How to Make a Living as a Content Creation Expert
Before we dive in, I want to make 4 points, because Spindlie is what makes it possible for you to make a living as a content writer. You'll find that you can reduce delivery time by up to 80%, and the quality of the content you deliver by 10,000% - even if you're already a seasoned content creator.
If you don't want to set up a business as a content creator, it'll benefit you as a business owner or an SEO, and you can use Spindlie yourself or you can have your VA use it.
- In the content below, you'll find everything you need to get started making money today
- You don't need a high level of skill to become a content writer - with the right tools
- You don't need to invest in any courses, write for free, have a blog etc., or pay any money to get started
- You can set up a content writing business in 1 day, and spend $0 - and maybe even get your first client today
With Spindlie, you'll be able to deliver TOP quality content - FAST. (Start for free today)
The Skills You Need to Become a Content Writer
Becoming a content creation pro requires a single qualification, without any specific education requirements. You need to know how to write at an acceptable level. You don't need an English degree, or any sort of degree whatsoever.
If you enjoy reading and writing, you likely already have the skills you need to get started as a content creation expert. If you don't enjoy writing, then a freelance content writing career will be a painful experience. If you do like to write, you'll love it - and get paid for doing what you love to do.
However, becoming a freelance article writer means you're "getting into the business" of content creation. You're going to exchange your product, which is written content, for money from someone who wants you to create their product. In other words, someone who wants you to write content for them.
If you feel that your English writing skills are not up to snuff, or that you're not up on colloquial expressions, don't let that stop you! That's where Spindlie.com comes in to help you write like a star, as a newly minted content creation pro.
But let's cover off the core issues regarding content creation.
This is what you need to keep in mind when offering to write content:
- ♦ Have specific guidelines for what you need from your client
- ♦ Be explicit about what you can - and cannot do
- ♦ Learn to manage client expectations by being explicit about your process
- ♦ You must be very organized
- ♦ Understand the value of your work and charge accordingly
The Value of Written Content
Quality of written content is valued on a sliding rule. If you can write a lot of basic content fast on just about anything, just to fill up a blog, don't expect to get paid a lot per article. However, you can still earn a lot if you're providing basic content in high volume. Thereby earning a low margin, but creating a lot of it.
If you're prepared to learn, adding additional services like performing keyword research (not hard), subject matter research for the article, and spending time organizing and writing that content, while focusing on delivering meaningful, well thought out and well written content, then that's a lot more valuable - to the client. Though not necessarily to you, since you'll spend a lot more time researching, organizing and writing. With this type of content writing, you'll earn more per article, but at a low margin, accounting for your time. So fewer articles to work on, but more money per article.
Therefore, one market is no more "profitable" than the other, so don't consider one better then the other. Both require skill, organization and process. And both have huge value.
The objective of Spindlie is for you to be able to deliver a "luxury" vehicle at a "used car price". QUICKLY and accurately. Which is why Spindlie is the backbone of our own content creation system. With over 50,000 converting and published pages on business sites, we needed speed AND quality of content.
Our content writing services motto could be... "Better, Faster & Cheaper"
About the Content Writing Market
What you write depends on:
- Your skills - in terms of what you're prepared to learn to do. If you don't have any specific skills yet, don't worry. One step at a time, and you still CAN get started to make good money.
- The type of content your clients want - more on that below.
- The market you'd like to target, but you don't even need to know that to get started. They'll find you!
Don't pick your market right out of the gate, you have a lot of time for that. In fact, the market's demands and your actual content creation market, will probably define your service offerings over time.
Business owners, SEO agencies, website builders all need written content, and getting quality content - fast - is probably the #1 pain for anyone in those industries. That includes us, which is why we created Spindlie in the first place.
Understanding the Content Creation Pain You're Solving
Let me describe the "pain" of every client. The more of these pains you can solve, the more valuable you become. Which translates into being able to charge a lot more.
The Cost of Content is a Big Pain
Articles which are based on scraped and spun content can be had for as little as $1, or even less. This type of content however is basically "junk" used in PBN networks which don't directly link to the client's real "money" site - the actual website of the business. Some people specialize in junk content.
At the other extreme, a 1,000 word article can cost $400. Which means you MUST know what your offer is, who your buyer is, and what their expectations are. Let me give you an example.
Buying content from a freelance article writer is like buying a refrigerator for your home. If you're looking to replace an old unit with another old unit, because you can't afford a new one, or because you're selling your home, then you're looking for something cheap just to get you by. If you're looking for the fanciest new one on the market, then you're looking at the "top end" of the market and you probably have very specific requirements. Both types of appliances do the same thing - cool and freeze food. But the price differential is enormous. From a $25 old, used unit you have to schlepp home yourself, to a very high end unit that can cost over $20,000.
