TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT IS WRITING OR CONTENT WRITING ALL ABOUT?
PICKING UP A NICHE, IS THAT MANDATORY?
CAN WE GET STARTED WITH BLOG/ ARTICLE WRITING?
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE YOU WRITE
TYPES OF CONTENTS TO POST IN THE PORTFOLIO
READY TO TASTE THE REAL SUCCESS OF BEING A WRITER?
With the evolution of digital technology and marketing at high levels, writer’s utilization is unique. Are you someone with great writing skills? Or a homemaker like me who looks for restarting a career innovatively? Or a retired professional looking for a part-time hobby as well as to make a side income? Then I guarantee that you have landed at the right place. Let us reveal the secret sauce of how to become a writer here. Trust me! It is not easy, yet enjoyable.
How to become a writer or a content writer? It is not as tough as it sounds. Just get on with your niche based on your passion and with proper analysis and placement of words you will be a pro writer.
When I came across writing as a level playing field especially in the online platform, the first thought that struck me was how to become a writer/content writer? I know many who are here have various questions and wonder about the good fortune that someone can create through their writing skills. I have traveled a long way over here to give an entire guide on how to become a writer. Without killing much time, let us get on to it.
What is writing or content writing all about?
Planning the content with proper research and analysis in depth plays an extensive part here. A complete analysis of whatever you intend to write on will help you to provide better pleasing digital content. The main categories are blogs or articles, a script for video or podcasts, as well as content for specific platforms such as tweetstorms on Twitter or text posts on Reddit.
Usually, people think writing is only for articles or blogs. However, you do not have to stop there. Many high-paying profitable content types are beck and call in the market. First, we will look at the various content forms that are high on the hog and interesting to do. Here are some as far as me in the good books to work.
1.Long-form blog posts-
A blog with more than 2000 words are long-form posts. Compared to the flabby 500 words, this form of manuscript generates a piece of detailed information on any topic by which Readers’ interests will go by leaps and bounds. Additionally, you will yield good SEO sense and also your reader’s heart content and engagement. Thus as a result more backlinks will be generated. As far as the reader’s point of view, your content will cover minute details of the topic. Hence, you will have more shares on your posts as a result of attracting the audience. Which in turn, there will be a raise in the bar of your brand authority.
Blogging is a content marketing strategy for any business. Producing long blog posts helps in gaining more trustworthy clients. You can make between 1200$-1500$ for 4 blog posts per month. This is a decent remuneration for a writer.
2.Electronic books–
Ebooks or electronic books are exceptional marketing means. It is a whole raft technique to gain more clients for small or large businesses. A typical organizational Ebook is 10-20 pages on “how-tos” topics. This solely depends on the type of business carried on by that association. Being philosophical or including a story is all on you. You should identify which side the bread is buttered. This type of writing fills your pocket from 1500$ to 5000$. Seems huge? This is because a huge business revolves around this. The organization will give out the Ebooks for free and in turn, get back prospects Email addresses. By this means they establish relationships and earn some high-paying clients.
3.White papers–
White papers as the name suggest a more serious tone of writing than any blog or Ebooks. They comprise more technology information and are popular among those with the technical niche. They do not promote any direct sales. However, they assist in the sales process in business to business market. White papers do not involve much research work as everything is given by clients. But the ball is on your court when it comes to interviewing skills. You can generate data only with these skills. A typical white paper is 5-10 pages long and acts as a great lead magnet. According to a white paper guy, 10 years ago hiring an experienced writer was around 5000$-7000$. It is even more now.
4.Case studies-
Does a good tale drive the customers? I am sure you will be taken aback. But in reality, marketers use narrative tales as an extensive strategy to butter up sales. This is what is termed a case study. It is a piece of writing drafted in the story setup and can be regarded as a lengthy testimonial. They Cover the entire progress from the remonstrances the consumer faces, how the company chewed their fat with their solutions, and the outcome with inference. You will be paid off well as it is the jack of all trades.
For how to write a case study Click here
5.Email writing-
Email writing is a bandwagon niche but not as easy peasy as it sounds. You need to yield readers for what you write and have your head and shoulders above others in the customer’s mailbox. Being a copywriter or getting to know its principles helps you a lot, as an email writer as you have to make your readers awe with your writeup. Still, wondering if it is a potential marketing strategy? To give you an ideal answer it is likely to generate 35$-38$ for every 1$ spent. This is a humongous number.
An email writing should drive your possible buyers to invest. You may have to generate a roadmap for the sales funnel through emailers. One more amusing fact is engaging the subscribers via email newsletters. They build bridges with the clients, their trust and act as an excellent client retainers project.
6.Sales/ landing page:
What is a landing page? It is an “About” section or “home” page. Since this is the first page anyone could see on your website it should be catchy. Seriously!! A compelling copy that retreats each visitor to buyers or provokes leads to potential buyers.
Get on with your copywriter hat because it is a herculean task. The spotlight of your writing should be on its benefits and not on products or services. Using numbers for example “ over last quarter 78% of visits are converted as buyers” will attract the readers.
No hard and fast rules for grammar here. You can break it as long as it sounds natural. You need to spend more time on designing killer headlines as it is the base the readers will move further. Encourage readers to take action and properly design the CTA(Call to action).
