By Sarah Hunt
NSNC Member and Contest Chair
The reputation of so-called content mills has given legitimate corporate content writing an undeserved bad rap.
Perhaps you’ve even looked into writing for one of these services, only to discover pitiful pay rates, confusing guidelines, and an all-around exploitive vibe that triggers all your writer warning bells.
And it’s true. Many of these services do exist solely to help companies raise their search engine optimization (SEO) profiles, without much consideration for the quality or value of the writing.
The good news is these services represent only a portion of content writing gigs. Well-paying, legitimate content writing leads are out there. It turns out, these assignments can provide an excellent source of side income for any freelance writer.
You likely already have the required skills – you just need to know how to apply those skills and where to find assignments.
What is corporate content writing?
“Content” can encompass a wide range of writing:
Web page content
Blog posts
White papers
Social media posts
Correspondence
Technical writing
Press releases
Essentially, companies who don’t have in-house writers often contract with professional freelancers for one-off or ongoing content writing needs. Many of these would-be clients might be experts in their fields, but they aren’t natural writers (or don’t have the time to devote to content creation).
Where can content writing gigs be found?
One easy way to break into the corporate content writing world is by applying to one of several prominent content creation sites. It’s always a good idea to check for writer and client reviews before applying, but currently there are at least a few standouts: Contently.com, Compose.ly, and ClearVoice. These three content management services partner with many high-end, recognizable brands.
You can also try traditional job-search sites like Indeed or even your local Craigslist page. Try searching on terms like “content writing,” “content marketing,” and “SEO writing.”
Corporate content writers tend to focus on a wide range of subjects, although some do capitalize on their extensive knowledge about a specific topic. For example, writers who have spent time in a scientific, medical, or technical field may be a natural fit for related assignments.
Landing a content writing gig is relatively straightforward. You’ll need to provide a few examples of your work and give some insight about how your background makes you a good fit in a particular niche. Even if you don’t have directly related experience, talk up your experience in an adjacent or similar field.
But I am not an expert in a particular field.
Don’t let your lack of a corporate, technical, or other specialized background hold you back. The main goal of content writing is distilling complex information into readable content. As a professional writer, you have likely done this innumerable times over the years. Ever explained how a school levy will impact property taxes? The ins and outs of a labyrinthian upcoming construction project? What “flossing means” to modern 12 year olds?
It turns out, those skills are integral to corporate content writing. You already have the ability to research, analyze, and translate information into something average people can understand. This is typically the main gist of corporate content writing gigs.
What can I do to prepare for corporate content writing?
Pull together a specialized portfolio that showcases your analytical skills. Op-eds count! You want to find pieces where you’ve introduced a relatively complicated concept and explained it well. Don’t worry if it’s not exactly in line with the subject of a job listing.
It’s also a good idea to bone up on SEO basics. While the overall goal of corporate content isn’t overt SEO, if you’re writing for the web, companies do generally expect the work will be SEO-optimized. These are not difficult concepts, but SEO does dictate some elements of an article’s structure, for example sentence length, organization, and skimmability. With practice, you’ll be able to create content that is both engaging and SEO-friendly.
Diversifying your freelance writing skills can give you a leg up in today’s freelance marketplace. Why not throw corporate content writing into the mix?
Sarah has been writing professionally for over 15 years and serves as the current NSNC Column Writing Contest Chair.
