
When starting your blog, figure out your niche first and then select a platform – a self-hosted WordPress installation on a custom domain would be eventually your best bet. Make sure to install Google Analytics and use Google’s webmaster tools to help you track and improve your efforts.
You can then monetize your blog through various methods such as sponsored content, ads and affiliate marketing – either through private partnerships or through ad networks such as Amazon Associates.
Source: Youtube
Tips for Balancing Motherhood with Freelance Writing
1. Create your own working space
You don’t need to create a fancy home office in order to work from home, all you need to do is create your own working space. This will help to minimize distractions and will put you in the right mind setup to get your work done. Make sure that your table is free of clutter and keep your baby monitor nearby so that you are not tempted to check on your sleeping infant every five minutes.
Source: BizStyledStock
2. Advance with baby steps
Don’t try to take on too much work from the start, instead opt for smaller writing gigs even if they don’t pay as much. This will give you the chance to slowly adjust to your new routine so that you don’t feel like you’re rushing through your day. You can always take on more work once you are comfortable with your daily schedule and you’re sure you can handle the additional workload.
3. Create a daily schedule
It’s not easy to create a daily schedule when you have a baby, but it’s not impossible. You don’t have to follow a rigid schedule, but you can create a flexible one that allows you to maximize the time you have while your baby is sleeping.
New-born babies and infants sleep for approximately 8 hours during the day but that does not mean you will be able to work for 8 hours. Your baby will probably keep you up at night which means that you will need at least a couple of power naps during the day to meet your sleep requirements. Create a daily schedule of your regular household tasks and then figure out the best time slots for you to spend on writing.
Writing requires time, focus and quiet which is not easy to come by when you’re a new mom.
According to the experts at What To Expect, an additional caregiver such as a babysitter or family member will allow you to enjoy an uninterrupted block of quiet, focused time so that you can concentrate on writing and finally make money writing.
Invited Guest Writer
Anita Fernandes has been writing extensively on health and wellness for over a decade. She has expertise in nutrition, fitness, public health, and weight loss and has contributed content to a variety of leading digital health publishers. Anita has a unique perspective on healthy living and lifestyle, as she has battled and overcome eating disorders and obesity. She shares her experiences to help others overcome physical and mental health problems that can sometimes seem insurmountable.
