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How to Become a Freelance Content Writer in India

And the mistakes to Avoid.


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Puja Das

3 years ago | 4 min read

Whenever someone talks or thinks about how to earn money online? Guess what strikes the mind instantly?

Undoubtedly, freelancing!

Freelancing is a vast field, and content writing is one part of it. If you are wondering or interested to know about how to become a Freelance Content Writer in India then stick around. In this article, I am going to share what I have learned by far as a Freelance Content Writer.

So, without any delay let's start!

What is the role of a Content Writer? What is its potential from a career perspective?

The role of a Content Writer includes writing content for the clients as per their content requirements. It can be articles, blogs, website content, etc. As a Content Writer, you are expected to write well-researched, plagiarism-free content.

The potential of content writing from a career perspective is immense!

Frankly, even I wasn't aware of its potential until I stepped into this field, and slowly started to realize it with every new opportunity.

I was preparing for bank exams and after seeing failure for 3 years, I started my freelancing journey as a content writer. I started it as a side hustle, but with time I realized the potential. I realized two things, firstly my potential, and secondly the potential of content writing from the career perspective and I decided to go for it full-time. (Although, in the future, I might think of giving bank exams).

I didn't start to earn in the first month itself. But I was patient. I continued to work on my skills. One thing I would like to mention even when I didn't have any project, I still used to write 1000-1500 words minimum every day. This is just one example of many things I used to do to ensure I am sharpening my skills.

Things wouldn't be easy in the beginning! But be patient, and you will definitely see the results. There will be challenges, but every challenge that you will face and conquer, will enrich your knowledge and make you stronger!

What are the prerequisites?

● Knowing your field

● Knowing the fundamentals and

● Knowing your skillset

Knowing your field: Do your homework, that is the first and most important thing you should do when you decide to go for Content Writing. Homework i.e. to do extensive research on the Content Writing field.

Be it Content Writing or any other field, it is imperative to know the field you are going to step into.

Knowing the fundamentals: This is a must! Knowing the fundamentals is a must. If you are planning to go for Content Writing or any field, know the fundamentals.

Knowing the fundamentals is important for building a solid foundation.

Knowing your skillset: If you are not aware of your skillset then how will you know which area you need to work on or which area you need to work on a lot?

It is necessary to have the awareness of your skillset and know where you exactly stand and how much effort it will require to reach a certain level. What is the basic required skill? Writing skill, obviously! But you need to have good research skill too.

Similarly, like writing and researching communication skills, editing skills, SEO writing, time management, etc., all these are very important skills, and you need to have the awareness of how much you know currently, and on which areas you need to work on.

How to start or from where to start?

I would highly recommend — LinkedIn. Currently, 100% of my content writing projects I get solely from LinkedIn. Also, I recently created my Instagram account. And within just a few days, with just two posts, I got two leads from there as well.

That is the importance of online visibility and the potential it has! You can also ask the people you know or inform them about your content writing services and ask them to keep your name in mind if they or anyone they know require Content Writing services.

However, these are the online platforms where you can find content writing projects :

● Upwork.com

● Freelancer.com

● Fiverr.com

● Truenlencer.com

I will just say, START! Once you start, with every experience you will learn and grow. But the most important thing is to start.

Mistakes to avoid

Before knowing the mistakes to avoid, know this — it is okay to make mistakes as long as you give your best, and remember the learning.

So, here are the mistakes that you should avoid as a freelance Content Writer:

● Lack of discipline. You need to be disciplined and get your work done. Without discipline, you cannot excel in freelancing.

● Lack of focus. Without proper focus, you cannot write excellent content. Also, with lack of focus you may take more time than usual to finish a task.

● Not being punctual. It's not negotiable! You have to be punctual. Always ensure to never miss deadlines.

● Not focusing on online presence. I have already mentioned above about the importance and potential of digital visibility. Start posting on LinkedIn, Instagram. However, I feel it is better to start with one platform and then move to another.

● Being impatient. It might take some time to get your first project, but you should be patient. Just focus on honing your skills.

● Not up-skilling. If you are up-skilling means you are getting better and better. Compete with yourself, and outperform yourself.

● Don't take too many projects. If you think you can handle it and the quality wouldn't be compromised then only you can take otherwise don't.

● Not having writing samples ready. It is extremely important to have your writing samples ready. Your prospect will ask for your writing samples.

● Avoid taking low paying gigs. Again, it depends on you. But I would just say to trust your capabilities, and continue working hard, will definitely see the results.

The above-mentioned points were the mistakes that you should avoid, but what is that one mistake that you cannot make at any cost?

PLAGIARISM!

Always ensure to write unique content. Now lastly, I will conclude with this suggestion:

No matter how tough it seems, how challenging it gets, believe in yourself.

Always!

It is obvious to have many doubts in the beginning, to be clueless but with each day and with every effort you will get better and better every day.

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Puja Das

Hi, I am a freelance content and copywriter. I write content that is well-researched, unique and leaves a stellar first impression on the readers. I am a postgraduate in English. My educational background has enabled me to quickly learn the various parameters of Content Writing.


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