One of the easiest ways to make $1,000 on Upwork

Today I’m going to do something I’ve never done before.

I’m going to teach you one of the best skills I know for making money on Upwork.

It’s fun, it’s not complicated, and anyone can learn it in less than an hour.

I’m surprised more people don’t talk about it.

Not to mention that it won’t cost you a dime to learn it.

Actually, you’ll basically get paid to learn it. Because you can take what you learn and go out and make $150 or more on Upwork in a couple of hours.

Then you can rinse and repeat as many times as you like.

I’ve never written about this publicly before. But I have taught some people how to do it behind the scenes.

You can do it too.

It doesn’t matter what your background is or how much experience you have (or don’t have).

It wasn’t too long ago that I’d never even heard of this skill. I had no idea it was a thing, let alone that there were people on Upwork who would pay you good money to do it.

I first found out about it a few years ago when I was scouring the jobs posted on Upwork.

That’s when I noticed lots of posts looking for freelancers who could write scripts for something called an “Explainer Video.”

Unfortunately, I had no idea what an Explainer Video was.

At least, I thought I had no idea what it was.

Turns out I’d watched hundreds of Explainer Videos — and probably so have you. I just had no idea they were called Explainer Videos.

(Just goes to show you, you probably know a lot more about how to make money on Upwork than you think.)

Anyway, since there seemed to be a regular supply of writing jobs for Explainer Videos, I figured I should explore a bit further.

Luckily I have a Masters Degree in Googling. So it took me all of 30 seconds to figure out exactly what an Explainer Video was:

Just in case you’ve never seen one, here’s a good example of an explainer video:

Explainer Videos are so popular that they’ve become a staple of online marketing. There are more new ones made every day that you can count.

Small businesses, big businesses, online businesses, offline businesses — it seems like everyone these days wants an Explainer Video for their website.

And here’s the really exciting part for you: For every Explainer Video that gets made, someone has to write a script for it.

Once you learn how to write a good script for an Explainer Video, you immediately become a valuable freelancer (or a more valuable one) that Upwork clients would love to talk to.

There are even clients on Upwork who own Explainer Video companies — all they do is produce Explainer Videos all day long. Which means they’re in constant need of reliable writers who can write scripts for all of those videos.

Once you form a relationship with a client like that, they can keep you full of work that’s enjoyable, pays well, and has flexible hours — for weeks, months, or even years.

Just look at this job post I just found on Upwork earlier today:

And there are countless more where this one came from.

To be clear, you do not need to be an experienced writer to learn how to write a great Explainer Video script.

In fact, you don’t need to be a writer at all. This is a great way for any type of freelancer (or aspiring freelancer) to make money on Upwork.

OK, now you know that writing Explainer Video scripts is:

• Fun
• Profitable
• Always in high demand
• A great way to find long-term clients on Upwork
• And easy to learn, even if you’re new to freelancing

…let me show you how to write one.

The basic formula is very simple.

There are 3 steps:

1. Introduce to the problem
2. Introduce to the solution
3. Call to action

As you can see, I wasn’t kidding — it’s really simple.

Anyone can do this. I could teach a 10-year old kid to do it.

But don’t be fooled, you can still make a lot of money on Upwork with this skill.

In this post, I’ll walk you through all of the steps in more detail, so by the end of it you’ll be able to write your own Explainer Video scripts like a champ. And get paid.

You’ll learn how to write one about literally any product, so you can quickly create a few great sample pieces to show to clients on Upwork and help you get hired.

I’ll even take it a step further. To make sure you know exactly how to write an Explainer Video script from start to finish, I’ll write an example script for you right here in this post.

We’ll write it about an ordinary household product: The clipper my wife uses to trim our cat’s claws.

We’ll write a script that’s 1-minute in length — or about 150 words.

Let’s go.

Step 1: Introduce the problem

Every good product (or service) exists to solve a problem.

For example, this blog post solves the problem of “How can I make money on Upwork?”

One of my favorite apps, Audible, solves the problem of “How can I read a book and take a walk (or drive, run, etc) at the same time?”

The clipper my wife uses to cut my cat’s nails solves the problem of him scratching up our furniture.

And so on.

When we write an Explainer Video, we start by demonstrating the problem.

Why?

Because people may or may not be familiar with the solution we’re going to offer — but they can all relate to the problem.

Before Henry Ford invented the Model-T, no one could possibly relate to the idea of a car. But everyone could relate to how bad it sucked to ride a horse to work.

Btw, did you notice what I did in the previous paragraph?

I didn’t just tell you that cars are faster than horses.

I told you a story about a specific person (Henry Ford) and used specific mental images (an antique car and someone riding a horse to work) to keep you engaged.

You’ll use those same techniques to write a great Explainer Video.

Average Explainer Video writers just point out problems.

For instance, a mediocre writer might write something like, “Does your cat scratch up your carpeting and furniture every time you leave your house?”

That’s boring. You’re not going to do that.

You’re going to tell a story using as many specific mental images as you can.

The best way to do it is to create a character who’s going through the exact problem that the product (in our case, the claw-clipper) solves. Then you just write out that character’s story in plain language like this:

Angie just adopted a sweet little kitten named Sprinkles. Unfortunately, she got more than she bargained for…

In just a couple of weeks, Sprinkles has already torn up Angie’s couch, her rugs, and, even her skin! Ouch.

