Hello Reader,
Last week, I emailed someone requesting that I be added as a writer to a publication on Medium so I could submit a story for consideration. I got a friendly and timely reply saying that I'd been added.
I went ahead and submitted my story, which was accepted and published.
Great, right?
Well, not so fast.
Apparently the editor of this publication promptly added me to his mailing list. He wasted no time as he began pitching what I assume is his "premium" digital product, an online coaching/mentorship service priced in the thousands of dollars.
He had no real idea who I was, where I was from, what my skills were, or whether I was even a realistic candidate for said coaching. But that didn't stop him from assuring me that, were I to grab one of the "seven remaining spots on the list" I could multiply my income in no time at all.
I don't remember asking to be added to this mailing list. I don't remember expressing any interest whatsoever in the kind of service this person is selling. I don't remember offering him any personal details that would suggest I am a good candidate for such a pricy, bespoke offering.
The whole thing felt...slimy.
Writing is not typically a road to riches
In the fantastic Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, author Anne Lamott describes some of the students in the writing classes she offers as being preoccupied with being published:
The problem that comes up over and over again is that these people want to be published. They kind of want to write, but they really want to be published.
(p. 12). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
There's a version of this phenomenon on Medium, Substack, and other writing-focused platforms. It's that these people kind of want to write, but they really want to make money.
What they're actually looking for is a reliable income that meets their needs. And writing seems to be - if you squint hard enough - a means to that end.
The problem is that it's just not. As Ms. Lamott points out in Bird by Bird:
My students do not want to hear this. Nor do they want to hear that it wasn’t until my fourth book came out that I stopped being a starving artist. They do not want to hear that most of them probably won’t get published and that even fewer will make enough to live on.
I doubt that much has changed since the author first wrote those words. In my limited experience, most of the people who write online won't make any money whatsoever at it. Many more will make only a negligible amount. Only a handful will make a significant income and only a handful of those will make enough to go full-time.
In her (paywalled) Medium story, Words for Sale: How 'Writing Coaches' Exploit Aspiring Authors, Joan Westenberg writes that:
Most writers - the vast, vast majority - will never make six figures from their craft.
And that's okay.
Yes, some people do make a reasonable amount - or even a lot - of money from writing. I, for example, make the bulk of my income from copywriting, with a bit of content writing thrown in on the side. It's a decent living.
But I, and the people like me, are lucky. And we're definitely not representative of most online writers. Making money at this game is hard. Possible, yes, but tough.
Convincing you otherwise
Despite that hard reality, there are many, many "writers" who claim to show you how to make money, sometimes even crazy money, from online writing. Whether that's by mastering your social media output, finding a platform on which to be successful, or growing your email list, these coaches have supposedly reduced the online writing game to a formula.
Better yet, they'll teach you that formula for the low, low price of $997.
These gurus often use many of the same tactics as the editor I mentioned in the intro to this story: dubious mailing list inclusions, shady (and possibly illegal) sales strategies, and a heavy reliance on anecdotal evidence of efficacy.
To be clear, I don't blame or judge anyone who has signed up for any of these courses, masterclasses, cohorts, coaching sessions, or anything else. The internet economy is a brutally competitive market and this is not a fun time to be a working stiff. Everyone and their dog is apparently desperate for an existence that includes a dependable job with fair pay and adequate benefits.
So, it's no surprise that when someone comes along and offers a way to access those things from the comfort of your own desk chair, a lot of people are tempted.
Placebo effect
I'd have no issue with the writers who sell these courses and other digital products if it wasn't for one thing: many of them don't actually deliver what they promise.
These products are, in a word, grifts. They promise to show you how to transform your writing into a golden ticket to profits and riches, often in exchange for exorbitant prices, but only provide cliche advice.
You go in expecting some profound truths but only get trite phrases like "write consistently" and "engage with other social media users."
This isn't always the case. There are definitely some less ambitious digital offerings that actually teach something of value. For example, I'm sure you can learn a few copywriting skills by way of a canned digital course if it's effectively packaged.
But I'm far more skeptical of those who claim to take writers who have never successfully built an income or a following and transform them into writing dynamos earning a full-time income in the blink of an eye.
A word of advice
For what it's worth, my advice is to steer well clear of the online gurus and get-rich-by-writing-online coaches. They'll serve only to distract you from what is actually a worthy goal: to get damn good at writing.
Getting into writing to make money online is putting the cart before the horse. If you're here to make a quick buck, and not to write something worth reading, your work will inevitably come across as mercenary and uninteresting.
Focus, instead, on finding meaning and enjoyment in your writing. You'll learn to create a product that's actually worth reading. Ironically, if you're successful in that endeavor, you just might actually find an audience willing to pay for your stuff.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
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