Content Writers will always be a requirement of this world

Hi, I am Bhawna Aggarwal, an engineer and a freelance writer. It has been more than five years that I am delivering articles and blogs to different companies and startups. My preferred niche is creative researched content, but I also write technical contents as a ghostwriter.

You can find some of my works at –

Who is a Content Writer?

A content writer is a person who knows how to put research in a fresh piece of engaging words. There is this misconception that a content writer should use words from glossary; the content always requires powerful words, not the heavy ones.

How it all got started for you?

I wanted to be an astronaut when I was in higher secondary school, but couldn’t clear the examination. I chose engineering instead, because I wanted to live in hostel and do something of my own.

As I had bad engineering days and wanted to manage my expenses, I started writing.

I started freelance content writing from the first year of my undergraduation and that turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. In the final year, I created my own team of freelance writers and started outsourcing the work.

What does a Content Writer do?

I write around 3000-5000 words a day, astonishing, isn’t it? It is possible when you do nothing, just writing and reading. Even if my writers complete some of my works, I always handover it to the clients only after quality checking. Meanwhile, I keep working on my profiles and some ghostwriting clients.

What is your purpose?

My purpose is to provide an analyzed and relevant content to my readers, which will help them in nourishing their mind. I try my best to keep every article positive so that a person shouldn’t feel sad after reading it.
As a writer, my readers are the constant source of my motivation.

How different are you from an 18 year old you?

An 18-year-old me had always picked a wrong race to run, just to prove things to the world. I must say, I failed miserably most of the times, but those collapses were wonderful and made me mentally strong for everything.

What steps did you take to land in your present job?

It was difficult at starting to get clients, but someone has said ‘things become simple with time’.

I made a profile on every platform like WorknHire, Freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr, etc.
I started organizing my LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Quora profile.
Facebook groups and LinkedIn discussions mainly helped me at starting, and now I get clients from Instagram and Twitter also, every platform has something to offer.

What do you wish you knew before you started preparing for this career?

I should have known some business tactics before preparing for this career. You must have a soft stomach and sharp brain while dealing with any client or writer.

It took me long time understanding this and learning some tactics, obviously after failures.

If you are given a chance to change something in the past, what will you change?

If given a chance to change something in the past, I would apply the rule of rejecting the projects of clients who don’t make 50% advance payment. I do this now, but I should have done it earlier.

What things would you do differently in preparing for this career?

I directly started writing articles for clients which I got through different platforms. That is not a right approach, however, it worked well for me.

There is an amazing platform called Quora, I would have used it before writing for any client and getting rejected for first five months. People and companies spend a lot on writers as they have the potential to say anything.

Quora is the platform to use. Do not think about money, improve your skills and your pockets will be loaded with money. Make sure, do not just focus on advertising products, always keep readers on your priority list.

What do you love about your current role?

I love everything at this point. I do whatever I want to do, I spend my time at the coffee shop, travelling doesn’t bother me as all I need is my laptop and internet, have flexible working hours.

There are companies who don’t pay much to freelancers but then you will also find some companies giving a hefty amount to freelancers, all depends on pitching.

There will be a huge demand for freelance writers in future as companies are adopting the concepts of freelancing.

And as long as social media exists, content will always be the requirement of this world.

What are the challenges you face in your career?

No one can do full-time freelancing, if he/she is not really passionate about the selected field. You have no social life, no proper schedule, no growth phase, nothing. It seems like freelancing is a golden fish, but in reality, you don’t get gold out of that fish.

Companies treat freelancers badly (especially if you’re new and have a creamy heart). Most of the big companies don’t even pay you, so always use the rule of advance 50% payment.

What type of Content Writers will be high in demand in the near future?

Today, you might see people writing random things, their contents will be in a grave after a few years.

People do like and want to read well-researched, logically brewed and sensible contents, be it any topic like health, lifestyle, science, people, celebrities, etc.

Can you please summarise your career journey?

12th – PCM with Applied Arts
Dropped one year for the preparation of IIT, ISAT, and AIEEE
2012 – Got Biotechnology in NIT, Jalandhar
2012 – Started writing
2013 – Got my first client (After 5 months of unsuccessful trials and rejected contents)
2016 – Built my own team of writers – Travelling and Writing
2016 – Became an engineer
Worked for Thrillophilia, Paytm, Mettl, Wittyfeed, Globalduniya, etc.
2018 – Got my name in Top Freelance Content Writers in India

Best career decision?

When I cleared my mind to choose the field of writing instead of entrepreneurship.

Best moment in career?

When I got 10 lakh views and 17 thousand shares for one of my article.

There was also an article about depression for which I got so many thankful messages.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I spend my free time by starting Netflix marathon or a book.

How can I become a Content Writer?

Education

You don’t need any particular education to be a writer.
Still, you can choose some creative writing courses from good universities where you will get an idea about readers’ psychology.

Skills

You need a good command of English and a skill of selecting words.
Read as much as you can, a good storyteller is a great story listener.
Keep writing and learn from your mistakes.

I am 17 and I am planning for a similar career path like yours. What advice you have for me?

Read at least 50 books before jumping off the cliff.

Do not focus only on one genre, explore more by reading things in different domains, be it a journal, romantic novel, biography, anything.

What are some alternate career options for a Content Writer?

A content writer can also be an –

English teacher
Instagrammer or Youtuber

You can also explore the basics of psychology and there are some foreign universities which provide fancy courses for writers like library science, writing critical reviews, etc.

What do you think potential recruiters look for in a Content Writer?

As a content writer, one has to cultivate the below mentioned skills, otherwise you cannot crack that ostrich egg.

Good English and writing skill
Companies appreciate the writer who loves to make opinions.

How do I know if a career in Content Writing is for me?

A content writer is a wise person. You have to seek knowledge to be a good content writer, anyone can copy things from the internet.

You must have a good skill of showcasing your work because that will reflect in your words. Try to spend your time on Quora or Medium, you will get to learn some great tricks. If you like writing there, you might be a right person for content writing.

I believe that every person should write as this world of technology has managed to serve some amazing platforms. However, choosing a career in writing is a big thing, people easily don’t try their hand at arts. You must be patient, creative, sincere, and optimistic for this field.

Any recommended resources for students who are interested in your area of work?

Try to use these websites and you will get to know how things actually work.

What do you think everyone leaving higher secondary school should know?

Students should know that –

Grades matter, but your choices define you. Make a diary and mention some points on ‘what kind of person you want to be’. Explore fields accordingly.
Technology is the future, but nothing can kill creativity. Never compare technology with art as there is nothing which can undermine any one of them. But you have to choose, whether you are a technical tool or creative whizz.
Read as much as you can.
Do random things to get exposure.
Learn to develop your leadership skills.
Always embrace your creative side even if you are a technical person.

What do you like to say to the parents based on their child’s career?

Parents of current generation want their kids to be smart, not wise. It is good to be smart but it is very important to be wise.
They want their kids to learn all the codes or algorithms even if the child is interested or not. They definitely undermine the strengths of art.

Parents should encourage their kids to explore all the fields, whichever they want. There should be no restrictions.

Any final thoughts?

There is nothing called 100%, be wise enough to focus on a right thing.
It doesn’t matter if you didn’t perform well at school or college, you have to smash everything in real life.

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