Eight years ago, I started my journey as a content writer. I started out by ghostwriting and eventually earned the right to have articles credited to my name. In this post, I share 10 tips that teach you how to become an online content writer without any previous experience.
After reading this guide, you’ll know how to start as a content writer and where to find your first clients. I’ll also reveal how you can charge for your services to maximize your income potential.
The 10 Steps On How To Become An Online Content Writer Without Any Experience
What Is A Content Writer?
A content writer aims to transform their expertise into words to help readers solve a problem. You use the knowledge that you’ve acquired in your field to guide your audience to make better-informed decisions.
The most common task of a content writer is to sell products or services. Ultimately, this is how the clients you’ll write for generate revenue. Without the dollars rolling, your role as a freelance content writer becomes redundant.
Now, don’t get the idea that you must hard sell every product you write about. That’s not how this works. Instead, you use your experience to provide an honest anaylisis of the item in question.
How To Become A Successful Content Writer With No Experience?
1. Identify Your Niche
When I started as a content writer with no experience in 2015, I took any content writing jobs that came my way. I wish I’d discovered my niche at the very start and put time into refining my style and knowledge on one topic.
I instead found myself writing for content factories where they would assign daily articles covering snow fishing, pizza, clothing, and health and wellness. Because I wrote about so many topics, I never had the time to build robust knowledge in my field.
After a year of finding my feet, I eventually spotted an opportunity as a golf writer. I’ve played the game for 29 years and studied Sports Marketing, making my skills, expertise, and passion a perfect match. Everyone has their own unique story, but in my case, this was my journey of how to become an online content writer.
Think about the topic you possess the most knowledge about and work from there. For example, if you studied and love to play the guitar, think about writing for music blogs as a guitar specialist.
2. Read And Follow Blogs In Your Niche
Once you’ve identified your niche, start researching the most popular blogs covering the sector. Sign up to their newsletters and read atleast 2 articles a day to learn the style of the writers and the structure of the articles.
Keeping an eye on your competitors also reveals the most popular products or services that are on offer. You can then add a few of the same products in your articles.
Besides the positive lessons from popular blogs, I also want you to watch for errors. I constantly find competitors stating incorrect information or offering a product to the wrong market. Errors obviously reduce credibility and the site’s revenue potential.
3. Master Research
Watertight research is the key to become a freelance writer that succeeds and makes a full-time career as a wordsmith. I urge you to write from personal experience where possible, but you won’t always fully comprehend a topic.
If you’ve never tried a specific product you’re reviewing, try and get your hands on it. When that’s not an option, I recommend turning to reviews on YouTube, Amazon, or Reddit.
It’s not ideal, but at least you can get first-hand feedback from a reputable source. Then it leaves you with sufficient information to craft your article.
4. Learn How To Place Keywords
Keyword placement is an integral part of the content writing format. It helps the article you’re writing to rank higher on Google and Bing. The higher your article ranks, the more likely a reader will click on it.
As a beginner freelance content writer, I suggest you focus on placing the primary keyword. For example, the primary keyword in this article is “how to become an online writer without any experience.” You probably searched for that exact phrase or a related word to find this post.
The main keyword of an article is found in the heading, opening paragraph, and conclusion. Furthermore, you should use it at least once in your H2, H3, or H4 headings.
I recommend using Google to search for a few keywords related to your niche. Navigate to the first 3 sites on the list and read the posts. Take note of where the keywords were placed and the quality of the content.
Learn how you can master keyword placement and increase your earning potential.
5. Create Templates For Different Posts
There are 2 predominant types of marketing content writing. An individual review or a listicle.
Single Product Review
As the name suggests, an individual review sees you write about one topic, place, or product.
You dive into all the features, benefits, and cons of the subject to give your audience a deeper understanding of the topic.
Listicles
Listicles are your bread and butter as a content writer. Firstly, you’ll create a list of the best products, places, movies, and more for that topic. A typical listicle will own a title like “The 10 best strikers in soccer for 2023.”
Next, you will continue to list the players and motivate your reasoning with pros, cons, and a few paragraphs. I’m sure you’ve established that this article is a listicle.
I recommend creating a template for listicles and individual reviews to save time when setting up. Time is money as a content writer. Saving countless minutes in the day frees you up to keep writing and generating income.
6. Content Writing Examples
You’ve done your research on your competitors and have a basic comprehension of keywords. Now it’s time to start building a portfolio.
I used a combination of Google Docs, Medium, and LinkedIn Publishing to begin. Back then, I had another job and could only dedicate my evenings and weekends to writing.
I started writing 1 article a week and, two weeks later, ramped it up to 2. This left me with 6 articles for my portfolio in the first month, 3 more than any client had ever asked me for. That is how to become a content writer with no experience from home.
Google Docs
I initially wrote practice articles in Google Docs and proofread them extensively to minimize elementary errors. If I was satisfied with the quality compared to my competitors, I saved it as a PDF, placing it in my portfolio folder to submit to prospective clients.
Medium
Once I became comfortable with my penmanship, I graduated to Medium and LinkedIn Publishing. At the time, I focused on wine-related content, specifically lesser-known Italian grape cultivars.
