This is a true story.
One day I got a whatsapp message from one of my friends who asked me for a reference for his friend who recently graduated from engineering college and was looking for a job in the IT industry. Still, he is not interested in engineering and wants to get into Digital Marketing. But he has no real experience in Marketing even don’t know how to start content writing. He just watched many Videos on Youtube and read different blogs to learn digital marketing.
Yes, he is a little anxious and confused about his interest and future career, which most youngsters struggle within that face of life. I was also on that list. He has given many interviews that do not qualify for the role because he has only theoretical knowledge of digital marketing and SEO, Social Media Marketing and Graphic Design, Web Design. Still, companies ask him for any previous work or live projects he has done so far. So my friend asked me: Is there an internship or job opportunity in the organisation where I am a marketing manager in a Startup. So that time, we were hiring in the developing side, marketing and content writing interns.
After his interview, he was selected for the content and SEO internship in marketing with his interest and requirement. I am there to teach and manage all the marketing interns to enhance their skills in Content Marketing and SEO. I have taught content writing to many interns and people who never wrote a word for a web.
In the first week, I teach all interns all concepts of how to start content writing. What exactly is content writing? How to do content writing? The fear and misconception of becoming a writer.
That internship and the project really help him get a job in a company with the right skills in content writing. And able to manage his finances on his own. Still, there is so much to learn in this field, but I am glad that he got his first salary from that Guidance and practical experience.
From that experience, I thought, why not spread this knowledge with others who really want to start a Career in Content Writing and make a gig as a freelancer or get a job as a fresher.
So here I am, with how to start content writing and become a part of the gig economy in India.
So let’s get started.
What Is Content Writing?
According to Wikipedia– “Content is the information and experiences that are directed toward an end-user or audience. Content is “something to be expressed through some medium, such as speech, writing or any of various arts”.
But that’s not only from a marketing perspective. Content is the heart of marketing now. Without content, there is nothing to express, nothing to convince and nothing to tell.
What Exactly is Content Writing?
Content writing is a skill that helps either the people who want information about a particular product or companies who want to hire writers who can solve their content problems in this digital era.
Today content means putting value. So, content writing is about solving problems and creating value for the target audience who wants a solution to their particular situation or concerns.
What Does a Content Writer Do?
A content writer specialises in writing or creating content for a few industries and provides relevant content for websites, blogs, social media, and big companies publications.
For ex- A friend or a relative started their online website and wants to sell some products organic (without spending on ads), but he doesn’t want to write website content and product description to do other stuff for their online business. Then they should hire a content writer or give that writing project to a content writing freelancer and be ready to pay the amount according to their budget.
Then the Content Writer gives their writing services to your friend or relatives in exchange for a gig. The Content writer is solving the problem with their services.
What Is a Content Writing Job?
As a content writer, your job is to find the topic users search for on the web. Then research thoroughly to find out what others have done or written. You have to write and articulate the ideas and information in an informative way so the user can digest the information and understand in an easy way. Writing a content piece can be your own opinions or thoughts with a clear understanding of basic SEO, so Google can find your content and deliver value for the right targeted customer.
Most content writers do not learn the basic principles of marketing. As a content writer, you have a good understanding of user intent. You need to know what the reader wants to accomplish when they land on the webpage or blog.
How to do Content Writing?
Step 1: The first step in learning content writing is to learn who you are writing to. Most aspiring writers don’t even start writing because they think that their friends, relatives and people around them judge their thoughts. To do content writing, you have to understand you are not writing for so many people. You are just writing for one person who wants your solution to his particular problem.
The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.–
Peter Drucker
Content is all about how it will be useful for a reader. You just have to write a few things and practice daily. Practice gives you more excellency. It will work like Compound Interest.
How to learn Content Writing?
Step 2: You have to write first and then learn content writing in second place because you understand what mistakes you have made earlier. Every great writer learns by doing. People watch so many tutorials about a topic and skip doing parts.
So in the second step, you have to observe other writers. What are their writing style, tone, and their Customer persona? You cannot be everything to everyone. It takes little time and a lot of research to understand your right target reader.
What is the qualification for a Content Writing?
The best qualification for a content writer is their ability to write for the internet users to attract, engage and generate traffic for the webpage. And other qualifications are their portfolio, their work, their own blog and content.
As a content writer, you are not writing fictional stories and fictitious books. You are writing for a web reader to solve their real problem. Underrated skill is if you can network with well established bloggers and digital marketers in your niche.
What Skills Does a Content Writer Need?
Just you have basic copywriting skills and basic SEO skills or publishing content in wordpress. Proofreading and editing skills will give you an advantage in your writing career.
How to improve content writing skills- To improve your writing skills, you have to read more blogs and books about writing. Write and practice daily for 30 minutes or write 500 words minimum.
How Much Do Content Writers Earn?
As per LinkedIn research, a fresher content writer earns an average of 20k /month.
But if you do freelance services or give your services to international clients you can earn as per your time and hours.
How do I Start Content Writing?
Start writing with one niche. Write 10 articles minimum or more in a niche that you are interested in. You can start a blog with your own passion in wordpress.org or medium.com.
If you have some extra savings of $50, you can start your own self hosted blog with wordpress.org with your selected domain name from Godaddy and hosting from Hostinger or Hostgator. Then make a well-planned goal of writing 1000+ words articles and publishing them every week.
This method teaches you real content writing. Then you can show your blog as your portfolio to earn trust and projects.
Read: How to become a content writer in India?
FAQ
How do I become a content writer with no experience?
Remember that every professional was also a beginner one day. You can become a content writer by writing a few articles in Google docs or writing in medium.com is free and blogger.com. First, write on the topics that you are interested in. Read more books and articles of great writers. Then practice writing daily. Observe how other writers have written content on the web. You can give written answers in Quora also what you know about the question that people ask.
Can I be a writer without a degree?
Yes, there are no barriers to become a writer in this 21st century. You don’t need any professional degree. Even a high school student can become a writer today. Focus on craft first, learn about the basics of languages. Write articles and blogs in various niches. Then showcase your work.
What is SEO content writing?
The practice and implementation of writing those specific keywords naturally which readers are searching on the web so that page or article ranking factor will increase on the google. It should be more informative and relevant for the reader to specific keywords. These can long tail keywords and short keywords