Boost your chances of getting that content writing internship
So, you have planned to take up writing as a career. What next? There is no better way for a writer to grow than writing continuously, and an internship provides you with the chance to do that along with a handsome stipend. While you apply for internships, here’s what you can do to develop your skills and increase your chances of getting selected:
1. Start a blog
This is one of the most useful and easiest ways to get going. Starting a blog and keeping it up-to-date will get you a good readership and an idea about the kinds of articles people like to read. For initial guidance, you can check out Neil Patel’s blog. The aim is to know your audience. Your blog is not about you, it’s about your readers and target audience. It should be about giving readers what they want. In today’s information-saturated world, visitors to your article are likely to be impatient. If they can’t quickly find what they want, they’ll move on. Post engaging, informative and fun content but always try to keep it original. Write about the things that will help you get a place in online searches. Check out The Creative Penn or join Launchora to write, read, and get inspired.
2. Try it all
Observe the various types of writing and pick the types that you think will suit your style of thinking and articulation. This is important because your writing skills will flourish best when you write on topics that you are knowledgeable about or those that interest you very much. When you adopt a style of writing that you are most comfortable with, the articles tend to be more impactful. Try out these writing styles.
3. Make it perfect or as close to it as you can get
Spelling and grammar mistakes make you look like an amateur. So does poor wording. Review your work closely. Ask a friend to go through your work and give reviews, a second opinion always helps. Using some smart apps and courses is always a good idea. Some useful tools that you can use are Grammarly, Hemingway App, and Write or Die. For courses, we’ve got your back. Just use English With Internshala.
4. Leave your digital footprint
Reply to questions on Quora, it is one the best open platforms to gain readership and show off your writing skills. Use sites like Booksie to write your own story and participate in open writing contests like Write India Campaign. Contributing for online magazines like DU Beat and HTCampus is another way to pen down your work and use the platform to grow your skills.
For basic promotion, set up accounts on different social media sites and follow similar types of people, get conversations going and promote other blogs as well as your own on it. Writing a guest post on a platform that is already famous or has a better search engine ranking will give you a good readership and will help you get recognised in the community of writers.
5. Hone your Graphic Design skills
Having a fine-tuned and well-designed image for each post will make your blog stand out. You don’t have to be a pro at designing but knowing the basics and being able to use it skillfully is a must. Always try to be creative and let the image speak for itself. Graphic design skills carry over into every corner of marketing, as well. Plus a multi-tasking intern is always preferred by the companies. Try to learn the basics of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva. Youtube channels like TastyTuts and Dansky offer some amazing tutorial videos to help you learn graphics designing in easiest possible way.
6. Overcome that block
There comes a time in every writer’s life when you just can’t think anymore. Every writer has faced this struggle and the way to overcome this inertia is to stop looking for excuses and inspiration and start writing. Some writers advise starting to read a book, taking a walk or getting away from distractions as a way to tackle this block. Others say slow background music, sometimes, work as a catalyst in writing content. Find what works for you to get going.
7. Take up work and create a routine
In the beginning, lay emphasis on getting freelancing projects. Opt for some content writing projects. With every project, you’ll take away so many new skills and your network will grow without putting any extra efforts. Take Aprajeeta Singh for example, a young writer who nurtured her skills by taking up various internships. She started her journey as a content writing intern and bagged 6 different internships even after facing more than 30 rejections.
To have a set routine in such cases is necessary. Jenn, a blogger sharing her routine, says, “My most productive time is the morning so I get up early and head straight to the computer to write. I just work on blog posts for 1-2 hours. I ban myself from checking emails or social media as its too distracting. I work to an editorial calendar which helps me plan my content.” Your content writing should always offer value to the reader in terms of insightful ideas and actionable tips like this one just did to you.
Inspired yet? Apply for these content writing internships now.
Pic courtesy: http://www.marqetrix.com/services/content-writing/
