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Question: Can I earn a living blogging?

by Tom Johnson on Sep 30, 2015
categories: blogging

Although you can't earn much direct revenue from blogging, writing a professional blog can be brand you as an expert in a specific field. This can open doors for you professionally.

A reader asks,

Can I earn a living by writing a blog? How do blog writers make money? I’m an English major exploring my options.

There’s almost no money in blogging. I have some ads that I got by asking companies if they wanted to be a sponsor, but ads don’t create much revenue.

Blogging’s real value is in establishing yourself as an expert in a field. This gives you credibility with employers and other professionals. For example, I’m teaching some API workshops that I got mainly through notoriety from my blog.

So first ask yourself who you want to be. Then write 100 posts on that subject. You’ll brand yourself as an expert in that topic, and that will open doors for you.

Technical writing is probably the most lucrative and practical option for English majors. Consider trying to get short on-site contracts in urban hubs where there are a lot of tech companies.

Short contracts are fairly common, though they can be tough because you have to be tech savvy and a quick learner, with little benefit for time or other on boarding.

About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.

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