7.Video script writing-
In recent times it is emerging as a potential content marketing strategy and gaining fame among marketers. Your letter should be compelling enough to sell the organization’s product or services.
Businesses need a script for a website on their home or sales page or webinars and other sales tools. You should put down the shoes of the company and communicate the stories with information in the video.
The script you write should be based on the audience. Set up a proper goal and make it trim and fit.
Youtube is a top search engine for video and many are looking forward to whip out the best videos to sell their product. As a writer/content writer why can’t it be you?
8.Ghostwriting-
Ever stuck with a question! What is ghostwriting? Is it legal to do it? Will it earn a good penny? Just read on and you will get your answer. Firstly, yes ghostwriting is unambiguously legal and one of the highest paying niches.
Let us try to figure out its definition. You may have to get the client’s ideas from their heads and put them down in your words in the form of short ebooks or long books. You can also help them in self-publishing. Amazon is a prominent self-publishing platform. You can even go ahead with traditional full-length published books by gaining experience.
All you have to do under the name of your client name and the Author credit goes to your client. It is not easy as it sounds, you have to get over a thick and thin process to do this as the writing should replicate the client’s voice and style and not yours.
Normally high-end business owners, busy established writers, etc, will hire you as they may not be interested in writing but want a book published under the brand name.
With all these challenges, you are a ghostwriter congrats!! And you can make starting from 10,000$ considering the time and effort you put to a maximum depends on the length and scope of the content you gave.
9.SOPs writing-
The statement of purposes or SOP should convince readers i.e. faculty on the selection committees for higher education. You may have to highlight the achievements of the candidates as a graduate strong. Everything you include should be in a positive perspective. Always make sure to use active language.
You may have to extract the entire information about the student and get on before writing. Subject knowledge in the area is mandatory before writing. Start with the introduction, interests, and motives to undergraduate activities and elaborate on their academic interests.
This is more technical information in writing and earns well if it fulfills its purpose.
10.Technical writing/ product description-
This is a technical form of writing and you may require to know about it. It includes a detailed description of features, instruction, and also specific descriptive detail to show the reader what to do. Three forms cover this write up elaborately
- Mechanism– this includes general appearance, physical properties, overall function, etc
- Process description– a non-instructional guide that comprises a specific sequence of events to achieve the required outcome.
- Definition– this includes specific terminology related to the context or essential nature of terms used. They can be a simple phrase or an extended long page document.
Picking up a niche, is that mandatory?
The dominant crack where everyone struggles to fill including me at the beginning of the journey of how to become a writer/ content writer is when identifying what to write. You should work on a specific niche to gain the trust of clients. This cannot happen in a single day or from the day you start writing. It is a slow process but a bit tricky one.
In the current era of the digital world, every industry seeks content. Travel, food, lifestyle, E-shopping, finance, and many more are on hand. According to niche research, there are a total of 2,531 profitable niches in the market. It is all on the writer’s court to choose a peacock in the crowd of ducks. That is ok, cut it short! I am here to help you with this.
No need to frustrate much. I can assist with the tips I have learned so far. I hope it helps to start on. Many niches or industries are available to write about. But some are more of the bandwagon ones. Here are some lists that I bring into being most required with less rivalry but the pay is lumpy.
It is not that you should end up with this but these are good to start experimenting with.
Expert tip: It is always good to decide your niches without delaying more.
1. Financial writing:
If you are someone who can develop a coherent copy of data with incisive questions identical to inspective journalists, you have a perfect niche here. You have to make simplified terminologies of financial transactions so that an ordinary man can relate to what it is. Finding a company that polishes your writing skills and advances your capital market knowledge, helps you towards an exciting career path as a content writer. The freelance financial writer is not a clock-punching 9-5 job. It depends on how updated you are to provide the readers with useful facts and figures when you pen them down.
This mainly revolves around providing financial documents, news, articles, and study materials about finance. This is one of the high-paying niches as far as now. This screenshot tells you all about the pay you get.
2.Technology writing:
Businesses put their head above water to find a person who has technical knowledge as well as satisfying business communication in the loop. If you are the one who can put all your technical knowledge into simple yet engaging words, technical writing is a perfect niche.
You have to cross through thick and thin in these writing gigs where you have to catch up a dry area and make it a page-turner with your words that make readers understand the complete information about the technology you write. They may be anything like smartphones, cybersecurity, or anything which includes technology in them. This writing is fact-based and not how viral the information is.
You need to socialize, communicate, gather and split knowledge with your write-ups. As every industry needs to document its technical information, technical writing is a lucrative yet alluring niche to pick on.
3. Medical writing:
Science is something not everyone enjoys. But if you are the kind of person who gets excited about science, someone who wants to leave a regular lab job, looking to have an alternate scientific career Then medical writing is a perfect choice.
It is one of the most profitable and exhilarating forms of writing. You have a chance to interact with doctors, scientists, and SMEs to make standardized writing about science on any topic, thus helping in publishing scientific journals, research papers.
The Pharma industry has realized the importance of skillful medical writers due to the evolution and arrival of more drugs. Thus they are seeking medical writers, especially freelancers. The looming deadlines may make it stressful yet it is equally rewarding. You will learn more and grow as a hyper-focused expert.
