November 11, 2023
Editorial GuidelinesJessica is a writer for SideHustles.com. Her side hustles include freelance academic writing and editing, which she's done for...
Earn
$5–$200/reviewStartup Time
ModerateStartup Costs
LowRemote-Friendly
YesCollege Required
NoCertification Required
NoWatching movies is a great way to unwind after a long day at work. But what if you could also make money while indulging in your film habit?
If you have strong feelings about the Ghostbusters reboot or the latest Tarantino film, your movie-related opinions could make you money. Read on to find out how to turn reviewing movies into a profitable side hustle.
We look at four ways to get paid for publishing movie reviews across different outlets and platforms
You can get a movie-reviewing side hustle going with one of these four strategies:
There are a lot of sites that allow freelancers to write movie reviews for them. As with most of the other ways to make money writing, you don’t need any special qualifications to do this; you just need writing talent and something to say.
To get your start, you’ll want to have a writing portfolio. If you’ve never written professionally before, whip up a couple of sample pieces to showcase. Selling your first review may be difficult, but the more you publish, the easier it will become to get gigs as you gain recognition among editors and media outlets.
You can try pitching to any of these websites, all of which work with freelancers:
What it is: Screen Rant is an entertainment website that publishes reviews of movies, TV shows, video games, and more.
How to apply: You can apply on the Screen Rant site to join their ranks of freelance writers for TV and movie features (including movie reviews).
Pay: Screen Rant doesn’t specify their rate per article, but online reports cite rates of $5–$20.
What it is: Cineaste is a quarterly magazine that’s all about the art and politics of cinema. It publishes various types of film-related content, including movie reviews and DVD and Blu-ray reviews (both of new and vintage/classic films).
How to apply: The Cineaste website gives detailed guidelines on how to write your review, along with instructions on how to submit it.
Pay: Cineaste pays $18–$45 per piece (depending on the type of review you submit).
What it is: Cultured Vultures is a British pop culture website. It features content about movies as well as TV, gaming, and more.
How to apply: Film reviews are among the types of content writers can submit; you can find instructions on how to submit your writing on the Cultured Vultures website.
Pay: The pay starts from a base rate of £5 (approximately $6) per article with bonuses for every 200 views you get.
What it is: Taste of Cinema is a website for movie lists and reviews, with a focus on world cinema and classics.
How to apply: To indicate that you’re interested in writing for Taste of Cinema, follow the instructions on the website (which tell you who to email and what information to include in your message).
Pay: Unfortunately, Taste of Cinema doesn’t specify how much it pays. You can ask for more details about their rates when you apply.
What it is: HubPages is an online platform where you can publish articles and create your own pages on various topics—including movies.
How to apply: It’s free to sign up for HubPages. You can then earn money from ads that appear in your content.
Pay: Regarding pay, HubPages says, “You are not likely to see significant earnings from your articles for up to two years (and that’s two years spent writing high-quality articles on HubPages). When you do begin to see regular payouts, they are likely to be in a range of $50 to $100 a month.”
What it is: Bustle is an online women’s magazine. It publishes TV and movie reviews, as well as other articles on many different topics, such as books, celebrities, music, wellness, fashion, and so on.
How to apply: The Bustle website has specific guidelines on how to write a pitch for the publication. You can send movie review pitches to entertainmentpitches@bustle.com.
Pay: Bustle doesn’t specify how much it pays freelancers. Anecdotal reports cite rates of $50–$200 per article.
What it is: Animation Arena is a site for people who want to work in the animation, video game, and visual effects industries. The site publishes reviews of movies, video games, comic books, and animation books.
How to apply: The Animation Arena site provides detailed instructions on how to apply, including the email you can use to send them your pitch (arenamaster@animationarena.com).
Pay: The pay per review is $15 (and you can only publish up to 10 reviews per month).
What it is: Cracked is a website featuring funny videos, pictures, articles, and more. They have a section on movies and TV, which includes movie reviews.
How to apply: You can send a pitch to workshop@cracked.com.
Pay: Articles pay between $100 and $250, based on length and the number of pieces you’ve written.
What it is: Medium is an open platform where anyone can publish articles, personal essays, stories, opinions, and (of course) movie reviews.
How to apply: To write for Medium, you don’t have to apply or go through a vetting process; you can just sign up and start writing.
Pay: Medium doesn’t pay per article, but has a “partner program” that pays you according to the time people spend reading your stories. Reports suggest that on average, you’ll get paid around $5 per thousand views on your articles, but this heavily depends on how much people engage with them (if they get bored quickly and hit the back button, you won’t make much at all).
Instead of writing for an online publication, you can apply to be a movie reviewer for a local or regional newspaper. To land this type of work, follow these steps:
In theory, you can also use this approach to apply to work for national papers (like The New York Times or the Washington Post), but you’ll have a tough road ahead of you. Major newspapers usually only hire established movie reviewers with very strong portfolios. If that’s your goal, it isn’t impossible, but you’ll probably have to spend a long time working your way up.
Another way to make money from your movie reviews is to start your own blog. This will give you more creative freedom than writing for another publication.
Blogging is also a good way to build your reputation as a movie reviewer. Even if you don’t actually plan to use your blog to make money, you can bulk up your portfolio substantially.