The content your client is looking for may be on the lowest end because they're not looking for too many people to read it, and are planning to use it for third tier backlinks. They're looking for junk.
At the other end of spectrum, the owner of a website may be looking for content for their web pages (or an SEO agency for their client's pages), which means their very livelihood depends on the high quality of the content. Because they WANT as many people as possible to see it. And when they do read it, they'll be compelled to take "action" - to buy something, fill out a form, make a call, send a text etc.. Which means the content MUST be of converting quality. A core strength of Spindlie.
Then you can still "spin" any high quality content - from the content library - and even, within minutes, satisfy the customer who needs a huge pile of "junk" content. Except your delivery will be of excellent quality.
Needless to say, a client looking for quality, converting content will have very specific requirements. But don't worry, with Spindlie tools and Spindlie training, you'll be prepared.
The most important thing to understand is the type of content you're expected to write. And then you can price it accordingly. There's more on pricing below.
The Actual Process of Content Creation
Now let's look at the process of content creation from initial idea to publication on a web page. Typically, content will be handled several times before publication, and often by several people, or by the owner of the site performing several functions themselves. And using several different types of software.
The more of these content writing functions you can do, the more valuable you become to your client, because each step takes someone's time, and since time is money, every step costs money in the content creation process. Irrespective of who does it.
Content Creation: The Steps From Idea to Publication
- Keyword research
- Subject area research based on keywords
- Content creation - writing the article
- Editing and checking the article
- Localizing by geo area - if required
- Formatting the article
- Inserting links and images where desired
- Creating an HTML version of the content
- Creating the spintax for the article
- Publishing the article, or articles
In some cases the client will require several versions of the content for their local business clients, with each page localized with city and state. If you can deliver this too, in addition to doing steps one through nine, you'll be content creation hero. With spindlie, you can do it all!
As a Content Creator, Do You Need a Portfolio, a Blog and Social Media Presence?
To get started, the answer is no. In fact, you may never need any of that. If you're going to solicit specific websites and offer your writing, then yes, but why would you?
Should You Write for Free?
Many content writers advise you to build a market presence and set up a blog, write for free as a guest poster, and try to land your first client that way.
In my opinion, you'll be fighting an uphill battle and working for nothing. No one can do that for long. Also, there's not much value in free - except to the recipient of your free labor. Why do it? Besides, hardly anyone will take the time to actually read what you wrote in your portfolio - unless you're a technical, scientific, engineering or legal writer. All of these markets combined represent about 1% of the market. No ROI in going after them unless you have background in one of those areas.
How Long Does it Take to Start Earning as a Content Writer?
It could take just a few hours from the moment you decide to do it. Yes, it's that easy and fast because there are literally thousands of people looking for content creation. As long as you ignore the wiser-adviser tips in blogs out there who're just trying to sell you their course or something to make it more painful to get going - while they make money off your pain. How do you think they got started? The same way I described in this article.
What you need to do to get started as a content writer getting into the business
A basic, simple (even old) computer, internet connection and a place to sit. That's it. You could even find a coffee shop with an internet connection.
- Create a FREE account at spindlie.com
- In the tutorials section, download the content marketing PDF.
- Watch ALL the tutorials for Spindlie - a 1 hour time investment
- Sign up at Upwork.com and Fiverr.com as a freelancer to offer your services - 15 minutes.
- Stay alert, keep the Upwork and Fiverr apps open on your mobile
- Practice using Spindlie and a high quality AI writer like Jasper.ai to leverage the full power of Spindlie
- Respond IMMEDIATELY to any inquiries about your services
Being Clear in Your Profile Goes a Long Way
If your offer to the prospective clients and your expectations from them are clearly laid out in your profile on these platforms, you'll have far fewer problems than those who don't make their offer, their terms and their expectations from clients, very clear.
PRO TIP: On these platforms, create a 2nd account, with a different email as a person looking to HIRE content writers. This will get you in to see what others are offering and what they're charging, so you can view their profiles and pick up some tips.
Never take a job on until you're 100% clear of what the prospects wants - and that you can deliver.
The entire training and setup process, for your new writing career as a content writer, should take less then a day.
If you know how to write, can stay organized, you should have no problem finding and keeping regular clients. Most business owners looking for writers have ongoing content needs, so never look at a client as a one-off. They'll rarely tell you they need long term help up front. Just like you, they'll take it one step at a time.
So that's it. Get going right now in your new writing career.
Sign up for free at Spindlie, grab the marketing PDF in the tutorials area and get started.
The world offers a 24 hour marketplace, and opportunities are popping up every second.
Talk soon!