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Content writing is the process of putting words into context in order to communicate ideas and details over the internet. This means every individual or company that intends to communicate over the internet, either needs to write content or hire a content writer.

• A news portal needs journalists to write and edit news pieces
• A startup needs content writers to communicate its vision to its potential customers
• An e-commerce needs descriptions written for its products
• SEO agencies and digital marketing agencies cannot survive without content writers
• A web development firm would need content writers to populate content on its client’s website
• Publication firms cannot survive without writers/editors

But the irony is, Content writing hasn’t been recognized as a career option by educational bodies. Due to this, there is no mass production of content writers. As of now, there exists a huge gap between the demand and supply of content writers. Whether you are looking to make a career in content writing as a full-timer, freelancer or looking to create a business out of it, you would be surprised by the world of opportunities that exist.

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Coming back to content writing as a career option, I would majorly segregate it into two different choices:

Content writing as a job

Full-time job Most of the companies are now looking to hire dedicated content writers in order to maintain their online presence. Then there are some companies, which have a completely content-based business model. E.g. A mobile comparison website, car buying portals etc. In addition, the thin line between content writing and journalism is also getting blurred with time. So news agencies, online magazines, publication houses will be as happy to hire. There also thrives an industry that supports the core internet companies e.g. SEO agencies, digital marketing agencies etc. Big names of this industry either have their own team of content writers or they have tie-ups with content writing agencies to fulfill their requirements. Part-time job / Freelancing This is, by far, the largest market for content writers. Companies who do not require content on a consistent basis, small-scale blogs, website and software developers are always on the lookout of freelance content writers. Working as a freelance content writer has several benefits. You can do it along with your existing job. You can choose to work from home or any place you wish. You get to choose your working hours and be your own boss. But, freelance content writing comes with its own shares of disadvantages. Risk of getting duped by the clients, or losing clients because of changes in their requirements or policies, make it a risk to choose this as an option of earning the livelihood. In the upcoming lessons, we will discuss how to minimize such risks and make a stable career out of freelance content writing.

Content writing as a business

Having your own blog There are a ton of examples of how people made it big by choosing to blog as a career option. It takes just 30 minutes to create a blog that can make you millions if done the right way. For some inspiration, you can read a few success stories here and here. In the upcoming lessons, we will discuss how to start a blog the right way. You can create a blog for free as well. Content writing agencies If you are a good writer who has started with freelancing, there would come a time when the work would be more than what you can handle alone. In that case, you can scale-up to create a team (This is what I did). Once you earn a reputation of being a good vendor, you cannot imagine the amount of work that you get and the amount of money that you can make. Walk-in to my office someday to feel this.

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But, there’s a catch. You need to be good, not just in terms of quality of writing, but also in terms of maintaining consistency and adherence to deadlines. Being an average Joe, you would keep struggling for your life just to make your ends meet.

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[Update] My suggestion to you Some writers asked me about my suggestions. As far as my views are concerned, I would any day vote for developing your own blog. Niche blogs are a hot thing. It’s easy to get ranked if you can find the appropriate niche and target keywords. Plus, if you do it the right way, with time your income keeps on increasing and the amount of work you need to do to get things done keeps decreasing. Second in line would be a job of a full-time content writer. You might need to start as a fresher, but as your skills and experience grow, your income and position also grow. Plus, a full-time job offers you a sense of security. However, you need to have a strong profile online in order to pitch yourself for good jobs. Then comes freelancing. Freelancing as a content writer gives you the comfort of working from home and achieve a good work/life balance. However, it comes with its own share of limitations. As a freelancer, there will always be a limitation on how much money you can make since you are the only resource working. Despite this limitation, freelancing is a great option to choose depending on what are the priorities of your life. I have seen some freelancers (including me) scaling up themselves to the agency level. By doing this, you can beat the limitation I mentioned in the last point, but you need to leave the comfort of your home, get a physical office and mentally prepare yourself to manage a team. That said, whatever you choose, would come with its own share of pros and cons. But do not let the cons deter you. As in any field, content writing as a career too have challenges. But if you are determined and know how to play your cards right, growth is inevitable.

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Do you want to ask anything w.r.t the lesson? What do you think can be the most suitable career option for you? Share your doubts and thoughts here.