8 Great Ways for Proofreaders to Make More Money

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If you’re already a proofreader, you’re likely interested in knowing how to increase your earnings.

Let’s look at several ways for proofreaders to make more money. We’ll discover how to beef up your marketing game, expand your skill set, keep clients coming back, and more!

What are we waiting for? Let’s explore! 😊

Ways for Proofreaders to Make More Money

Let’s look at eight solid strategies to maximize your earnings as a proofreader.

1) Make a great first impression.

Getting repeat clients starts with making a fantastic first impression. And repeat clients result in higher profits.

Try to be mindful of making each customer’s experience as pleasant and positive as possible.

Meeting the deadline is expected, but delivering the work a bit early is a surefire way to impress them.

Also, if a client doesn’t know how to use MS Word Track Changes, sending them a YouTube video (I like this one) explaining the process is a nice gesture that demonstrates your helpfulness.

Finally, we know that great care should be given to a client’s first document and each subsequent one.

If you need suggestions to ensure you deliver top-notch work, feel free to check out my post about proofreading pointers.

2) Have a safety net for overlooked errors.

Using software like Grammarly as a crutch is not the best idea. You want to keep your proofreading skills sharp and be able to rely on yourself at all times.

If you depend on software, you may start to forget lots of the grammar and punctuation rules you’ve learned, and your superb skills may slowly slip away.

But I’m not opposed to using software sensibly. I use Grammarly after I’ve fixed as many mistakes as possible. I think using this tool as a safeguard to catch an error you may have overlooked shows your commitment to the job.

No errors left behind could be our mantra as proofreaders, right?

Of course, proofreaders aren’t perfect, but we give it our all. And we relish plucking as many errors as possible from someone’s work so their writing shines!

I also use a software called PerfectIt.

PerfectIt is primarily a consistency checker, so it comes in handy when dealing with long pieces of writing.

For example, it ensures every instance of a word is consistently hyphenated (e.g., email vs. e-mail).

As we know, no software is perfect. So it’s always a good idea to use a style sheet to help check for inconsistencies.

PerfectIt recently added a CMOS (The Chicago Manual of Style) integration for those who subscribe to both CMOS Online and PerfectIt.

3) Become a mastermind marketer.

If you want to see your month-over-month profits go up, mastering the marketing equation is necessary.

It’s vital to make yourself as visible as possible.

Soon we’ll talk about having a website to establish your presence in the proofreading arena.

Having a LinkedIn profile is another way to make yourself known. LinkedIn is a networking platform for professionals. Hiring managers and recruiters search the site to find suitable job candidates.

You can put a banner around your profile picture to let recruiters know you’re open to working.

You’ll attract even more eyeballs if you add value to the platform by posting your own content and commenting on others’ posts.

If you’re new to proofreading and offer services on a freelance platform like Upwork or Fiverr, I recommend reading articles about how to make your profile more visible to clients.

For example, Fiverr uses an algorithm to determine which profiles to show. Understanding this algorithm can go a long way to help you land more jobs.

I penned an in-depth post about how to do well on Fiverr if you do any business there.

Perhaps you’ll decide that cold emailing potential clients is a viable option.

Whatever you decide, being proactive is a must, and perseverance is required. You can do it; just keep at it!

Om Proofreading has an article about acquiring proofreading customers if you’d like to explore additional marketing methods.

4) Supersize your skill set.

Expanding your skills means more money-making opportunities.

So how about becoming a cryptocurrency expert? Heck no, you say? I don’t blame you. That wouldn’t be my cup of tea either.  

You probably favor working with words over numbers, so why not consider learning one of the following skills that are related to proofreading:

• copyediting
• developmental editing
• beta reading
• copywriting
• content writing
• fact-checking

The articles I’ve linked to in the bulleted list above will help you learn more about those skills and how they compare to proofreading.

If you want to get into editing, I suggest the Becoming an Editor course from Knowadays.

Knowadays has an excellent Trustpilot score from over 450 reviews. However, these reviews are almost entirely for their Becoming a Proofreader course since their Becoming an Editor class is relatively new.

Knowadays classes are CPD certified, and the company has become a trusted name in the proofreading industry.

And if you’re thinking about making more money via writing, you might enjoy this quiz: Are You a Writer?

5) Take a comprehensive course, then consider further training.

Hopefully, you already took (or plan to take) a solid proofreading course. I have a post about the best proofreading classes if you need any suggestions.

I would definitely steer away from classes that only provide a few hours of training if you want to make adequate money from proofreading.

Taking an extra course or two in addition to your primary training will make you even more desirable to potential customers.

Would you rather hire a proofreader who completed a crash course or a comprehensive course?

And would you choose someone who took one class or someone who had additional training?

I think almost everyone would answer these two questions the same way.

If you need to brush up on your grammar skills, I recommend Grammar Lion: A Grammar Refresher, created by Ellen Feld.

Ellen is an author, and she holds a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University.

Grammar Lion is an intelligent.com award-winning class. I took the course after becoming a proofreader and found it to be an excellent refresher.

She also offers a Comma Mini Course for free if commas create a conundrum for you. No doubt commas occasionally confuse me! 😉

And don’t forget to update your résumé or CV as you complete additional classes!

You can also display any certificates of completion on work-related platforms like LinkedIn, Upwork, and Fiverr.

6) Have a dedicated website.

Having a website is a good idea, even if your clients don’t find you there initially.

Having a site helps build trust with customers.

Taking the time to design and write copy for a site shows you take your work seriously. Om Proofreading’s article about starting a freelance proofreading company discusses what info to include on your website’s pages.

Using your site to show who you are and, more importantly, what you can do for your clients will help you establish authority. Of course, you’ll want to list any relevant training and experience from the get-go.

Later, you can establish a testimonials page to highlight the raving reviews you’ve received.

I wrote a post about helpful resources for building a website if you’d like to check it out.

7) Consider nestling into a niche.

Positioning yourself in a niche is another effective way to boost your income.

Medicine, technology, and science are three of the most profitable domains in the proofreading industry. These sometimes require a degree or additional training to break into.

Legal proofreading is another lucrative option. You’ll need specialized training if you’d like to do this kind of proofreading.

However, simply establishing a niche based on your interests can help you in important ways.

Clients often look to proofreaders who are experts in a particular topic.

For example, imagine you choose to focus on business documents. By continually getting experience in the business world, you’ll undoubtedly become more adept at fine-tuning companies’ written work.  

When a business needs a proofreader, they’ll be more likely to hire you than someone, for example, who specializes in polishing works of fiction.

Having a specialty means you’ll have less competition.

You’ll also be able to charge higher rates as you become an expert in your arena. And being an expert will enable you to receive targeted testimonials that will boost your authority in that domain. 

Finally, you’ll likely receive more referrals since people in similar industries tend to network with one another.  

8) Keep practicing and getting experience.

We know that more experienced proofreaders can charge higher rates.

If you’re a proofreader, you’re already increasing your earnings by getting experience with your current clients. You’ll also get most of your practice on the job.

However, purposely propping up your proofreading proficiency is always a good practice.

Tests and quizzes are an enjoyable way to practice your error patrol abilities.

Om Proofreading has a post with links to over 450 tests and quizzes that should provide you with plenty of practice for a while. I’ve taken tests and quizzes from all the sites I mentioned to ensure they’re good sources.

I hope this article has given you, the eagle-eyed proofreader, actionable suggestions for making more money.

Best wishes to you!

“Change may not always bring growth, but there is no growth without change.”

– Roy T. Bennett