Things You Don’t Need to Succeed as an Online Writer

Stop idolizing what other writers have and start writing.

Photo by Emre Alırız on Unsplash

Everyone loves talking about making six figures as an online writer.

Money is always fun to talk about. We look at million homes on Zillow for fun. We talk about what it would be like to win the lottery. Talking about a dream outcome is always fun.

The truth is outcomes don’t do anything for you. They are the enemy of progress. I’m on pace to make 6-figures as an online writer this year, even though I’ve made some dumb mistakes.

Here’s what I’ve learned you don't need to succeed as an online writer.

You don’t need to be like other writers

BREAKING NEWS: You don’t need to be the next Justin Welsh or James Clear to succeed as an online writer.

You can study their style, how they write, and what they are doing, but eventually you have to carve your own path. Find your voice. Kind of like Anakin before he became Darth Vader.

The best way to do that is to write every day. Write about topics you like to write about. And adjust based on the feedback you get from your readers.

A fancy tech stack

Fancy tech stacks don’t define the writer. You define the writer because you are the writer.

There are tools like Grammarly, CoSchedule, and Hemingway App that help you write clearly. Yet they can’t replace doing the actual work. There’s no tech stack designed to do the work for you unless you want to give it to a computer.

Writing online is about putting your ideas together. It helps you think clearly because you’re writing about your ideas.

The perfect newsletter or lead magnet

You don’t need the perfect newsletter or lead magnet.

Everyone tells you to build an email list when you start writing. I’d argue that the only you need is to start writing online.

Write on your website, Medium, Substack, and journal. Create a writing habit and figure out the rest later. You don’t need everything to be perfect when you get…