4.Health:
A daunting field is what I would say. Everyone wants to stay healthy and be fit in the current atmosphere. It is going to be an evergreen niche. You do not have to be someone with a related degree. Not necessary!! What is important is producing high-quality health content with great words to mesmerize your readers.
CBD products are buzzy among wellness products. If you are well versed in this you are in the hot happening area right now.
5. Digital marketing:
Businesses are moving online without any exception. This compels the digital marketing organizations to yield content to explain their products and services to potential prospects. If you are someone who fantasized about the trends of digital marketing and want to explore more, these niches would serve you the best. They are looking for content that is long-form and is in-depth guides and is designed to explain both concepts and tactics.
Various forms of digital marketing include
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Social media ( Facebook, Linkedin, etc)
- Search engine optimization
- Affiliate marketing
To start on with this niche I suggest you start your blog today.
6. Educational/ Academic writers:
A more professional form of writing. With the evolution of education, many universities, institutes, and online education providers contemplate strengthening their digital presence. You can include some pleasing stories to make the content engaging. This acts as a great niche to start on as a freelance writer. Potential clients mentioned would pay you well if your way of expression in your script is compelling.
I hope the above piece of writing would assist you in picking an assuring cubbyhole for this exciting career. A small tip I would like to index here. As a beginner, I suggest you choose your niches based on the content type. With a strong portfolio enter the field and try to analyze your possible industry to write. Anyways if not now, you will never start writing today and. Start working on your corner to write soon.
Can we get started with blog/ article writing?
So we have reviewed what is all about writing/ content writing. But is that satisfactory? Did your all mysteries on how to become a writer/ Content writer get clarified? Not at all! Externally draining much let us get lighted with the authentic competition. Let us get engaged to learn about the cutting-edge tip to commence writing blogs/ articles immediately.
Many tutorials are free online regarding blogging like what to do and what not to do. Amidst these, you can also inscribe any pleasant content that earns your followers. But, if your intention is above then you need something more than a run-of-the-mill guide.
For devising a blog post that cuts noise and wins you legions of fans here is the complete secret.
Step1- Craft a killer headline
Most maximum bloggers will begin their lettering without a title. As a consequence, the shape of their article/ blog will turn screwed up. They will terminate by making an online journal in complicated ways, earning reader’s confusion. Please! Make it sharp!
If you want to generate a hot potato blog post, contribute time and formulate a caption that makes the readers not pass on. This will act as a good samaritan for your post. In addition to this, it helps you in choosing which pattern you should take up the post. Also, your readers will get disheartened as they will get a precise sense from the headline of what the post is about.
Some tips for choosing headlines:
Choose an incident topic within the niches you write:
Involve yourself in some research. Choose a subject that is on the recent spot. You will get this by observing trends using various tools. You will have to learn some concepts of search engine optimization which I will introduce in later stages.
Hack the pros headlines and frame yours:
What next? What next? After proper research, how to frame a catchy title? A beginner tip plunder from the experts. I mean ethically. You don’t have to copy them entirely. Interpret and make that suits your tone.
Engage senses:
Make it engaging by including senses of touch, feel, smell or see. Try and impart the visual effects with your letters.
Don’t give much:
Make your headline such a way that drags the reader to get involved in your script, but I caution you, do not say everything in the headline itself.
Make it trim:
Always craft it trim. Flabby headlines make your writing look weak and don’t be a page-turner for your readers.
Don’t exaggerate:
Give what you write. To attract, don’t be over smart. Also, please a big no for cute tactics like rhyming or alliteration in your headlines.
Rock in your style:
Let us assume you have got a headline with more simple words but all of a sudden you jump into giving jam-packed punching words. This may create confusion in your audience and hesitance in reading. So try and maintain a pace and style throughout your writing.
Important tip:
How long/ short your headline is? A most common question which comes to everyone next. There is something called the search engine result page(SERP). There will be some which get truncated as shown below.
Truncated headlines get reduced clicks whether or not they are ranked well. So an optimum length of 60 or fewer characters in headlines is the best SEO practice. Else Google will truncate the headline of the post.
Step-2 Mesmerize using your introduction
Alright! What next after captivating your readers amidst your headlines. The immediate next part is that the introduction. You have to craft it in a way your readers must not maneuver on.
It is not as easy as it seems! If you fail to dash them to stay on the page your audience will have a quick look and vanish.
Here are some points to make it a cinch.
1. Be in the reader’s place:
Many bloggers tend to sound too academic and professional with ballpark figures. I respect the hard research work but it causes only readers to feel dizzy.
To make it delightful, empathize with your readers. Make them get the point that you just get the image of what they undergo. Give the angle which as a reader you expected in your script.
2. Get into your writing:
If you want to grab the reader’s attention, you have to bring about their emotions. So, when you sit down to pen in think of the feelings your readers have to experience like joy, fear, anger, comfort, love, etc. Then get into the character and feel when you write. Your words will have the authentic touch that you propose to give your readers.
3. Make your readers move down:
Want to make your readers be committed to your post? Make all the difference in your content by accelerating the speed and creating an edge for the readers. Begin with a short phrase or a question. Don’t make more words, rather slash as much as you can. It is not the numbers that count, it is the impact the words create that makes the difference. Make the post with a rhythm that goes on with your post. You may make introductions at high speed. But later you can moderate it.
