Social media is now the perfect advertisement tool if you want to promote a product, a service or an event. Gone are the days when mainstream media and publications are the only means for you to advertise. Social media engagements, likes, number of followers and traffics has been the bases of advertisers. And your content is the primary driving source to make it. Connections and influence might help, but still, a great content can attract even the most capable client. Year after year, content of the websites has been the most in-demand medium to promote a certain product. Your content matters to the advertisers or any prospective business partners. That is why content writing has been the most sought after and meticulously woven words to cater the demands of the clients.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, writing employment for both writers and authors is projected to rise at 8% from 2016 to 2026. That is equivalent to any occupations. Experienced writers can find work in public sectors of corporations and in nonprofit organizations. While those who are in the freelance category can find work with the journal publishers, newspaper and magazine agents, or write their own books.
Unfortunately, due to its rising demand in the market and the ever increasing number of writers, experience and qualifications has skyrocketed and strong competition is expected for this job. With this new age, working with a variety of digital and electronic tools is definitely an advantage. But with these predicaments, many aspiring writers are in distress of achieving a writing career, so self-employment or self-publishing is inevitable. The good thing is that, the traction of ebooks and digital formats will allow many writers and author both aspiring and professionals, both the corporate and self-publishing to publish their works. In reality, it’s funny that you will only do the same job of a typical writer once you are hired, regardless of your qualifications. I know, right?
Now, for those aspiring writers or those who aren’t competitive enough in this industry, struggles are real and it will hit you rock bottom. These are some of the struggles content writers, aspiring writers, and authors are facing in the writing industry.
1- EDUCATION
Definitely the deal breaker. Unfortunately, many writers with a creative mind are either no degree or have not finished their college. For different personal reasons, however, this is the first thing they lack inorder to enter the industry. Regarding the passion in writing, I find that these underachievers are more passionate compared to those have their bachelor’s degree. These underachievers will definitely face the harsh reality of life even in any other industry when you don’t have a degree. Only few companies are giving chances to these underprivileged. Fewer than the number of your fingers.
What To Do:
Simply put, if you have the money and the opportunity to study in any school, grab it. Try to finish it as much as possible. If someone granted you scholarship, take down your pride and remind yourself of your future. Think of ways on how you can study. You can work in day job and study at night or vice versa. Do part-time jobs and save that earnings for your college tuition. This is already a great investment when you have a degree.
2- EXPERIENCE
Again, even the greatest content writer is nothing compared to a mediocre college degree writer that worked in a prestigious publication. For those who earned it through hardwork, I commend you, but for those who are just referred without any qualification, goodluck. Opinions aside, connection and influence is important for this job or any jobs in general. Unfortunately, this is also one of the main reasons why potential contents writers aren’t hired.
What To Do:
Invest in your writing skill first. Write articles in your school, or write as a volunteer until such time you found your niche and what subjects are you good at. Write an article in your social media accounts, always practicing zero grammatical errors and original contents. Hone it, and when you think you have the confidence, try to write your pitch to any publication.
3- COMPENSATION
Payment is one of the important factors why some content writers are discouraged in pursuing a writing career. Depending on your level of expertise, some writers are getting an above average compensation while some are getting a menial compensation especially those writers in the Freelance sector.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $62,170 is the median annual salary for writers and authors last May 2018. Based on the survey in 2016, about 1 in 4 writers and authors had worked as a part-time.
According to an article published by Dennis Abrams of publishingperspective.com, a 2014 Digital Book World and Writer’s Digest Author Survey was conducted. The respondents were divided into four categories. “Just over 77% of self-published writers make $1,000 a year…with a startlingly high 53.9% of traditionally-published authors, and 43.6% of hybrid authors, reporting their earnings are below the same threshold. Only 0.7% of self-published writers, 1.3% of traditionally published writers, and 5.7% of hybrid writers reported earning more than $100,000 a year from their writing.”
Some writers also used different means in order to monetize their work. Google Adsense, WordPress Adwords, Facebook Ads, Amazon Affiliates Program, and Rakuten Marketing to name a few are the names you will commonly hear for a commission-based affiliate programs. These are helpful for bloggers and website owners to generate additional income aside from their daily lucrative jobs.
