Best Writing Side Hustles & How To Get Started In 2024

Resumes and cover letter writing

Resume and cover letter writing side hustle involves helping job seekers create effective resumes and cover letters that highlight their skills and experience. As a resume writer, you will work with clients to understand their job history and career goals, and craft a compelling narrative that showcases their strengths to potential employers.

* Difficulty Rating: Beginner+

* Average Pay Rates: $50,000 annually (average)

Personal writing services

Personal writing services refer to a range of writing tasks that are typically performed for individuals rather than companies. These tasks can include writing personal emails, creating online dating profiles, and crafting social media posts.

* Difficulty Rating: Beginner+

* Average Pay Rates: N/A

Pitch magazines

Magazine writers write articles for magazines (go figure). It can be a fun writing side hustle if you’re working on a specific topic or area of interest.

The amount you can make with a magazine writer side hustle varies widely depending on the magazine you’re writing for and the length and complexity of the articles you’re writing. Some magazines may pay a flat fee per article, while others may pay by the word or offer a combination of both.

* Difficulty Rating: Intermediate+

* Average Pay Rates: $72,000

Become a transcript writer

If you have a keen eye for detail and the patience to transcribe audio or video files, then transcription might be the best way to make money writing online. This side hustle requires excellent listening and typing skills, attention to detail, and good command of grammar and punctuation. You can find transcription work in various industries, including legal, medical, academic, and media.

* Difficulty Rating: Beginner+

* Average Pay Rates: $33,000 annually (average)

Write speeches

A speech writer is someone who writes speeches for others. This can include politicians, business executives, keynote speakers, and other public figures. In this role, you can expect to work closely with your clients to understand their message and tone. You may also need to do research on the topic and audience to ensure that the speech is effective.

* Difficulty Rating: Intermediate+

* Average Pay Rates: $74,000

Ghostwrite

As far as writing gigs go, a ghostwriter is the least talked about openly – for good reason. Ghostwriters are professional writers who create a piece of content that will be credited to someone else. This could be anything from a LinkedIn post to a New York Times Bestseller.

* Difficulty Rating: Intermediate+

* Average Pay Rates: $60,000 annually (average)

By Tae H