Content is King
How to be a Content Writer
Trying to
become a content writer when you’re just starting out can feel daunting.
While
establishing yourself as a writer will take a boat load of hard work, there’s
absolutely no reason you can’t become a successful content writer.
Let’s break it
down.
1. Write. Write. Write.
It’s no secret
that in order to become a successful writer you need to be a talented
wordsmith.
The best way
to get there is to just keep writing.
2. Create a professional bio
Creating a
professional profile is one of the first steps to getting started. Some of the
main things to make sure your profile includes are:
·
Elevator pitch about yourself
·
A high-quality image
·
Credibility boosters
·
A personal touch
Next, you’re
going to want to put together a portfolio of work. Most clients will ask for
writing samples before hiring a writer, so make sure you have some great
samples in your portfolio to share.
3. Build a writing portfolio
There is a
number of different ways to start building a portfolio without any writing
experience so let’s break a few down (starting with the easiest and finish with
the hardest but most rewarding):
1. Medium
Medium a
website that lets you create a profile and publish articles under your name.
It’s free so anyone can create an account and start publishing articles with a
byline. The biggest benefit to Medium is that it’s a professional-looking and
well-known website.
2. Content Platform
A second way
that will require slightly more effort but is more effective, is to create a
portfolio on a content platform. Content platforms are all about connecting
writers with companies that need content, so it’s a great place to start
building a portfolio while also looking for prospective clients.
3. Publications
Finally, one
of the best but most challenging ways to build your portfolio is to publish
articles on marquee publications in your niche - Ex. Forbes for business -
TechCrunch for tech. To do this, you’ll need to write some high quality,
original articles and then submit them to the website editors. Doing this takes
more time and effort but when done well can really give your portfolio some
extra credibility.
4. Pick a niche
Another big
part of getting started as a freelance writer is finding a niche (or multiple
niches).
This can be
challenging especially early on because you want to accept literally any job
that comes your way. I encourage you to move beyond this stage as fast as
possible and find a niche(s) that you:
1. Enjoy writing
about
2. Have an above
average understand of
Establishing
yourself as an expert in a particular field or niche will help you landing
clients, and charge more for your services.
5. Finding Writing Jobs
So, you’re
ready to tackle your first freelance writing job.
Only problem is, you have no idea where to land a writing job…
There a few
different places to start your job search:
1. Social Media
2. Job Sites
3. Freelance
Writing Sites
6. Land your
first client
Approaching potential clients is
exciting, yet nerve-wracking.
My advice for writers here is to
develop a system or template that can evolve with you as a writer.
Here is an example of a system:
1. Start by researching
the potential client. Check out their website, read a blog article or
two, get a sense of what their business is all about.
2. Write a
Proposal. This is your first step to building a relationship with that
client so don’t be afraid to ask questions or show some personality.
3. Anticipate questions
ahead of time. Anticipate the questions or concerns a client might
have.
4. Follow up. If
you don’t hear back right away, follow up. Most marketers and website owners
are busy people so it’s not uncommon for an email to get missed or forgotten
about.
Here is an example…
Hi (Client Name),
Last week I sent you a proposal
for (the project) and just wanted to follow up to see if you’re interested.
When you’re available, please
get in touch if you’d like to discuss the project in more detail or have any
further questions.
(Your Name)
Once you’ve landed your first
client, now is when the real work starts. You need to balance keeping clients
happy, with landing new clients, and not going crazy ;)
It’s also important to keep
developing your writing skills. For this, recommend checking out Freelance Writing Stack -
it’s a curated directory of freelance writing resources and tools.
Being a paid
content writer is not as hard as some people think. You don’t need any tools or
expensive things to get started, you simply need to go out and market yourself
and find a client (or four).
I’ve seen
people upset about the lack of strong resources or how much tools can cost, and
I’ve seen people put off starting to work simply because they felt overwhelmed
with information.
