How to Become a Content Writer in India (Earn 25k-50k/month)

 Do you want to step into the world of content writing?

After all, who doesn’t want the freedom to – set your own schedule, choose projects of your choice, earning lots of money, and working at flexible timings.

 Also, if you enjoy reading and doing new things daily, content writing is an interesting profession that might be suitable for you.

 Since we are facing the covid-19 pandemic, the demand for both part/full-time content writers has increased to greater heights.

However, before entering into this fascinating field, it is essential to note here that content writing comes up with its own challenges and realities that people face at all times.

 Honestly, when I started my journey back in 2014 towards becoming a professional content writer, there wasn’t much information available about becoming one, nor could I find a mentor who could guide me through it.

 But, thanks to today’s digital world where you can find ample information regarding content writing and how to earn money from it.  Again, with the ever-increasing digitalization, there comes a lot of competition in establishing yourself as an influential and experienced content writer.

 So if you want to become a content writer, you need to understand everything in detail.

For your convenience, here in this article, I have tried to compile all the information you need to help you kickstart your career as a content writer and start making money online These are the exact things that I followed and learnt during my experience.

What is Content Writing, and What does a Content Writer do?

If you can turn complex subjective or technical information into a simple, user-friendly format that anybody can easily understand, you’ve succeeded.

Content writing is just a general phrase that refers to using words to communicate information to others—whether it’s about a business, an idea, or a project. For example, a furniture store owner launched a new website, and the content is what draws visitors into the website.

When the content explaining the performance, quality, and other requirements is presented in a user-friendly format, it attracts buyers and puts the company at the forefront.

It’s important to understand that content writing isn’t only about writing whatever comes to mind or from your own knowledge base.

A strong content writer creates a piece built on a delicate combination of thorough analysis, clever wordplay, sound skills, and, of all, excellent grammar and dictation.

Not only that, but great content isn’t created in its outline; it necessitates thorough framing, rephrasing, and sentence formation to ensure that each and every expression is clear.

What are the different Types of Content Writing Jobs?

Let’s dive into the world of content writing and learn more about the various types of content writing jobs available in India:

1# Ghost Writer:-

A ghostwriter is someone who gets paid to write literary pieces, articles, or other texts in the name of someone else. Ghostwriters are often hired by companies or businesses to write or rewrite articles, blogs, product reviews, Instagram captions, books or any other written content.

A ghostwriter is employed for the content of his or her writing, not for his or her “image” as a writer. However, while signing the contract, a ghostwriter may set specific conditions with the concerned person to make a better value and win-win situation for both parties.

 The ghostwriting industry, no matter how you slice it, can be pretty profitable. It is the most common type of content writing where you can get a wide variety of projects, freelance gigs, and jobs to work as a ghostwriter.

However, you need to have a plenty of freelance writing skills to become a well-paid ghostwriter. Your previously published samples and other content links speak of your prominence here.

2# Technical Writer

 Technical writers are people who convert technical information into a style that is easy to comprehend. They’re subject matter experts with degrees in engineering, computer science, information technology, and information production.

Technical writing has changed significantly over the past few years. Technical writing nowadays entails the development of technical content as part of a broader content marketing strategy. To produce professional documentation, technical writers collaborate with other team members such as graphic developers, content writers, paper specialists, and business experts. Depending on the industry and document type, they can also collaborate with other authors to improve their business writing skills.

 These writers’ abilities extend beyond just correct spelling and grammar. These writers are expected to have a high level of technological expertise that other writers lack. They should also have outstanding writing abilities and the willingness to learn with other technical team members. As a result, technical writers’ career prospects are highly bright.

3# Web Content Writer

Contrary to popular belief, an undergraduate degree is not required to become a professional web content creator. You must, however, enjoy writing and be able to present writing skills following client-specified styles and formats.

It is highly likely to be employed as a freelance web writer by online companies, typically after submitting a brief writing sample. If you start writing online, you’ll have to learn a multitude of “voices” for various companies, everything from structured essays to more approachable blog posts aimed at a younger or more technologically savvy audience.

 The relevance of web content is growing as the internet’s presence in people’s lives becomes more influential. Brands are realizing that excellent web content is a desirable asset, and demand for web content writers is thereby rising. When your writing career progresses, you’ll have more opportunities to write online content for a variety of markets and industries.

