How to Start a Content Writing Business That Succeeds (for Beginners)

So, you want to learn how to start a content writing business?

Good luck.

I didn’t mean that as somber as it sounded.

But, let’s be real. Learning how to start a content writing business—any business, really—is tough.

Hopeful entrepreneurs start around 543,000 businesses every month. And according to the Small Business Association, barely half of those businesses will still be around in five years. The other half will be long gone, with the majority of them failing in two years or less.

Yikes! That’s why I wrote this guide on how to start your own content writing business.

If you want to start a content writing business, you’ve got your work cut out for you – but fear not! Every truly great accomplishment at first seems impossible. I’m not promising it’s easy, but it will be worth it.

Everyone knows my writing agency was my primary source of income for ten years before my exit in 2021 (exit story here). Here’s why I’m sharing this guide:

a.) I was personally asked by several readers for this guide, and I like to write about topics my audience cares about.

 b.) I believe there is room for everyone in today’s market. With nearly 5 billion people and 60% of the world’s population online, now is a better time than any to seek to build a brand in the digital space.

As the former 10-year CEO of a successful content writing business, today’s guide will walk you through the things you must consider when you’re embarking on your own journey in building a writing biz.

• What skills and tools you’ll need to succeed
• How to build your brand and reputation
• The inside scoop on hiring and managing writers

By the time you’re through, you’ll have everything you need to lay the groundwork for your own content writing business.

Without further ado, here’s how to go from unpaid to paid and start a content writing business. 

Want to sit with me and learn? Join me for a free class on content strategy, skills and systems, customized to your level (solopreneur or established founder). Over 2,000 entrepreneurs have LOVED this class. → Watch now.

How to Start a Content Writing Business: Table of Contents

Part 1. How to Start a Content Writing Business: Do Your Homework Before You Start That (Content Writing) Business!

Part 2. Identify Your Priorities & Goals for Your Content Writing Business

Part 3. Transition from Presence to Process When Starting Your Content Writing Business

Part 4. Get Your Team Together for a Content Writing Business

Part 5. Leverage the Power of AI Content Writing Tools (and AIO Writers)

Conclusion: Start a Content Writing Business in Months, Not Years

Watch Me Explain What Goes Into Starting a Content Writing Business

Part 1. How to Start a Content Writing Business: Do Your Homework Before You Start That (Content Writing) Business!

Succeeding at planning is planning to succeed.

The single most important thing you can do when starting a content writing business (or any business) is laying your foundations. And how do you get started with that?

By doing your homework.

Transforming your freelancing efforts into a full-fledged content writing business takes a few specific steps. Here are the two specific things you need to do.

1. Identify Your Area of True Expertise

Your research into the industry should give you insights into who and what is out there – and what isn’t. That’s good, because you’ll need to niche down into a specialty to succeed with your content writing business.

We’ll refer to this niche as your Area of True Expertise. It’s what you’re known for and what you strive to be the best at as you can.

When I was just getting started with Express Writers way back when, I wasn’t terribly picky about my clients. I picked up all manner of content, often starting my days at 4 a.m. just to send out dozens of emails to potential clients and agencies. It eventually worked, but that was because the industry at the time simply needed writers to stuff keywords into posts.

That will not work today.

In 2020, the content writing industry has matured and become more sophisticated. Your clients will expect you to be an expert in what you do. Therefore, it’s better to be a True Expert in one or two things than it is to be adept at several.

As you review the state of the industry, think about where you fit in (or where you don’t). This will give you a sense of what you need to do to begin scaling your operations. In particular, identify these things:

• Who is your ideal client? Startups? SMBs? Fortune 2000 companies? SEO agencies? You’ve got a lot of options.
• What do you do (and not do)? You may already have specific areas of expertise, such as executive ghostwriting or long-form content for tech startups. You may be still finding your feet but have nature aptitude at things like SEO or content marketing.
• Is what you want to do sustainable? Identify what you do and figure out whether or not you can position yourself as a True Expert. Then, identify whether a market need exists – some 42 percent of businesses fail because there isn’t one. Finally, determine if you can turn your position into a unique selling proposition.
• How can you turn your Area of True Expertise into a USP and a CDF? You want to differentiate, offering something your competitors can’t.

Your CDF is your “it factor” and you need it when starting a content writing business.

2. Analyze Your Business Competency

As a writer, you already know how to do a lot. However, starting a content writing business and scaling one both take skills that you may not have developed in your freelance writing career. Some things you should pick up if you haven’t already:

• Marketing. If you don’t have a grasp on marketing, you’ll need to get it down ASAP. This includes everything from digital marketing to content strategy and marketing.
• Project management. Ultimately, your goal will be to remove yourself from your agency’s processes so you’re no longer trading time for money. You’ll need to know how to manage projects to create project processes.
• Accounting. You must know how to manage money. From paying your subcontractors to dealing with taxes, consider taking a basic course in accounting.
• Leadership skills. As your team grows and your business takes on more ambitious projects, you’ll find yourself leading teams and people. Make sure you know how to handle them.
• Communication skills. You’re probably already versed in dealing with clients. Now, you’ll need to learn to deal with managers, contractors, business partners, and more.

3. Build a Business Website

You’re a content writer.

