Writing online is the best way to leverage your ideas.

The more you write online, the more followers you’ll attract. The more like-minded folks will love your work.

The question I’ve asked in the last few months is: Am I writing for fun, or am I writing to build a business?

Am I writing for fun?

There’s nothing wrong with writing for fun.

It’s casual. There’s experimentation. There’s no pressure to improve or build anything. Everyone should write for fun when they first start. It makes it easier to build a writing habit because it feels enjoyable.

Writing for fun allows you to experiment with style, your voice, and who you are as a writer.

In a way, you have a casual relationship with writing. You don’t feel compelled to do it every day. You don’t feel pressured to write on more platforms or grow an audience.

Am I writing to build a business?

Building a writing business means treating it like a business.

• You have a writing schedule
• You measure the performance of your writing
• You start monetizing your writing through different services

Building a business requires consistent effort. Sure, you can still have fun, but you’re doing it with more precision. There’s an end goal in mind when it comes to monetization.

You’re not simply teaching and educating. You’re getting paid to do it. Monetization plays a role in it.

This is how I think of monetization when I think of writing online:

• Services like copywriting, ghostwriting, and SEO
• Courses on copywriting, ghostwriting, or SEO
• Cohorts on building an online presence with online writing
• Paid communities that teach people how to become an online writer

You can try all of them, or you can try one of them. I’ve offered services, created a course, and am working on a cohort.

But I’m always thinking about my flywheel approach. I’m always thinking about creating content that can be used for different purposes.

99% and 1% Writing Rule

I recently heard from YouTuber Ali Abdaal that he gives 99% of his content away for free. He sells only 1% of it.

It made me more aware of how educational content needs to be, especially for educational creators. Yes, it’s nice to make money from writing online. I love that. Everyone loves that.

But the first step is understanding what our writing purpose is. We need to identify what we’re trying to accomplish when writing on social media and online essays.

My approach to online writing

I’ve thought about this approach for months.

• Write LinkedIn, Twitter, Medium, and Substack content.
• Write twice a week in-depth articles on www.BenjaminWatkins.com.
• Write about copywriting, the psychology of writing, interesting concepts, and life.
• Teach a few cohorts every year about copywriting and writing online.

This is the mountain I’m climbing. I think of writing as a business because I want to be more consistent, educate people on writing online, and build a business around it.

Nobody said it would be easy.

The climb is the fun part.