Is it Worth to be a Freelance Content Writer?

Getting a desired job in IT is difficult. Many engineering pass-outs stay jobless. There are, in fact, people who complete their graduation in different fields such as civil or electrical engineering, yet become software engineers when their campus placement drive begins. Why I chose to be a writer is all because of the situation in the job market back in 2012. Having pursued Master of Computer Application, I still had to opt out of being a software developer as a fresher. So, content writing suddenly induced oxygen to my almost shattered career.

This was part of my destiny as I never really thought about it in the beginning while I was still hoping to get a job in back-end database developer. There was actually a time when I either browsed for (limited) job openings, applied to a few, or opened social networking sites.

I would also debate on subjects like politics with random strangers, or post my life’s experiences anonymously on various Facebook pages. There I started to notice that people of different parts of the world, including native English speakers, would understand what I used to write without much effort. It felt like an achievement to me as they require grammar and punctuation being properly put in place.

In the midst of finding relevant content writing jobs as a freelance content writer via the Internet, I bagged one as a full-time writer. It was a regular 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. job with just one off in a week, that is Sunday!

Anyway, I eventually got experience in technical writing, copywriting, proofreading, translating (Hindi to English), and many roles of similar kinds. Most of my experience is internet-based. My expertise got enhanced with time and after completing nearly 6 years professionally, I once again became directionless. Surprised! Why would an established writer say such a thing?

Well, I don’t say that I feel any less competitive or other writers are better than me. It is a gradual process anyway in which all writers learn with time. Some flourish because it’s their passion, others don’t since they consider it as merely a channel to earn and not something to spiritually involve.

I purposefully used the term “spiritually” because, through writing, one can express their deepest emotions that they verbally cannot convey. It’s like you are talking to your reader honestly without the fear of judgment, just like I did right now!

Back to my point, there are cases of many content writers who are ahead of me, probably because of more experience, and/or getting the right kind of platform who values their writing and pays them as much as $40 per word; and there are also those who write like a middle-school graduate and earn a handful. Yes, you read that right! The difference is that drastic.

I was once surprisingly asked by my friend how I write blogs and articles in such limited time as it is a matter of hours for her to even make a meaningful paragraph. Little did I know that it was that difficult for a common person to do, and that, a writer plays an important role in an organization.

What I notice most often is, most company owners seriously underestimate the stance of quality content for their websites and other social media channels. They think that anytime they can replace their writers and hire a new one with less pay. This is the sole reason why writers switch their jobs frequently.

First and foremost, an experienced writer deserves an outstanding pay if they are aware of current market trends and are skillful enough to deliver excellence. If the owner refuses to pay them that, they look elsewhere. This is applicable whether there’s an existing writer in an organization who asks for better hikes or those who are looking for a job in a company that is hiring writers.

On the other hand, if the company owners start looking for someone with lesser work experience so that they can negotiate the pay scale, the result can be risky. To make it more clear, let’s take a look into two small paragraphs written below.

The one who you are searching for is actually searching for You! Confused on how to discover the girl of your dreams? Now finding the right match is just a click away! Create an account now!

XYZ is a matromonial site. If you want to find a a life partner, create an account, login and browse. We are hear to help you in your lonely times. Nothing can beat in our services.

Which one did you find more appealing? The first one, isn’t it? This is because it creates interest because of the lines, moreover, it does not have any grammatical, punctuation, or spelling mistakes like the one just below it.

Most often what happens is, the one who is concerned about a website’s front-end design and back-end development wouldn’t bother much about what kind of contents should be there. They simply think that it should contain information about their products and services; and when there are little to no visitors and converts at all, they begin to notice abruptly, perhaps putting blame on several people’s involvement in the site’s development and SEO.

Now, the thing is, those who have any less experience may even not make any obvious mistakes as I mentioned in my examples, but may also not understand how the words should be juggled such that a visitor thinks about purchasing the products/services right away. The whole world of the internet works like that!

If a site owner is not aware that he is going to lose and that his idea of degrading the importance of write-ups is not visionary, his place in this competitive era won’t last any longer. This is because there ARE others who exactly know what they are doing and they DO hire the best writers.

