In the next few paragraphs, we’re going to talk about how to start this activity. Join us!

To be a freelancer in content production, it is necessary, basically, to take into account your vocation. At the end of the day, there’s no point in starting to work as a freelancer if you’re in an area that doesn’t give you pleasure, right? If so, see that career change as an opportunity to focus on what you really like.

That also means that you don’t have to have taken courses that specialize in writing (like Arts or Journalism), but you do have to have a minimum of writing skills and a desire to constantly improve.

If you have a diploma, you can deal with topics that have to do with your professional skills. For example: an educator can focus his or her content production on areas such as pre-teen education. Although nothing prevents you from writing about health or cooking.

A writer doesn’t necessarily need to be a specialist in the subject he or she is writing about. Instead, he or she needs to take an interest in it and do a lot of research to address the topic properly.

What you need to do to do well in that area

Keeping up to date: that’s the secret of any freelancer who wants to succeed in the area for which he produces content. If you’re just starting out now, you have to focus a lot on keeping up with the latest news and trends in your branch.

Follow the news

Pay attention to mailings, news portals and other information channels so you don’t miss anything. It is necessary to guarantee that your texts and designs are always contemporary.

Participate in events

In addition, you can, from the beginning of your career, participate in specific events in your area. These activities are designed precisely to stimulate professional commitment and to develop techniques and knowledge that are very important for the life of freelancers.

Do you know all the events that take place in your region? Do you have personal contact with other professionals? A good advice to solve that is to make an annual calendar of events. This way you can schedule yourself for important or far away events.

Invest in a certification

Knowledge is always welcome. Therefore, it is a good idea to take a course to better understand how web content production, guideline planning and review works. Remember: having a certificate in your hands can give you a significant advantage over other freelancers.

How to get your first freelancer content production job working directly with clients.

Get ready

You need to be as professional as possible, and clients need to see - and believe - that you are. Believe me: only by conveying confidence and seriousness can you get your first freelancer job.

That’s why, before you go out looking for a client, you should try to do the following:

• Have a portfolio;
• Create a price list;
• Prepare a draft contract;
• Choose a place to meet with the client, in case it’s necessary.

Focus on a niche

It is true that we said, at the beginning of this article, that a web editor can write about any subject. However, at the beginning of your career, you need to be a little less ambitious. How about focusing on a niche market you are familiar with?

For example: if your portfolio contains a lot of texts about entertainment, you can look for customers from the music or film industry. This will make it easier to get your first job.

Go and find it

You’ve already created a portfolio, a price table and a draft contract. On top of that, you’ve found a place to meet with your client and defined the niche you want to work in. Now, you’re ready to strike.

Go to Google, do some research on sites and blogs of companies that are in the branch you are interested in and study each one of them. Did you find a problem or something that can be improved? Send an email to the person responsible for the site offering a solution.

That way, you are offering your services in an intelligent way, and the probabilities of being hired will be much higher.

Working with platforms

It is even possible to work with content production platforms that usually have a large volume of work available. So, you can choose the first freelancer job you want to do: a guideline on animal health, a text on the difference between different types of wine or an e-book on airplane mechanics… The possibilities are many!

#freelance #business #careeer