Angie doesn’t want to give Sprinkles away — or have her surgically declawed. But she doesn’t want to live in a warzone either…

A simple introduction like this will put you way ahead of most of the writers on Upwork.

And it’s not that hard to do.

Remember, the key is to be specific and use as many mental images as possible.

“Scratched furniture” is not specific.

But “Angie’s torn-up couch and rug” is very specific and creates a picture in your mind’s eye.

Keep in mind that most Explainer Videos are very short, about 1-3 minutes in length. So you don’t need to write too much.

The introduction I’ve just shown you is more than enough for a 1-minute video.

With that, let’s move on to Step 2.

Step 2: Introduce the solution

In this part of the script, we’re going to introduce the audience to the product that the Explainer Video is about.

We’re also going to explain how the product works (that’s why it’s called an Explainer Video) and build up the benefits of using it.

The key here is to keep things simple.

Don’t get too bogged down on all the technical details of the product. Explaining the basics is fine.

You don’t want to overwhelm people with too much info.

The thing people are most interested in is how the product can make their life better.

When you buy a high definition TV you care more about how nice your favorite movies will look on it — and less about the computer chips that make it work.

So you need to use a good chunk of this section to highlight the BENEFITS of using the product, in addition to showing how it works.

If you can show the viewer that the product can solve their problem quickly and easily, then you’ll end up with a good script.

Let’s continue with our example script so you can see how I do this:

Fortunately, there’s a better solution: The Amazing Claw Clipper.

This simple device gives Angie the best of both worlds: She can keep her cuddly friend AND her furniture, while trimming Sprinkles’ nails short enough to make them totally harmless.

The way it works is simple: You just hold your cat by her paw, while placing the clippers around one of her nails. Then, just squeeze like you would a pair of scissors, and, voila!

No more torn up furniture… No more scratches… And NO risky surgery.

Do you see how simple this is?

We’re just continuing to tell the story, and using words that create specific mental images (holding a cat by the paw, squeezing a pair of scissors, etc).

Each section is basically just a few sentences. The entire finished video will be just a few paragraphs.

I swear I could teach a room full of grade-schoolers to do this.

This is why I laugh when people say you need years of experience to make money on Upwork. What bullshit.

Step 3: Call to action

The call to action is the shortest and easiest part of the entire script.

We’re basically going to tell people how to buy the product.

But beware: Most writers get lazy here.

They lose their imagination.

Probably because they’re tired from writing the first two parts of the script. Or maybe because they think the Call To Action is just an afterthought.

They say, “Go to this website and buy this now.”

That’s like sending people a Thank You note that just says “Thank you.” Boring and uninspiring.

You should try to never be boring.

Boring is like death.

Boring ruins marriages.

Get in the habit of sprucing things up a little.

Nothing crazy, I’m just talking about a little extra effort.

If someone is still watching the Explainer Video at this point then that means you’ve already got them interested in the product. So most of your work is done.

But that little extra effort can turn a mediocre Call To Action into a really good one.

Even something like this would work:

Having a cat doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful home, too. Angie does, and so can YOU. Go to www.WebAddressHere.com to order your Amazing Claw Clipper now.

Or you could do it like this:

Cats should bring joy to your life — not destruction. Stop the madness! To find out more about the Amazing Claw Clipper, visit www.WebAddressHere.com

Don’t get hung up on the specifics. Just add a little flavor to the Call To Action and your scripts will stand out and make clients love you.

Actually, I could have written this entire script 1,000 different ways.

There’s no one right way to do it.

The important thing is to understand the underlying principles and use them for every script you write.

Have fun, tell a little story, and follow the formula.

It’s been working for me — and many others — for years. And it continues to work to this day.

Actually it works even better today because there are more Explainer Videos being made than ever before.

So this is really a great way to make money on Upwork. No matter who you are.

What to do next

Now that you’ve seen me write a good Explainer Video script, it’s time to get some real world experience by writing one of your own.

It’ll only take you a few minutes.

Or a few hours. Doesn’t matter — the rewards will be huge.

Clients are waiting to pay you good money for this skill on Upwork right now.

If you don’t know what to write about then pick anything you see in front of you.

You can write an Explainer Video script about a cool gadget, a mobile app you love, a home gym, a hair dryer, frozen food — literally anything. Just follow the formula.

Then you can use the script you write as a writing sample when you apply to Explainer Video jobs on Upwork.

When you show it to clients they’ll feel confident that you can do the job because they can see you know what you’re doing.

One last thing.

I wrote this post to help you make money on Upwork. And I want to help as many others as possible, too.

That’s why I’m giving away valuable information like this, totally free of charge.

Because of that, I’d love it if you’d help me spread it far and wide, so a lot of other people can benefit as well.

If you know anyone who could benefit from earning an extra $1,000 a month (or more) on Upwork, then please consider sharing this post.

You can do it easily by clicking one of the social share buttons right on your screen. Or you can email it to someone.

Upwork keeps getting bigger and bigger so there’s plenty of room for all of us to grow and succeed.

In fact when you share this post with people you know, and they succeed, Upwork grows even more and there are more opportunities for all of us.

So it literally pays to “pay it forward.”

I really appreciate it. And I know others will too.

Have a fun and profitable day.

PS If you have a question about how to write an Explainer Video script, you can ask it in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

(Images via dyyanae and Lars-Göran Lindgren)