So you have decided to become a content writer. The career switch was not easy, but you made the decision anyway. Give yourself a pat on the back. Change can be overwhelming.
However, you find yourself in unfamiliar territory. You see other content writers and they seem so confident, at ease, and enjoying their work. They seem to have more time for their families. And you want that for yourself. It’s the reason why you changed professions, right?
Trust that you’ll get there. But how?
There are many ways to usher your entry in the field of content writing. Becoming aware of the hits and misses of established content writers when they too were starting out helps.
Take it from Glady Serrano – Unsay. A development worker before taking the leap of faith and becoming a freelancer. Glady tried her hand as a virtual assistant, social media manager, video editing, podcast editing, before finding her groove as a content writer.
To help newbie content writers, Glady shares the hits and misses in her journey as a content writer.
Let’s talk about the hits.
1. You can start at any age or stage in your life
The only requirement in starting out as a content writer is deciding to become one. You don’t need to be a certain age, or have tons of experience, have published materials, or be well connected to be one.
You can start off with whatever writing experience you have, and build yourself up from there. Take in work at your own pace. Let the experience teach you to become a better content writer.
2. Be open to anything
Being an upstart content writer gives you the flexibility to cast your net wide in accepting gigs and clients. Be open and enthusiastic about opportunities to produce content. Doing so will help build your portfolio, and harness your skills too.
Shed your armor and be open to new experiences. Be on the lookout for and grab opportunities when they present themselves. Be open to feedback, including the negatives ones as these will make you produce more valuable content for your clients.
3. Find a mentor
One of the best things that an upstart content writer can do is to find a mentor. Because venturing out there on your own can be pretty scary. Of course you can go at it on your own. But having a mentor makes it easier. And enjoyable.
Your mentor should be someone who sees the potential in you. Or one who is willing to coach up and coming content writers to help you grow and gain the confidence that you need. And if you find a generous mentor, they will even share trade secrets with you.
4. Be willing to learn
Content writing differs from other forms of writing. And you need to learn the basics and styles of content writing to produce content that will hit it off with your clients and their target audience.
Make a habit of reading an article or two every day from the top-ranked search engine results of any topic. Check out the style, tone and voice of the articles. Take notice of the patterns and structures of the articles. Regularly doing this will help spot the styles and patterns that you can use in writing your content.
And now let’s talk about the misses.
5. Self-doubt
Not believing in yourself, that you can write and can produce good content is a major roadblock in your content writing journey. It limits you from exploring your potential. In some cases, it even prevents you from trying.
Doubting your capacity also leads you to second-guess yourself by getting ahead of your client’s feedback. This happens when we put ourselves down, thinking that clients won’t like our work. And because of this, we are afraid of charging for the value of the work that we have produced.
6. Critique of your content
Getting negative feedback from clients is part of a content writer’s life. But for those who are just starting out, negative feedback can dampen one’s confidence. So we try to avoid criticisms. And that can only happen if we do not produce any content at all.
Like it or not, not every client will be satisfied with our work. Try to find value in client’s feedback, even the negative ones. There’s always something to learn and to take away from clients who read your work and who give feedback.
7. Finding (and keeping) clients
As an up and coming content writer, clients will not be lining up to get your services. You’ll struggle with positioning yourself as someone that they should hire. You have to put yourself and your work out there. This takes time. Accept that you’ll struggle with getting clients at first.
Once you land clients, build relationships with them based on delivery and quality of outputs. Some clients will stay, and some will go. Count your wins and your losses.
8. Expecting fast results without the investment
Clients who hire content writers often expect results, with minimal investment in content creating and marketing. Experienced content writers will stay away from clients like these, but an upstart might not be able to. This puts a lot of pressure on newbie content writers.
Take this as an opportunity to learn negotiating skills, asserting yourself, or even turning a client down if the expectations are unreal.
You’ll have your own wins and pain points in your journey. Embrace and learn from your hits and misses. They’ll make you a better content writer. Who knows? Writing about it and putting it out there will help up and coming content writers.
If you need tips as you embark on a new career as a content writer, there are resources that you can check out. And if you need expert guidance and mentoring, click on The Ben Button Content Writing Course.