🔰How I, a Beginner Web Writer, Landed My First Project
Thank you so much for all the "likes" and follows on my previous article!✨
I also received comments from people aiming to become web writers, asking:
"How did you land projects when you first started?" and "I want to know what you were mindful of in the beginning."
Thank you!🌸
I am very happy that you are interested in my experience, so I would like to write this article as a way to answer those questions.
💻I landed my first project on a crowdsourcing site
When I first started as a web writer, I used crowdsourcing sites to look for projects.
I mainly searched for and applied to projects labeled "Beginners Welcome," "No Experience Necessary," or "Manual Provided."
When I found a project that interested me, I didn't apply immediately; I checked the following first:
・Can I handle the work content myself?
・Are the word count and deadline reasonable?
・What are the application requirements specified in the job posting?
Since I had no track record at the time, I didn't just aim for high-paying projects; I think I chose them based on whether I could challenge myself with them at that moment.
As I continued applying, the first project I landed was writing an article comparing accommodation facilities.
However, once the work started, I was full of questions like, "What should I research first?" and "What order should I write this in?"
It took longer than I expected to complete a single article, and I struggled with time management as well.💦
🤝Things I was mindful of as a beginner
It is quite difficult for a beginner with almost no track record to compete with experienced writers based on their portfolio.
That is why I was mindful of"doing the obvious things carefully" and "responding sincerely."I was especially careful about the following when applying:
・Reading the job posting to the end
・Answering each question written in the job posting one by one
・Checking that there are no omissions in the specified content
・Honestly communicating what I can do
Even after receiving a project, I tried to be sincere in my communication with the client.
When I was actually a beginner, a client once told me, "You are very sincere, and I feel at ease working with you."🍀
It is not flashy, but I believe that this kind of accumulation leads to trust.
⚠️Points to note when choosing projects for beginners
While projects labeled "Beginners Welcome" or "No Experience Necessary" are easy to apply to even when you have no track record, it is important to check the details carefully.
That said, it is rare to find a beginner project where all the conditions are exactly as you would like them to be.💦
I didn't choose only perfect projects from the start either; I made decisions while looking at whether I could work on them with peace of mind and whether there were too many points of concern.🌱
I especially checked the following points:
Is the work content, word count, and other details written specifically?
Is the scope of work clear?
Is the compensation not extremely low?
Are you not being asked to submit personal information more than necessary?
Are you not being asked to register for external services or purchase products?
Are there any concerning points in the client's ratings or past comments?
Rather than whether it meets everything perfectly, it is more abouthaving an image of checking if there are many points that make you feel uneasy, like "Is this suspicious?" or "Is it really okay with these conditions?"🌸
When you are a beginner, you tend to get impatient, thinking, "I have to build a track record first."
But just because you want to build a track record doesn't mean you should apply to just any project.
That said, I did sometimes apply to projects with lower unit prices.
At the time, I didn't just look at the compensation; I thought of it as "learning writing through actual projects" and "getting feedback to improve my skills," so I accepted it to some extent as the cost of learning.
I think it is okay to have a period where you prioritize gaining experience over compensation while you have little track record.
However, you don't have to force yourself to keep accepting projects withextremely low compensation or conditions that don't match the amount of work, just because you are a beginner.
I think it is also important to choose projects with your own standards while thinking about things like "What kind of experience can I gain from this project?" and "Can I be satisfied with these conditions?"🌱
📝If you don't have a track record, create something you can show
What I felt while continuing to apply was thatjust saying "I can write" does not convey your actual skills.So, I created sample articles.
I decided on the theme and keywords myself, assumed it was an SEO article, and created everything from the structure to the main text. If you don't have a track record, you shouldn't "wait until you have one"; you should create something that allows people to see your skills.
And after gaining some experience, I also created a portfolio that summarized my background, the work I can handle, and my track record.
Let them see "what kind of writing you can do" with sample articles, and let them know "what kind of writer you are with what experience and skills" through your portfolio.
By preparing these two things, it became easier to communicate about myself even during periods when I had little track record.
🌱There are things even beginners can do
In the beginning, I didn't have any special skills.
But,
responding carefully
Keep your promises
Ask questions honestly when you don't understand
Do not repeat the same mistakes after receiving feedback
Even as a beginner, you can start doing these today.
No matter how good your writing skills are,
if you "cannot meet deadlines,"
"are slow to respond to revisions,"
or "receive the same feedback repeatedly,"
clients will not feel comfortable entrusting you with work.
Conversely,
"meeting deadlines properly,"
"confirming things you don't understand,"
"responding to revisions quickly and politely,"
"and applying feedback to your next task"
I believe that building up these habits is what leads to becoming a writer that clients want to work with again.
Even if your first step is small, building on it will lead to your next job.
Thank you for reading until the end✨
Next time, I will introduce the "how-to of writing application and proposal letters" that I actually use, along with examples.