4. Create interest and hint for the promised hook:
Create that punch in your readers with your words. How? Simply bring their issue to light. The fear they have in them. Trust me! This not only brings them to their toes but they will feel that gregariousness with you, after all, you are narrating about their fear and trying to give a solution. It is a natural human tendency to look forward to the solution.
And finally, give a piece of hint on the promised hook or destiny of your article. But I caution you, don’t give away much. An introduction is not the place for the spectators to show their door.
SEO tip:
How much ever your words are eloquent if it does not satisfy the search intent, it will make your readers click on the back button. Search intent is a big part of SEO. Start with the keyword analysis as first it will help in shaping headline, introduction, word count, and more.
Step-4 Make it easy
Good job until now!!
You have lured your readers with a catchy headline and a punching introduction. You are in deep water now. It is time to give up on what you have guaranteed. If you want your readers to look forward to your future posts or just vanish after a quick look, the choice is yours.
If you want to deliver what you promised, make it easy in a way they love and cannot leave the choice to go next.
Here are some follow by I would like to share:
1. Subheadings:
Are they compulsory? Yes! The logic behind this is readers are scanners. Why? because they have huge numbers of content and they need to make decisions on which suits them well. So they need to scan. It is through subheadings that you can sustain the fact that your content is straight from the horse’s mouth.
Make sure you add subheaders to each paragraph. Do not allow your readers to move back with your subheads. It is as important as the main headline. Make it enjoyable. Always make sure they are in line with the main headline. Also, keep the format consistent and make the numbering. Bloggers often overlook this and lose here.
2. Make it an eye-opener:
Everyone today is the info- holics. All the old-school advice is not going to benefit your readers. What am I trying to say? Make an exclusive, fearless, and eye-opening article. But how? List all the main points and facts. See if you can add some experience with a twist. It should be out of the blue and make readers fall in love.
It is not necessary to go overboard to add this. The fact you add should be authentic, helpful. Don’t pour the same advice. Add a little cue to make it pleasing
3. Follow a pattern and make it generous:
Make your column harmonious. A regular continuance in every segment furnishes your readers with a pleasant adventure. Your audience deserves their deserts. Follow a pattern beginning with a bold statement or personal experience. Then vent out your piece of advice or suggestions and end it with a call to action. Work on this pattern to get a more polished art.
One more thing I would suggest is to be generous in giving your facts. Don’t hold back on your reader. They deserve a complete solution and powerful advice. How much ever generous you are, gains you that many loyal clients, and readers.
Step-5 Motivate and conclude:
Well, we are almost at the end. Well done!
How to conclude? Make it motivational. This should not turn out to be advice.
Include how far they have traveled and make them realize what they are capable of. Get down to brass tracks. Include the emotions you were longing for about the struggles faced during the post. Make them take action immediately no matter what they have suffered. It is their time now.
The main point is to avoid any new information here. Just imagine how it feels if a new character enters at the climax of the movie when you are looking to see how it ends. It is unharmonious. Don’t do it to your readers.
Tools for you:
We have come a long way. We learned about what is writing? niches and why is it important, also about how to write a blog? Now let us get deep into the ocean. There are certain tools that are necessary to make your writing perfect. I would like to mention about these which are absolutely free and enough to start on.
1. A Free online document:
I welcome you to this sophisticated google cloud platform which provides docs in the form of sheets, word documents, slides, and forms. Trust me you will be smitten with love on this free online tool.
Forget about hitting the save button again. It saves everything automatically. You can collaborate your script in any way. They string along with many styling features and fonts. The addition of images, drawings, and links is hassle-free with this.
2.Keyword planning made easy:
Let us get serious about this. I hope you have heard about an SEO practice called Keyword analysis. Whatever you know is true. It is a first and foremost important optimization procedure. Without getting keyword ideas don’t even dare to start writing. The next question everyone gets in mind is how can I do this? No worries! I have a perfect solution which you smote with. Such an easily available tool all the way free. You can get the following benefits by using this free tool.- Discover new keywords by getting suggestions related to your product/ services.
- Estimate the number of searches for a keyword per month.
- Organize the keyword ideas and fit them into various subheadings.
3.Make your script flawless:
How much ever a famous writer is, he needs an editor to correct his / her flaws. I here pave the way for a free online editor to correct your spellings, blunt grammatical errors, and punctuation marks. This tool is famous among writers and is termed Grammarly. You can use them as your writing assistant to monitor the clarity, correctness, engagement, and delivery. The insights into the reasons behind mistakes and fixes are super fast, easy, and accurate.
4.Improve your readability score:
So now another thing to notice here is, how easy is your write up. As a general rule, every layman who reads your script needs to understand your directive. An online free app called Hemmingway assists writers in improving their writing style. They uniquely generate color-coded errors by highlighting with different colors highlighting the problems. Thus, you can improvise any sentence that is too long and hard or unwanted usage of adverbs and passive voice. These factors tend to make your writing weak. They are easy to use and can be accessed from windows, mac, web-based devices.
