There are multiple ways to earn money online using the news. Here are a few that anyone can do without any special skills or training.
1. Cover the news, again.
The first is simple, you just cover the news and rewrite interesting stories that appeal to a certain demographic. For example, you could target web developers who use Apple products. Your website can include everything from web development and related programming languages to Apple stock reports, new products, etc. This is a pretty simple approach but a lot of people would like to see a lot of their favorite things in one place. A few other examples would be Getting Things Done and small business owners. There is a lot of overlap between small business owners and a strong work ethic. This approach takes a lot of writing, if you’re willing to do a lot of writing, consider other ways to earn money by writing before committing.
2. Expand the news.
There are a lot of news outlets, but not many that take the time to research all of the facets of the news they cover. It takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. An ideal story would include the background on why a news item happened, what the ramifications are, who it affects, how it affects them, etc. This idea takes a more seasoned writer, but is the type of site that is frequently linked to, as well as quoted and used for lectures and papers.
3. Give people what they want.
Most people have a particular news outlet they prefer to get their news from. Some people love FOX News, some people hate them. It’s the same with your local newspaper, and anyone who ever writes news. If you want to make money and have a lot of readers, give them what they want. Rewrite the news with your own personal bias and some people will love you and always read your blog.
4. Give people what they hate.
Looking to start a wildfire on your blog? Write an article about a news event that most people won’t agree with. Keep in mind that this approach is likely to alienate your existing readers and might make them stop visiting your blog. Controversy sells and gives people a reason to make a comment.
Those are a few quick and easy ways to earn money online by writing about the news. Have fun!
Photo courtesy of just.Luc.
Brandon,
There are some good ideas here for creating “news” content. But I’d warn people to do more than just “rewrite” or “add to” news content in a vertical. I run US Recall News and that was our model for years. Panda pretty much destroyed that model for everyone so you have to write original news content, rather than pulling in syndications, amalgamating snippets from feeds, or rewriting press releases.
I think original content is what you mean by “cover the news again” but I just wanted to make sure everyone else understood that. It’s easy to read things the wrong way sometimes.
Thanks!
Everett
@Everett – great advice, that’s exactly what I meant. Duplicate content has always been a bad idea. Rewriting completely solves that.
With the controversy idea yes people may be upset but they will certainly want to put their two cents in. This is a great opportunity for communication and who knows you may find more to write about from the dialog!