Here are the
truths I have discovered on my journey in writing and entrepreneurship:
·
You should not spend ANY money when you’re first starting. You
can start a service-based (like writing) business for free.
·
You don’t need to know everything when you
start. You can research and figure things out as you go
along.
·
Even when you’re first looking for clients and feel so
inexperienced, don’t ever work for free. Here’s how not to and why you shouldn’t.
·
Market yourself, especially using social media.
Social media is free and, as a small business owner or freelancer, completely
necessary. Here’s how I utilize social media.
·
Make sure to always be creating and maintaining your pipeline of future clients
to fight the natural ebb and flow of sales and freelancing.
·
Figure out what you need to be making and use that for your pricing. Then stick to it.
Pricing and sticking to it is so important as a freelancer. Clients want work
for free, so never let them dictate what you’re worth.
·
Focus on your main objective or idea when starting your
business. There is such a thing as too many ideas.
·
Network constantly. Whenever
I go anywhere, I have my cards in my bag. When I meet new people, I give them
my card, explain I’m a writer, and let them know I’d be happy to discuss any
writing or editing needs they have.
·
Even when you’re first starting, you’re allowed to say “no” to work!
So many freelancers feel they need to take on anyone who comes to them, to gain
experience, build a portfolio, whatever. You do NOT. Saying “no” to some work
has made me more successful and profitable.
·
Make sure you deeply understand blogging and
article writing. Here are 10 tips I’ve learned!
·
When working from home (or for yourself), staying organized and not procrastinating is
the only way you can succeed.
·
Freelancing can be lonely. Make sure
to maintain friendships and hobbies outside the home to keep your sanity!
·
Have a contract in place. This is super
important. Your contract should dictate payments, deadlines, deliverables, and
anything else having to do with the client/freelancer relationship. Both of you
should sign this and a deposit paid before ANY work is done. There are many
free contract templates available online.
·
Keep an eye on the future. How will your business evolve and change?Think
about what you enjoy doing most as you gain clients and learn new skills and
see how you can incorporate more of it or move to different pricing models.
Evolution is an important part of building and growing a business.
These is real
information from a freelancer who has been where you are. You do not need to
pay for any expensive courses or anything to get started. Just find one person
willing to pay you fairly for your work and BAM! You’re a paid freelancer.
In terms of
finding clients specifically:
I have gotten
a couple clients from Reddit, answering ads from people looking for writers,
and maybe 2–3 who found me through my website or
from reading my book.
The majority
of my clients came from social media. One of my main clients right now
originally came through Instagram.
The easiest
way to start using Twitter and Instagram more effectively is to start using
relevant hashtags ASAP. They are searchable and followed by many people as a
way to get exposed to new content. On Instagram, you can have up to 30 hashtags
per picture, and on Twitter, your only limit is the 280 characters. You want to
use relevant hashtags and not just popular ones if they don’t fit the content,
as that is an easy way to get people to ignore you.
Use good
pictures. It doesn’t matter if they are selfies from your phone, try to take a
decent picture that isn’t blurry or too crowded or anything. Instagram in
particular is a very visual platform.
Also, be
yourself. I post everything from food I cooked, my cat being cute, blogs I
wrote, and random things from throughout my day. I am not just looking for
random followers, I am being myself and showing who I am.
So, now that
you’re using the platform correctly and continuing to build your account, how
do you find clients?
You can direct
message anyone on Instagram and tweet at anyone on Twitter.
Every single
time anyone liked or commented or followed my account, I checked their page. If
they had CEO, founder, entrepreneur, public speaker, etc, any of those types of
titles, I sent them a quick message:
“Hi! My name is Jyssica Schwartz and I am a writer and editor
based in NYC. I do blogging, website and ad copy, ghostwriting, articles, and
book editing. Did you know having an active blog raises your Google search
ranking and keeps people on your site longer?”