5.Designing made easy:
An easy-to-use design platform. You can create a variety of graphics for your templates. You can use this for social media marketing, brochures, flyers to business cards, presentations to web banners. You can design any type of marketing template with canva. Like Instagram post template, infographic template, logo, posters, etc. you can choose the template whichever is suitable and format according to your requirement.
6.SEO is not a problem now:
Search engine optimization is made easy now. YOAST, a free tool does 70% of this work. Sounds great? I observe the following exclusive benefits you can get by having this YOAST tool.
- Helps in ranking your page by taking synonyms and related keywords.
- Gives an idea of how the page will appear as search results to people who search by.
- You can automatically generate a readability score, keywords, or title. So optimization is easy.
- Google likes fresh content and this keeps an eye for the pages with important content and notifies if you have not used for 6months
- Suggests you do an internal link that helps the search engine to crawl to your pages.
So excited? I may sound like a sci-fi mambo jumbo to you, but there will come a day you may have to implement these and at that moment you will thank whosoever found this pretty cool plugin
Things to keep in mind while you write:
So far you are so good. Learned a lot on how to become a writer/ content writer. It’s time to shift the focus to other technical aspects of writing. I am going to take too long in this as I have mentioned many factors above. There are certain things which are in general as a writer you should keep in mind while writing.
I insist that you should always keep your target audience in mind while you write. What could be their search intent? If this is not satisfied in the first few lines your readers will just have a glance and vanish. Create a user persona and analyze what they are looking for. If you satisfy these requirements then you can start gaining your followers. Trust me! At the end of the day, we are writing for our target audience.
The next one to concentrate on is if your content is pleasing them or too vague. Using vivid language in your content and set up the right tone to make your readers get flattened with your art.
What next? Build your portfolio:
How to become a writer/content writer- is a question which only hard work can answer. To make it big as a writer you need to strive hard, create a solid portfolio. How can you do that? What is the gimmick that takes your head and shoulders above others? Okay, hold on! I am going to give answers to each of your questions that run through your mind. I know I have even gone through this phase. Some points which I feel give a solid groundwork are indexed here.
What is a portfolio?
A writer portfolio is a mode to market your writing skills. It should demonstrate your skill in the niche and show off the place you have written. The best place to shelter your portfolio is on your blog or any portfolio site like google and contently.
The portfolio house should have all your recent writing content that showcases your skills to the maximum.
What are the types of content I should post in my portfolio?
Do I have to put only blog posts? Not at all.
To get into bull’s eye you need to include all the content that you intend to write. It can be blogs, white paper content, E-books, case studies, Emailers examples, or if it’s a landing page how you design them. Everything needs to be done.
Long-form content generates more genuine opportunities in the industry as they have a better google ranking and gives a detailed overview.
Make it from scratch:
The best way to market your authorship abilities is by doing guest posting. Interesting? What is it? Posting your write-ups on someone else’s website. Why should you do that? As a beginner, you have to gain your audience and it can happen only from an established platform. It endorses you as a professional freelance writer.
I understand your next concern, even I have been through this. As a freshman, I did not choose my specific niche yet. It’s ok! You don’t have to authentically have your cubbyhole. Start exploring various things through this and you will end up with the best form of your writing skills.
How do I get the guest posting opportunity?
It’s pretty simple. Google can help you in building these bridges. So easy and simple. What you have to do is type your “niche(whatever you feel like writing)+ write for us. And there you go. You will get the list of people who are ready to offer guest blogging and posting.
But you cannot write it directly over there. Once you find some opportunity that is interesting to you, go on to their website. Read their protocol. Topics they are interested in. Take it on the chin and work on.
The funny part is not over yet my friend. Craft your pitch based on the guidelines you read. Everyone has their style. Some may ask for 3-5 topic suggestions. Some will need the outline of what you’re gonna give. Figure out the same and give an innovative proposal to them.
Next, you can go ahead with the crafting of your blogs. Don’t pitch the same topic for multiple blogs then things won’t be on your way. Because swapping of ideas would become challenging.
Once you get approval, what next? Submit your post and wait. Look for if they need any modification work on it and wait for the publication. Once you get the link to publish on your writer’s portfolio.
Write here For expanding your portfolio:
Opportunities in this world are ample. This applies to setting up a portfolio too. Baffled with this? Guest posting is in the form of setting your portfolio. Showcase your talent in some portals that are free. What are they? Here I suggest such media you can use to set your portfolio.
Medium.com:
One of the platforms where a writer can move forward in the path of tasting success. It is a social publishing platform that is open to all. You can publish different stories, perspectives, and ideas. It helps in embracing new audiences. To write stories here you have to make an account with them. This is super easy and takes only minutes. Integrating with your Facebook or Twitter page will save your time and challenges in creating a new set of audiences. They have formatting options and theme settings that you can craft according to your preferences.
Linkedin:
It probably is not the top drawer when choosing free blogging sites by many. But I suggest it deserves some better attention. Why? The tools are easy to use and have a pre-existing audience. To emphasize on audiences in LinkedIn they are proper professionals or business owners who are highly focussed and it is not just for the sake of it they are present. 94% of B2B marketers use this platform as their primary lead source.
Quora:
Trust me Quora is a great tool to market your writing skills. Many would visit quora for their answers and it has the capability to generate leads for your freelancing career.
