Storytelling, when executed well, can be transformative and oh-so powerful. That’s why, if you love writing and have a passion for telling stories, you should join and make money on Wattpad.
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Why share stories? Writing is one of many skills you can sharpen in order to generate an income online. Not only can you pay for your needs, but you can do it while traveling the world, being a mom, or alongside a second job. As the remote workforce continues to grow year after year, there’s no better time than right now to get started.
With services such as Medium and Wattpad, sharing your writing has become easier than ever before. No need to start a blog (but you should consider that too) or build up a social following and hassle with marketing yourself.
If you want to write and participate in a community of fanfiction enthusiasts, then read more below about how to get started on Wattpad and make money from the stories you share.
Can You Get Paid For Writing On Wattpad?
What Is Wattpad?
Wattpad is a website and app where “stories live.” It is primarily a place for users to write and share user-generated stories. Over 90 million people all over the world use Wattpad to tell stores in their native language.
You can write whatever sits on your heart, or you can get inspired by an existing universe and build upon characters in a best-selling fanfiction banger.
Do you have to be a professional writer to share stories on Wattpad? Thankfully, no!
While established writers are encouraged to join in on the storytelling, the app welcomes amateur and newbie writers with grand ideas. There’s no harm in sharing, is there? You won’t know how your writing will be received by others until you hit publish!
Ways To Make Money On Wattpad
Wattpad isn’t just a personal blog or notepad for you to jot down your story ideas. With strong writing, you can actually make money from Wattpad through a variety of in-app monetization programs. The current ways you can make money are via:
- Wattpad Stars
- Wattpad Books
- Wattpad Stories
- Wattpad Studios
- Wattpad Brand Partnerships
Note: Formerly, you could also make money through Wattpad Futures (in-app ads) but the program has since been closed down.
Still, an app that offers five monetization methods is already excellent! Making money on your social/online presence isn’t always through direct monetization. Luckily, Wattpad knows the value that creators bring to the platform and has thus created several means to give that value back. (A practice that the more popular social apps should adopt.)
Now let’s dive into each of these monetization methods offered by Wattpad!
1. Wattpad Stars
Wattpad Stars is the ultimate badge as a Wattpad writer. This exclusive program is reserved for the creme de la creme of Wattpad authors.
Not everyone will merit a Star, though. To be considered, you must apply online via the Stars Writer Interest Form and meet these requirements:
- Completed 1 (minimum) narrative story of 50,000 words
- Have started 1 story in the last year
- Have actively engaged by revising, modifying, or adding a new part to an existing story within the last 3 months
- Have logged into Wattpad in past 60 days
Beyond those requirements, you must show promising talent as a writer and be “thoughtfully engaged” with the community at large.
Once admitted, you would have exclusive access to paid opportunities such as brand partnerships, book deals, recognition as a Wattpad Star, and a community of fellow Star writers.
2. Wattpad Books
Ever thought about becoming a published author? Well, now you can with Wattpad Books. Wattpad Books is one path to monetization, but a long one.
To be selected, you must have already published one of the best, brightest, and unique stories on the platform.
This is how Anna Todd rose to become a best-selling author for her series After and it’s all thanks to publishing on Wattpad and then attracting the attention of even larger publishers. Her series was even adapted into a film!
It’s not clear on Wattpad’s website what the terms of getting a book published are, whether it involves royalties or a fixed fee. You’ll just have to become a Wattpad book author to find out!
3. Wattpad Paid Stories
With Wattpad Paid Stories, you can get paid by the very readers who love your work and wish to support you.
Think of this monetization method as a Patreon. Users who are familiar with your work can pay to access your content, while curious non-paying users simply get free test pages to sample.
It’s a win-win.
You don’t have to rack up hundreds of thousands of likes or followers, either. However, to qualify you do need to have Wattpad Star certification. Meaning, while new writers can join, you’ll already need to have at least one completed story of over 50,000 words in your Wattpad portfolio.