Challenging topics like this demanded extensive research. I knew that fellow wine snobs would have my head for any errors I made. A few weeks after posting my first article, Medium featured the write-up in their newsletter, giving me a reputable site to link to for future job applications.
LinkedIn Publisher
I also dabbled with LinkedIn Publisher, but at that point, I didn’t have the drive to engage others and help grow my profile.
Truth be told, I prefer spending my time refining my craft as a writer instead of scrolling through social media. I find it a superior use of my time.
However, it’s a shorter path to getting your name out there and securing clients if you have a impressive social media presence.
7. Use Grammarly To Edit Your Content
Grammarly is one of your best friends as a content writer, as it expedites the proofreading and editing process. It’s brilliant for you to reduce spelling and grammar errors, wordy sentences, and incorrect sentence structure.
Although I have extensive gratitude for the software, you must be cautious. Don’t agree to every suggestion Grammarly makes because the program doesn’t necessarily understand the specific lingo associated with your niche.
The second challenge I’ve endured is Grammarly changing the font of the post. Therefore, I worked around it by pasting each section individually into the article.
I’m sure more technically gifted individuals can find a more efficient workaround, but that’s the best I could do.
8. Create A Profile On Freelance Platforms
You’ve built up a portfolio of 3 to 5 articles focusing on your niche and ready to find your first client. You have to put yourself out there for any chance of success.
I’ve acquired most of my clients through UpWork, ProBlogger.com, and LinkedIn. The last one is more recent because my clients add my LinkedIn profile to the end of every article I write.
It’s free marketing and brings prospective clients to me. However, it’s taken years to reach this point. As a beginner, I put my profile on all job sites I found in the past.
There are countless options, but I’ll list what’s worked for me to become a freelance writer.
PeoplePerHour
I picked up my first-ever writing gig on PeoplePerHour for a content factory of some sort. I wrote 2 to 3 articles a day on a range of topics. It wasn’t fun, and the pay was minimal.
It did help me build a portfolio, generate my first income and boost my confidence. I appreciate PeoplePerHour helping me find my first gig, but this platform should be used as a last resort.
The clients have minimal budgets, and the jobs are often project-based, not long-term, which I prefer.
ProBlogger
ProBlogger is the site I credit with transforming my writing career. It was the website where I discovered my first golf writing gig. The rest is history.
The site is a classifieds for freelance writers, so there isn’t a need to create an account. They don’t have loads of offers, but it is updated daily, and I suggest scouring it frequently not to miss the one time a post for your niche appears.
Upwork
It takes time to gain traction on Upwork, but once the wheels turning, it’s a brilliant free marketing tool. I was on UpWork for a while, branding myself as a content writer, and I never got any work.
I also refused to accept the low budget of several clients and was always outbid by other writers. Once I started specializing as a golf writer, I began receiving more interviews and, as a result, projects.
I eventually earned my Top Rated Plus badge thanks to all my clients providing 5-star ratings and positive feedback. This made my profile rank higher than my competitors when prospective clients searched for a golf writer.
Be patient on Upwork and see their high commission fees as an investment. They market you as an individual and protect you against absconding clients.
9. Determine Your Pricing
Now that you know how to start content writing from home, consider your pricing structure. There are 4 ways writers typically charge clients. A per-word price is the most common, followed by per hour, a monthly retainer, or commission.
I suggest quoting prospective clients on a per-word basis to avoid challenges at the start. Agree to a word count before you start writing to steer clear of clients accusing you of trying to increase the word count for more money.
A good starting point for entry-level writers is an average of $0.04 per word. If you write 3,000 words daily, you generate $120, roughly $2400 per month on a five-day workweek schedule.
10. Apply For Jobs
You have your pricing figured out and multiple articles in your portfolio. Now, the challenging but exciting part starts. Finding your first clients.
Search ProBlogger, Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and even Fiverr to find work. Don’t get despondent if a prospective client doesn’t respond or rejects your application. Instead, continue searching for jobs, read others’ blog posts, and write as much as possible.
FAQ
How Do I Start As A Content Writer?
You start as a content writer by identifying your niche, researching competitor posts, and writing practice articles to build your portfolio. Then you start applying for content writing jobs on Upwork and ProBlogger.
Do Content Writers Make Money?
Yes, content writers do make money. In my experience, focusing on a niche and building a base of long-term clients helped me generate a comfortable income as a content writer.
How Do I Find Content Writer Jobs?
You find content writing jobs on Problogger.com, Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and Fiverr. Search the keywords related to your niche and see who needs your services. Then submit your portfolio and motivational letter on why they should hire you.
What Is The Average Content Writer Salary?
According to GlassDoor, the average content writer earns $51,129 annually in the U.S.A. It works out to $4,260 per month. In my experience, that is what an intermediate freelance writer brings in worldwide.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the basics of how to become an online content writer without experience, the ball is in your court.
Think about the topics you possess the most knowledge on and research articles related to them. Start writing your own articles to build your portfolio and consistently look for opportunities in your niche.
If you’d like me to review your current portfolio and develop a strategy to improve your job chances, let’s chat.