4# SEO Content Writer

Content is what prevails in the field of search engine optimization. Content is crucial in SEO, whether you’re writing websites, blog posts, or essays. Every ambitious SEO content creator should think about learning Seo tactics in order to boost the rankings of their articles/blogs, maybe on their own or through a tutorial.

While you are unlikely to require complete mastery of SEO as a writer, knowing how to use the keywords rightly, Meta description, and content that aligns with the user’s search intent could help you stand out when applying for jobs or freelance work.

 Encouraging others to share your content on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites will improve your content’s credibility and rating in Google for your preferred keywords.

As a result, any potential content writer can familiarize themselves with the most prominent social media platforms. One must still be ready to implement new approaches and innovations as they become accessible, keeping up with the updates.

5# Copy Writer

Copywriting is often associated with advertising or promoting a company, agency, brand, commodity, or service, considering it a type of marketing by itself. Ironically, one of the significant barriers to effectively expressing what copywriters do is a misunderstanding of the term’s meaning. Despite widespread assumption, not all copywriters serve in the advertisement industry. 

 It’s also important to note that, though words are a copywriter’s primary output, writing isn’t usually something they spend most of their time creating. They must do extensive analysis, think, adjust, format, and a variety of other unrelated activities. On top of that, a marketing copywriter must do a lot more.

What are the various Opportunities/Careers to become a Content Writer in India?

Below are some lucrative opportunities for Freelancers in India.

#1 Do Freelancing/Full-Time Job

The first thing you can do is work either as a freelancer or qualify for a full-time content writing job. The greatest benefit of freelancing in comparison to a full-time job is that you can typically work from home and avoid traveling, as well as avoid workplace politics. It also provides greater versatility than a regular job.

On the other hand, in a full-time job, you get a fixed salary, so you don’t have to worry about finding prospects/clients and getting regular work.

#2 Make money through Blogging

Even 13-year-old students are blogging now, which is the first step in writing for anyone. It is very easy to start your free blog which allows you the flexibility to write at your convenience. Moreover you do not need any special qualifications for that matter. What you need is a writing style and tones that appeal to your target audience. On both sides, it’s a win situation.

Building a good blog isn’t as simple as posting a few articles online and hoping for the best. If you want your blog to be popular, you must properly set it up and promote it. And even if you are unable to monetize your blog, you can use it to display your writing portfolio and play with various writing styles.

3# Apply for Internships and Build your Resume

If you’re still in college, academic life, or university education, you can begin by doing internships with organizations (online or offline). With the requisite skills, anyone can quickly secure an internship. These internships provide you with the opportunity to gain experience in content writing field.

Internships may not pay enough, but they offer a good experience. If you’re new to the world of writing, I recommend starting with Internships to get your feet wet.

4# Start your own Content Writing Agency

Unfortunately, no matter how strong or swift you are, making money as a freelance writer on your own is limited because there are only fixed hours in a day. You will inevitably reach the limit of your abilities, after which you will be unable to go any further. If you think big enough, you’ll make more profits.

You should start a content development company with other writers who share your interests. You’ll require freelance writers who can work for your business. There are a number of resources available to help you locate and hire them.

 Starting a content writing company and any other enterprise, for that matter, necessarily involves a significant amount of planning and analysis. When you’re eager to get started, it can be challenging. Starting a company with insufficient facts, on the other hand, will get you into a lot of trouble. Hence, you must be cautious.

#5 Become an SEO/Affiliate Copy Writer

Any company would benefit from content marketing. It has a variety of features that aren’t explicitly related to advertising but help boost sales and revenue.

 It’s important to remember that if you want the content to work for you, it has to be written in such a way that persuades users/customers to take action through your content. That’s affiliate marketing, and it’ll help you figure out your niche and target market.

What does it Need to become a Content Writer?

These are some of the traits which help in becoming smart writer and getting high paying clients.

1) Determine Your Niche

Finding a niche is one of the most crucial steps a content writer must take. There are various niches like health, technology, finance, business, health and fitness, beauty, fashion, education, etc., you can choose from.

All freelancers, blogs, and experienced authors advise simply choosing a niche you’re interested in and learning everything you can about it. Some also advise experimenting in a few various niches to figure out what you’re strong at. Selecting a niche and sticking to it will obviously help save time and become a professional easier.

