Journalists are in the business of telling stories; but what if you could make extra money by doing something else? Or even utilize their talents to make money on their own time.
There are plenty of side hustles for journalists that are both fun and lucrative.
In this article I am going to go over six different side hustles that are perfect for journalists or side hustles for writers in general!
- Freelance Writing
- Blogging
- Teaching Journalism Skills
- Photography
- Public Speaking
- Social Media Marketing
- Copywriting
- Writing a book
- Affiliate marketing
- Transcriptionist
- Youtube Channel
Freelance Writing
Freelancing as a journalist is one of the most traditional side hustles for journalists. Working freelance can be a great way to make some extra money on top of your day job. If you are talented, it may also lead to bigger things down the line.
You already know how to write, why not take your schedule into your own hands and do it from home by freelance writing.
What are some websites you can do freelance writing with:
- Demand Media
- Hire Writers
- Upwork
- Fiverr
Demand Media
Demand Media is a website where writers are hired to write articles for them. You will be compensated depending on the length, complexity and research required for each article you complete.
Hire Writers
Hire Writers is a website where you can find freelance writing jobs. The company argues that they offer the best compensation and work-life balance in the industry, with rates starting at $25 per article depending on various factors.
Upwork
Working on Upwork allows you to work with clients around the world. You can also choose which type of job you’d like and set your own rates. Start your rates low for your writing gig and then make them higher as you complete more projects.
Fiverr
Working for Fiverr is similar to Upwork. You create a listing, set your rates and then wait for clients to contact you with the jobs they would like completed.
Using all of these websites together can make it easier to find writing jobs and increase your pay.
Teaching Journalism Skills
As a journalist, you are constantly reading and writing.
You need to be able to write quickly in the fast-paced newsroom environment.
The best way for journalists to hone their skills is by teaching journalism courses online or at universities as adjunct professors (adjunct meaning they teach on top of their regular jobs).
This side hustle not only allows you to make money but also give back to your profession by sharing mentorship with students.
Udemy
Using Udemy you can create your own course on any topic you are an expert in.
Course fee for each class varies depending to the length of the lesson and how much content is included.
After creating your course, Udemy will publish it online so anyone can take it!
If you’re a journalist and think you can create an effective course for people trying to learn journalism, Udemy may be a great way to make money off of this.
Photography
If you want to do something other than writing , photography is a great option!
Photography allows you to showcase your skills and help people who are looking for the perfect photographer to create memories.
This can take you away from the long grind of writing and even help create relationships that you’d never thought you can have.
How To Get Photography Gigs
If you want to be a freelance photographer, it’s important that you know how to find work.
There are plenty of ways to find photography jobs such as looking at company websites or asking those who have hired photographers in the past for more options.
You can also use social media sites like Instagram and Facebook and showcase your past work.
You can use local selling sites like craigslist and sell your services on there, just be careful, some people on craigslist are sketchy!
Choose a niche, whether its targeting models or taking pictures for local restaurants and stay within that niche. Once you dominate one niche then look to branch out.
Public Speaking
Chances are if you’re a good writer your skills can transfer into other areas like public speaking.
To get started, you’ll need to find a topic that excites you and research it thoroughly so everything is accurate.
Then come up with some short points about the subject matter that are easy for people to remember but also have depth to them.
Eventually if you get good enough you can get paid good money to speak at conferences.
How To Start Public Speaking
To start public speaking you need to start for free, unless you already have a large social media following, then usually you can leverage that for money right off the bat.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing can range from a bunch of different things.
You can do it professionally or on the side.
The advantage of social media marketing is that you don’t need a ton of capital to get started.
All you really need are some tips, tricks, and best practices when it comes to running a successful campaign.
What are different types of social media marketing:
- Instagram Marketing
- Facebook Marketing
- Youtube Marketing
Instagram Marketing
Instagram Marketing can range from just doing posts for local businesses or getting followers for influencers or even music artists trying to grow their brand.
This can be done using white hate growth strategies or by the use of Instagram Ads.
Facebook Marketing
Facebook marketing is very similar, you have the option of growing business pages either organically or using paid ads. Facebook has really cracked down on organic reach so you’re going to have to really put in the effort to get things going that way.
If you can learn the ins and outs of Facebook Marketing local restaurants can really benefit from it.
Youtube Marketing
You can create marketing videos for businesses and really help them spread awareness. You can upload them to youtube and then use paid ads on the video.
Copywriting
If you have an eye for written content, this could be a side hustle that might really help.
Copywriting is the art of writing succinct and persuasive messages to advertise products or services, with copywriters typically focused on advertising as opposed to marketing more generally. Copywriters can use many different types of media including press releases, radio scripts, brochures, newsletters and scripts.
You can use Upwork and Fiverr to advertise yourself as a copywriter and get gigs.
Copywriters are very valuable, they can charge as much as $50 per hour but the most experienced copywriters, who have major clients hiring them regularly can charge up to $200 per hour.
How is copywriting as a side hustle?
Copywriting could be a good side hustle because it doesn’t really take that much time. Writing long form blog posts could take a little bit, but when it comes to copywriting you have to be good at getting people to buy or click. So once you get it down to a science copywriting could be a great way to make extra money on the side.
Writing A Book
Writing a book, especially if you’re knowledgeable about a topic, is an excellent side hustle. But don’t go it alone – you’ll want the help of an agent or publisher.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re writing your book is how much time and effort will be spent on promoting and marketing it post-release, which can eat into profits substantially.
The best thing is to plan ahead as much as you can to get traction going by word of mouth to limit the amount of marketing you’ll need to do.
Affiliate Marketing
Getting people interested in buying products can be an easy task for a writer who’s persuasive and has a large social media following.
In affiliate marketing, you promote and sell different products in exchange for commissions on the sales – so it’s important to be able to make good money from a commission.
You can start your own blog that is fully committed to affiliate marketing, just make sure to do thorough research on your niche and know that it’s going to take plenty of work before you ever get significant income. The wait is definitely worth it.
Transcriptionist
Transcribers take videos, interviews, or other spoken material and types it out on a computer. This is perfect for journalists who have excellent listening skills and are able to type fast because transcribing often entails hours of work at time.
You can find transcription work on sites like Upwork, Hubstaff Talent, Freelancer.com, just to name a few.
Start a Youtube Channel
Youtube is a great place for journalists to connect with an audience. You can upload videos that are informative, inspirational, or even just funny and engaging. It’s important not only to start uploading regularly but also to make sure you have compelling titles so your audiences know what they will be getting when they click on the video.
All these side hustles are great for journalists, but because of the unpredictable schedule some journalists have, they have to really choose what’s best for them and maybe even learn to outsource to keep some these side hustles going effectively.
If you’re a journalist and have different side hustles other than these, let us know in the comments what they are.
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