I may sound weird to you here. But if you wish to create your business and brand, having your website helps you in standing out of the crowd. This makes you look more professional. Also, you can show your clients your sample work as you can integrate all your work in a place by linking. This for the long run helps you in establishing yourself as a freelance writer/ content writer. By optimizing your website you can earn for clicks you get in the long run.
However, I would say you may not feel ok with this point. But the fact is this helps you to have your own freelance business. You may look like a brand when you approach clients for work.
Ready to taste the real success of being a writer?
This is a key step of how to become a writer/ content writer. This creates your experience in the field as a writer and establishes your business. I will help you out with this.
1.Research on who requires you:
Seems hard? But the gospel truth is setting up a correct pitch with a blogger, entrepreneur, company, small business, or start-ups who needs you to mark their digital presence is the key to the success. But, the discovery of such a client who needs you as their freelance writer is all on your shoulders. So after this what? You have to jot down a pitch emphasizing how as a freelance writer you can help them. Sounds scary? But no worries with practice you can master this art.
2.Apply through job boards:
This is as easy as a pie to start with. There are umpteen job boards like Naukri, indeed, or LinkedIn, and employers post their requirements for writers. Look over and start applying there. But do you find freelance work here? Shouldn’t you check out freelance platforms like Upwork, guru.com to be a freelance writer? I know these run through your mind. But, what I am trying to translate here is that many will post their requirements on these job boards. Applying to them is one of the easy hacks. Trust me getting a client initially is challenging and if you pass on these gigs you can get someone easily.
3. Use social media
Are you someone who is not so active in social media? I suggest you be one from now. Why? They are the goldmine for landing gigs. I am telling the truth, my friend. There are many like Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit with writer’s job boards, start following them and you can find some very good potential clients. And I would say to go for someone who pays for the hard work and efforts. Choose the right ones.
4.Use your website:
This will attract your high-paying clients. Having a professional writer website catches the eyes of buyers who wish to get your service. They get to know your abilities through your website thus action speaks better than words. But as a beginner, this is not your cup of tea and this is also not an overnight process. What I suggest is to start working on this today and you can make this in shape in the next 6months. Thus getting high-paying clients.
5.Network with other writers:
This is a win-win solution. We all are on the same page here. No competition or anything. Speaking to an established freelance writer may fetch you even referrals and those can even turn out to be your ideal client.
6.Say you are for hire:
Do you know how easy is this? Mention in your social media account, for example, LinkedIn that you are available for hire. This helps the prospects to know you are available to consider you for work. Also, it helps other freelance writers too that you are available for writing and they refer you if they know any writers’ requirements.
7.Start your Ebook today:
For many writers when they decide to be online writers, self-publishing their book is the best option they go for. This helps you in establishing yourself as an author. Some platforms pay for submissions based on words. It is a lucrative option yet not consistent in income. But a good one as it helps you in making yourself as a brand.
8.Try to wow your client:
Once you land up a job, you need to intrigue your client. How? Simply make your work perfect. Take care of grammar, spelling mistakes, and editing portions. Make sure you submit the work in the proper format. Hence, the client gets comforted with you like an easy-going writer. This gains trust for you and you can end up with continuous work and referrals from them too.
9.Guest post with pay:
Why do I say this here? I mentioned earlier about guest posting for free earlier but why with pay? Guest posting for free is to build your writer’s portfolio and landing gigs for free is more than paid ones. But once you get stabilized you can very well loom up for a guest post with pay. So what is the use? You gain a new set of fans to follow you and pay for what you write once it is life.
10.Freelance directory:
Ever know what is it? It was new to me too. But I was able to do some research here to make it easy for you. The freelance directory is where all writer’s features, specialization, and contact information are there? So why should you use it? As it infers that for successful writers active in social media is critical. Being active in a freelance directory fetches you a high chance of getting hired. You can do this for free.
11.Approach locals:
I may sound crazy here, but approaching start-ups within the local area helps you in gaining a good client base for the long term. This also brings the existence of you as a writer and wins over the trust of potential customers. This may sound simple but it is a base for a long-term profitable career.
Tips to master the art of writing:
Don’t you want to reach the level of expertise? Writing is an art. To be a breadwinner you have to put in your efforts. I wish to share some tips and tricks to assist you in achieving the mean business of writing you dreamt of.
1.Make it a habit:
Great by now you would have put on the hat of a writer. To excel in art do you need a creative writing degree? Or any specialization in English?No, that is not the case.
The only obsession you need is to write every day. Yeah! Practice only makes this artistry perfect. This is true in my case too. When I took a step forward towards writing I made sure to spend time on my portfolio daily and I can find the difference in my style, approach, and choice of words.
2.Focus on your branding:
Ever since I started the journey of writing I realized something that you should know to market yourself as a writer. You may be a great wordsmith but without a fan base, no one will know you exist.Once we put on the writer’s shoes, you need to fill the role of a marketer, social storyteller and know how to position yourself in the market. And the best way to do this is through social media like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
3.It is not time to fear my friend:
As a beginner, you might have a lot of questions. Is my writing good? Can I engage my audience? Or will I write on the topic given without any knowledge? Cooldown buddy! It is not the time to be shy. You won’t gain anything with this hesitance. As a writer, be open to criticism from genuine readers. Take every criticism as a learning experience. Work on the areas you are criticized to give better content.
