Content Writing is increasingly becoming a more diverse and saturated career option as brands all over the world are trying to engage with their target audience and form lasting relationships with them.
Social Media, unsurprisingly, is a big reason for that. The consumer of today looks not just for convenience and utility in his purchase, but rather for meaning and value.
This is where your job as a Content Writer begins.
I've been writing professionally for nearly a year now and the things that I've learned so far are worth sharing. Firstly, if you have decided to become a Content Writer, some of your primary objectives right out of the box are:
- Decide what niche you want to write in
- Develop your writing speed
- Develop a habit of reading
- Learn how to write good (seriously)
- Be prepared to face and accept criticism
All of this sounds easy enough reading here, but it's a whole different story once you try to do it. It will take you some time and experimentation to decide what niche you prefer.
This is all fun and games, but how do I actually get started?
Any business or client will only hire you if you have a good portfolio. I've also noticed that a live and searchable webpage that you have worked on is usually given higher preference by employers over offline examples.
I know "Start a blog" is pretty cliche advice, but it's one of the best ways to get into that writing environment and polish your writing skills before you go out and give interviews.
That's the way I got my first job, after all.
Before you start your blog though, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
- You're not going to start earning right away
- Your content will suck in the beginning
- The platform you write on matters
- You're going to get frustrated every now and then (and that's okay)
- Socialize and interact with other writers and your audience
- Consistency in writing is the key
Once you've created your blog, the hard part begins: actually working on it. That sounds like a stupidly obvious thing, but a lot of people simply create a blog and quit in a month or two.
A month or two of work isn't going to get you anywhere.
You need to give your blog at least 4-6 months of work before you can even think about using it as solid evidence of your writing skills in front of an interviewer for your first entry-level writing job.
But I don't wanna work in an office. I'll just be a freelancer.
Sure. One question, though. How are you going to get clients to trust you?
In most cases, freelance clients will only give you work if you already have experience working for a company or your blog has gained enough popularity and it's already a good source of income.
So yeah, freelancing, for now, is off the table. If you do manage to get clients anyway, good for you. But that's not how it works for most people.
Speaking of freelancing, if it's your first time doing freelance work, make sure to:
- Be clear about your prices and your client's expectations
- Let the client know about your terms (but don't scare him away)
- Send a professional invoice to your client after the work is done
- Try to keep healthy relations with clients to get more work
- Ask for feedback
Keep in mind that all of this is only the basics of Content Writing. The next step is SEO Writing which adds a whole new level of difficulty; something that we'll skip for some other time.
For now, you need to concentrate on writing consistently and learning from other writers. Try forming bonds with your readers and ask for their opinions regarding what they would like to read about.
At the same time, keep experimenting with your style and try out different niches like Digital Marketing, Travel, Shopping, Technology, and so on. You never know what you might be good at until you try it.
Continue reading:
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- Unpopular Opinion #1: Children Don't Owe Their Parents Financial Support (Part II)
- Unpopular Opinion #1: Children Don't Owe Their Parents Financial Support (Part I)
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