If you want to earn money on note, I think being a 40-something office worker noter is the right path, not an info-product seller or a creator

Hello everyone, this is Ponzu.

“I want to earn money on note, where should I start?”

Recently, I've been getting messages like this on X more often. I tried to write down my own answer, but... this is surprisingly difficult. The more you look into “how to earn on note,” the more options appear, and they all seem good, which makes you feel lost, doesn't it? Today, I'll try to organize those feelings in my own way.

When I looked up “earning on note,” it was full of know-how for note, brain, and tips

I have been a know-how collector for 10 years. Paid articles on note, teaching materials on brain, know-how on tips... honestly, I've bought quite a lot. Things like “Earn 50,000 yen just by reading this” or “Monetize from 0 followers.”

And, what happened...

• I was satisfied with buying it

• I was satisfied with practicing it a little

• I was satisfied with arranging it on my own

In the end, I never managed to practice it from start to finish. I repeated this endlessly for 10 years. ← Simply put, I'm an idiot.

Speaking honestly, I don't think the know-how itself is bad. Many of the people writing it have real track records, and some of the content was spot on. However, whether I, as the buyer, could actually act on it was a completely different story.

Looking up “how to earn on note,” buying know-how, reading it, and then looking for more know-how. I don't think I'm the only one who has entered this infinite loop.

The position of a “40-something office worker noter” who is neither a creator nor an info-product seller

When you post on note, there comes a time when you think about your position. In my case, it was when I received a corporate PR offer.

There are all kinds of people on note. People who publish works as creators. People who sell know-how for a fee. People who share how to earn money as a side hustle. I felt that I didn't fit into any of those categories.

I am a manager at a listed prime company. I like my company work, and I'm not doing a side hustle to quit. At the same time, I'm not creating enough work to call myself a “creator.”

So what am I?

What felt right was “40-something office worker noter.” An office worker who writes on note every day with Kuro while keeping their main job. Not selling info-products, not an artist, not a novelist. Just someone writing about what I've tried and what I've thought for other people in their 40s. This is my most honest position.

The story of when I “didn't understand the greatness” of a corporate PR offer

Around the time I had been on note for over 70 days, I received a message inviting me to a corporate PR project. Moreover, it was a company whose name I knew, so that actually made it feel suspicious. Deep down, you'd normally think, “Huh? Why? On my note?” Would a famous company contact such a small account? So, I ignored it for a few days.

A few days later, I had Kuro look into the company's information, and I thought about whether or not to reply. After looking into it, I realized it was a legitimate offer, so I sent a reply with some trepidation. And then, I actually got a reply back.

By the way, when you hear "PR offer," you might imagine writing an article at a company's request. In my case, it was the type where I place an advertisement within an article. There was no burden of writing an article, so the hurdle was quite low.

I'll just write that the compensation was about "two conveyor-belt sushi meals x several times." However, for someone like me who had been a know-how collector for 10 years with zero earnings, the fact that "a company is looking at my note" was more significant than the amount of money.

However, when I wrote about this on note and X, the reaction was completely different. The post on X had over 3,600 impressions and 18 comments. People around me were more surprised than I was. Honestly, there was a temperature difference where I thought, "Huh, is it that big of a deal?"

Why a 40-something with four children designs note as a business

The corporate PR offer made me start thinking seriously about monetizing note.

I have four children. A family of six. To put it simply, it costs money. That's why I can't just end it with "I continue because writing is fun." It's true that it's fun, but if I don't design it properly as a business, it will just end as a hobby.

The steps I am thinking about now are as follows.

• Corporate PR offer (← here now)

• Paid note

• Paid magazine

Cycling through these three is my goal for 2026. If I can keep writing for a year, I'd like to consider memberships as well.

What's quietly important here is the "order." If you suddenly release a paid note, people won't buy it because there's no relationship of trust with the readers. First, you accumulate free articles, and then you create a track record through corporate PR offers that "this person's note has value." Only then do you release a paid note.

When I was doing reselling and product sales, I skipped this order. "Earning" came first, and I skipped building trust entirely.

And one more thing. I believe this experience of my own business will definitely be useful in my main job as an office worker. Thinking about revenue design, grasping reader needs, disseminating information, and building a mechanism for continuity. These are all skills that I also use in my company work. It's not about making my side job and main job compete, but about running them with a synergistic effect. For me, this is quite significant.

The reason I decided to release a paid note after writing 100 articles

Honestly, I could release a paid note right now. I have the material, and the structure is in my head.

But I won't. I'll reach 100 articles in another 17 days, so I've decided to wait until then.

Why? Because I'm afraid that "releasing it" will become the goal.

When I remember myself in my know-how collector days, "giving it shape" was always the goal. Creating a blog, opening an account, buying teaching materials.

In every case, your excitement is at its peak the moment you start, and then it cools down rapidly. But this time, my motivation has lasted as long as a THERMOS.

Paid notes have the potential to fall into the same pattern. You feel satisfied after publishing, look for the next topic, and publish again... In the end, you've just switched from being a buyer of know-how to a seller, and the structure hasn't changed at all.

That's why I set a goal of 100 articles for myself. I think if I can keep writing for 100 days, I can make the goal 'delivering' rather than just 'publishing.' ...Maybe.

Summary of 'How to make money on note'

When you think, 'I want to make money on note,' the first thing you probably look up is 'how to make money.' I was the same.

However, as someone who spent 10 years buying know-how, my conclusion is that there is something you need to decide before the 'how-to.' What position will you write from? Are you an info-product seller, a creator, or something else?

In my case, it was 'a 40-something office worker noter.' I like my company job, and I'm not doing a side hustle to quit. It's fun to write every day with Kuro, and as I wrote, I started to see how to make money. That order feels right to me.

Well then, I'll be heading off now.

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