Write a Few Words on Social Media and Get Paid $6,000 a Day
By Sandy Franks

When I saw the photo she posted on Facebook, I tried not to giggle. I knew my sister was giving it her best attempt.

She was participating in Throwback Thursday.

If you’re not familiar, Throwback Thursday is a popular internet trend among social media users on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Users post nostalgic photos of themselves from a different era in their lives with [hashtag] TBT. In this instance, the photo my sister posted was of her and her husband taken right around the holidays almost 17 years ago.

Now, one of the reasons I found her post amusing was the image she posted on Facebook was a picture of a picture. In other words, she had taken a photo of an old Polaroid. And because the Polaroid itself was so old, the image was blurred and most all of the colors were faded.

And in addition to the bad quality, the photo she had taken was off-center; so most of the right side of the Polaroid was cut off. You could see more of the white rim of the Polaroid than the actual image itself.

But there’s another reason I found her Throwback Thursday post so amusing, and in just a minute, I’ll tell you why.

For now, Dear Copywriter, let’s talk about social media and the huge financial impact it could have your copywriting career.

The thing with social media trends is they are continually evolving, changing, and adapting as more and more people go online. And these days, more and more people are turning to social media.

Recent stats show that there are 3.196 billion global social media users. With that many social media users, it’s no wonder that almost 70% of marketers say they need to increase the amount of money they spend on social media activities.

Of all the social media platforms available, Pew Research found that Facebook and YouTube dominate the landscape.

Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) report that they are Facebook users, and roughly three-quarters of those users access Facebook on a daily basis. With the exception of those 65 and older, a majority of Americans across a wide range of demographic groups now use Facebook.

For younger Americans, those around ages 18-24, social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, are their favorite platforms.

All these numbers point to one thing: Social media isn’t going away. And for you, Dear Copywriter, this means now is the best time to become a social media expert.

Because when it comes to social media copywriting jobs, there is no such thing as “one size fits all.” In other words, the ways you could make money as a social media copywriter are endless.

Like the kind of social media copywriting projects Laura Belgray gets paid to do. Laura is an expert at coming up with inspirational quotes.

We see them all over social media. Most are quotes by famous people we all know and recognize, but there’s a heck of a lot more quotes that aren’t attributed to a celebrity or notable figure in history.

A lot of professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, use inspirational quotes to attract a client’s attention. And they want quotes that reflect their business philosophy.

So they hire writers like Laura to create a series of inspirational quotes they can use on their social media sites.

And they pay well too. Laura’s client pays her up to $6,000 a day to write a few lines of quotes.

How did Laura land such a dream gig? She never advertised writing inspirational quotes as part of her writing services. It happened by chance.

A client she was working with loved the original quotes Laura had on her own Instagram feed and asked if she’d be willing to write a few for her business.

Laura said yes as long as she got paid her regular writing rate of $950 an hour, which racks up to $6,000 per day.

The client, who is a psychologist and life coach agreed and the two got started creating new quotes. Her process for creating new quotes is fairly simple and straightforward.

First, the client creates a list of ideas she wants to post.

Then Laura starts brainstorming new lines that fit with her clients’ original list of ideas. She sends the lines to her client who picks out the ones she likes best.

Then the client posts them on Instagram. Here are a few examples of lines her client submitted and the quotes Laura created:

The client’s original idea: When you make your eating or exercise routine carry the burden of your self-esteem, it’s going to buckle.
Laura’s quote: If your self-worth is the number on the scale, it’s going to go up and down every day.

The client’s original idea: Any time your joy is dependent on someone else, you are going to be disappointed.
Laura’s quote: If you depend on someone else for your joy, depend on being disappointed.

The client’s original idea: Guess where you are NOT going to find your passion … endless introspection.
Laura’s quote: Trying to find your passion by thinking is like trying to bake cookies in your freezer.

Here’s the thing to keep in mind about social media. With more and more businesses and entrepreneurs using social media platforms to reinforce their brands, they need writers.

And that, Dear Copywriter, is something you are more than qualified to do.

How do you get started as a social media writer? Laura shares three tips for writing copy and content for other people and brands.

Get Started Tip #1: Don’t wait for permission

One of the great things about writing online is that if you can write, you can start doing so professionally — without permission, funding, a book deal, a green light from a studio, or working your way up a corporate ladder.

In the highly structured Mad Men world of advertising, it takes years of success to accumulate a portfolio of good TV or print ads, but as a freelance online writer, you can create your own work at your own speed.

Get Started Tip #2: Showcase your talent

There are plenty of free, no-permission-required ways to show off your writing skills.

• Write and publish your own stories and articles.
• Build your own website, and fill it with smart, snappy words.
• Post your own original, quotable sayings on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Even if that’s not the writing service you want to offer, your own quotes and tips are a great way to stand out to your target audience.

Get Started Tip #3: Create your own quote graphics

On text-friendly sites like Twitter or Facebook, all you have to do is type what you want to say. But on Instagram, you’ll need to turn your words into an image. Here’s how …

• Use a graphic editing app that offers a variety of Instagram quote templates.
• Post the quote on Twitter, then take a screenshot and use that as your Instagram image. It won’t have a signature look, but this style of quote is easy to create and read.

Writing inspirational quotes for companies is a perfect example of a trend that’s been happening in social media.

Aaron Lee, a social media influencer and also a big advocate for quote posts, says the reason they work is because they are universally appealing, which widens the scope of your content.

He adds, "Quotes work well because in general, people can easily relate to them, because of that, they get Liked and shared easily compared to more targeted content."

So the next time you talk with your client, and you see they don’t use quotes, ask them if you can write some for them. It might just open the door to a whole new writing service you can add to your mix … one that pays handsomely too.

Oh … what else made me giggle about my sister’s Throwback Thursday post? She posted it on a Monday! When I pointed this out to her, she laughed more than I did. Seems she was having more fun going through old photographs and didn’t really care about following these new social media rules about posting old photos.