It feels stupid to write this.
Because it might come along as bragging. But it’s not.
Yes, I make 6-figures with my writing.
But the only freakin’ reason why I’m saying this is to show you what’s possible.
The biggest difference between 6-figure writers and writers who are broke is nothing else than their mindset.
Sounds cheesy, I know.
And if you feel this article is going to suck, click away and stay broke.
But if you want to know how 6-figure writers think, here you go…
They do this every day
Guess what they do every day? They damn write.
They don’t do this because they’re special unicorns. It’s a simple decision they make. They treat their writing like a business, not a hobby. And that’s why they make 6-figures.
Hobbyist writers think of writing as something they do for fun:
They do it when they feel inspired.
When the mood strikes.
When the stars align.
The problem with this mindset is it’s wishy-washy and weak. Anyone who runs a business knows you can’t do something only when you feel like it.
You’ll never build a loyal audience.
You’ll never get results.
You’ll never make $.
If you don’t publish daily yet, that’s the first thing to work on.
Stop sacralizing your writing
Humans are selfish jerks. (Yes, me included.)
Most writers ignore that. They think their writing is special.
Newsflash: It’s not.
People don’t give a damn about you. Profitable writing is about the reader. Never about you.
Profitable writing solves a problem. It takes the reader from point A to point B. It helps them with a challenge they’re facing.
When your writing solves a problem, it becomes more valuable. People are willing to pay for solutions. They’ll never pay for entertainment because there’s enough free entertainment online to keep everyone busy for a lifetime.
You’re not a writer.
You’re an entrepreneur.
You’re a problem solver.
You only use writing as a way to solve a problem.
Got it?
They don’t mind doing this
I cringe when I see writers say, “I don’t like to sell.”
Okay, then you’ll need to make a choice. Learn how to sell, or keep staying broke.
You can’t make money from your writing unless you sell something. (More on that later.)
And yet writers are taught to cringe and feel guilty about the word “selling.” LOL.
The connotation of selling is all wrong. Most people think of a used car salesman. But all it means is to help someone solve a problem.
That’s it.
If you can solve a problem, people will pay. No need to be pushy.
6-figure writers don’t mind selling because they know it’s a service to other people.
Stop charging 30 cents a word (or begging for a coffee)
6-figure writers don’t make money with writing. They use writing as a form to build and engage with their audience.
Then, they sell other stuff on the backend like:
Consulting
Online courses
1:1 (or group) coaching
Because of this, they can charge more money for their services.
Instead of 30 cents a word or $100 for a 1,000-word article, they can charge $2,000 for a 1-hour coaching call or $5,000 for a 12-week cohort.
When you create an ecosystem out of your writing, it suddenly becomes profitable.
Here’s another thing they do differently
Six-figure writers build an email list so they can sell their stuff.
Most writers think this is a dirty marketing tactic. It feels so transactional. They’d prefer to build a social media audience and make money from ads.
The problem with 99% of platforms out there is that you don’t own the audience. The platform can shut you down at any time, and then you’re screwed.
Substack is different. It’s built on the same principle: owning your audience.
When you own your audience, you can email your list and sell whatever you want. You have the power.
And it’s not sleazy. If you write great emails and offer great products and services to your audience, they’ll be happy to buy from you.
When you own your email list, you never have to pay for ads or beg social media platforms to promote your stuff.
Email lists are money-printing machines, yet most writers ignore them.
They’re not lazy on this
Most of you ignore your email list after building it.
Then you wonder why your email list ain’t engaging with your content.
Ding ding ding.
Six-figure writers email their list at least once a week. They know it’s the best way to build a community and monetize an audience.
They don’t overthink email. They write a draft, edit it, and send it. They write at least a weekly newsletter to stay in touch with their readers so they don’t forget them.
Now you might be coming up with an excuse and saying, “But my list is too small.”
Who cares?
Maybe the 15 people who signed up want to buy something from you. Don’t ghost them. Start sending emails today.
This is great practical advice for writers. Most people focus on finding the "perfect" platform, selling their time for pennies, or distributing their content everywhere, waiting to be noticed. Instead, they should focus on creating and promoting a back-end offer shamelessly.
I love that straightforward and solid advice, Matt.
This commentary is new information for me. The pivot is not to write for writing's sake, but as a vehicle towards building connections that would later lead to conversions. If that is the case, as you've said in other writings, it's a numbers game. It's not the perfect article, it's the hundreds (if not thousands) of articles that hit the mark albeit in their own imperfect ways.