If your story is selected to be a part of the Paid Stories Program, users can support you through Coins (similar to how you make money on TikTok) by unlocking just one chapter of your book, or all of the chapters (e.g. 3 coins per chapter or 48 coins per book).
4. Wattpad Studios
Another path to monetization on Wattpad is via Wattpad Studios. Similar to Wattpad Books, in that, you can secure publishing deals, Wattpad Studios is a program that connects your work to experts in the TV and film industry.
Once again – this isn’t a quick way to make money on Wattpad. For this, you need to have a widely popular story established on the platform already (like Ann Todd’s After series).
Nonetheless, Studios is just one of the many ways Wattpad is innovating to bring more value to creators. It’s pretty unique to be able to write stories online and have the chance to get noticed by leaders in the media industry.
5. Wattpad Brand Partnerships
Last but not least, Wattpad offers the opportunity to network within the writing community and land brand partnerships. Does this mean that every single opportunity is paid? Not entirely.
Nonetheless, brand partnerships are on the rise. With Wattpad’s large audience of 90+ million active monthly users (over 80% of which are creative Gen-Z’ers), it’s guaranteed that brands and businesses would be willing to connect with creators – for the right price – to promote their services or products (maybe an upcoming book launch?).
Not only could you get contacted to work on paid collaborations, but you could also participate in a brand contest. The opportunities for brands are currently:
- Writing Contests
- Custom Content
- Write-a-thon
- Targeted Ad Packages
For Wattpad influencers, the money lies within the “custom content” package, which aims at connecting successful creators on the app with paying brands in order to reach a targeted audience.
Brands such as Sony, JC Penny, National Geographic, Ben & Jerry’s, Coca-Cola, and others, have even tapped into Wattpad’s audience. You know if they’re on board that money is floating around there as well!
How Much Money Can You Make On Wattpad
So, how much can you make writing on Wattpad?
Figures are hard to find, and reddit threads don’t seem to answer the question bluntly, either. One informed user in this discussion even mentions that paid authors on Wattpad aren’t allowed to talk about what they earn, as stipulated in their contract.
What is known, however, is that, while you can make money on Wattpad, it’s not really a reliable form of income. At least not for the majority of writers.
Does that mean nobody makes money? Nope! There are countless success stories (see below for a couple), but it takes a lot of consistency and creativity to “make it.”
Examples Of Wattpad Success Stories
We already know that Anna Todd rose to be a prominent American author after her book series After went viral and was adapted into a film. But are there other writers on Wattpad to get inspired by? Of course!
Example 1: Benjamin Sobieck
Ben Sobieck is a two-time Watty Award winner and author of over 20 published works on Wattpad. He currently has over 9.3K followers and receives anywhere between a few hundred views per book up to nearly one million.
Example 2: Matthew Dawkins
Matthew Dawkins is a member of Wattpad Stars, Paid Stories, and Friends of Wattpad. He has just over 4K followers and has six published works. His Wicked, Wild, Wonderful ranks #11 in the Drama category with over 199K readers.
Unlike other social media apps, like Instagram, where the number of followers drives brand deals, etc, here on Wattpad, it’s really the content itself that shines. Write good stories, get noticed, get paid.
Is Wattpad Worth It?
If you’re considering joining Wattpad, here’s what you should be wary of.
- Wattpad isn’t going to make you rich overnight
- It’s not ideal for people in need of short-term riches
- You should do it without considering the money
There are certainly better, faster ways to make money writing. Freelancing online is one of them – tons of blogs (like this one) need writers to produce consistent, high-quality content.
You could also consider going down the self-publishing route or start your own lifestyle blog and make money from ads, affiliate marketing, and selling your own digital products (like an ebook or online course).
Then again – if you have a passion for writing, money shouldn’t stop you from at least trying. You never know if you could become the next Wattpad Star and make it big!
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
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