My entire life, I’ve refused to accept that I’m good at writing. It’s really weird…

You see, it’s always something that I loved to do. It comes naturally to me.

People have ALWAYS told me, “Wow, Sal, you’re really good at writing.”

I would thank them and quickly forget it.

It probably goes back to deep, inner-seated issues around self-esteem and my dream to become a “noteworthy” and “famous” entrepreneur.

I always thought of writing as kind of a B.S. career that doesn’t have any money or fame in it.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to be extremely thankful for my writing abilities. These skills have allowed me to build my online business. They’ve helped me understand myself better with journaling.

Writing has helped me every step of the way.

With this article, I want to share with you EXACTLY how you can use your writing skills to earn income, make an impact, and live a life that you love.

This is taken directly from my experience earning thousands and thousands of dollars online. I’ve written multiple books, which are available on Amazon. I’ve written more than 700 blog posts.

If you are good at writing, and wondering what to do with this superpower, you’re in the right place.

The entire subject of writing can be boiled down into three core categories. Whether you’re a struggling novelist or a millionaire marketer, you will fit into one (or multiple) of these categories.

Writing is good for three things:

1. Educating and informing
2. Persuading (think Sales)
3. Entertaining

I’ve thought about this a lot, and these are the ONLY categories that you can fit into with your writing career. You might be in multiple categories, but these are the three that comprise writing as a whole.

I’m going to go into the income opportunities with each of them, along with how you can use your skill to create a lifestyle that you enjoy.

1. Educating and Informing

This is what I’m really, really good at. But, you don’t have to take my word for it. Just look at the MILLIONS of people online that have read my blog, CrowdCrux.

On this blog, I share tips, advice, and strategies that you can use to raise money with crowdfunding. I’ve written blog posts and books on the topic.

In this context, writing can be used to explain “how to do something,” whether it’s start a business, make more money, build up muscle, or get a girlfriend.

People use your writing to better understand the RIGHT way to go about getting results in an area of their life. The writing is simply the medium used to share tips, information, mindsets, and strategies.

Under this category, you are physically writing words, but you’re actually more of a teacher. The writing is just the teaching medium.

I’ve found that individuals that have a strong “nonfiction” or “education” writing skill set tend to do very well with blogging. It’s easy for you to write helpful blog posts that get thousands of views online.

Your ability to educate readers through writing will end up getting you attention, potential students, and from a business perspective, generate a lot of “leads” which you can later turn into sales.

Your skills in this area will make it easy to write blog posts, ebooks, physical books, and anything that is of educational value.

It’s going to be difficult to strictly make money from your writing, unless you are writing for someone else. You’re educating on behalf of their organization or their business.

However, you CAN use your writing abilities to generate leads, which you then turn into clients or students. You can also do very well with email marketing, online courses, and affiliate marketing.

The main takeaway is to view yourself as a TEACHER rather than a writer.

Your money will be made from:

• Books (though not much)
• Freelancing clients
• Your audience/students

2. Persuading (think Sales) – Copywriting

Now… if you have a flair for educational writing AND you enjoy a bit of fiction writing, this is the perfect marriage of your skills.

These writers are usually the highest paid of the three, and for good reason. They turn words into dollars!

Your well-written sales page or email can result in thousands and thousands of dollars in sales for a business!

The goal with this style of writing is to persuade readers to make a particular decision. That decision could be to attend an event, buy a product, or sign up for a service.

It’s a mix of sales and marketing. It’s a very specific type of writing called copywriting.

This category of writing includes elements of education, sales, and even some fiction writing. The ultimate goal is to make readers FEEL something when they read your “copy.” You are trying to change their state of mind.

In fact, the best copywriters typically study fiction writers to see how they invoke curiosity and lead a reader through a story. These elements can be included in an email sequence that leads to a sale.

For example, let’s say you’re selling a product. You’re telling a story about wrestling with some kind of problem.

Then, you could say “I was about to give up… when I discovered something that would change my life forever and lead to a dramatic improvement in the results I was seeing.

Literally, this changed everything! No more fear, frustration, or confusion.