I got a
surprisingly high number of responses. Most of them were along the lines of
“You’re a writer? That’s cool!” or “How much do you charge?”
For the first,
I said thanks and we often had a conversation. That is one more follower on
social media and potential reader of my books and blogs, or even possibly a
client in the future. Be nice to everyone, you never know when they
will pop back up.
For the
second, I started asking questions and explained that prices depended
on the work. I can do per-word, per-project or monthly pricing, and it
includes different things and amounts of time. In fact, I’d love to talk to
them about it. Do they have time to jump on a call around 3 pm?
Connecting
with people over the phone is a strength of mine. I love that human connection
and interaction, and I am able to more thoroughly understand what they need and
how I can help them. It is far better to have a conversation than simply
replying “I charge $0.15 per word.” and never hearing back from them.
So basically, I use social media, referrals, and connections to get
clients.
If you are
fresher and wish to get into content writing, I would suggest you do three
things-
1. Start a blog
2. Write on
platforms like Medium and Quora
3. Have an
Instagram handle and Facebook page
Show your
expertise and pile up some views, likes, and comments. Learn the basics of
three things.
1. Google
analytics
2. Content
marketing
3. Inbound
marketing
Read some good
articles on writing hacks, social media hacks, and how you can improve your
online presence. Apply them on your personal social media accounts, keep
experimenting and trying. Have fun as you learn!
Stay longer on
these two websites,
1. Content
marketing institute
2. Copyblogger
Follow some
good writers, consume good content, read good books, understand the language,
and improve your vocabulary.
Once you do
all of the above for a month, check LinkedIn, and other job searching sites for
some good job offers, and apply.
Also, research, and check out the startups in your city, see if
they are into marketing and need a writer to create content for them. If they
do, meet them and say, you would be glad to join their team.
Content
writing is not much hard when you have good command over a languge. You can
easily become a content writer. I am sharing my own experiance reading which
you can have an idea to get into content writing:
·
Be fluent with a language to get success in this field. I have
good command over English Language so I chose it as my content weapon.
·
Reading as much as you can, will help you to get the innovative
ideas of writing.
·
Before starting to write, select a topic and research on that.
Make a structure and keep you content simple, it imcreases the readability and
approachability to your targeted audience. The main thing, create a interesting
content else it will become boring and tedious.. So while writing, keep
interest of users in mind…
·
Frame content using the attractive and sapid headlines, to make
interest of users…
·
In the next, you should choose a platform for writing such as:
publication, blogging(travel, food, nature, photography, life style etc. These
are the options to start with easily as in these all you just need to write
your experiance as a story which is not much difficult task for a fresher.) I
started with food and its machines. Now, I am writing in an education field.
·
You should also keep writing on social media platform(Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter etc) to get more productivity. Remember to be famous on
social media, you just need to write creative content and post consistently…
·
Now, the next step is to start freelancing, you can start your
own blog on any topic. You can easily find clients for your freelancing career
on the leading job platforms.
How to Become a Content Writer- a step by step guide
Skills you need to be a successful content writer
Just like any
other stream, writing too involves certain skills, but it is important to
remember that skills are not necessarily in-built, they can be developed
through good training and practice. Some basic skills are:-
·
Good command over language- Since
most websites have content written in English, it is essential for aspirants to
have flawless grammar, good vocabulary, and ability to communicate the point
across in a crisp and clear tone.
·
Knowledge of multiple writing styles- Every
website has a different writing style, as a writer the more number of styles
you are adaptive to, the more indispensable you become.
·
SEO, CSS, HTML and WordPress- It is worth
your time to learn basics of these tools. However, it is important to remember
that these tools will change with time and you will be required to keep
yourself updated with the change.
·
Read, read and read more- Reading
gives insight on various writing styles and other people’s thought process. Not
to forget strengthens your language skills.
·
Extensive research- Content must always be based
on facts and backed by extensive research. This is extremely crucial to
establish credibility among your readers.
