I can relate when people wonder if you really can make money writing online or if it is just a fantasy. But I have also made pretty decent money doing it.
Unless you have already been publishing in the traditional media for several years, do not expect to make much money writing online at first.
I first got started writing online in 2011 writing for the investment website Seeking Alpha and other stock market websites. Seeking Alpha was paying contributors $0.01 per page view their articles received.
After that, the job opportunities started coming in more regularly. I was still working full-time as an economist for the State of Iowa but was slowly converting my hobby into a legitimate money machine.
I got several contracts to write for websites on a regular basis, for rates of between $70 and $150 per article. Besides the higher pay, I was also able to decrease the amount of time it took to write each article.
1. Set a process and format for your articles or reports. Setting this process and format will help you really reduce the amount of time it takes to put something together.
2. Do your research first and then cut it off. Resist the temptation to constantly go back online to get more facts or research for an article. Do the research you need for your idea and then write up what you have.