How To Sell My Story And Make Cash
Have you ever considered how can I sell my story and make cash? Perhaps something unbelievable has happened to you or a loved one, or you want to spin a negative experience into a positive one by making some money from it, or maybe you just have a story you’d like to tell. Here are the insights into how you can do it and how it can make you money…
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How do I sell my stories for money?
There are many different ways of selling stories for money, one of which is to sell your story for a better price by using content agencies. An agency will source informative, engaging and entertaining content and then sell to the highest bidder, a publication company, on your behalf.
Some examples of agencies that you can use are:
Sell my story to a magazine.
When selling your story to a magazine, consider what type of magazine best suits you and your story. Magazines have different readers and therefore have varied content they want to publish to attract their target audience. Many magazines also now have an online platform on which they may ask to publish your story. Companies have forms online that you can use to initiate the process of selling your story. Some examples are:
Sell my story to the press.
If you have a newspaper in mind that you would like to have your story published in, contact them directly. You can also contact a newspaper if you have a tip-off rather than a full story. For instance newspapers you can contact that are often on the lookout for stories include:
Newspapers often feature real-life stories as their audiences are drawn to stories that they can connect with. Remember, it doesn’t have to be scandalous or heart-wrenching, it could be an everyday funny story.
A contact directory for all UK media companies can be found here.
How much do you get for selling your story?
The amount of money you could receive in return for your story depends on a handful of factors:
- Demand – have you contacted a publication with the right target audience? Is it relevant to current circumstances? If there is high demand for your story, you can increase how much money you expect in return.
- Exclusivity – is this the only media outlet you are selling a story to? A company may ask you to sign a deal where you cannot sell to another publication.
- Legality – the easier it is to publish legally, the more attractive a story will be for a company to buy.
- Proof – do you have evidence of your story, for example, documents and pictures. Having proof will verify the details of your account and provide visual media for publication.
What you can expect to be paid:
- £50-£500 for case study appearances. Media outlets sometimes run case studies as part of a broader story. Search #journorequest on Twitter to find journalists that may pay you for an interview.
- £500-£2000 if your story is related to current news.
- £2000-£10,000 if your story is rare or focuses on a sensitive subject. These stories often include a publicly known individual. If your account involves other parties, as a result you may want to have a form of legal representation.
Payments are usually made 4-6 weeks following publication.
Publish yourself
Perhaps you have a writing talent and are inspired by your experience to publish the story yourself. Check out our blog post on how to self publish a book here.
Or you may have identified a niche and decide to start a blog, which can earn you anything upward of $1-20 per thousand views using advertisements and affiliate links. To increase the traffic on your blog:
- do keyword research, ensure that those keywords feature on your posts
- optimise your posts for search engines
- encourage sharing on social media and user engagement via comments and contact details.
Can you sell a story anonymously?
Generally speaking, newspapers and magazines prefer stories where you are identifiable. Having your name and a picture makes the article more believable and relatable. In addition you are likely to be part of the story. However, anonymity may be an option in certain circumstances, so explain your reasoning, and you may come to an agreement. If you would like to stay anonymous, keep trying with other companies.
You may be sharing your experience to raise awareness and help others or generate interest for a new business. Most importantly, before you make anything public, you should be confident that you are okay sharing these details with the wider world consequently some stories may come with some negative backlash and comments. Could it affect your life and the lives of others around you?
Do you have a story you could sell for money? Would you feel comfortable doing it? If you have or would consider it tell us your thoughts in the comments box below!
