How to Improve Your Content Writing Samples as a New Freelance Writer?

If you are a freelance content writer, then getting a high-paying job or client can be very challenging. While some writers succeed, others continue their struggle in finding the right job.

However, one of the reasons for the failure of writers is that they believe the sample isn't important. Although, clients need assurance that the writer they are hiring will provide them with high-quality articles all the time. With the help of content writing samples, writers can market themselves efficiently, indicate their skills, what they can offer, and the time required to complete the work.

If you don't specify your qualities in the sample, then the clients might look for other writers who will fulfill their needs and requirements. So it is necessary to enhance your content writing skills.

The content writing sample will provide a framework which can propel your content writing career to great heights, but without one, you can remain a newbie for a very long time.

Your Samples

The samples provide an overview of your writing abilities. There’s nothing better you can give to your potential clients than a sample of your best work. It helps them to know whether you:

  • Create engaging contents
  • know how to write
  • are a beginner or an experienced writer

As a freelance writer, it’s better to have at least three sample writings in different niches and topics. For example, if you like writing articles related to technology, have samples of it, the same goes for beauty, fashion niches, and many more.  

How to Improve Your Samples

So, you have decided to start your career as a content writer? Well, here are a few tips that you can follow to create impressive content writing samples. So, let's dive in!

Make sure they are relevant

If you are a freelance writer and wanted to pitch for a project, it is suggested to send only relevant samples to the potential client. However, if you are just starting your content writing career, pitch for anything and everything you can work on.

Although, we understand that it can be challenging to have twenty samples of twenty different niches and topics. So, in the initial stages, you can prepare three samples of the topics you are interested in. And later, you can expand your arsenal and write a new sample for one niche.

You also need to take some time out and research the title ideas that can engage your prospects. For instance, if you are interested in SEO, then look at these websites to get article title ideas:

With the help of the sites listed above, you can find the topics that interest you the most. You can also visit the blogs related to your niches to know about the content your prospect might be interested in.

One other way is to follow other writers in the same niche as you and dig out their portfolio to get some content writing ideas.

The sample needs to be formatted properly

Your sample writing should be well-formatted for both online and offline readers. But, how to format it correctly?

Short Sentences

It is very difficult to read online on small devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and others; therefore, you should write short sentences and paragraphs.

In fact, more than 16 percent of the online users read word-by-word, and 79 percent of them just scan the article.

Also, your blog post readability decreases if 25 percent of your sentences are longer than the required length of twenty words.

So, writing in short sentences not only improves the readability of the content but also makes it easy for those who just overview an article.

Subheadings

A blog post needs to have proper subheadings to make the readers actually read them. With the help of subheadings, a user can decide whether the article is worth the read.

All the online writing editors, including the WordPress editor, make it easy to insert headlines in a blog post.

improve-subheadings

If you use Microsoft Word for writing articles, then you can find the headings in the Styles menu:

find-headings-in-style-menu-1

CTA (Call to Action)

A CTA or call to action is an essential tool in any marketing content or advertisement. It allows the reader to take some action such as download software, signup for newsletters, and many more.

improve-cta-1Image Source - crazyegg

If you want to make your sample engaging, then make sure to include a proper CTA at the end of your article or blog post.

Make sure the samples are published

This is the most crucial and tricky part for most content writers. You can get a project or content writing job with your PDF and DOC samples, but you need to convince the prospect a little more.

Most of the clients look for writers who have already published articles online.

But why online published samples are important?

  • It shows your credibility as a writer
  • It shows you have experience writing online contents
  • It shows writing is more than just a hobby for you
  • It shows you are legit and serious about content writing

That’s why it is advised to get your content writing samples published.

Don’t panic; publishing sample content is very easy.

You can create a blog for free online through many popular websites such as WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, and others.

Guest post is another way to get your samples published on the web. Most guest posts are free, but some ask for a fee to publish articles on their site.

If you are a beginner, the best thing you can do is publish your sample articles on Medium or LinkedIn Pulse.

Therefore, publish those DOC and PDFs online to make the most out of your sample contents.

Stand Out

The competition is very fierce; therefore, you need to stand out from the rest of the crowd. As a content writer, you need to show the prospects that you will provide the best services as compared to others.

The sample should explain why they need to work with you and what special is in store for them?

Understand your clients' requirements and address them directly how your work can help them scale their business further.

Provide them with a high-quality sample to show that you believe in delivering the same if they work with you. It will help in strengthening the foundation to make a long-lasting relationship with the client.

Final Words

The main objective of the content writing samples is to provide valid reasons and convince the prospect why you are best suited for the job.

A good sample can be your ticket to getting your first content writing job. Therefore, arrange all the key elements properly to begin your journey as a content writer.

With the help of the ways mentioned above, you can create content writing samples with more confidence to win high-paying projects and clients with ease.

Good-luck for a bright content writing career path!

Meghna Biswas

Meghna Biswas

Meghna Biswas is a Social Media Marketer and Content Creator, she helps businesses attain leads through variety of social content across the web. Ms. Biswas is a writer by day or reader by night.

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