Have you always been interested in reading and researching? Do you want to build your career as a content writer but do not know when and where to start? Well, we are here going to talk all about content writing and some tips to start your content writing career without any degree.
Content Writing is writing engaging, informative as well as reader-friendly content which can reach a good amount of audience. Content is simply a wordplay which means using words to express your ideas or business goals or anything really which is relevant and you want to express to an audience. For example, if A teacher wants to start an online teaching website, they would need to put forth everything from assessment to their achievements, and qualifications. This all comes in the category of content.
As a content writer, your job description would be to write content. This content can be assigned by anyone from your client company and can range from anything digital such as website content, blogs, press releases, ads or you can be asked to write offline content such as stories, presentations, technical papers, research papers, and much more. The work of a content writer is not specified in any single field and is needed by approximately every field. Content writers are also required in marketing as it is the heart of marketing with digital and non-digital marketing. A content writer can help you with making quality brochures, leaflets, and much more.Â
What is a Content Writer?
Being a content writer is not about writing whatever comes into your mind. A good content writer has a good vocabulary and a knowledge of grammar along with this a good content writer is also a diligent researcher and is good with wordplay. Your content would always be able to reach the audience. Sometimes quality content requires re-writing the entire content to get the exact meaning from every one of the content. Content writers can communicate with their audience through various means such as articles, web content, essays, and much more.
Few qualities or writing styles of these content are:
- Narrative:Â This type of content tells you about a story with characters and background setting.
- Analytical: This type of content gives analyses and dissects the subject of content with various citings.
- Argumentative: This type of content tries to persuade the audience with scientific facts.
- Persuasive: This type of content tries to persuade the audience through emotional and logical arguments.
- Expository: This type of content explains any process or method in depth.
Some of the working duties of a content writer are:
- Creating a rough draft of what they are about to write.
- Always have a meeting with the clients to plan the writing
- Always have your drafts approved by clients before moving ahead with writing fresh content.
- Always make sure your writing style and structure are in sync with the client’s requirements
- Always research and fact check to have authentic and quality content
- Self-check for errors before giving them to clients.
It is not necessary to have a degree to start your career as a content writer, what is important is to have writing skills or a love for writing. Here are a few tips to kick start your career without a degree:
- Have some writing experience
Gaining exposure to different kinds of writing styles and work is one way to build an extensive portfolio in content writing. It is important to understand the inner workings of writing quality content which can be only achieved with experience. There are various ways you can gain this experience either with volunteer work or participating in extracurricular work or after-school work. For example, if you are a student you can always participate in extracurricular activities such as school magazines, school brochures, and school newspapers to gain exposure to different kinds of works. Always make sure to receive feedback so you can improve your writing skills and increase your horizons as a content writer.
- Networking is important
Networking is important for someone with no degree. You can always meet professionals through various seminars, writing competitions, or use social media to reach out to these professional writers. Being in connection with these professionals or seasonal writers can help you in finding more quality writing jobs and making your writing better and more alluring.
- You can always take a course
If you are interested in learning then you can always take online courses in various segments to gain more in-depth knowledge of the subject. There are various courses provided by colleges and companies which can help you in this direction. Some of these courses are technical writing courses, creative writing courses, and screenwriting courses. These courses can help you with improving your writing skills and guiding you in the direction of your passion. This can also help in adding value to your content.
- Always look for an apprenticeship
Working with a professional can give you an insight into the life of a writer and their struggles. The other plus point of an apprenticeship is you can learn from the feedback given to you. You can learn hard and soft skills from a professional using an apprenticeship. To gain an apprenticeship, always be on the lookout for job boards and professional organizations.
- Look for work
Once you have the required experience, you can start looking for job opportunities. Be it freelancing work or working for a company you can pick your path or career choice. With an impressive portfolio and little work experience, you are ready to accept work for content writing.
Always know your worth
This is an important factor when considering freelancing work, knowing your worth and the importance of writing will help you with client negotiations and grow your revenue.
Content writing can be done by simply having a passion for writing and a niche for researching. Although having a degree can be helpful, it is not necessary.
If you are interested in reading how a survivor of ovarian tumor is inspiring young women with her writing, tap on to the interview of Praneet Rana on Storiyaan.