Future of freelance writing in India in the era of digital India

The freelance writing industry has witnessed a paradigm shift in India in the recent times. It has seen a many phases from the era, when there were only a few numbers of marketplaces, which used to offer assignments through bidding to an era, where a plethora of platforms, such as Fiverr, freelance, Elance, Peopleperhour, uUpwork, Heliumnetwork, etc. available for the aspiring freelance writers. Thanks to the digitization and competitions among the companies to show their online presence, there is a surge in demand of digital marketers. Content writing is basically an integral part of digital marketing, which refers to the creation of contents in the form of the web contents, blogs, product descriptions, promotional texts related to social media activities, and many more.

The surge in demand is also boosted by the Modi Government’s Digital India Campaign, which aims at encouraging Indians to use the digital platforms with a vision of turning India into a digitally empowered country. With the advent of cheap mobile phones and cheap 3G/4G data plans, allowing more people to go online. It is estimated that by 2020 more than 500 million people over the country will have access to the internet, which would fuel the content writing industry that would not only be limited to blogging, but it would find sky like opportunities. Writers are also in demand for various promotional events let it be inauguration or an election campaign or any types of initiatives. With a growing dependence on the internet as a source of information, there is a growing demand for web contents, translation of exiting informative manuscripts, stories, scripts, etc. Most of the companies have now realized the importance of online marketing to reach the growing Indian audience and thus luring with the online campaign with the help of good content creators.

There are many cases when a writer wishes to publish their manuscripts and wish to opt for "writing" as a profession. However, publishing a book/novel and start earning is not as quick as getting wish with the magic wand. Therefore, freelance writing an opportunity for them, through which they can earn in a spare time, without leaving their ultimate dream. There are numerous examples in the western country, where people left their full-time job for freelance writing, because of the freedom and lucrative nature. The same trend is now followed in India as well, especially by female professionals.

In many public forums, I usually come across the question that, how much a content writer can earn per month? Let me acknowledge that the answer is not straightforward. Although, as I mentioned above, there are plethora of opportunities, there are many challenges associated, as well. With more content writers entering the market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to earn a reputation for them. It is especially difficult for beginners to find (reliable) clients. The earning depends largely on the skill set, amount of expertise and how much time the content writer can devote to content creation. A beginner writer can earn more than 10,000 INR per month with their any specific and limited knowledge, while there is no limit for an experienced freelance writer, who understand the industry requirement and created a niche for themselves. So, it is extremely important that the freelance writer should develop their one niche and acquire a deep learning in any specific field close to their heart, irrespective of language. This is the beauty and mind it that there are ample opportunities available in every niche. So, the mantra is to develop the expertise to earn more and create a place for themselves. While in the past, all one needed to be a content writer was a decent grasp of English and a willingness to work, today a content writer is expected to know the industry jargon like digital marketing, keyword, SEO, SMO, content designing and content adaptation, etc.

Among the various ways to find a freelance writing assignment, the most reliable and fast process is registering with freelancing marketplaces, which provide the secure ways for beginning content writers to find work. Writing for a small publication house is also a great way of starting your career as a content writer. Not only does it pay well, but also give you the opportunity to create an impressive portfolio right at the start of your career as a content writer. Having credits in small to mid-range magazines can do wonders for your portfolio as well as your level of confidence as a content creator. It is always advisable to keep honing your writing skills by participating in some writing competitions to challenge yourself. It is important for a content creator to have strong marketing skills to market products as a part of their job. One way a content creator can ensure a stable income is by constantly cold pitching themselves to new clients. The potential client, in this case, is a person who has both the financial capability and need to hire your services but is not aware of it yet.