Content Writing Courses or Professional Training
Basic
information about content writing can be found over internet for free and even
multiple free e-courses are available. However, if you are looking for
professional certifications there are institutes like Leads Academy, Udemy,
Information Developers Foundation, Henry Harvin Education, The Sharp Brain,
Onextel, Content Stellar, English Caffe, Java Portal Corporation Pvt. Ltd., and
Sky Infotech, that provide Professional Certification in Content Writing
(PCCW). The fees of the course involve investment between Rs 9,000 to Rs
13,000.
Curriculum of
these institutes differ widely, it is advisable that you compare the offerings
of multiple institutes, match it to your requirement, and then select the
course.
Content
writing is the basic for all the different types of writing. Once you
specialize in content writing, you can graduate and upgrade to the following
types of writing.
·
Web content writing
·
Technical Writing
·
Creative Writing
·
Research Writing
·
Scientific Writing
·
Copy writing
·
Travel Writing
·
Medical Writing
·
Article Writing
·
Web Copy writing
·
Copy Editing
It is
important to note that Content writing is different from journalistic writing
and conventional copywriting. If you wish to pursue journalism then enroll for
graduation or post- graduation course in mass communication. Click here for a list of top mass communication
colleges in India based on 2018 ranking.
Content
writing courses are only designed to give direction to your writing skills.
However, to make your presence as a writer on the web, you need to practice
writing, use websites like Quora, Medium, and Linkedin to post your writing
samples. You can even start your own blog on WordPress that is absolutely free
or post your write-ups for websites that encourage guest postings. Once you
make your online presence as a writer, there will be plethora of companies that
will want to hire you.
Content Writer Growth Graph
Usually at
entry level writers are hired at a designation of Junior Content Writer, who
then become Senior Content Writer, Team Leader, Manager, and so on, which means
your growth prospects in the field content writing are similar to any other
field. Promotions, salary hikes, and career growth are directly proportional to
your performance.
Tips improve your performance as a Writer/ Editor
·
Devote an hour to reading everyday
·
Practice writing and post your write ups online to establish
your presence over the web
·
Learn SEO, HTML, and WordPress
·
Stay updated with latest content marketing methodology
·
Ensure your writings are unique
·
Always start your write-up with keyword research
·
Give credit to your content source
·
Tap unto your readers emotion
·
Keep your writings simple and short
·
Keep updating the hyperlinks you have added to your write-up
Content Writer Salary- How much to expect?
Salary is the
most important aspect in any profession. Let’s take a look at the industry
standard for writers.
The average
per year salary of a content writer is around Rs 2,43,264.
The salary however would depend on your qualification, negotiation skills, and
the organization that is hiring you. As you grow with experience and move to
other verticals of writing, such as, copy editing, technical writing, content
management, and content marketing, your pay scale improves. Let’s take a look
at the salary structure of these verticals.
Average salary
of a content editor- Rs 3,72,593
Average Salary
of copy editor- Rs 2,51,187
Average salary
of technical writer- Rs 4,42,663
Average salary
of content manager- Rs 6,75,634
Apart from
seniority and experience, salaries of graduate and post graduate candidates
also differ. Fresher graduate gets around Rs 15,000 to 20,000 per month, while
a post graduate can fetch a salary between Rs 17,000 to 25,000 per month.
Most
candidates are more inclined towards multinational companies, but it is
important know that different MNCs have different salary slabs for the same
level. For instance, average base pay of a content writer at Infosys is around Rs
6,45,333 per year, while Tata Consultancy Services pays its content writers a
monthly salary of around Rs 25,000.
So if you aspire to be a content writer, this article could be
your one stop guide on ‘how to start content writing’. This
guide is a result of an extensive research and several brain storming sessions
by experts from the industry, who came forward to help the aspiring web content
writers, with the hope to have richer and exclusive content for our upcoming
digital market.
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