Breaking into the writing profession without direct experience can appear challenging, but it is possible with a focused approach. Many successful writers begin without formal credentials, building their careers through strategic effort and positioning. This guide outlines the necessary steps to build tangible proof of your abilities, market yourself, and navigate the path from beginner to hired writer.
Identify the Right Writing Roles for You
The term “writer” encompasses a wide variety of specializations, and choosing a niche is an important first step. Focusing your efforts on a specific type of writing allows you to develop targeted skills and a relevant portfolio. This makes you a more attractive candidate to potential employers and streamlines your job search.
A. Content Writer
Content writers are responsible for creating materials that inform, educate, or entertain an audience, often as part of a company’s marketing strategy. They produce blog posts, articles, website pages, and ebooks. A significant aspect of this role involves Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to help content rank higher in search engine results. These writers need to be adept at research and capable of adapting their tone to match a brand’s voice.
B. Copywriter
Copywriters focus on writing persuasive text that encourages readers to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. Their work includes advertisements, product descriptions, email marketing campaigns, and sales pages. This field requires a strong understanding of consumer psychology and the ability to craft compelling and benefit-driven messages that resonate with a target audience.
C. Technical Writer
Technical writers specialize in making complex information easy to understand. They create documents like instruction manuals, user guides, software documentation, and standard operating procedures. This role demands precision, clarity, and the ability to organize information logically. Technical writers often work closely with engineers and product managers to ensure the accuracy of the content they produce.
D. UX Writer
UX (User Experience) writers craft the text that guides users through a digital product, such as a website or mobile application. This includes the words on buttons, error messages, menu labels, and onboarding instructions, often referred to as microcopy. The goal of a UX writer is to make the user’s interaction with the product as intuitive and seamless as possible, requiring a deep understanding of user behavior.
E. Grant Writer
Grant writers create proposals to secure funding for non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and research groups. This specialized form of writing involves researching potential funding sources and crafting a persuasive narrative that outlines a project’s objectives, budget, and anticipated impact. Success in this field requires strong research, persuasive writing, and meticulous attention to detail.
Build a Strong Writing Portfolio
A portfolio is the primary tool for securing work as a new writer, serving as tangible evidence of your skills. It often carries more weight than a resume because it demonstrates your ability to produce quality content and gives potential employers the confidence to hire you.
Starting a personal blog on a topic you are knowledgeable about is an effective way to build a portfolio. This creates a body of work that demonstrates your writing style and expertise in a niche. A blog also serves as a collection of writing samples and shows your initiative and ability to manage a content platform.
Another method is to create “spec” work, which are self-assigned projects designed to look like real assignments. For example, you could rewrite the homepage copy for a brand you admire or draft a blog post for a company in your target industry. These pieces demonstrate your ability to adapt to different brand voices and tackle specific writing tasks.
Guest posting on other websites or platforms like Medium also builds your portfolio. Many blogs and online publications accept contributions from guest writers, and getting published provides a credible, third-party endorsement of your work. Even if unpaid, these opportunities offer a byline and a link to a published piece that you can show to prospective clients.
When assembling your portfolio, choose a professional and easy-to-navigate format, like a dedicated platform or a simple website. For each piece, provide a brief description of the project’s goal and the type of writing it represents. Select a handful of your best, most relevant pieces rather than including everything you have ever written.
Develop In-Demand Writing Skills
Beyond strong grammar and vocabulary, employers look for specific, marketable skills that contribute directly to their goals. Developing these abilities will make you a more hirable writer, demonstrating that you understand the functional aspects of professional writing in a business context.
A primary skill in many writing roles is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Understanding how to research and use keywords, structure articles with proper headings, and write compelling meta descriptions increases the value of your content. This knowledge shows you can create content that gets discovered by its intended audience through search engines.
Strong research skills are needed for creating credible and authoritative content. Writers must be able to find reliable sources, synthesize complex information, and present it clearly and accurately. This requires the ability to evaluate sources, cross-reference information, and attribute facts properly, ensuring the content is trustworthy.
The ability to edit and proofread your own work is another important skill. Submitting clean, error-free copy demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail. This goes beyond spell-checking to include reviewing for grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and inconsistencies in tone.
Adaptability in tone and voice is also valued by employers. A writer may need to switch from a formal, technical tone for a white paper to a casual, humorous one for a social media post in the same day. Being able to analyze a brand’s existing content and replicate its voice is a sign of a versatile and perceptive writer.
Where to Find Writing Opportunities
Once you have a portfolio and have honed your skills, the next step is to actively seek out opportunities. A multi-pronged approach that utilizes a mix of general job boards, specialized platforms, and networking will yield the best results.
- Major job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn are a common starting point. You can set up alerts for terms like “content writer” or “blogger” to receive notifications about new openings, which range from full-time corporate positions to contract work.
- Niche job boards like ProBlogger, MediaBistro, and JournalismJobs list opportunities specifically for writers. These platforms often have higher-quality listings and less competition because they cater to a specific professional community.
- Freelance marketplaces such as Upwork and Freelancer can be a gateway to your first paid projects. While competitive, they provide a structured environment for bidding on projects and building a track record of completed work and client testimonials.
- Professional networking on platforms like LinkedIn is a powerful method for uncovering opportunities. Connect with editors and content managers in your industry, as many jobs are filled through referrals before they are ever publicly advertised.
Craft a Winning Application
Finding an opportunity is only the first step; crafting a compelling application that gets noticed is what leads to an interview. Each application should be tailored to the job to demonstrate a genuine interest and an understanding of the company’s needs.
Your resume should be customized to highlight any relevant experience, even if it is not from a formal writing job. For instance, if you managed a social media page for a club, emphasize the writing and content creation aspects of that role. Use the job description as a guide, incorporating keywords and skills it mentions to show you are a strong match.
The cover letter or pitch email is your chance to make a direct connection with the hiring manager. Instead of restating your resume, explain why you are a good fit for their company. Reference a specific piece of their content you admire or detail how your skills can help them achieve a particular goal.
When the application asks for writing samples, choose pieces from your portfolio that are most relevant to the role. If you are applying for a blog writing position, send your best blog posts. For a copywriting role, send your strongest ad copy or product descriptions. This targeted approach shows you understand the specific demands of the job.