Things To Know Before Starting Content Writing Career In 2024 (Updated)
One of the most searched career opportunities in this pandemic time is “Work for home jobs”, “Part-time job opportunities”, “Freelance jobs”, “Article writing jobs”, “Online jobs opportunities from home”, Freelance blog writing jobs”, “Online writing jobs” etc. Answer to all those searches comes down to one profession i.e., “Content Writing Career”.
In the year previous year, Content writing Career was one of the most sought-after professions and demand for the same is going to rise more and more in the current 2021 and future years.
Why content writing career has gained popularity over time:
At first glance, every day tonnes, and tonnes of content appear on the internet and attract the readers to write and contribute their content to the digital world. Furthermore, the basic requirement to become a content writing professional is very open-ended.
A career in content writing does not require a specific educational background and anybody with a bachelor’s degree can start a career at any point in life.
In this uncertain pandemic time, everybody wants to be safe inside the home environment while their career still grows as usual. The technical requirements for writing in very basic. A computer and Microsoft Word appears to be a basic requirement, to begin with.
Almost every individual who reads has a desire to write. It might not possible for everybody to write a book, so they feel content writing will fulfil their desire to be a writer.
One of the most recent factors is pandemic, all of a sudden, the world has gone into lockdown, and people are forced to confine at home. It is almost like taking a break from the fast-paced life and taking a closer look at what one loves doing most and focusing on the basic requirements of life.
Hence, many individuals who wanted to pursue a career in writing but stalled it due to time constraints or other external factors opted to start their career as content writing professionals.
If one view from the commercial perspective, people started reading more and more contents online during this pandemic time. The online market is going through a boom and it leads to the demand for good content, which in turn, increases the demand for content writers.
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What is Content Writing?
In laymen’s terms, content writing is writing an article or blog which has qualitative value for the reader and provides the answers that the reader is looking for effectively. The effectiveness, quality, and knowledge that the article or blog defines the efficacy of the writer. This is where a good quality writer can be set apart from the rest.
However, it is wrong to consider that content writing confines only to writing for articles or blogs. It has innumerable dimensions and is never confined to any particular stereotype.
Some of the examples are:
- Press release
- Website page
- Social media writing
- Product description
- Newsletters
- Pamphlets
- Emails
- Resume writing
- Scriptwriter
- Video descriptions in different media etc.
How to become a content writer?
Even though there are no specialized degree courses for content writing careers at present, there are several content writing courses are provided by various institutions all over the world.
It is not necessary to have a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature to become a content writer. However, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Mass Communication, or Literature is preferred by many hiring organizations.
Here are the five directions that a student can follow to have a career in content writing:
- In class XII, one should have acquired at least 50% marks in English in any discipline.
- Pursue an undergraduate course in literature for 3 years.
- Pursue a Post-graduation course in literature for 2 years.
- Pursue a post-graduation course in mass communication and Journalism for 2 years.
- Pursue an additional specialized content writing course to give a specialized direction to the career.
However, one should remember that the above are just a few ways to become a content writer and they are not exclusive. An individual with different educational backgrounds can also have a successful content writing career.
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What are the basic skills to begin a Content Writing Career?
- Every individual who wants to be a content writer has a belief within themselves that they can write well and comfortably with their writing skills.
- A content writer should have the habit of reading. Reading improves the overall skill of a writer and improves vocabulary. Clarity of thoughts and capacity to communicate with the consumer or audience in simple language.
- Good command of English language, grammar, punctuation, etc.
- Be ready for hard work and lots of research. Content is considered to be good content only when it adds value to the reader. Mere good writing is not very helpful if the content failed to deliver what the reader is looking for.
- Hence, a well-researched article with quality information, explained in a way so that the reader can easily understand is always better than an article that showed profound knowledge of the English language.
- The authenticity and originality of the content are very important. One should develop the habit of writing original content from the very beginning. Plagiarism is a punishable offence.
- A good content writer should always deliver on time. It can be difficult to get the creative juices flowing within the limited time frame at the starting of the career.
- However, one should always develop the habit of meeting deadlines from the very beginning, and eventually, it will be ingrained as a habit and beneficial for time management.
Career growth as a content writer:
Every single day tonnes of content enter the world through various media, not all of them reach the target audience. At this point, content writing career growth comes into the picture.
The approach of professional, experienced, and trained content writers vis a vis beginner is very different. A brilliantly written article does not have any value if it failed to reach the readers.
Here are 11 tips to make a lucrative content writing career:
1. Information about the target audience:
The writer should a clear knowledge of the target audience. If an article is about Teenage Fashion Trends for a website, the style and language should be in a way that a teenager can relate to and target readers should be aged 13 to 19 years.