What To Do:
Compensation are the usual issue of an aspiring content writer. Some writers are working a full-time day job in order to meet their financial needs, and content writing is only their part-time job. Whatever options you choose, whether you work a day time job, participate in affiliate programs, write a book, write as a ghostwriter, write in a paid guest post or outsource your articles in commisssion-based clients, what’s important is you are maximizing your money-generating potential by these alternatives. You are also creating connections and influence that could land you to a potential big publications in the future.
4- INTERVIEW
Bear in mind that writers in general tend to be introverts. Thus, affecting how they interact with the clients. This might also be debatable for some, not everyone who pass the interviews are good at the field. And not all interviewers are objective. It boils down to personal preference if the interviewer likes you or not, shunning the passionate ones for the writing job.
What To Do:
Read Self-Help books and articles in personal development. Watch Youtube videos in articulation and fluency. Practice yourself talking in front of the mirror. Read some books aloud just so you know if you are saying it right. Be more confident, even in any circumstances.
5- LEARNING
This is a personal choice. Whether you like to continuously grow as a writer or not, it is important to keep on learning, regardless of your age. Even the billionaires keep on learning by reading some books. You have to continuously develop yourself in the field you are into or as an individual. By doing this, you are getting more ideas and knowledge in the ingredients of a great article should be. When you stop learning, you are giving yourself limitations to the things you can do, you will do and what you have done, without knowing what hidden talents you still possessed.
What To Do:
Read. Read. Read more. Attend free seminars, workshops or if you can afford to pay for one, that would be better. Interact with those people who are great in the industry and remember their insights.
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6- IDEAS AND MINDSET
Because of the increasing demand of writers, many ideas has been cliched. Unknowingly, the book or the articles you already wrote maybe the same as the others. This is where originality and creativity takes place. Remember, many writers can copy your article, but they can never copy your writing voice. Stress and mental stability plays a critical role in your writing, leading to the writing state called Writer’s Block. I did an article tackling the issue about writer’s block and blank page syndrome for your additional reference. So before you will write, try to pray and meditate. Calm your inner self for the ideas to follow freely.
When you aspired to be a writer, it was your passion that drove you in this industry. Many writers tend to stop at the middle or weren’t able to pursue their writing career, probably because of some personal reasons. But if you are passionate in this craft, quitting should not be an option. Stopping anytime will become laziness until such time you lose that passion or interest.
What To Do:
It is a must for writers to think about their content, especially when the clients has their criterions about the content you are commissioned to do. It is also the content that would make or break your writing career.
Consider these three questions as your guidance.
- Why am I writing this?
- To whom is this article for?
- What benefits can my readers get?
7- PROCRASTINATION
Proscrastination hinders our growth. It hinders us to accomplish something. It hinders us to be productive at our writing. It hinders us to take actions and do our responsibilities. Consider this, delaying your work is also delaying your salary and delaying your achievements in life. Completing even a little task one at a time, is a one step of making your writing career a success. Hahaha.
What To Do:
Practice Time Management. It is self-motivated. Try to create a habit, by starting to write in the early morning. When you feel like it isn’t working, work for the first two minutes, during that time you have to focus about your content. It could lead to two possible outcomes. Either you will continue or stop afterwards. If it is the latter, try to take a break but continue again after an hour or if you regain your momentum. Remember, continue writing even when you don’t feel like it.
Being in the field of writing is not that easy. There are days when you feel a Writer’s Block and there are days when ideas keep on coming. There is no perfect content no matter how good you are. There is no habit and routine that could transform you into a perfect Content Writer. There will be people in the industry that will not like you or even your work. There will be many struggles along the way. There is no shortcut of everything except hard work and perseverance. If you want to be good at something invest 10000 hours in it to be able to master it. If you are passionate about it, no matter how many failures that discouraged you to stop, pursue it!
I would love to hear your struggles in whatever job you are currently in. Comment in the section below and let us encourage each other to be the best version of ourselves.