It’s possible to start a blog for free, but if you want a domain name, you’ll need to spend a bit of money to get one. Many platforms provide all-in-one services, including a hosting account and domain name registration, along with website-building tools.
Try using:
Once you have your blog set up, you’ll have to do the following:
As mentioned, not all movie reviews are written down. If you have a good voice or a compelling camera presence, you can always film them instead.
For inspiration, you can look at some of the many popular YouTube channels that feature movie reviews, such as:
You can use a YouTube channel to make money in much the same way you’d use a blog—by featuring advertisements, using affiliate links, or seeking sponsorship. These options will allow you to generate passive income from your YouTube videos.
Learn how much you can make as a movie reviewer and which factors might affect your earnings
As a movie reviewer or movie critic, you won’t usually be paid an hourly wage or monthly salary. You might be paid by the word or per article, per view (if you’re working with online platforms that track viewership), or per click (if you’re using affiliate marketing).
To give you a rough idea of how much you can earn, the rates paid by the online publications we listed above range from about $5 to $200 per article. They’ll usually pay at the lower end of the scale if you have little or no experience.
If you choose to work for yourself (by starting a blog or a YouTube channel), your earnings will entirely depend on how popular your content is. In the beginning, you shouldn’t expect to make any money at all, but if your site takes off, you may eventually be able to earn thousands of dollars per month.
Find out which skills and resources you can use to make money from your movie reviews
If you’re starting your own blog or YouTube channel, you may need to use only some of these ideas. If you want to submit your movie reviews to magazines, film websites, or other publications, all of the following tips will be helpful.
An understanding of the film industry and the filmmaking process will provide context and background for your movie reviews, helping you to craft more informed and thoughtful pieces.
You can learn how to analyze and rate movies by studying the industry, how movies are made, what role filmmakers play, and other aspects of the filmmaking process.
As we’ve mentioned, you would once have needed great writing skills to be good at reviewing movies. However, you can now just as easily deliver your reviews in video format.
To make videos, you’ll need good verbal communication skills (and video editing skills, unless you plan on hiring someone to help you with that).
You’ll also need other soft skills to get good at reviewing movies. For example, you’ll need attention to detail to analyze all of the different aspects of a movie critically (e.g., the plot, character development, and cinematography).
The more you practice all of these skills, the better you’ll get. As you might expect, the best way to improve is to:
If you’re planning to share your reviews mainly through your blog or YouTube channel (or if you plan on writing for Medium, which will pay you based on the popularity of your content), your online presence will be key for your income.
You can use social media platforms to amplify your online presence, share your reviews, and engage with your audience. In addition to the main social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, you can also look for more niche sites that focus specifically on film. In particular, check out Letterboxd, which is a social media platform that bills itself as being specifically for film lovers.
As you’ve probably gathered, your portfolio is one of the most important tools you have for showcasing your talents to potential clients and employers.
Your portfolio should include a carefully curated selection of your best movie reviews, covering a diverse range of films from various genres, eras, and styles. It should also feature:
As we’ve mentioned, a film review blog can be a great addition to a portfolio, even if your main ambition is to write for established publications like film websites and magazines. Naturally, if you have any published work under your belt, link to that as well.
We’ve already mentioned a few publications that you can scope out for opportunities. You can also look for gigs on freelancer sites like:
You may be able to find clients on there who are looking to start film-related publications of their own and need content from writers like you.
You can also check out regular job sites like FlexJobs, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter. Keep an eye out to see if any newspapers or magazines put out a call for film reviewers.
You can often find opportunities by networking with people in the same field. When you’re starting out as a movie reviewer, look to network with:
You can connect with these people through social media and also by attending film festivals, screenings, film clubs, or other events.
Mystery shopper sites and movie focus groups will sometimes pay you to watch movies in the theater or at home
The following opportunities won’t pay you to produce reviews per se. However, they might pay you (or offer other incentives such as free movie tickets) to watch movies and then complete questionnaires or participate in discussions about your experience.
Mystery shopper sites like the ones below sometimes feature opportunities to get paid for going to the theater:
For this type of gig, you’ll usually have to watch the movie and then complete a questionnaire on your experience, sharing your thoughts on the comfort of the theater and the customer service provided by the staff.
A movie focus group is a group of people from the general public who watch a movie in advance of the official release and provide feedback on whether they enjoyed it. These groups are usually recruited by movie studios, streaming platforms, or market research companies.
If you join a movie focus group, you may have the chance to attend in-person screenings, but you might also have to watch movies at home (online). Each screening will usually be followed by a discussion, interview, or questionnaire.
Note that movie focus groups don’t always pay. For example, the Netflix Preview Club doesn’t offer any incentives other than the opportunity to watch new Netflix content before the general public gets to. You also can’t join this group without an invitation from Netflix (which they extend to people based on their viewing behavior and other factors).
However, paid opportunities do exist. Here are some sites that sometimes post opportunities to join movie focus groups:
This type of side hustle isn’t mutually exclusive with an actual reviewing gig, of course. You can always use it to make a bit of extra money and see more films while waiting for a publication to hire you as a critic (or for your movie review blog to get off the ground).
December 20, 2024
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