Similarly, if an article is about “Gardening” one should understand that it is universal read i.e., no age limit for readers and it should be written in such a way it appeals to everybody irrespective of age.
2. In-depth knowledge about the subject matter
A good article forces the readers to come back to it again and again for more and more information. This can be attained only if the writer has good knowledge about the topic.
Hence, before writing an article the writer should gather as much information as possible. In this digital era, any information is a click away. However, most of the time it is impossible to find all the information on one platform. An author should focus on delivering the readers something that other similar platforms failed to provide.
3. Keyword Research
This is the single most important aspect of content writing. Articles should be based on keywords. How to get the keyword? through keyword research. One of the most effective ways to perform keyword searches is through google platforms.
A keyword that determines the visibility of an article. A successful content writer always knew how to use the keywords effectively so that readers find the answers to their queries readily.
4. Competition
Like in any other field, a content writing career is also very competitive.
One should always keep an eye on the competitor’s platform for information regarding various upcoming or ongoing topics, ways to improve target audience, etc. can be gathered from the competitors and competitive audit.
5. Title of a content
The title of content has a significant role to play as it is the first thing that a reader notices and it determines whether they will proceed with the article or not. A title should be crafted effectively keeping in mind the target audience, keyword, and content.
Another important point that is very closely linked with the title is the keyword. The title should be at per with to the keyword so that article gets immediate visibility in the internet search.
6. Knowledge of SEO and Digital marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO), in layman’s terms, is a process that improves the visibility of the content. It works very closely with keywords search. It is very important to understand the SEO writing skills while creating content so that it reaches the target group of audience effectively. Nobody studies a brilliant article or a product that is on page 4 in the search engine.
The Digital Platform for business has grown tremendously over the past decades. The whole scenario of communicating with the customers has changed and the business has to constantly go online to meet consumers’ demands. Digital marketing is similar to marketing in general except it operates in the digital platform.
Digital marketing professionals influence potential consumers through emails, promotional emails, advertisements, infographics, blogs, videos, reviews, social media, etc.
Digital marketing, keyword search, and SEO, the three components that have to work cohesively to bring out the best marketing strategy for a particular business.
When a consumer types its requirement, a search engine will dig out the contents based on the keywords mentioned by the consumer. If a particular product doesn’t rank high in the search engines the visibility of the product will decline. Digital marketing helps the seller to improve the visibility of the products also gives solutions like ads on search engines like yahoo, Google, etc.
The knowledge of digital marketing and SEO is very important to become a successful content writer as it is very important to get maximum visibility for the content.
7. Choosing a Topic
An expert professional content writer never picks up any topic randomly. Choosing a topic is also part of the research. One has to check the topics that are most discussed, most searched, more relevant according to the present scenario.
8. Editing and editing
Editing is the most important part of writing. The first draft of an article is merely the framework and thought process of the author. The content matures as it enters the editing phase. Hence, a write-up is never complete without editing.
9. It is good to have a niche
Profound knowledge on a particular subject always helps the content writer as there will never be a shortage of materials to write. In-depth knowledge about a particular subject will help the writer to get established as an industry expert and it will, in turn, give help in a freelancing career.
10. Effective use of social media
In this age of digitalization, social media plays the most important part in a content writing career. It supports promoting the writer’s portfolio as well as building up the networks. Creating a great portfolio that showcases the writer’s credibility, niche along creativity is one of the foremost aspects of a professional content writer.
It is very important to establish a presence in digital media through blogs, articles, microblogging, etc. In India platforms like Quora or Medium provides a good platform for budding writers.
It is very important to optimize social profiles such as Twitter or Instagram as well as a professional profile on LinkedIn. One has to remember that the ultimate goal is to build up a brand name.
11. Effective use of content writing tools
We have entered an age of the digital world where everything is available if one knows how to search for it. There are numerous tools available that help the author make the article writing job somewhat easy. The effective use of the tools like Grammarly, HubSpot blog topic generator, Canva, google ad words, etc. can help the writer to create great content.
The career opportunities as a content writer
Digital media is going through a growth phase and it is going to get even bigger in the future. As in industry grows so are the employment opportunities.
Almost every sector in the industry is trying to create its niche in digital media so that it can get an edge over its competitors. This opens tremendous scope for the content writing career.
Here are some of the top job opportunities for a content writer:
1. Content developer
Almost every organization is going digital to capture the online market and they prefer to hire a dedicated content developer for their company.
The responsibilities of a content developer are not only confined to writing but also, the following:
- Product research
- Capture the best features of the product for the website
- Creating unique and catchy content for the product so that it captures the essence of the organization.
- Building a trusted product value in the market and reaching out to the prospective customer in a friendly way.