2) Build an Appealing Portfolio

As a freelance writer, a writing portfolio contains the best works. Your writing portfolio showcases your writing ability in your niche subject as well as the organizations for which you have published.

Your portfolio can be held on your blog, which is the safest one, or on a portfolio platform like Contently or LinkedIn. Only appropriate, up-to-date content that demonstrates the finest writing skills in the writing niche or types you choose to work for should be included in your portfolio.

3) Develop Excellent Writing and Editing Skills

Mostly content writers try to work all day long on 4-5 projects simultaneously to get more money. However, this is not the right approach to move forward. Instead, take a single project at a time and give your best by writing high-quality content backed by facts, figures, suitable bullet points, and reliable sources.

In addition to this, if you don’t understand pronunciation, sentence form, punctuation, and anything else that proper grammar means, you won’t be able to write properly. Automatic spell-checkers and other tech tools may be helpful, but they aren’t always accurate.

So it is imperative to learn and improve your writing and editing skills continuously.

4) Start Creating Your Personal Brand

One does not want to be used as an unbranded writer. Any good content writer must have a strong brand. You’re just a normal citizen if you don’t have it. The foundation of your authorial approach is branding. Branding is more critical than writing itself. If you haven’t branded yourself or have been identified by anyone, how can you know what to write? You’ll keep bouncing around genre to genre and style to style.

How to Get Work as a Freelance Content Writer?

These are the 6 best ways to get work as Freelance content writer. They can lend you some high paying client as well.

 1) Cold Emailing

Do you know that cold emailing is a great way to get repeated tasks? When you approach customers directly, there is far less competition, and you have a higher chance of securing a job. You approach blogs, businessmen, companies, small businesses, or startups by mostly mail or other platforms and explain how you can assist them in growing their company as a professional writer.

Cold emailing happens to be one of the best ways to land a content writing job/gig. The critical step in the cold emailing is to shortlist the right people whom you must pitch and then write a correct pitch.

I used to contact admin mostly via blog’s contact section. It worked like a charm. You just need to show your passionate you are about the niche.

Mention some key points about the niche you write into. This will help you to draw the attention of admin that you got serious interest in writing. Also mention your strength like timely delivery, plagiarism free, well researched, well formated, required images inclusion, SEO optimize, conversion focused writing, etc.

 2) Networking and Building Connections

Notify your colleagues as you plan to quit your 9-5 work to do freelance writing full-time. They might be your first customer, and they can bring you your first quote!

It’s also important to be on the lookout for new writing opportunities in your everyday life. To get regular updates about the latest trends in the content writing industry, it is always recommended to stay connected to your community and fellow writers.

The best way to find like-minded professionals is to connect with people on LinkedIn and Instagram. This entails making business cards that you can hand out to friends and family easily.

Hack:

If you want to draw the attention of any blogger/website admin then first add value then ask for work. Like you can comment on his recent blog post. Share their blog posts on social media or can give a shoutout. Do it until they start noticing you. This way you can build a strong relation with other bloggers/webmasters.

 3) Apply for Companies offering Content Writing Jobs

I recommend focusing on small companies, whether you’re only starting with copywriting or writing Web content. If you can communicate with an organization in person, you’ll have a great chance of engaging with them. You may not have samples of Web material, but you may have blogs, brochures, or other positions in their area that will help you convince them that you are the best candidate for the position.

Hack:

As per my experience, companies mostly require website content, product descriptions, and content for their client websites. If you want to impress them in first meeting, look professional and manage a portfolio of your writing samples.

4) Try Online Websites/Job Boards like Fiverr, UpWork

Using job boards like Upwork or Fiverr to find a writing gig is a plus for writers. Entrepreneurs, small companies, and startups post-work and advertisements on freelance writing job boards, where you can pitch. You may be asked to include your rate, or the work ad may provide a starting rate for content. While there are paying work boards available, I recommend that you start with free job boards.

Hack:

Being a begineer, start with Fiverr.

 5) Apply on Various Content Marketplaces

Freelancer content marketplaces like Scalenut, Pepper Content provide a substitute platform for hiring people with various writing skills to work as part-timers on content writing projects. I have personally tested some content marketplaces and successfully secured high-paying content writing projects.

