How to Become a Content Writer in India: Everything You Need to Know

If you are asking yourself how to become a content writer with no experience at all, then you are in the right place, at the right time.

You will understand why I said, the “right place” after completing this article, but do you know why I said, “at the right time”?

The content writing industry was growing at a steady pace, but the COVID 19 pandemic changed everything forever.

Online content started to get 3 to 4x more visitors than they got earlier.

Brands and businesses took notice of this massive change and started investing a lot of money in creating good quality content.

The search for video, audio, and written content was on the rise, and as a result, the search for quality creators has already begun.

It didn’t matter where you were from, if you could produce quality contents for them, you were hired.

The work from home routine was started in India on a large scale.

If you know how to create high-quality content, then you could earn a decent income from the comfort of your sofa.

So now you know why I just said ” the right place at the right time”.

Since we run a few blogs for our clients, we know how hard it is to find a good quality content writer in India.

Even though around 75 percent of people in LinkedIn and Internshala have content writing as their skill, only 2-3 percent of people actually know what content writing is!

So, before we dig deep into this conversation, first let’s start from the basics, shall we?

What is Content Writing

Content writing is one of the most misunderstood terms in India. Content writing is mostly misinterpreted with data entry and copywriting.

So first let’s distinguish between them

Content Writing

According to Brian Dean, content writing is a process of research, planning, writing, and editing of web content, which is typically used for digital marketing.

It can include writing descriptions, articles, blog posts, emails, newsletters, and social media posts.

It is your job as a content writer to inform or educate something to your audience in an engaging way.

Copywriting

According to QuickSprout, copywriting is the process of writing clear and a complete copy to sell a product.

Here your job is like being a salesman, you will have to create something short and sweet that will convince your audience to buy something.

So copywriting is to sell something while content writing is to inform something.

Data Entry

Even though there is no connection between the above two, people in India consider data entry as content writing.

Data Entry is a process of converting information from paper format to a digital format.

Basically, it is a job where you are given a piece of data on paper, then you will have to enter that data into an excel file or word file.

So now you know what is meant by content writing, let see whether you can pursue a career in this industry.

How Much Do Content Writers Earn in India

How much does a content writer earn per article in India?

This depends on what type of job you are looking for.

As a full-time employee, you will earn between ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month and as you gain more experience your remuneration can reach up to ₹40,000 per month.

If you think that’s too low for an income then don’t worry, you can become a freelance content writer and earn a hefty chunk of money.

Instead of fixed remuneration, as a freelancer, your income will depend upon how much you write.

What is considered a freelance content writer salary in India?

A total beginner can earn at least ₹0.50 to ₹0.60 per word.

That means if you write an article containing 2000 words, you will earn ₹1200 per article.

If you can write 20-25 articles per month you will earn at least ₹24,000 per month.

Do remember that a complete beginner can write a 2000-word article in about 6-7 hours.

As you gain experience, you would be able to complete a 2000 words article in a couple of hours and your rate card could reach up to ₹2 to ₹3 per word.

So how to become a freelance content writer without any experience in India?

Let’s see.

How to Become a Content Writer with No Experience

Step 1: Start Writing Something

This is one of the biggest mistakes that I see every day of my life.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a complete newbie or a professional, you will have to write every single day!

To become a good content writer, who produces awesome articles, you will have to write something every single day.

It doesn’t matter what you write about, write at least 500 words per day.

Every writer who earns 60-80 thousand per month did the same when they started out.

Don’t wait till the last second to start writing.

It takes time to write engaging articles.

Remember, “Rome was not built in a day”.

Open a new tab in your editor, and start writing as nobody is going to read what you just wrote.

“All the so-called “secrets of success” will not work unless you do.”
Jaymin Shah

Write about everything that comes to your mind, if nothing comes, then simply write about your favorite movie or your best friend.

If you ever thought that all content writers are born with a talent to write, then you are wrong.

We learn our way, by practicing it every single day.

I know, it takes time before words start flowing in and you start tapping those keys.

So, make a promise to yourself that you will try to write at least 500 words a day.

In the beginning, it can be anything, a Facebook post, or a WhatsApp message, then slowly convert it into a personal blog.

