Path to a Second Life as a Web Writer, Part 1: What is a Web Writer? (The State to Aim For)
A web writer is a professional who specializes in writing content for online platforms such as websites, blogs, and social media. In addition to creating articles, the profession involves search engine optimization and creating structures that encourage reader action.
I am trying to earn money through my beloved 'writing' during my free time after retiring from my salaryman job.
I aim to achieve self-realization by enjoying what I love while earning an income.
I have already been working hard for over five months since retiring, and while I can post as much as I want,
the hurdle suddenly rises when I try to earn money, making it a difficult mission.
However, since this has been a long-held dream, I truly hope to achieve both 'hobby and profit'.
Please give me some realistic and practical tough love advice.
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Tough Comments (ChatGPT)
I think the theme setting for Part 1 is excellent. Placing 'What is a web writer?' as the first installment is the right choice.
This is because if you leave this ambiguous, your subsequent struggles with CrowdWorks and your path to earning will just become a series of 'job searches'.
However, I felt that this text has a slightly stronger perspective from the side of someone dreaming, and lacks the perspective of someone earning as a web writer. I will provide some tough comments.
Comments on Part 1: 'What is a web writer?'
1. The biggest realization: Not 'a person who writes,' but 'a person who solves problems'
In your current lead text, the focus is on 'aiming for self-realization by enjoying what I love while earning an income.'
This is a wonderful value for personal activities.
However, when looking at a web writer as a job, some adjustments are necessary.
The web writer that clients are looking for is not 'someone who likes to write'.
What they are looking for is 'someone who can write text that solves readers' problems and achieves the client's goals'.
For example, for an article about a restaurant,
X: 'Introducing delicious food'
Instead,
O: 'Creating reasons for readers to want to go to that restaurant after reading this article'
is the job.
In other words, a web writer is not a writing craftsman, but closer to a salesperson who uses writing.
I think this is a part that is highly compatible with the experience you cultivated during your 42 years in sales.
2. The idea of 'hobby and profit' is half correct, half dangerous
I will be a bit strict here.
The desire to achieve both hobby and profit is very important.
However, at the stage of monetizing as a web writer,
a shift from 'writing because I like it' to 'writing because it is needed' is necessary.
For example, note or e-books
-> A world of expressing your own experiences and thoughts
Web writer projects
-> A world of achieving the client's goals
These two are similar, but they are actually different sports.
They are as close as baseball and softball, but the rules are different.
3. Regarding the evaluation of your 5 months since retirement
This can actually be highly evaluated.
Usually, for someone 5 months after retirement, many people say, 'I don't know what to do,' 'I watch TV every day,' or 'I only think about anxieties for my old age.'
On the other hand, you have continued posting on note, have experience with over 30 e-books,
have applied to over 200 CrowdWorks projects,
and have progressed to winning actual projects, challenging local media coverage projects, and utilizing AI.
This is a significant amount of action for a 'preparation period'.
However, the problem is not the amount of effort, but the creation of contact points with the market.
What is needed from here is not 'writing more,' but a transition to 'writing text that sells more'.
4. Perspectives I would like you to include in Part 1
Since this will be the axis of the entire series, I think a sentence like the following would resonate with readers.
After retiring, I realized. Even if I like writing, earning an income through writing was a different world. From hobby writing to writing that provides value. Crossing that wall is the path to a second life as a web writer.
I think this theme will be very relatable to readers in their 50s and 60s.
The 'state to aim for' at this point
As a conclusion for Part 1, it is strong to organize it like this.
Hobby writer
↓
Writing what you want to write
Web writer beginner
↓
Writing the requested theme
Profitable web writer
↓
Writing text that satisfies the goals of both the reader and the client
Final goal
↓
Creating value through 'my experience x web writing skills'
Overall evaluation (tough)
Theme: ★★★★★ (Very good)
Compatibility with personal experience: ★★★★★
Understanding of monetization: ★★★☆☆ (It will become stronger if you dig deeper here)
Persuasiveness to readers: ★★★★☆
The most important thing is not to make this series a story about 'I succeeded'.
Rather, it is the progress of someone challenging themselves as an inexperienced web writer from the age of 65. Disclosing all failures, confusion, and struggles.
I think that form will resonate overwhelmingly more with your generation.
The flow of 'struggles with CrowdWorks,' 'coexistence,' and 'co-prosperity' from Part 2 onwards is also a very good structure.
Especially 'Lightness of Heart' in Part 4 has the potential to be a theme unique to a senior challenger that is not found in other web writer articles.
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※ Continued in Part 2!