Without it, I’d still be worrying whether or not I can afford to buy groceries for my family.

Instead, I’m happy, healthy, and enthusiastic about coming to work every day.

I can rest assured, knowing that I’m able to provide for myself and my family from the comfort of my home. All I need is a computer and an internet connection!

Tomorrow, I’m going to share with you what I discovered. It’s free and anyone can use it to see remarkable success with _____. No joke!”

What I like about copywriting is that it combines different elements of writing AND it makes readers more likely to read every single word that I write.

We all have come across educational articles (like this one). You probably didn’t read it word from word. You skimmed it.

When you’re drawn into a story, you’ll read every word of it, waiting to find out what happens next.

This is a very effective way to evoke emotions, curiosity, and capture attention.

Copywriting is a powerful way to enhance educational-style writing. You can use it to sell your books, products, and services. I think everyone into writing should learn it.

It’s not really talked about very much. I’m angry I wasn’t ever introduced to it in school.

Your money will be made from:

• Copywriting clients
• Sales of your own info products
• Sales you generate for your business

3. Entertaining – Novelists

The final category can be summed up in one: entertainment. You could also use the word “artistic.”

I’d lump novelists, fiction writers, poets, and really anyone who is writing something that’s meant to simply be enjoyed into this category.

Copywriters will use stories and emotionally evocative words to sell products. Novelists, entertainers, and artistic writers use these techniques to tell a story that makes someone think differently about the world.

It might take them feel something, or have a change of attitude about an experience in their life.

Usually, after reading the book, they’re not looking to purchase a product, a course, or become a student. If they liked the book, they’ll just be waiting for the author to write their next book.

The book is the main product.

Unlike the other categories, which focus on getting the reader to take action, or become informed about their world, this category is designed to serve as a happy or interesting distraction from every-day-life.

You can read a story and get lost in it for a few hours. It might cause you to have thoughts about your real life, but at the end of the day, Harry Potter is meant to be enjoyed because it’s an alternative realty.

Under this category, most of your energy and focus will not be on actual writing, though of course this is essential. You do need good descriptive, concrete, and punchy writing. However, there are many books that have great writing, but fail to sell copies.

Instead, your success will depend on your grasp of storytelling.

Think of it this way… you can have a beautiful written book that fails to garner attention. On the flip side, you can have a book that has a 3rd grade reading level writing and it sells millions of copies.

Think Twilight, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, etc.

Storytelling skills are what make the difference between a bestseller and a book that sells less than 1,000 copies (which is most books).

Your money will likely be made from:

• Book sales
• Speaking (maybe)
• Teaching creative writing

What should you do, if you’re good at writing?

This comes down to both a personal choice and your own inclinations.

I dabbled in fiction writing when I was in high school and college. I also wrote poetry. I even wrote a book during a nanowrimo contest.

I was always told I had good descriptive language and a powerful voice, but I lacked quality story structure.

Personally, I didn’t fully understand what “being creative” meant. I also wasn’t as committed as I needed to be with fiction writing.

There are times when I wish I was a writer, but when I examine that desire, I realized it’s mainly the “rewards” I want. I don’t want to take the time to study character development and story structure in-depth.

Frankly, I’d rather be in the limelight. I’d rather be an actor in a big movie than the director. I want to be the center of focus and attention.

A few years ago, I was confused, just like you are.

I had always been good at writing, but I didn’t know what to do with it!

When I started blogging, my skills easily translated into the online world. I had people say they loved my blog posts. I started to get more and more traffic.

I realized that my skills really were in the “educational” sphere.

Once I incorporated copywriting techniques into my writing, I started to see sales of my online courses and products.

I came to see that I can use storytelling and the lessons I learned from my fiction writing classes to be able to sell products (and get attention for my personal brand).

Going back in time, one of the things that has impact my success most has been making my work public.

So many writers are afraid to go public with their writing for fear of criticism.

The sooner you share your voice with the world, the faster you’ll start to see success with your craft.

If, after reading this, you’d like to explore becoming a blogger, I can show you exactly how to set up a blog writing about something that you love. More importantly, I can show you how to make it profitable.