written and posted Nov 27 by Mallory Mariano
Freelance Blogging
I have been thinking about the notion of monetizing my work off of After Dark With Mallory, and the various avenues that this would entail. Naturally, In my last (second-to-last) semester of my undergraduate degree, I have begun thinking about what my next step would be post-graduation. I would like to take with me some of the skills garnered specifically from PUB101, yet at the same time I cannot help but feel a sense of intimidation given the absolutely competitive nature of online content creation. The idea that, “anyone can do”, so why should my services differentiate from the next persons?
Of course, the content curated on my site thus far has purely been book reviews/literary criticism. But, at its core, what I am doing with this site is learning how to blog within the a digital space. Freelance blogging, according to peakfreelance.com, is:
My niche, according to the site, is strictly rooted in book reviews/entertainment. With the experience garnered throughout the semester, I could very well learn to apply the same skills to other entertainment experientials such as film, television, stage productions, performance art, music festivals/concerts, and the like.
Freelance blogging comes with a lot of considerations, especially pertinent in my case. I have not had any of more work published in any significant media outlet or publication (ie. The SFU’s The Peak), so I would essentially be asking potential employers/clients to hire me solely based on an aggregated set of previous works (ie. a portfolio). I also do not have any industry connections or anyone in my network that, in turn, maintains connections with anyone working in media. A venture into freelance blogging would require that I truly put myself out there, and position myself as an attractive candidate in a pool of, surely, other extremely competitive prospects.
What struck me as potential avenues for further monetization, beyond content creation as a freelance blogger, is that there are other adjacent services that freelance bloggers tend to offer:
Of the listed eight adjacent services, I only am unfamiliar with SEO Consulting. Everything else, I feel confident in my capabilities to deliver a service worthy of fair compensation. The site references the business model of Elise Dopson, a freelance writer who earns over $1500 per post. Pictured below is her specific pricing mode, presented in three distinct packages, similarly grouped in a manner that resembles premium cable TV packages:
To be able to earn well over six-figures a year through writing online content, is an absolutely preposterous notion, yet a feat that I cannot help but wholly admiring. I think the fact alone is proof enough that blogging as online content creation can be lucrative, when tackled correctly.
The experience gleaned through creating, designing, and curating content for After Dark With Mallory has set me up in a position where I can be thinking about potential ways to monetize my content, or any special skills acquired, moving forward. That’s not to say that I will be pursuing freelance blogging post-grad, but it is certainly an option moving forward. In truth, I may try to build my portfolio and overall credibility as a writer firstly, before I attempt a foray into freelance blogging, let alone transitioning my skills into a business model.