Last updated on September 13th, 2021
Having additional sources of income will certainly give you more financial security.
Although your job may be comfortable now, there is no guarantee that you will continue to keep your job!
If you enjoy writing, have you considered writing articles and earning money from them as a Singaporean? Here’s what you need to know:
Contents
Can I earn money by writing articles?
You are able to earn money by writing articles that provides value to your readers. If you have an expertise in a certain area, you are able to command a higher price for the articles you write.
There is always a demand for good, informational content. If you have experiences in a certain field, there may be websites that are looking for your expertise!
You can try to look at the things you do on a day-to-day basis. All of these experiences will be valuable to a certain website.
You’ll just need to find one that is looking for writers like yourself!
You can choose to write topics that interest you too
Even if you do not have any experience in a certain topic, you still can write articles on a topic you’re interested in.
This is because you will be motivated to learn everything you can about this specific niche. Once you are given a topic to write, you should not have much trouble trying to find more information about it!
What skills do I need to write articles?
Here are 5 mains skills I believe you should have if you are looking to write a good article:
#1 Write your articles with the reader in mind
You should view each article that you are writing as solving the reader’s problems. Most of these problems usually come in the form of a question, which the reader will type into a search engine like Google.
There are 2 ways you can answer a question for the reader:
- Giving a concise summary of your answer
- Providing an in-depth answer, as well as answer other possible related questions
You should try to aim to do both for each article that you write. You can provide a concise answer at the top of each article to give the reader the answer right away.
However, there are others who want to find out more about the topic. These readers will appreciate a more in-depth answer that explains things in greater detail.
In this way, your article will be able to satisfy both types of readers!
#2 Answer a searcher’s query, rather than getting things off your chest
You may have experience in a certain sector, and you may want to share your experiences with others.
However, the tone you write your articles in is very important. Previously, I wrote my articles by telling people what I think they should do.
You should be writing an article with the aim of answering’s the reader’s query. While you are helping them to solve their problem, you should not be telling them what they should do.
However, you can suggest possible methods to solve their problem at hand.
There is a very subtle difference between these 2 approaches to writing. However, it does make a huge difference in engaging the reader!
#3 Have a conversational tone
For every article that you are writing, you should treat it as a conversation with someone you are having. You may notice that I have included a lot of ‘you’ and ‘I’ in this article.
This makes the article more engaging, as it seems like I am having a conversation with you!
The article has to be written with the reader in mind. If you are just talking about yourself in the entire article, people will just get bored easily and won’t read it till the end.
Most readers will have a ‘what’s in it for me‘ type of attitude when reading articles on your site. If you do not convince the reader that you have the answer they are looking for, they will choose not to read any further.
Articles with a conversational tone help to build rapport with the reader. This is also probably why you’re still reading this article right now!
#4 Keep the language as simple as possible
You may be looking to learn about a certain topic as a beginner. However, all the articles that you’ve read may use extremely complicated terms.
This is why you should write your articles that targets a beginner, so that anyone can understand what you’re trying to say.
Just think about it: there are definitely more beginners than experts in every niche. If you are writing in a way that only an expert understands, you are missing out on a huge audience!
By writing articles that helps a beginner learn more about this particular topic, it will add so much more value.
One way that I try to simplify my articles is by using the Hemingway Editor. This helps me to know if certain sentences are too long, or if there are too many complicated words.
In this way, it highlights to you which sentences may be hard for a reader to understand.
I try to aim for a readability score that is no greater than a 6th grader. This helps to make my articles accessible for anyone, regardless of their education background!
#5 Do good research
To write an article that provides lots of value to the reader, one thing you’ll need to do is to research the topic at hand.
It’s an added bonus if you are passionate about a certain topic, as it’ll motivate you to learn as much as you can about it!
Doing research and linking out to authoritative sites helps to add credibility to your article. This is because readers will have the confidence that you are a subject-matter expert for that topic.
Research can be as easy as:
- Summarising what is already on the web
- Simplifying content to make it easier to understand
However, articles that really provide value to the reader are those with primary research. These are articles where you’ve conducted your own research like surveying companies or people.
People love statistics. If you are the only one that provides data on a certain topic, your article will be much more valuable!
How much do you get paid to write an article?
Most websites will pay you according to how many words or hours you’ve spent on writing an article. You can expect between 2-4 cents per word, or about $8 per hour for every article you write.
The amount that you are paid really depends on the expertise that you can provide. If you have an expert knowledge on a certain topic, you can demand a higher rate for every article that you write!
The more value you provide, the higher the rates that you can charge.
Where can I write articles for money in Singapore?
If you are passionate about certain interests, you can look for certain jobs by posting your CV on freelance sites. This includes sites like:
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Guru
Alternatively, you can directly apply to one of my sites if you are interested in these topics:
Website Name | Niche |
---|---|
Financially Independent Pharmacist | Personal Finance |
SG Unlocked | Anything About Singapore |
Football Handbook | Football |
Dating Beginner | Dating and Relationships |
For any of these sites, you will be paid 2 cents per word for each article. If you have any questions, you can always contact me as well.
Conclusion
Your job can only provide you a certain amount of job security. As such, I would suggest that you find alternative sources of income.
Even if you lose your job, you still will have some sources of income to tide you through your unemployment. You also do not need to tap too much into your emergency funds!
If you have experiences or an interest in a certain topic, you can definitely consider writing articles and earning money at the same time.
Don’t you feel that this is the best of both worlds: writing about your interests and earning money from it?
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Are you passionate about personal finance and want to earn some flexible income?