Blogging Vs Freelance Writing: Which Makes More Money?
Last Updated on: 31st December 2022, 10:47 am
There’s a lot of confusion about blogging vs freelance writing.
Yes they share a lot of similarities, but they also have some subtle differences – and if you want to be a (successful) blogger/writer you have to figure out the right path to take.
Both have their pros and cons, and sometimes it’s a struggle to pick which one is right for you.
In this article, I’m going to talk about the differences between blogging vs freelance writing, and help you make that decision.
But first let’s get some basics out of the way.
What Is Blogging?
Blogging is a way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world.
It can be personal, or it can be about a specific topic.
People blog for a variety of reasons – to build their brand, to share their knowledge, to make money, etc.
The great thing about blogging is that you are in control. You decide what you want to write about, how often you write, and who you think your ideal audience is.
You can blog about anything and everything.
Blogging gives you the freedom to be creative, share your knowledge with others, and obviously you can earn some money doing it.
What Is Freelance Writing?
Freelance writing is a little different than blogging.
With freelance writing, you are usually hired by someone or some brand to write specific articles or projects.
The client provides the topic and/or guidelines, and you have to come up with the content within that framework.
You write on assignment and need to meet specific deadlines given to you by your client(s).
Freelance writing can be a great way to make money (probably a little bit easier than starting a blog if you know how to market yourself), but it’s also important to remember that you are working for someone else.
You don’t have as much control over what you write, deadlines aren’t up to you, and the target audience is obviously dependent on who you’re working for.
That said, freelance writing can be a great way to get started in the writing world and build your portfolio.
I’ve done some extensive freelance work over the years and what I really appreciated was the networking and access to brands I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
What Do Bloggers And Freelance Writers Have In Common?
The main thing they have in common is both blogging and freelance writing are about creating content for other people to read.
You’re either blogging on your personal site or providing articles for other people’s sites (and getting paid to do so).
You have to come up with ideas, write the content, edit all of it, and get it published or sent out.
Another thing they both share is blogging and freelance writing require a lot of dedication and work.
You need to put in the time and effort if you want to be successful.
A blog post isn’t going to write itself, nor will a freelance contract magically appear on your desk one day.
It takes work and dedication to build a successful blog or a lucrative freelance writing career.
So regardless of which one you decide to do, be prepared to work hard.
They can both be very rewarding but neither one of these is a get-rich-quick scheme by any stretch of the imagination.
Recap: What do blogging and freelance writing share in common?
- Both involve writing of some sorts
- You need effort, consistency, and dedication to be successful
- You need to be creative
- They are both rewarding in their own ways
- Overnight success is extremely rare
How Do Bloggers Make Money?
There are so many ways you can make money as a blogger.
If you plan on starting your own blog, these are the only ones that matter (in my opinion):
1 - Advertising
Advertising is a very popular way to make money blogging.
With advertising, you can get paid by placing ads on your site from third-party advertisers such as Google AdSense, Mediavine, or Ezoic.
The more traffic you have and the higher the quality of your content, the more money you’ll make with ads.
But you need to run ads with caution because they can be very annoying for your visitors (I’m sure you’ve experienced it).
It also takes time to build up enough traffic before ads pay off.
2 - Affiliate Marketing
This is by far one of the best methods to make money as a blogger.
Affiliate marketing simply means you promote other people’s products or services on your blog and get paid a commission for every sale you make.
It can be a very lucrative business model if done correctly, but it definitely requires some effort and a lot of due diligence for you to get to that point.
You also need a good understanding of what kinds of things your audience is looking for so you can recommend the right products.
It’s all about giving your readers what they want.
3 - Sponsored Posts/Reviews
You can get paid by companies or brands to write sponsored content on your blog.
So you create a piece of content that promotes their product(s)/service(s) and you get compensated in return.
The good thing about sponsored posts is you are in full control of your rates.
They are also great for getting brand exposure but you have to remember that your sponsored posts need to sound natural (as opposed to being overly promotional).
The bottom line is this: if your readers feel like you’re trying too hard to sell them something, they won’t hesitate to leave your site and may never return.
4 - Online Courses
This is how most 6, 7, and 8-figure bloggers earn their income.
Once you’ve built a solid reputation within your niche, you can create a course (or multiple courses) and sell to your audience.
These can be blogging courses, writing courses, photography courses, or just about anything you’re interested in teaching others about.
The important thing you should remember is that courses are meant to educate and help solve a problem for whoever it is you’re marketing to.
It’s one thing to tell someone how to do something but it’s another thing to walk them through the steps they need to take for them to succeed.
But as with all things, being a successful online course creator takes time and effort so this is something you’ll want to work on gradually over time.
How do freelance writers make money?
There’s technically only one way to make money as a freelance writer and that’s by writing or creating content for other businesses or clients.
It ultimately comes down to what kind of service you can provide to someone who’s in need.
This means you need to have good pitching skills and the ability to sell yourself.
