To make a career in content writing, you need something much more than a love for writing. What’s that ‘something’? A strategy. Content writing is a skill to pursue strategically. How to build a strategy? You can copy mine—The exact formula I used to start content writing as a side hustle.
Why start content writing as a side hustle?
Starting as a side hustle gives you a base even before you get into it full-time. It saves you from sleepless nights and the stress of not having work.
Steps to start content writing as a side hustle
Find your hustle hours.
Establish a writing routine.
Creating samples.
Learn SEO.
Create a Portfolio.
Find beta clients.
Update portfolio and work on lead generation.
1. Find your hustle hours
To start a side hustle, you first need dedicated time to pursue your side hustle. Multitasking between a day job and a side hustle is the worst thing you can do to overwhelm yourself.
Find a dedicated time. It should overlap your productive, creative, and less responsive hours. Productive and creative is clear by the name, but what does less responsive mean? Less responsive means you have no meetings/work at your day job in that time interval.
2. Establish a writing routine
To write professionally, you need a routine. You cannot wait for inspiration every day. Write every day for 2-3 weeks in between your hustle hours.
3. Create samples
Find two to three niches that usually interest you and start creating samples. For example, if you want to write blog posts professionally, write 2-3 blog posts as samples in those niches. If you plan to become a social media manager, then write 2-3 social media posts per niche as samples.
4. Learn SEO
Basic knowledge of SEO is non-negotiable if you are writing for the Internet. I have done many courses, and one of them I found helpful was Learn SEO by HubSpot. This course covers all the basic concepts and is a good starting point.
5. Create a Portfolio
A portfolio is a freelancer's resume. Include below in the portfolio-
Who are you?
What services do you provide?
Your samples
How to contact you?
You can create this on Canva/Wix/Google drive. There are many ways, and nothing is right or wrong. Having a website always gives a good impression. But it isn’t necessary. In the end, your work speaks for itself. A good portfolio does 50% of the job in closing a deal.
6. Find beta clients
First, what are beta clients? Beta testing is like a test run of the service. Likewise, beta clients are the clients to whom you give your service at a very nominal rate so that you can test run your service. As a result, you get practical exposure and a testimonial to back your portfolio.
How to find them?
Inform your family and friends that you are starting content writing, and they can refer you for any position. You can start contacting small businesses through social media/email that you would like to help them with your services. Your pitch should be about how you can provide value to them.
7. Update portfolio and work on lead generation.
After completing work with a beta client, you have a testimonial to back your portfolio. Update testimonials or case studies in the portfolio showing any results you got for clients.
Now you can start working on getting more clients. Below are the common ways to get clients-
Create the content on social media to get inbound leads
Send pitches to companies
Join freelance marketplaces
Conclusion
Post pandemic, the content industry is only growing, but it's competitive. So you can join in strategically and make your place. I have already shared my 7 step approach, which I followed. If you have questions, you can comment, and I will reply.
Happy writing!
Frequently Asked Questions?
1. What is content writing?
Content writing is writing content for educational and marketing purposes. For example- Blog Posts, Articles, Newsletters, Social media content.
2. Is content writing a good career?
The Internet is only growing, and more and more businesses are coming up online to promote their products or services. So yes, it’s a good career option, and the requirement will boom.
3. How content writing helps businesses?
Content writing helps brands to establish an online presence. It’s a marketing investment with long-term results.
4. Is there any course for Content writing?
There are many courses available online. I took up a course- ‘How to become a highly paid content writer’ by Hustlepostacademy and it was a good course.
5. Can you earn from content writing?
Yes, it’s a stable career option with good money. You have opportunities to do full-time, part-time, or work as a freelancer.
Comments