3 Ways To Make An Extra $1,000+ Per Month Writing Online

The real money isn't in your words, but in something else...

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When I started writing online in 2018, I thought making money from writing meant getting paid directly for your words (freelance gigs, article commissions, Medium Partner Program earnings, etc.).

And while those definitely can generate income, I quickly realized the real money isn’t in the writing itself. It’s in the audience you build through writing.

When you consistently create valuable content, you attract readers who know, like, and trust you. And once you have that, you can offer paid products and services—and that’s where the real leverage is.

So, if you want to make an extra $1,000+ a month from your writing, here are three ways to do it (without relying on unpredictable partner programs or low-paying freelance work).

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#1: Mini-Courses

Creating and selling a mini-course is one of my favorite ways to turn your expertise into income.

Mini-courses are different from traditional online courses because:

• Mini-courses solve one specific problem / teach one specific skill (instead of covering an entire broad topic)

• Mini-courses are usually 1-3 hours of video lessons (versus 10+ hours of video lessons compared to traditional online courses)

• Mini-courses help people take action and get faster results (rather than overloading them with hours and hours of information)

Most mini-courses sell for $30 to $100—which means you don’t need huge sales numbers to make an extra $1,000 a month.

For example:

• A $37 course x 27 sales = $1,000

• A $50 course × 20 sales = $1,000

• A $100 course × 10 sales = $1,000

My previous business, Peak Productivity, ran entirely on mini-courses.

Instead of creating an ‘ultimate productivity course’ of 10+ hours, I launched different mini-courses, and each focused on a specific subtopic within the productivity niche:

• Procrastination Antidote

  • Topic: Overcoming procrastination using evidence-based productivity techniques

  • Revenue: $50,000+ in 18 months

• Flow State Protocol

  • Topic: Neuroscience-based focus routines to optimize cognitive performance and work in a flow state for 2+ hours a day

  • Revenue: $42,000+ in 24 months

• Advanced Goal-Setting System

  • Topic: Evidence-based goal-setting methods (including a goal-tracker in Notion)

  • Revenue: $19,000+ in 24 months

• Habit-Building Mastery

  • Topic: How to build new habits (and get rid of bad habits) using science-based habit-forming techniques

  • Revenue: $26,000+ in 12 months

• SuperWriter Workshop

  • Topic: Helping online writers supercharge their productivity and content creation output

  • Revenue: $10,000+ in 9 months

Each of these mini-courses tackles one specific problem (or helps to achieve one specific outcome), which makes them easy to sell.

When someone is struggling with that exact problem, and your mini-course promises to solve it in just a few hours (and at an affordable price), it’s practically a no-brainer purchase.

So, think about one specific problem you could solve for your audience and turn it into a mini-course.

Once you’ve created your course, you have a digital asset that generates revenue for you—no matter if you’re traveling, sleeping, or doing anything else.

That’s the power of having your own mini-course.

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#2: Coaching / Consulting

If you have valuable knowledge or expertise in a specific area, coaching or consulting is one of the fastest ways to make $1,000+ a month because you only need a small number of clients to hit that number.

For example:

• One client paying you $1,000 for a coaching package = $1,000 a month

• Two clients paying $500 each = $1,000 a month

• Four clients paying $250 each = $1,000 a month

The most successful coaches don’t sell coaching sessions—they sell transformations.

When someone pays for coaching, they’re not paying for an hour-long Zoom call, a workbook, or unlimited email support (those are all features).

They’re paying to solve a painful problem and move toward a goal they haven’t been able to reach on their own.

The more you focus your messaging on getting your clients their desired transformation, the easier it will be to sell your coaching.

Also, don’t just offer one-off coaching calls. Selling single coaching sessions means you’re always chasing the next client.

Instead, offer a structured coaching program (with weekly coaching sessions, email support, templates, etc.) designed to help your clients achieve a specific transformation within a set timeframe.

For example:

• Go from being socially anxious to confidently talking to strangers in just 8 weeks

• Go from struggling to grow your Substack to building a thriving and profitable publication in just 12 weeks (this is our Substack System VIP offer)

• Go from not knowing how to create an online course to launching a profitable mini-course in just 12 weeks (this is our Digital Course Launchpad offer)

Structured coaching programs allow you to charge based on the value you provide rather than charging an hourly rate.

In other words, you’ll be able to charge far more compared to offering single coaching calls.

My coaching programs are $1,500+ per package, and in any given month I’ll onboard at least three new clients, which makes coaching a $4,500 per month revenue source.

That’s the great thing about coaching, you only need a few clients to make a decent income from it.

So, think about a specific transformation your audience wants to achieve, and turn that into a high-ticket coaching program.

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#3: Other Digital Products

Aside from selling coaching or mini-courses, you can sell other types of digital products like swipe files, tools, or templates.

Where I see coaching and mini-courses more as teaching people something, I see digital products as resources that people can use frequently.

Most tools, templates, or swipe files typically sell for $10 - $50, so you might need more volume to get to $1,000 a month.

For example:

• A $10 digital product × 100 sales = $1,000

• A $25 digital product x 40 sales = $1,000

• A $50 digital product × 20 sales = $1,000

One of the digital products I created for my Peak Productivity business was the Peak Performance Database.

This database, which I created in Notion, featured 100+ science-based productivity tools, techniques, and habits to get more done in less time.

I priced this digital product at $27, and it generated well over $13,000 in about 12 months.

So, think about what resources you can create that your audience can use to achieve their desired outcomes—and turn that into a digital product.

Think of:

• Planners (productivity planners, meal planners, workout trackers)

• Databases / Swipe files (recipe collections, sales page examples, content prompts)

• Templates (email templates, sales page copy, social media posts)

• Workbooks (guided exercises, reflection prompts)

• Spreadsheets (budget planners, habit trackers)

The best thing about digital products is that they’re low-maintenance, highly scalable, and don’t require ongoing work once they’re created.

It’s a ‘build once, sell forever’ type of product.

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You Don’t Have To Pick Just One

Most successful online writers use a combination of these income streams to hit (and exceed) $1,000 a month.

For example, you could:

• Sell a $50 mini-course (and make 10 sales = $500)

• Sell one $500 coaching package = $500

• Sell a few $25 digital products on the side = $250+

It adds up quickly.

The key is to stop thinking of yourself as just a writer and start seeing yourself as someone who builds an audience and creates valuable offers for that audience.

That’s where the real money is.