There are plenty of content development websites for content creators to get assignments to focus on as part-timers and full-timers. You can sell your services in a variety of price ranges and skill sets, and you can also browse projects to find the ones that attract you. 

 6) Join Facebook Groups/Communities

On Facebook, there seem to be a lot more opportunities for writing gigs and online work. You will have no trouble seeking consistent jobs if you know which groups to join. However, because you’re building relationships with potential contacts, this method requires a while. It’s never a bad idea to do something new and put yourself out there! Many employers are either unaware of job boards or lack the resources to sift through thousands of resumes. So you can even secure a good project/gig/job in the same day once you join several facebook groups.

 When I started applying for content writing projects, facebook groups were my first choice, and I am still working with some of the best clients I found through Facebook. I can vouch that you can get really good freelancing jobs through Facebook communities groups and that too at competitive pricing.

Hack:

Join some active content Writing Groups and posts your writing abilities. You will get direct messages from employers or you can contact them directly once they ask you in comments section of your post.

How To Write And Create High-Quality, Compelling Content?

Being a freelance content writer for more than five years, I have learned that great content is one that provides value to the readers. It doesn’t matter whether you are writing content for a blog or website; always strive to put maximum value in it. Here are some other tips to follow while writing content:

#1 Perform Strong Research about the Topic:

Research is the foremost step to take while working on any piece of content. The more you will get clear about the topic, the better you will write. Without proper research or deep insight into the topic, you will not be able to convey relevant and, at the same time, correct information to your users.

Moreover, research assists you in collecting the latest trends or updates going on in a particular industry or field. So never underestimate the power of solid research before you begin writing content.

#2 Create An Outline for The Content:

Once you are done with the research part, frame an outline of the content or article. Write all headings and subheadings you’ll be including, along with all the essential points you will be covering in the same.

#3 Keep It Simple and Easy To Read:

Do not go with fancy words. Someone might tell you that you must have an excellent vocabulary to become a good content writer. Honestly, there is nothing as such. Yes, you must have a good command of English and have a basic knowledge of sentence formation. However, the more you will keep your content simple and readable, the more people you will attract.

#4 Include Facts, Figures Whenever Possible:

Everyone likes numbers, evidence, and information backed by relevant data and sources. It builds the authenticity and credibility of your information. When you show your readers accurate numbers and facts regarding a particular topic or a query, they tend to trust your content more and would come to you again.

#5 Write From A Reader’s Perspective:

Understanding your target audience is the biggest challenge in writing content. Understanding what your readers want, what they are looking for, why they would choose your content, what makes your content different are some of the imperative things you should consider for writing great content.

#6 Do Not Plagiarize The Content:

A plagiarized content might be attractive at first, but eventually, you will lose the game. Never try to copy other’s work. Everyone is unique, and uniquely presenting your content is what makes you out stand others. Creating your original work is always based on your understanding and research.

#7 Personalize It:

Personalization is the key to success. After all, you want your readers to relate to your content. Keep it real and personalize it as and when required. It will definitely make your content outstanding and captivating as well.

 So these are some of the best tips you can follow to create a great piece of content.

#8 Grammar and Plagiarism: Indispensable parts of Content Writing

The value, readability, and cognition of a piece of content are all influenced by grammar and sentence structure. It’s vital to understand these standards as a content writer if you want to write compelling and error-free content.

Plagiarism detection is also a vital element of content writing that must be considered when writing. Plagiarized content not only gets rejected by the client/company but also destroys your reputation and goodwill as a content writer, and thus you will end up losing all your clients.

So always focus on delivering unique and original content based on accurate information and present it in the most creative manner to outstand others in your industry.

#9 Keyword Intent:

Keyword intent is the most criticual and important aspect of entire content writing. You must directly include the information related the the keyword intent. If you are writing about “Best monitor under $200 for video editing” then specifically write about monitors for video editing. Don’t include monitors for gaming, or any other purpose. Always try to find the exact user intent before you start writing and perform research on this basis.

FAQ Related to How to Become a Content Writer in India

Conclusion

If you’re a new writer with the desire and experience to get into the content writing industry, you’ll need to do a lot of hard work and have perseverance. The more you’ll explore the field; the more experience you can gather.

So, try out different things, reach out to various clients/companies, make friends with other content writers, read blogs about content writing and above all start writing.