Last updated on November 2nd, 2022 at 01:09 pm
For you to become a freelance writer in Nigeria, there are specific things you need to take note of, when you give attention to them you will become a successful writer before you know it.
Amongst many things, you will need to have an understanding of Search engine optimization (SEO) to rank articles or blog posts that can drag traffic to a website.
Clients that want you to write on their blogs will require you to have basic on-page SEO knowledge. Having this knowledge will put you ahead of many other people.
Becoming a freelance content writer is not supposed to be difficult if you have the desire to learn, because all you need is your skill, a laptop/desktop with writing tools, and an internet connection.
WHO IS A FREELANCE WRITER
A Freelance writer is a self-employed writer that writes for different clients based on contract. Most times freelance writers work remotely without having to go to a physical place of work.
Freelance writing is among the high-income digital skills in the 21st century, if you master this skill and play your cards well you can even start earning six figures with time.
HOW TO BECOME A FREELANCE WRITER IN NIGERIA
Making money writing for people takes time because you will need to learn how to write before you can write for other people.
Knowing how to write doesn’t mean you need to have a degree in the English Language but you must know basic grammar structure and use of words.
Anyone willing to learn can become a freelance writer because one important thing that is required from the writer is to communicate to an audience as though he or she is talking to a friend.
There is no particular step-by-step formula to become a freelance content writer in Nigeria because everyone has his or her own unique experience but there are principles that can guide you in the journey of becoming a freelance content writer. And that is what this post is all about.
HOW TO HONE YOUR SKILL AS A FREELANCE WRITER IN NIGERIA
When you pitch clients they will expect to see at least one sample of work you have done in the past to measure your expertise. This singular reason has made practicing how to write a necessity for newbies or wannabe freelance writers.
The next question is now how do you practice how to write? There are many ways to practice how to write.
But before then you need to find a niche to start with, there are arguments about niche writing.
Some experts say focusing on a particular niche is the best way to start writing, while others argue that starting in a particular niche will limit the potential of new writers since they are just starting, they need to experiment to discover the niche that fits them.
Anyways, what matters is that you start writing as soon as you can. Start with a niche and then broaden your reach as you grow.
Some ways to master how to write are by volunteering to write for others, writing on a variety of topics and saving them for use whenever a sample is required of you, and by starting your blog.
1. Volunteering to write for others
You can volunteer to write for family and friends that have blogs or you can even pitch bloggers and volunteer to write for them.
People seldom reject free offers. Even if your offer is not accepted the first time, try again, try again and again until you get accepted.
You just need that one, yes to start your journey, you will make mistakes, you will be corrected, but don’t get discouraged because it is all part of the learning process.
You will smile when the money starts coming.
2. Write any sample content
Start by choosing topics that you observe from research or any other means that are in demand and then write on them
Writing frequently makes you develop a unique writing style, tone and it even increases your typing speed.
When you have gathered a good number of samples, your confidence level would have risen, you can then start sourcing for writing gigs.
3. Start your blog
Starting your blog is the best way to master how to write for blogs and websites because you will be able to see and measure the result of your content.
A blog is a type of website that is updated frequently with posts in reverse chronological order. It is simply a website with posts published in a manner that the latest posts come first before older ones.
Starting your blog has many benefits apart from learning how to master your writing skills because there are many ways of monetizing your blog.
You can make money on your blog by registering Google Adsense, creating a membership site, accepting paid posts from people, and through many other ways.
When you have written an ample number of posts on your blog, you can then start pitching or cold-emailing companies for writing gigs.
WHERE TO GET FREELANCING GIGS IN NIGERIA
Some of the ways to get freelancing are by navigating company websites for writing gigs, searching on google, subscribing to job listing websites, and registering on Freelancing sites.
1. Navigate websites
Check the website menu of your desired niche to see if they have writing jobs available.
Some companies just put it on their menu for potential writers to see and apply. When you see a job you know you can do, send them a message informing them of your interest.
2. Search for Jobs on Google
Companies are posting writing jobs daily on job sites and their websites
When you search on Google you will be given lots of options to pick from, but make sure it is something you can do before applying.
3. Subscribe to Job listing sites
When you subscribe to job listing websites in Nigeria and abroad for updates, you will be sent emails whenever a writing job is posted on their websites for you to apply.
Some job listing sites in Nigeria you can subscribe to are Jobberman and Myjobmag.
4. Freelancing sites
These are sites that bring people with skills and people that need skills services together
In our case, they bring writers and companies or blogs that need writers together
Some examples of freelancing sites are
1. Upwork
2. Freelancer
3. Fiverr
CONCLUSION
You now know to become a freelance writer in Nigeria, the next thing is to start practicing how to write and finally start pitching clients for writing gigs.
The reality is that you will learn many other things as you keep writing on your blog and for other people.
Some tools that will be handy for you as a freelancer are tools like Grammarly which you can use to proofread your work and other scheduling tools to keep your schedule organized.
Start now.