Step 2: Create Your Secret Blog

As I mentioned earlier, around 70 percent of people skip the first step and start by making a blog for themselves.

The problem? Instead of focusing on your writing, they focus on how to make their blog more attractive by adding new themes, creating an attractive logo, and so on.

Instead of this, you will have to create a secret blog.

Let it be messy and boring, don’t go for those fancy themes and images.

Here you will create a secret blog that only you will know about.

You won’t share it anywhere, and no one will be able to see what you are doing.

It’s your place to learn and improve your writing skills.

As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward.
Vincent Van Gogh

After creating a free blog, start to write at least 1000 words per day.

This time instead of writing anything, try to focus on a particular topic.

So, before you start writing, take some time to research a particular topic.

Then create a simple outline, and start writing what you just understood about that topic.

Try changing your niche once in a while, if you took lifestyle this week, then try technology next week.

This will help you to become a flexible writer in the future.

Step 3: Build a Portfolio Website or a Personal Blog

It takes some time and effort to build a quality portfolio website or personal blog.

You will have to choose a domain name, good hosting, a professional-looking theme, then optimize it.

Make sure that you create a beautiful, professional-looking website because this is the website that you are going to use to get clients in the future.

So even if you don’t have any experience in content writing, this is how you will land your first client or job.

Your clients want to know whether you can produce quality contents that meet their expectations.

So, by showing your blog, you will have an upper hand over your competitors.

Some people recommend that you should pick a niche before you start your blog.

Yes, it’s true. If you love a particular niche, then start blogging in that niche.

But as a beginner, you might not know what niche to pick.

I didn’t know either when I started writing.But later I was hired to write articles, by showing something completely different.

One time Mr. Kulwant Nagi, one of the top bloggers in India wanted to hire a content writer who had experience in the blogging niche.

Since I didn’t have any blogs in that niche, I showed him what I had written in the past.

He liked my writing, and I was hired! The lesson learned? People want your writing skill.

It’s impossible to know about everything in this world, but if you have the skill to write engaging content, then you can write about anything that you are assigned with.

So, make sure that you write some awesome articles on your blog, and make yourself stand apart from the rest of the competition.

Sometimes these articles can be more valuable than your resume.

Step 4: Build a Proper LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is one of the most underrated platforms in India.

You will be surprised to know the number of clients that I got from my LinkedIn profile.

I have seen many Guru’s saying that you have to create your account on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.

Yes, there are people who are earning a ton of money from these platforms, but can a beginner earn from these sites?

The chances are low. We ran some tests on these platforms to know the chances of a beginner to get hired. The results were discouraging.

The reason? Spam.

If you are in India, just see a job posting on these sites, there will be at least 20-40 proposals under each job posting.

If I’m the one who is posting a job posting there, I will look at the star reviews that you have earned.

To earn a starred review, you will have to get hired in the first place!

During this lockdown period, almost 75 percent of our teenage population have started an account on one of these platforms, so it’s really hard to get noticed there.

So instead create an account on LinkedIn.

Most organizations start their search by looking at candidates on LinkedIn.

Moreover, you could find a ton of job opportunities in the LinkedIn Job search.

Just perform some simple research on how to create a proper LinkedIn profile and learn what is SEO and how to optimize your profile to rank in search results.

Step 5: Pitch to Business

You might have seen one or two online magazines while surfing through Facebook, right?

These online portals are looking for new content every single day, so whenever possible pitch a topic to these websites.

So how to create a pitch that will get you hired?

Browse through the articles that they published and understand what are the topics that they are interested in.

If they have publishing guidelines, read through them.

Since now you have a clear idea, about the content they post, create an article that follows their guidelines.

Now go to their contact page, to see how you could contact them.

Now create an awesome pitch that is irresistible.

Moreover, there are thousands of business websites on the internet, browse through some of them and analyze their content.

Now take a piece of paper and write down how you can improve their content and increase their sales.

At the end of the day, you will have to provide some value to them, so that they can hire you later.

So how to create an irresistible pitch? Let’s see.

It should contain a short subject line that clearly points out what value you are going to offer them.

