Hello Other writers have suggested that I create some websites of my own with articles and stuff to create passive income. I was wondering if other writers had done this and how successful they had been, if they have any tips. If you start a website...does it mean you are starting a business? Do you have to register it with the state? Or do you just run it under your name? I mean if you are just doing Adsense and Clickbank products, that kind of thing. Thank you for your time, I look forward to your thoughts. Abby
I believe a discussion on developing websites a way to earn passive income is General Marketing or General Business topic, nothing to do with copywriting, except for content, but you are referring to affiliate programs and other development areas.
A lot of writers use their own sites as a revenue stream - it's something I always strongly suggest to writers. I talk about it periodically at www.AllFreelanceWriting.com, so you can start there to find articles on things like how to choose niches, and how to actually set a site up. I wouldn't consider it exactly "passive" even though we sometimes use that term for it. Remember that you'll have to keep updating if you go with a blog format, and you'll have to keep promoting it just as you would promote your writing services to prospective clients. The rules for whether it's a business are not will vary based on where you are (versus a hobby for example in IRS standards). I don't register my sites as separate businesses - I treat them as "projects" under the umbrella of my registered business where I offer services. If that's all you're doing, you should find out from your state or local government whether or not you have to file a DBA (doing-business-as) application or whatever regarding the name.
passive income is always a good thing...great thing here is that you can actually deal with something that you enjoy.
I guess it depends on what you're into, but yes, it's a handy way of getting money in, even if it is just a tiny trickle to start out. Some niches are obviously more lucrative than others, like poker is more lucrative than snakes and ladders, for example, but then again poker sites are a dime a dozen so a snakes and ladders site might be just the ticket, provided you have the knowledge and can foresee a demand for it. When it comes to making money from your niche, adsense is a given, though adsense units on blogs, especially on blogspot blogs, aren't always the most accurate. Therefore it's also a good idea to investigate other affiliate advertising. I'll use the poker example again; you could have your poker articles, plus adsense, plus banner ads and affiliate ads from poker sites plus you could also sell items from Amazon, poker books, guides, videos, etc. Like I said, I'm only giving poker as an example because it's a popular niche and is certain to remain so. You can do this with any topic, or topics. In fact, there's nothing to stop you from setting up more and more sites as you go along. Just create the content, upload it, add some ads, rinse, repeat!