4.Jot down your niche:
This is not a single-day process. But first work on the genre you want to write. confused about the new term? I mean you can write fictional novels, long-form blogs, magazines, ghostwriting, etc. decide which suits your style. and start working. You cannot write everything. A person can master only one form of skill. Start sweating on this from today.
5.Have the patience to be the winner:
To be ahead in this game you have to have something called patience. It is not a single-day game to get instant results. It is a long game and you need to put in your effort on the ground to win. you need to tolerate all failures you face to taste the winning wine.
6.Master multiple voices:
You have your style sound that is fine. What I mean is modulate your voice based on the genre. Once I got feedback that an educational article in an approach is different from how to write a blog. You should use professional language there. The same applies to writing a fictional novel or any short mailers and newsletters. You have to master this skill to reflect multiple voices in an appropriate way.7.Get ready for the dual role:
Anyone who performs for an audience is an artist. For whom we write? For the audience to read. So we are artists. As an artist of this digital era, we should also fill the role of entrepreneurs. This only leads you to more success. This dual specialization is hard to acquire. Why? Because as an artist you have to write the original facts in a pleasing way to readers. Entrepreneurs should resonate with those who perform well among the audience. Matching these two roles is not that easy but once you master you can taste what real success is.8. Do not waste readers time:
There is something termed “minimalistic”. Some authors love descriptive writing. But not all readers would love to see every blade of the grass. In this fast-paced world, where everything is digital, readers expect Static descriptive writing and correct facts to what they look for. Nowadays many fail to give content in this way.
9.Work on your bio:
The bio as a writer you provide should itself depict the skill you have. I know you don’t understand what I mean. A profile bio needs to cover what you do and your achievements to date. Also, some personal information needs to be blended. This acts as a base for any client who looks for writers may contact you.
10.Edit yourself before submitting:
Self-editing? Why do you need to fill the role of an editor when I want to be a writer? Natural my friend, it is your fair-weather friend. Read aloud what you wrote, you can analyze how it sounds to your ears. Thus identify your errors and improvise the same. A final copy you generate is without grammar and spelling mistakes. Lastly, you are saving a huge amount of money by self-editing yourself.
Common questions arise in this journey of how to become a writer /content writer:
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Still unsure about the journey of how to become a writer? Check out the common questions and answers about how to become a writer/content writer. Then you can decide about how to proceed further.
1.Does writing/content writing pays well?
A career as a writer is a creative field. One can earn based on their skill set. Above all, you need to be patient and work on your portfolio. With a strong portfolio and great skill set, a writer/content writer can make a pretty good sum for their pockets. If you start after a strong portfolio let us say 6 months from now you can make between 3.2 lakhs – 4 lakhs PA in India. This can be increased if you opt for freelancing and work hard.
2.How can I learn content writing for free?
To learn writing, start with it immediately. Make writing a habit. You end up practicing a lot and thus your skills are polished. But wait, is that enough to sustain the market? No, to be a successful content writer you need to acquire certain expertise. The major ones are SEO-based writing, marketing, and branding.
SEO:
SEO or search engine optimization is a huge ocean where you need to learn techniques that make your content rank prominent on google pages. With this, you can upsurge the traffic for your content.
Market Yourself:
Being active in social media sharing your piece of work is a strategy that gains you, readers. There are many ways to create marketing for the work you do and it needs training.
Next is to create a brand of yourself. Make a website of professional writers and highlight your specialization there.
Not a Single daydream:
Above all nothing will happen in a single night, my friend. It takes its time and pace. Just get serious and do it one by one. A lot of stuff is available online for free but efforts will be yours.
Apart from this, I propose you choose up a certification program on content writing and marketing as you can get a path to move on. But, the outcome depends on how much you grease your elbow.
3.Is content writing easy?
Nothing in life comes easy. All your hard work and dedication take you to new heights. Well in content writing you need to travel from C to T which is not going to be easy. At times you may end up working with less/ no pay. What you have to understand is the result of the efforts you put in. The end luxury is stunning so worth putting in your efforts.
You may see only the miles you have to walk but it is easy once you get used to it.
You will be a renowned author or you may end up writing for some prominent magazine edition. It is all your aspirations that decide.
So I would say everything has its cactus in it. It is all about how you step up for yourself to raise in your career.
4.What is the basic salary of a content writer?
Well, the field is entirely creative and it is different from other fields wherewith more experience irrespective of the skills can earn well and freshers not so. It fluctuates from person to person and how they carry on. But if you manage to be in the field with 2-3 years of experience you can make a decent bread and butter here.
If you have freelancing experience of 0-2 years and work full time you can make something between 3.6-4 lakhs per annum.
A writer with 2-5 years of experience can expect a good amount of something between 5 to 8 lakhs Per annum.
If you have 5+ years in the field, that indicates you can manage a team of writers and manage content and run a content marketing agency. Sounds exciting? Yes after all patients and hard work you are here to taste the lucrative success. You can make around 9 to 15lakhs per annum.
5.What is creative content writing?
SEO strategies won’t please every writer. And creative writing is an alternative for those who seek change. You need to possess out of box thinking to excel. Why? You need to trigger the emotions of the readers.
