The path to becoming a content writer isn’t always the clearest – take it from someone who built their freelance content writing career from scratch. From building a portfolio to knowing where to find clients, it can be an intimidating process.

I’m here to tell you it is 100% possible. It’s going to take time, hard work, and a whole lot of effort, but if you’re serious about becoming a content writer then this is the guide for you.

Keep reading to learn:

• What is a Content Writer?
• My Content Writing Story
• How to Become a Content Writer:
• 3 Best Tools I Use as a Content Writer
• What Comes Next?

What is a Content Writer?

A content writer is someone who creates digital written content for websites and brands. The content itself can vary based on the company and writer but some of the most common projects are blog posts, social media captions, and website copy.

Content writers can be freelance or work in-house at a company and typically fall under the marketing department. Usually, a content writer’s primary goal is to increase online traffic and engagement for a brand by using tools like SEO (search engine optimisation) and trend tracking.

It’s also really important for a content writer to be able to emulate the voice of a brand or company through tone and writing style. They need readers to connect with the company through the writing to feel like they understand the brand better and, more importantly, become loyal followers/customers.

My Content Writing Story

I started my freelance writing journey in 2022, initially as a ghostwriter for screenplays. I worked with independent filmmakers to transform their ideas into scripts and found the majority of my work through freelancing platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.

From the start, I loved freelancing. I get to be my own boss, choose my own hours, and there’s no ceiling to how much I can make. The only problem? I was bored with the work. I enjoyed writing, but wanted to broaden the types of projects I worked on…and I was done paying freelance platforms up to 20% of my earnings.

This is when I discovered content writing. I still get to use the skills I learnt as a ghostwriter like emulating another person’s voice while experimenting with a brand-new format. Blog posts are much quicker to write than scripts, so I can take on many different projects at the same time. I also love the ability to approach real-world issues with instant rewards through traffic numbers and growth metrics.

Below you’ll find the exact steps I took to become a freelance content writer including networking, landing your first paid client, and building a content writing portfolio.

How to Become a Content Writer:

Step 1: Research

Diving into a new freelance venture is no small task. Before throwing your all at content writing, I recommend learning more about it and getting a very solid grasp of what content writing actually is.

I started with Hubspot Academy’s Content Marketing course for an in-depth and totally free guide. I also reached out to a few content writers in my area on LinkedIn to ask about their work and lifestyle, as well as any advice they might have for me.

Step 2: Learn about SEO

SEO is probably the most important skill when it comes to content writing. If you don’t have a strong understanding of what it is and how to use it then you’re going to be in trouble. Remember, Google is your friend. Look up your questions, search terms you don’t know, and find as many SEO posts as you can to read and study.

The Ahrefs Academy is a really useful resource for SEO and don’t forget to look at YouTube for a whole lot of helpful information. You can also check out my SEO formatting for beginners and list of the best free SEO tools to get you started.

Step 3: Launch a blog

Running your own blog/website is the best way to get started as a content writer. It shows your credibility as a professional, provides a space to show off your work, and acts as a way for clients to find and reach out to you.

I use WordPress to host my blog – designing the actual website does take a fair amount of time and energy, but once you’re up and running it’s super easy to use. For the first 6 months, I stuck to a strict 3 posts a week schedule to not just grow my audience, but learn to master SEO in real time.

Practice makes perfect, and with 80+ posts, I can safely say to any potential clients that I’m a blog writing expert.

Step 4: Send out writing pitches

Once you have a blog with at least 5-10 public posts, it’s time to reach out to other websites and start pitching posts. This advice is controversial, however, I think the fastest way to get paid as a writer is to write for free.

Most companies with blogs have a ‘write for us’ or ‘contribute’ page somewhere with instructions on how to pitch a post. The more posts you can get posted on external websites, the more content writing clients you can say you’ve written for on your website and social media.

Not only does this add to your credibility, but it’s also great practice when it comes to writing for external clients. Pitching posts and writing for free is how I landed my first-ever official paid client – they liked the two free posts that I wrote for them so when they were looking to bring on a freelance writer, I was first on the list to reach out to.

Step 5: Build a portfolio

Now that you’ve, hopefully, started writing for a bunch of different websites, it’s time to put together a portfolio. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy! Create a page on your blog and start linking the published articles you’ve written for other websites.

It always looks great to gather all the logos and show them on your home page too so that potential clients can see at a glance that you’re legit. You can now also start linking to your portfolio when you pitch blog posts to level up your submission.

Step 6: Post about your work

I hate posting on social media as much as the next person (I haven’t posted on IG since October 2019), however, LinkedIn is your best friend when it comes to finding client leads. If you don’t share your work, no one is going to know about your services, so no one is going to be able to hire you as a content writer.

I try and post once a week whether it’s a personal blog post, sharing a piece I’ve written for someone else, or just posting a status related to freelance writing. The more you do it, the less scary it feels, I promise.

Step 7: Charge for your writing

It’s finally time to secure that first paying client! By this point, you have enough published work and credibility to start getting paid as a content writer. You can find clients by reaching out to your network, applying for freelance content writer jobs, and listing your services on your website.

It can take a few months to send that first invoice, but in my experience, clients are like buses. You wait ages for one, then three come along at once.

3 Best Tools I Use as a Content Writer

The journey to becoming a content writer can be tricky. There’s a lot to learn, a lot to remember, and a lot of mistakes that you are going to make. To help you inch closer to that dream lifestyle, here are my must-have tools for any content writer in the making.

1. Quickbooks: A major learning curve of freelancing is managing your finances. Quickbooks is great for me to send invoices, track payments, and log any expenses.
2. Grammarly: We all hate proofreading. Why waste time pouring over the same paragraph a million times just to miss a glaringly obvious spelling mistake when Grammarly can fix it for you in literal seconds?
3. Notion: I prefer to write my client pieces outside of their CMS (content management system) and then move them over once complete. To do this, I keep all my writing in one place with Notion (it’s like Google Docs but with more personalisation).

What Comes Next?

Even once you become an established content writer, learning how to manage a full-time freelance lifestyle is a whole experience in itself. To master all the skills it takes to be a freelance writer, why not check out some of my other posts designed to help make your freelancer life that little bit easier: