Everyone has a smartphone these days. But what I didn’t realize was that not only can it make you money, it can help you become a better writer. Not just once but many times over. It’s a “work smarter, not harder” tool.
I love it because of the fun and efficiency.
One of the most common rookie mistakes is forgetting how to correctly spell the names of people, places, or things you stumbled upon on your travels…what that attraction you loved was called or the name of that traditional food you tried. As a result, you end up spending hours on Google or, worse yet, missing things because you are too busy taking notes.
With a video you get everything exactly as it happened, when it happened and the whole environment, which you can refer back to like it was yesterday. Plus, it gives you an accurate record for correct useable quotes in one short clip. It is an excellent note taking, visual tool that can improve your writing weeks, months, or even years later.
It takes you right back to that moment and enhances the sights, colors, vibrancy and even the weather. You can remember the “feel” of an experience. Whether it was a hot day, the feel of a sea breeze blowing as you watch a tour guide—these are the sort of details that enhance your writing.
It also has the added bonus of adding another income stream. Once you record something, you can sell the video. And a good video can sell over and over again. You only do the work once but receive the benefits for years to come. (The best guide I know to selling your videos is Tom Reissmann’s Travel Videos for Profit, which you can check out right here.)
The best part is that you don’t need any skills to start. The video just has to be interesting. You don’t need thousands of dollars of equipment or to travel to some exotic locale. Just walking around your hometown taking videos on your phone can earn you money. And sometimes it can earn in unexpected ways.
Here’s an example: I shot a little video of my morning walk. Nothing special, just quick shots of what I saw. Sculptures, flowers, the ocean, trees, an iguana—all the normal things I see on my morning walks.
This was seen by an editor of a publication I know, who watched it then approached me to do a walking tour of where I live. Considering that it didn’t take any time out of my day, it was just a fun little video I shot on a walk I do every day, it showed me how powerful video is.
Video has landed me jobs, earned me money, and opened doors I would never have thought of.
Stopping for a moment and hitting the “video” button on your phone only takes a few seconds. And it lets you show people your surroundings or the activity you are engaged in. This could potentially be a very profitable few seconds.
That video of my morning walk was one minute and 47 seconds. It landed me a video job that paid $150. That’s a dollar per second. Not bad in my book. And I was going on a walk anyway, so why not?
The best part is that you already have the equipment: Your smartphone. Using it, seconds can turn into hundreds of dollars. And you can take your writing to a new level.
An invaluable tool for writers with multiple benefits, that only takes a second to use?
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can fund your travels and make an extra income with photography, travel writing, blogging, and more in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Three Fun Ways To Get Paid To Travel: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]