As a freelance writer, you’re always marketing your skills and your income is always dependent on the person or people you’re working for.
That’s the main reason why bloggers have a slight advantage over freelance writers because they have more control over their business model and they don’t necessarily need to rely on others to make money.
How can blogging help your freelance writing business?
I believe starting a blog is a great way to generate leads for your freelance writing business.
It’s an excellent way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and provide value to people who are looking for information related to your niche.
It also gives you the opportunity to showcase your writing skills by sharing samples of your work with potential clients.
I admit it’s a lengthier approach but I find it to be an effective strategy for a few reasons:
- It allows you to hone your skills. Practice makes perfect.
- You can use your blog to position yourself as an expert in your niche.
- Nothing wrong with scaling a blog while you grow your freelancing business.
You could always just choose to send out cold emails but in my experience blogging is a good way to build trust when you’re just getting started – as long as you can be patient!
Plus it could be a lot more lucrative in the long run.
So something worth thinking about.
How Can Freelance Writing Help Your Blogging Business?
On the flip side, freelance writing can be a great way to generate extra income for your blogging business.
Like I mentioned in the previous section, it’s always an excellent strategy to diversify your income streams so you’re not relying on a single source.
Here’s the hard truth about blogging – many people struggle to keep their blogs profitable even after years of doing it and 90% of all new bloggers will never achieve any success.
Scary but true.
I’m not saying freelancing is necessarily easier but if you know how to market yourself and your skills, then you can set your own paydays.
So if blogging doesn’t seem like something that will work out well for you long term or if you’re not making any progress then maybe freelance writing might be one way to keep things afloat.
Blogging Vs Freelance writing: The Pros and Cons
Now that you understand what they are, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each one.
Pros and Cons of Blogging
Pros:
- You have complete control over what you write about, when you write it, and who your target audience is.
- The income potential is unlimited (although it’s not always easy).
- Blogging can help you build your brand and establish yourself as an expert in your field.
- It’s a great way to share your knowledge with others and connect with other bloggers and writers.
Cons:
- Blogging is extremely competitive
- It is very time-consuming, so it can be tough if you have other obligations.
- You also need to be comfortable putting yourself out there.
- It can be very lonely.
- You also need to learn how to manage your time wisely.
Pros and Cons of Freelance Writing
Pros:
- It is scalable.
- You’re in control of when you work (although you have to meet deadlines).
- If you’re disciplined then it’s great because you don’t have to rely on anyone but yourself.
- Gives you some flexibility (independence, freedom of clients, work-life balance, etc).
Cons:
- Freelancing is very competitive and there are a lot of other writers out there who want to make money too.
- You also need good pitching/marketing skills because that’s the only way you’re going to land any gigs.
- Can be tough if you don’t have any previous writing experience.
- It also takes time and patience before getting regular work from freelance writing gigs.
- Can be very stressful especially when you’re not landing any opportunities.
As you can tell, both blogging and freelance writing share a lot of similarities.
At the end of the day which one you decide to focus on really depends on your goals, skills, and what you’re comfortable with.
But that leads me to…
Blogging Vs Freelance Writing: Which path is right for you?
My answer is blogging and here are my reasons why:
Aside from the income potential, I believe blogging gives you the most creative freedom.
I find more joy in the ability to build a platform where I can connect with other like-minded folks like yourself.
Building those relationships and connections with people who are interested in what I have to say is a lot more rewarding.
That obviously is my personal opinion and which one you choose ultimately comes down to what you want to achieve.
There’s no wrong answer here.
If you want to build a platform for sharing your ideas, then blogging is the better choice. If you want to write for other people, then freelance writing is the better choice.
There’s always the possibility of doing both.
But start with the option that works best for you at the moment, devote some time to learn and master it, then scale or diversify as your business grows.
Other FAQs About Blogging Vs Freelance writing
In my opinion and personal experience, blogging is the better option.
But there is no definitive answer, it depends on your goals and what you want to achieve.
No, you don’t need a blog to be a freelance writer.
However, blogging can help you build a platform and audience for your work and it’s also a great way to showcase your portfolio and market your skills.
Both blogging and content writing are great ways to build a business online.
It depends on if you want to work for yourself or for clients.
Again, it comes down to your goals and what you want to achieve. You might prefer blogging over freelance writing or vice versa.
Freelance blogging is blogging for other people or writing blog posts for them.
If you are a freelance blogger, your job would be to write content for paying clients.
This can include blogging about their products, their services, the brand, and so on.
The Bottom Line About Blogging vs Freelance Writing
Both blogging and freelancing writing are excellent options in their own ways.
What makes the most sense is finding something that works best for YOU personally and learning all the skills you need to make it a lucrative business or side hustle.
It comes down to your goals and what you want to achieve.
I know that may seem like a technical response but the truth is the final decision is ultimately yours to make.
Hope you found this helpful.
Which do you prefer?
Let me know in the comments section below.