Generally, an IT-based organization would perhaps give less importance to writers compared to advertising and journalism-based industries.

Freelance Content Writer – Is it really worth your time and effort?

So, the question arises, how worth is content writing? My reaction to this would be mixed since it all depends on what situation one chooses to be a writer. If you make it as your career just by focusing primarily on its advantages and pay scale, you may get disappointments.

To become a content writer, the most important factor is being expressive through writing. Your readers should be able to keep on reading till the end of your write-up, or at least more than half of the whole; regardless of the word count. If you are not sure how good you are at it, do NOT proceed.

In India, what I notice most often is, people’s disinterest in reading stuff. They do not even bother to find out the meaning of a difficult English word. I might sound bias because I have not encountered people of different natives yet, other than through online medium.

So, whatever is written should be extremely good. You don’t have to mention a plethora of complex vocabulary because that is actually a huge turn-off for readers. Instead, write mediocre words and appealing sentences. This is because most people in the world are not native English speakers (assuming that you write in the English language), hence may not comprehend easily.

If writing becomes your passion, this profession is definitely going to give you rewards. If you also learn SEO in addition then it will be like icing on the cake. Literally, all kinds of professions demand consistency and hard work, and content writing is no exception.

Choosing whether you are interested to work as a freelance content writer or a full-time writer who goes to office settings is proportional to what suits your needs. If you think that you have children and nobody is there to take care of them, you may find staying at home and working as a freelancer as rewarding.

Initially, this job will provide you just a handful of money and you may feel as if it is not worthy of your time, but the situation does get better once you get enough of hands-on experience. The way you are getting paid depends on what kind of firm you are working with. Some firms offer on an hourly basis, whereas others pay based on word count or the number of documents you are submitting.

For instance, either they will pay you like 50 or 100 Rs. per document containing about 800-1000 words, OR cost per word. Each freelance content writer has their own standard set. Having around 2-3 years of work experience, some freelancers will demand 50 paise per word, others 2 or 3 INR per word if they cross 5 years. And I am not sure how much it would be if they cross 10 years of hands-on content writing experience.

As mentioned earlier, write-up on an hourly basis is also paid, which is generally paid by foreign company owners (in dollars) in registered freelancing sites where they can monitor your online activities. If both parties agree to meet each others’ criteria, the actual work begins. If they like your work, they will be wanting a long-term association with you!

The money factor was unimportant for me in my initial working days. So, I kept on learning about it enthusiastically. Having completed nearly about 6 years, I once again feel as if I have learned many things and there is nothing more to learn. Yes, the patterns of writing differ in each kind of write-up, but anyone would be bored if they have to follow the same old routine.

I was once complimented by my company owner where I worked previously that I have that “spark” in my writing and that I can think about publishing my books solely written by me. And yes, I do have countless ideas on this project, yet haven’t even started the rough work, 6 years down the line. We all have responsibilities at home as well and our life doesn’t just revolve around earning bucks.

We, as Indian women, get jobs when we are single, then we get married and have kids. All these events demand breaks of a few weeks and months. Being a wife and a mother are not merely some terms. These bring a whole list of roles and responsibilities. In fact, pregnancies too may ask for bed rest for a number of days, sometimes even result in miscarriages. Moreover, many women also struggle with conceiving. They do not get pregnant because of a number of reasons, not getting enough time for the partner is one of the factors that barricade their chances, other than infertility issues.

Being a freelance content writer opens opportunities for women who want to earn from home to make an established career and at the same time meet household demands.

Despite the availability of innumerable options, I still need to take a break so that my mind freshens up and I can make better career decisions without any stress or anxiety. My career graph is not declining but my personal life too requires my assistance. I cannot dream to earn in bulk if my health is on stake.

I know that my passion for writing will be alive forever and there are plenty of years to publish something interesting. There is no standard age bar to decide when you should start exploring beyond horizons. One doesn’t have to ask for their professional value either if they already know their self-worth. Knowing this, I will be back with greater zeal, far superior than before, with better projects!

Ayoti Technologies is for women who want to work from home and earn as freelancers. We also provide Content Writing jobs in Kochi to women who cannot commute to offices.