It is 100% written only for entertainment. If you have unique, original, and engaging content you will become popular among readers in no time. You need to pitch in your style and voice to fetch readers. With creative writing skills you can easily get into SEO writing and combining these two you will reach a new level of heights in your career.
6. Are technical and creative writing are same?
Technical writing is a formal way of writing and is based on facts. It is designed as instructions to educate the user using a particular technology. The tone here is objective and sequential. It is research-oriented writing.
On the other hand, creative writing relies on the creative thinking of the writer. It is designed keeping in mind entertaining the readers. If written well it can trigger emotions and inspire the audience. The tone is subjective here and writing is all based on the mindset of the writer.
7.What is copywriting?
A persuasive marketing strategy to promote a product or service. This inspires the people to take action such as make a purchase or whatever the intended action. This form of writing is everywhere. You may not realize it. Promotions for local restaurants, catalogs, fundraising letters for charity, or sales letters on various products, for which copywriting is widely used.
To be a copywriter you need to learn and practice the craft. A well-trained copywriter is hard to find. The exclusivity of copywriters always keeps them high.
8.Are content and copywriting are same?
Copywriting is a direct form of writing. Their focus is a short-term goal to broaden the sale. It comprises ads, sales letters, sales emails, PPC landing pages, etc.
If you wish to be a copywriter, you should be a wordsmith. You should provide compelling headlines or one-liners to prompt the customers. This writing focuses on emotional language to appeal to the customers. It is in tall order but it can also break the business if not done perfectly.
Content writing includes blogs, social media posts, emails, white papers, e-books. You should focus mainly on educating and entertaining the readers and provide creative product engagement. Their content should provide lead generation and help in increasing the brand authority. As a content writer, you should develop the skill of stealthy storytelling.
9.What to charge for content writing?
As a content writer, you can fix your rates in the following ways
- Charge per word: Fix based on the amount of work you put in. make it with 3 different slots with different rates. You can include each extra effort you put in. Nothing is free in this world.
- Hourly rate: you can also get paid for the race against the time. It has its hiccups as everything requires different amounts of effort and time.
But I propose you go for rates based on words with 3 different levels. Never fix on a single pay for more than a month. Keep experimenting and thus keep moving on. In India, you charge between Rs. 1 to Rs. 10 per word based on nature and efforts the content requires. For example, a landing page requires more attractive one-liner gigs and efforts. You can fix this accordingly.
One thing I want to give as a piece of advice is to never underestimate yourself. Learn to say no to someone whom you feel is not paying for your standards. And don’t provide any free samples.
10.How do you write SEO in 4 easy steps?
SEO is known as search engine optimization and the aim is to improve the visibility of your site when people search for a specific product or service. The search engines include google, bing, etc. the better the visibility you can grab people’s attention. SEO is a fundamental part of digital marketing as it is the primary source of increasing digital traffic. Overall it is the foundation of a holistic marketing system.
- Match search intent and your business goals
- Keep the keywords in mind while designing an SEO content strategy
- Do actual keyword research, based on the competition organize them
- Start writing with keywords in mind
Swing into action towards the journey of how to become a writer/content writer:
Not A Matter of Day:
At last, we are at the end of the journey of how to become a writer. I am so happy to share the knowledge I have gained so far. I hope you too have the same feel into learning that paves the path for a lucrative career.
One thing I want to mention here is “Rome cannot be built in a day”. In the same way, becoming a career and building a career in the same is not a matter of a day or two. It is going to be a long game.
Not going to be easy:
In this battle, you may face many challenges, demotivating facts which leads to almost giving up. But mark my words it is not the time to block yourself, my friend, rather come back strongly.
I know the journey is not so easy, even though I am on the same page as you, yet I learned something through experience that patience, hard work, and dedication will move you towards the winning moments. The day is not too far my friend.
Believe in you:
Swing into the action and start writing at the moment, get on your criticism and work on the areas where you get criticized, and keep polishing your skillset. Trust me one day you will attain a stage of perfection.
Stick on to your style and tone and create your brand. This, as I said, is a key factor to be a successful writer.
Niche down:
Niche down your specialization and master the art that interests you. One cannot master everything, my friend.
Build as an individual brand:
Building your website as I said is your choice but to become big you should aim big. Make it professional with a writer’s touch.
“Success is not an accident. It is a mixture of hard work and dedication you put in. learning and perseverance provide a path of what you have to do”.
As above said, be open to learning and work to your maximum and no one can stop you from revealing the secret sauce.
See here itself you have started with a question in the mind of how to become a writer? Now you have paved your way until being a successful writer and entrepreneur.
So don’t stop yourself from clearing your mind and recovering your memories. Be the one with stockpiles of ideas. Improve your verbal communication and choice of words to sound better.
Witness the one you have turned to now. You will always stay happy because you will be a better decision-maker. Gain some productivity if you are a homemaker like me who looks for an identity. You will live in reality with lots of awareness.
Overall you will grow yourself as a social influencer who inspires many with writing.
I hope I have revealed the secret sauce to become a content writer. These were all possible measures you can take towards an exciting and lucrative career.
All the very best for this journey!!!!
Happy writing!!!!
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