My journey to success began in March, 2020 – during the lockdowns. That was the month when I started teaching from home because of the international school closures.

Teaching from home is a fantastic way to make money. Zoom is pretty simple to navigate. You can conduct live classes, screen share, and even record your lessons for a nominal monthly fee.

Here are 4 things to focus on when teaching creative writing online:

1. Unique Selling Point
Decide on a Unique Selling Point. What makes your class different? What makes your teaching stand out? Think about the experience you have, but also the people you connect with. Try to be specific. Who can you help? Where does your expertise lie? I decided to direct my marketing towards homeschooling families and began an all-female writing group, too.

2. Free Trial
When you offer a free trial, it will help people who don’t know you to take that leap of faith. Marketing and visibility of your brand will expand your reach. Use your usual social media channels and WhatsApp groups to promote what you’re doing. Consider creating short videos to promote your class!

3.Customer Service
I know it might surprise you but a lot of marketing is still done through positive testimonials. Creating a quality class, and keeping your students happy, will increase your chances of getting more students in the future via word of mouth.  And, don’t be shy about asking your students for testimonials.

You can see a sample video of customer testimonials RIGHT HERE.

4. Be Your Best Self
Be well-dressed and alert. The background of your online class should be professional. Smile, engage, and be genuine. If you make a mistake, humbly apologize. Communicate clearly and effectively at all times. Just like your online class should be extremely professional, so should your off-class correspondence. Create professional invoices and receipts for your students. And, your emails should always be error-free.

The Upshot
I decided to go my own way when I created an online course called Inkspiration. Through this avenue, I avoided looking for remote, part-time work while homeschooling my own children. I used what I knew – writing and teaching- and an Internet connection, to make money sharing what I love. Over the first two months, I charged £5 per student per lesson, and I made over £1000. Now that you know where to start, you can do the same!

Sidra Ansari is a teacher and freelance writer. She is the author of a non-fiction book, ‘Finding Peace Through Prayer and Love‘, and has had articles published in various publications, including The Writing Co-operative on Medium. She’s also the founder of a writing community called Inkspiration, through which she teaches weekly inspirational workshops on writing. Most recently, she whiles away the hours writing non-fiction for Ladybird Education, and home educating her brood of five at a local farm. Look for her writing on Medium and connect with her at the7ofus.blog.