How to Find the Most Successful Writing Strategies?

I’ve been writing online for four years.

My first blog turned out to be a complete money pit, and despite dedicating 100% of my time to publishing posts daily, I walked away from it feeling foolish and defeated.

I wasn’t ever going to write online again, but there was this little voice inside me that kept whispering, ‘Give it another go’.

I was reluctant to splash out on expensive website hosting and elaborate themes. Partly because back then, I was so broke that paying $240 a year for a hosting package was a stretch too far for me.

So, I went down a different route.

Trying to double my income from writing with a $0 investment was a ridiculous idea, especially since the gurus say that you need to invest to make money. But it wasn’t until I gave it a go and published my first ten articles on a free site that a parade of fireworks went off inside my head.

Not only do I finally understand why my first blog – the one I nurtured like a newborn baby, tended to every day, and did everything in my power to help it grow – suffered a completely avoidable and unnecessary premature death, BUT why moving forward, did my second blog took on an unexpected growth and my fortune expanded rapidly.

If you’re a writer who is not particularly interested in stats and analytics, but at the same time gets frustrated by the lack of progress, then this next part is for you.

I’d known for a long time that writing was the profession I wanted to earn a living from. What I failed to realize, was just how hard it would be to turn it into a full-time income.

After attempting my rather ambitious plans to earn a living writing about topics that interest me, I found myself hitting one brick wall after another.

There I was, stuck between my burning desire to make it as a writer and an empty bank account begging me to feed it like an abandoned puppy.

I looked high and low to see why certain writers earn the lifestyle most of us don’t even dare dream about while others, equally talented (often even more talented), are barely scraping by.

After studying hundreds of bloggers, both successful and those that barely cross the $100/month mark, I finally discovered the secret.

I found a formula that all successful writers who turned their passion for writing into a reliable income seemed to follow religiously.

The Content Strategy That Will Help You Earn a Living from Writing

I’ve built three successful blogs in the last two and a half years and many more for my clients using the content strategy below.

You can apply this regardless of the topic or niche you want to write about.

You can also adjust it to suit your needs, depending on how often you publish. There is no need to churn out content every day to see great results as long as you follow this simple formula.

Use This Content Strategy to Get Ahead of 99.99% of Writers Online

1. Educational content – Over 64% of people out of 5.44 billion went online last year to find information. It doesn’t matter what topic you write about, step-by-step instructions/ detailed guides on how to do something related to your niche are the ones that can help you get established faster and will draw more eyeballs to your content.

Pick a topic you want to write about and perform a quick Google Trends search to see how many people search the internet, and look to find more information about the same subject. This simple tip can help you come up with related search terms that will attract even more readers.

2. Personal Stories and Journeys: These can be either case studies or behind-the-scenes: Sharing your personal story will show your human self to the world. Human stories are invaluable nowadays, especially since it’s so hard to find relatable content because most companies use AI to generate their articles. Writing personal stories can not only make your writing more enjoyable but will also help you reflect on your journey. Your readers will enjoy getting to know you. Don’t be afraid to share your own success stories or failures and what you learned. Give your readers a glimpse into your daily life or the process behind your blog.

3. Listicles: Listicles became popular a few years ago for a good reason. They are short and easily digestible posts that give your readers exactly what they are looking for without having to cut through too much fluff. If you get stuck, try some of my top two:

Top X Lists: Lists of top tools, tips, resources, or places.

Best of Year: Roundups of the best products, services, or trends of the year.

Avoid the temptation to conjure these up using GPT. Put your own spin on them. That’s the reason why people will follow you.

4. Interview: Back in the day, when I first started writing online, I found it hard to get published in publications like Success Magazine or Business Insider.

Back then, I didn’t know that writing about someone more established in my field could add a few $$$ to my bank account. If you plan to add this income stream to your portfolio, you can earn anything from $250 to $$$$ writing this kind of content. Pick one of these options:

Industry Experts: Interview experts in your field to provide valuable insights.

Reader Features: Spotlight stories from your readers.

5. Reviews and Comparisons – Writing in-depth reviews or comparing different products using affiliate links can help you earn some extra cash. These can be either:

Product Reviews: Provide honest reviews of products or services related to your niche.

Comparative Reviews: Compare similar products or services to help your readers make informed decisions

You can learn more about affiliate marketing from my book here.

6. Current Trends and News: Writing about trending topics in your chosen field can not only accelerate your growth as a writer but could help you go viral, too.

Choose from either of these.

Trending Topics: Write about current trends in your niche. You can check Google Trends for Trending Now data to help you with this.

News Commentary: Provide your opinion on recent news or events.

If you write about trending topics, you might want to consider selling your short stories directly to magazines or the general press, like newspapers.

You could also try writing for NewsBeak if you live in the US or Canada (or if you can get your hands on a US phone number to verify your account).

Over to You!

So there you have it. The simple content strategy I use that has been helping me earn six figures from my writing every year.

Do you have a content strategy you follow?