2. Website content writer
In today’s world Website has become one of the most important features of any organization. It is the space where the prospective customers get an idea of the products that are offered by the organization.
Website content writer creates content for the website of the organization. Which includes descriptions like homepage, about us, product descriptions, gallery, company newsletters, press releases, upcoming events, contacts, etc.
3. SEO and Digital marketing professional:
Even though this aspect of a content writing career is slightly technical, it is a very lucrative field and opens a whole new world for a content writer to explore. This field is based on a very unified mixer of a content writer who has a good knowledge of digital marketing.
The job descriptions are:
- Creating digital media campaigns.
- Design, build and create a platform for consistent presence in social media.
- Brainstorming and creating a digital marketing strategy with the marketing team.
- Keeping a track of current marketing trends and SEOs.
4. Freelance Professional blogger or content writer
This is one of the primary aspects of a content writing career which appeals to writers from all over the world to have a content writing career. As a freelance content writer, one has the freedom to work for multiple organizations at the same time and has the flexibility to choose the working hours and work from home.
However, the primary features of developing a freelancing career are to be able to get clients. Hence, one has to focus on creating the right profile for themselves by writing various articles on social platforms like, Medium, Quora and also creating blogs and websites to showcase the contents for the prospective clients.
5. E-commerce content writer
This primarily focuses on writing the product descriptions and reviews keeping in mind the following:
- The targeted age for the potential
- Creative and detailed product description in such a way that it grabs the attention of the target customer.
- The language should be simple without compromising the special features of the product.
- Effective Product reviews for the goods vide video or with creative content.
Apart from the above descriptions stated above here are the most promising field for a content writer to explore in various sectors.
Technical writing in IT Sector:
It includes writing training manuals, operational guides for the software, product descriptions, repair manuals, technical reports, manuals, specification guidelines, etc.
Travel and tourism industry
Content writing has a tremendous impact on the travel and tourism sector. Every individual when is travelling to a new destination will rely on the information available online.
Starting from the mode of transport, travel itinerary, accommodation, places to visit, local cuisines, etc. A travel blogger who provides all the information on a single platform with beautiful pictures of the place will always add more value to the reader.
Food and beverages industry
One of the largest industries in the world is food and beverages and food bloggers are some of the highest-paid writers in the industry. They can earn as much as up to 20/25 lakhs per month. However, like any other profession, it needs dedication and persistence. A food blogger should add value to the brand and use his/her expertise as a catalyst for the brand to establish its image in the market.
Media houses such as newspapers, news channels, etc.
The demand for a content writer is huge in the media industry as the whole industry is based on content. Be it in newspapers, television, social, or any other media. They are also called scriptwriters or producers and for every news, they have to prepare the content, edit it, and present it in a way so that it becomes appealing to the viewers.
Apart from that, maintaining their social profiles, keeping the website updated are also comes under the scope of the content writer.
Educational institutions
Education institutions hire content writers to maintain details about various courses available, updated notifications, admission details, etc.
Public relation
The PR industry has a huge demand for content writers as they have to create scripts and pitches for clients, write press releases, articles, blogs, documents about corporate events, etc.
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FAQs
1. What practical assignments are covered in a content writing course?
- Writing blog posts
- Creating a content strategy
- Writing content for social media content
- Working with various content writing tools
- Creating keyword optimized Website Copy, and more
2. Will I get adequate freelance opportunities?
Yes, after a content writing course, you will get the opportunity to find a job with reputed companies as well as get opportunities to network with different companies for freelance working projects.
3. Are there any prerequisites for enrolling in a content writing course?
A fundamental knowledge of the English language and decent computer skills can be greatly useful. Also its recommended that you have a fast internet connection for when you attend classes.
How much do content writers make?
In any organization, a content writer at the beginning of the career can earn 10,000/- to 15,000/- or more depending on the type of industry. As they gain more and more experience and establish themselves in the market, they can earn up to 25,000/- to 30,000/- within a short period.
In the case of freelance content writers, initially, there might be some struggle to capture the right audience. However, over a while, once they have established themselves in the market, they can earn a lot more.
Established travel, food, or industry expert bloggers earn several lakhs per month. Patience and persistence are the keys to being a successful blogger.
The content writing market is booming and there is no shortage of money in this industry, however, one has to be smart about it and learn the marketing of content so that it reaches the target audience effectively.
In conclusion, even though a content writing career is not rigid, flexible, free-flowing one should understand the social responsibility behind it.
Every day hundreds of contents appear on the internet and those contents influence the reader’s opinion, impression, and thought process. This in turn shapes society in the long run.
Hence, while writing content a writer should always keep his /her audience in mind. Harsh, hateful content is never considered good content. While writing professional content writer always keeps these finer points in mind.
