Writing Letters for Money: Legit or Scam?

You’re probably here because you’ve seen the videos on social media. In them, TikTokers claim that they’ve found a legit and lucrative side hustle: writing letters for money. The videos say that you can get paid $5 just for writing a two-line letter to a big company, so you can easily make hundreds of dollars a day and thousands of dollars per month.

It all sounds too good to be true—but is it?

Is writing letters for money actually legit?

No. As far as the claims you’ve heard in TikTok videos about making $5 per letter, writing letters for money in Canada is not legit.

The letters you write are sent to online casinos and gaming websites asking to be entered in their sweepstakes. In return, you get sweepstakes coins or gaming credits, not real money—so instead of getting $5 cash, you get 5 gambling tokens to use in an online casino.

And sure, you might one day be able to redeem those credits for cash after gambling them, but there are usually terms and conditions you have to meet first, not to mention the risk of gambling away your “earnings.”

That’s why we recommend steering clear of this particular side hustle.

Legit ways you can get paid to write letters

Want to write letters for companies and get paid? You’ll need to consider more conventional options:

• Working as a freelance writer. By marketing your services as a freelance writer on sites like Upwork, you could get hired to write client pitches or marketing emails for businesses, or cover letters for job applicants. Alternatively, you might be able to get work writing love letters and Valentine’s Day greetings, letters from Santa, or letters of support and friendship to lonely elderly people.
• Working as a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants perform a wide range of tasks for their clients, and letter writing could sometimes be one of them. Sending emails, writing thank you notes and responding to customer inquiries are just some of the jobs that will let you put your letter writing skills into action.

Legit alternatives to writing letters for money in Canada

These convenient alternatives don’t require any experience and can be done from home.

Use a get-paid-to platform

How it works: Get-paid-to (GPT) websites and apps where you can earn rewards for things like answering surveys, playing mobile games, reaching in-game milestones or signing up for special offers. The rewards you earn can typically be redeemed for cash via PayPal or for a wide range of gift cards. Platforms worth checking out include Branded Surveys, HeyCash and Swagbucks.

How much it pays: $0.50 to $5 per survey

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Earn cashback or rewards

How it works: Rewards apps like Rakuten and Swagbucks pay cashback on purchases you make at partner retailers. The amount of cashback varies depending on the retailers you choose and what special offers are available, but you can earn money simply by doing your regular online shopping. Finder also offers exclusive rewards when you sign up for certain products as a Finder Member.

How much it pays: 1% to 10% cashback

User testing

How it works: User testing platforms pay you real money for testing products and programs in the real world. Most jobs involve testing out apps and websites to see if they offer a user-friendly experience. For example, you might be asked to buy a certain item from an online store, then give feedback on the site’s ease of navigation and how efficient its checkout process is. Popular platforms include UserTesting, TryMata and Userlytics.

How much it pays: $3 to $5 per 5-minute test or $30 to $100+ for more complicated tests

Letter-writing scams to keep on your radar

There are several posts on Reddit warning that writing letters for money is a scam. Watch a few TikToks from people who claim to be raking in the big bucks by writing letters, and it quickly becomes clear that they’re very light on info. There are plenty of enticing claims about how lucrative and easy the side hustle is, but the videos often provide next to no details about who you write the letters to and exactly why you can get paid just to write letters.

In many cases, it’s not clear upfront that you:

• Will be writing to casinos and online gaming sites.
• Will be paid with sweepstakes coins, not real money.

If you want to find out more about this money-making scheme, you’ll often be encouraged to comment on the post or send the TikToker a DM. Some videos will even try to get you to sign up to an online course to learn how you can get paid to write letters for money, but you guessed it—you’ll need to pay an upfront fee and an ongoing monthly fee to be part of the program. All of which seems very scammy indeed.

So if you’re searching for legit ways to make money online, look elsewhere.

Are there legit companies that pay you for writing letters?

Yes, there are tons of legit companies out there that pay you to write letters. But getting work is not as simple as those viral TikTok videos would have you believe, and the letters you write actually require time and effort.

You can get started by creating a profile as a freelance writer on sites like Upwork, Fiverr, PeoplePerHour and Toptal. Search for “letter writing jobs” and you could potentially find work writing:

• Cover letters for job applications
• Marketing emails for businesses
• Thank you notes to customers who have made a purchase
• Handwritten personal letters
• Grant applications
• Legal letters

But it’s a crowded and competitive marketplace. You’ll need to take time building your portfolio and developing relationships with clients if you want to get steady, ongoing letter-writing work.

Bottom line

If a viral work-from-home gig you see plastered across social media sounds too good to be true, chances are it is. But while there are plenty of scams to watch out for, you can legitimately make money writing letters by working as a freelance writer. There are also several other legit ways to make money online—learn more in our guide to online and offline side hustles.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Leanne Escobal as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Tim Falk

Writer

Tim Falk is a freelance writer for Finder. Over the course of his 20-year writing career, he has reported on a wide range of personal finance topics. Whether you're investing in stocks and ETFs, comparing savings accounts or choosing a credit card, Tim wants to make it easier for you to understand. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors. See full bio

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