If you know the name of the Editor/Blogger that you are pitching to, then address the recipient by name instead of Dear Sir or Mam.

Now in a paragraph or two tell them what you are planning to provide and how it would benefit them.

Then in a sentence or two, explain why you are the perfect candidate to do the same?

Then attach your previous work or portfolio website.

Then attach links to your social media handles like LinkedIn.

Don’t make the mail everything about you, make everything about them and how they could benefit, by hiring you.

I have seen so much mail saying that they have done an internship there and that, the main point is why should I hire you?

Step 6: Apply for a Job Opening

Where should you apply for a job as a content writer in India?

There are many content writing agencies in India as well as abroad. Simply search the below query in google:

“content writing” + “agency”

This will show a list of content writing agencies around the world.

Check whether they currently have an opening for a content writer, if yes then do an elevator pitch.

Moreover, you can register on various job portals, and apply for a job there.

No, I’m not saying that you should be active on Facebook.

There are many platforms like Quora and Reddit, where you can stretch your writing muscles.

Provide valuable information to others and group your community. Who knows, you may acquire your first client from these platforms.

How To Become a Good Content Writer?

Be Flexible

If you want to become a good content writer, you have to develop your ability to adapt to different niches.

Sometimes you may get hired to write a blog post on “How to be healthy in 2021″, and sometimes on the topic ” The best VPN for UAE”.

You will have to adapt your writing skills based on the topic that you have to write.

Why? Because your target audience will differ based on the topic that you are writing and your writing tone has to change depending on the article that you are going to write about.

Once in a while, read articles from different niches, so that you can understand how writers change their style from one industry to the other.

Imporve Your Researching Ability

This is a skill that will come in handy day in and out. As I mentioned earlier, you are hired for your writing skill, not for your knowledge about that domain.

So, if you are hired on a completely different niche, you will have to research topics that you are going to write about.

As I mentioned in Step #2 of the above section, you will have to develop this skill from the beginning itself.

Once every week, try to research something that you have never heard before, create an outline, then write an article about it.

Practice is the only way you can develop this skill.

Learn SEO

Every great content writer out there has deep knowledge about Search Engine Optimization.

As a writer, you will only have to focus on On-Page Optimizations, but it’s never a bad idea to learn more about SEO.

Make sure that you update yourself about the latest trends in SEO, as it’s constantly changing.

This skill can help you to gain more clients with ease because, at the end of the day, your client wants his content to rank in Google.

Learn How to Make a Good Outline

Sometimes your client will give a great outline for the article that you have to write about with headings and subheadings.

This makes your job much easier. But once in a while, you will get a client that will just say that he wants a 1000 words article on this topic, that’s it.

You will have to research the topic, then you will have to create a great outline for the article, then only you can start your writing process.

A great outline will make your job much easier and much faster.

Improve Your Proofreading Skills

This is a section that I hate the most.

After spending hours writing your article, you will have to proofread it.

You will have to check whether there are any spelling or grammatical mistakes.

If the flow of the article is getting blocked with unnecessary paragraphs or sentences, and check whether a particular paragraph is in the right place.

This process takes time, and sometimes you will have to trim your content, and other times you will have to rewrite an entire paragraph.

Find Your Happy Place

There will be times where you can’t find a single word to write about and there will be times you want to pull your hair out when you are proofreading your articles.

These are the moments where you will have to take a break from your work.

Take a break, it can be a cup of hot coffee in your comfy chair or a five-minute walk in your neighborhood.

So once in a while when you feel frustrated, go to your happy place and refresh your mind, it will make your job much easier to do.

Keep reading and writing

Keep reading more books and articles.

It doesn’t matter what you read, just keep reading, and see how they have written their articles, how they are making it more engaging, and note down the power words and phrases that they are using.

Keep reading and add those techniques to your writing.

Slowly and steadily, you will be starting to write engaging contents that can generate 1000’s social media shares.

Conclusion

Most content writers aren’t born with the gift of writing.

They learn things, and they adapt to their works.

So,, if you are a complete beginner or someone who is in a dry spell, keep doing your work and the result will follow.

So, what are you waiting for? Write your first 300 words now!