How to Become a Content Writer in India

Road to Successful Content Writer Career in India

Do you feel like your hobby of writing can be turned into your profession? Does the thought give you butterflies in your stomach? Oh, wait! On second thought, do you think it’s a bad idea? These are the most common questions that pop into our minds whenever we think about taking a step out of our niche.

The road from a mere hobby to a full-fletched profession is filled with few twists and turns. But, which road to a successful career does not have twists and turns?

Content writing is the process of writing, planning, and editing content for the digital platform. It is any type of information that will educate, inform, inspire, motivate, convince and persuade a huge homogenous set of audience. It includes creating content for a variety of purposes such as for blogs, scripts for videos, podcasts, articles, for social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and so on. Writing content for these platforms requires high versatility in working and laying the structure of the content accordingly. You should have a great hold on English grammar, punctuation, and possess really good writing skills. Holding on to the context for writing any content is a necessity. Content without context goes in vain. Tailoring the perfect content sure sounds difficult, but is never impossible.

A Good or a Bad choice?

Many believe that the road to a successful life is the one which develops us into a successful doctor or an engineer. But what about the road less traveled?

Content writing never goes out of demand. The demand for content writers is increasing at an exponential rate along with the expansion of the evergreen market. There are various positions available in the field of content writing. Starting from a content writer to a content strategist and an editor, the list is longer than you ever imagined! Many content writers choose to freelance and take up content writing gigs for earning. The concept of freelancing is convenient and fluid in terms of work. Excelling in this field depends on your experience, level of versatility in terms of creating content, and most importantly, your creativity. Three major sub-branches of content writing are Content management, Content strategy, and Instructional designer.

I am enlisting few common content writing positions that are in high demand-

1. SEO writer
2. Copywriter
3. Social media content creator
4. Blog writer
5. Article writer
6. Content development specialist
7. Website content manager
8. Digital content strategist

SCALE OF SALARY-

The scale of salary of a content writer depends on various factors such as experience, organization’s brand value, state, or city of employment. The average salary of a content writer lies between the range of Rs14,000 and Rs50,000. The pay of content writers increases with the increase in their working experience and efficiency in this field. According to a survey the average pay scale of a blogger is Rs261,246, Rs298,352 for content management, Rs295,916 for copywriting, Rs293,673, and Rs255,214 for English language.

LET’S GO STEP BY STEP!

Here are the steps you will have to climb for reaching your goal of becoming a successful content writer-

STEP 1- Niche is the necessity- recognize your niche and experiment with more content ideas. Don’t be afraid to mix different ideologies for creating innovative content. But don’t forget to stick to your niche.

STEP 2- Building a portfolio is the way! – A portfolio shows your credibility and efficiency as a content writer. Your portfolio is your platform of expression. It is living proof of your capabilities which will eventually help you to get a job position. There are various online platforms such as Behance, Adobe Portfolio, Squarespace, and many more for building your portfolio.

STEP 3- Social platform is your true friend- social platforms such as Quora, help in increasing your credibility and showcases how expert you are in a subject. They also bring in more employment opportunities for content writers. Gaining a good following will ultimately boost your portfolio.

STEP 4- Build your blog- creating your blog page helps in creating a sense of authority and attracts more readers from all around the globe. Blogging is also an effective way to earn money and fetch more collaborations in your bag.

STEP 5- Become Pitch perfect- whenever you are trying to pitch someone professionally for a job position or some kind of collaboration, keep it short, accurate, and include less wordplay. Elements of a well-written pitch are-

1. A clean subject line
2. Address your recipient by his/her name
3. Attach your social media links
4. Mention what you can bring to the table for the company
5. Add your work and portfolio references
6. Mention where you found the position vacancy
7. Add a good E-mail signature

STEP 6- Start taking gigs- create your profile on freelancing platforms such as Fiverr, Upwork and start looking for gigs. The platform may seem to be soaked but there still are many opportunities you can find on these platforms. One of the most efficient ways to build your profile is to write free content in exchange for reviews on your content. This is a sure-shot way to increase traffic on your profile.

STEP 7- Join groups and communities- joining groups and communities on social media platforms such as Facebook, Tumblr help in building your professional network, attract the audience, and open doors of opportunities for you. It is a very effective way of digital marketing. You never know what may come your way!

STEP 8- Don’t forget LinkedIn- building your LinkedIn profile will help in bringing more job opportunities for you. LinkedIn also works as a search engine that can work in your favor. This means if anyone searches for a specific skill you have, your profile will be shown in search results It is also the most certified platform for internships application.

TOP RECRUITING ORGANIZATIONS-

1. Write Right
2. Uprite
3. Content Whale
4. Coffeegraphy
5. BuzzFeed

QUICK TIPS- refer to the following books for becoming a great content writer-

1. Work Work- Surviving and Thriving as a Writer
2. The Idea Writers
3. The Successful Author Mindset by Joanna Penn

It’s high time to take a step back from following your dream job. Make sure you keep these points in your mind and work confidently. Remember! It’s never too late to start following what you believe in.