And all the content you create gets published on your clients’ sites.

But have you stopped to build your own online presence? 

If you haven’t yet, you need to put together a professional-looking website ASAP!

This will help you display your portfolio and expertise.

It will also help you leverage SEO to reach a wider audience and generate organic leads.

Part 2. Identify Your Priorities & Goals for Your Content Writing Business

So, you know who you are, what you’re doing, and what you’re up against. Now, it’s time to establish where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. In the next phase, you’ll need to do three things: identify your priorities, establish your goals, and write your business plan.

What Do You Want Out of This?

People go into business for many different reasons. Sometimes it’s because we feel stifled by the corporate world. Sometimes it’s because we’re chasing a passion.

Before you sit down to actually build your business, spend some time identifying your priorities with your business. These are the things that are important to you and will impact your goals or strategies. Some examples of priorities include:

• Profitability. Who doesn’t love making more money?
• A superior customer experience. Are your clients waiting weeks for content?
• Free time. Perhaps you need to delegate or automate aspects of your business. 

Here are a few things my students have said about what they’re trying to accomplish.

“I have been a freelance copywriter and editor for just over five years. I haven’t niched the work I do, but I’m fortunate to have some very loyal clients who have achieved impressive results with my content thus far. Although I have a company, that is merely a store-front for the solo work I do. I have become so busy that I am turning work away and some of my very patient clients are waiting 1-2 weeks for content. This is far from what I want for them, and for me.” – Elizabeth

“I have a natural love for writing as well as for fitness and motivating others. But I have been stuck in HR/recruitment jobs in the corporate world. I’m looking to break out, follow my passions and do what I love … trying to start my own business, my own website, but I also still have to work while doing all that.” – Heather

You can see that each of these two students has different priorities. Elizabeth needs to scale an existing operation to provide better service to her clients. Heather needs to develop a profitable, sustainable content writing business to pursue her passion.

Establish Your SMART Goals

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Timely. It’s a formula for creating achievable goals with defined steps.

Some SMART goals when starting or scaling a content writing business might include:

• Land three clients in a specific niche by the end of the year.
• Build a five-page website showcasing my expertise within the next 30 days.
• Produce ten pieces of thought leadership for the blog to support the content marketing efforts in the next 90 days.
• Delegate five projects to five writers this week to free up 20 hours of my time for other activities.

Build Your Writing Business With a Slow, Steady, Practitioner-First Approach

Do you know the top reason why startups fail? According to CB Insights, 42 percent of failed startups indicated they found no market need.

In other words, they created a product that nobody wanted.

That’s one of the dangers when you simply get a team together and go into business.

Fortunately, you can sidestep that by becoming a practitioner in your field first. That means going out, getting clients of your own, and learning what it takes to create great content.

Once you go into business, you’ll find that things become so much easier. That’s because you’ll:

• Know what the final deliverables should look like.
• Have the ability to step in at any point in your business to help make things work.
• Understand how to sell your service or products.
• Be able to identify new hires who know what they’re doing.

How do you build your skills faster?

Mentors are an age-old recommendation to accelerate learning that’s well-regarded in business. Yet, it’s a tool that’s routinely under-utilized. In one study of 3,000 people, 76 percent of respondents agreed that mentors were important. Yet only 37 percent of people currently had one.

I highly recommend you find a mentor. Identify who’s a voice of authority in your industry and take them on as a role model. These are my three:

• Jon Morrow at Smart Blogger.
• Joe Pulizzi at Content Marketing Institute.
• Kimanzi Constable at Results Global Impact.

And remember, an investment in your skills is not an expense; it’s an investment.

I may have written a book called Skip the Degree, but that doesn’t mean I don’t advocate paid training. (I’ve invested over $8,000 into my own in the past six months.)

In contrast, don’t be shy about investing in paid courses, seminars, workshops, or anything else from your mentors or other industry leaders. Small doses of the right training can accelerate your career much faster than any degree that takes years to complete.

Your professional development is not an expense. It’s an investment that pays dividends in the long run.

Of course, not all courses are created equal or of equal use to everyone. When considering whether or not to invest in a course, ask yourself:

• Will it help me move forward? Is this a hard or soft skill I need to be successful at [x]?
• Are they credible? Is the instructor someone who’s known and respected in my field?
• Do they have proof? Does the instructor have their own business that proves their teachings work, or does their business seem to be simply teaching certain skills?

If the answer is yes to all three, figure out how to make it happen!

Part 3. Transition from Presence to Process When Starting Your Content Writing Business

Have you made it this far? Congratulations!

But if it seems like I frontloaded this guide, it’s because I did. Everything covered so far is the groundwork upon which you’ll build the next steps. The more thoroughly you’ve completed parts one and two, the stronger foundation you’ll have for starting your content writing business.

So, spend as much time as you need on the above. Once you know where you’re going and why, you can begin to build the engine that allows your brand, client base, and profits to scale.

I’m talking about your processes.

Processes Keep You Focused, and Help You Scale

If you’re a solopreneur, you’ve been doing everything on your own this whole time. That might have worked for you. Or, like Elizabeth, you quickly discovered that you have more demands on your time than you can manage.

Now, you need more writers. Maybe even a project manager, a bookkeeper, and a social media marketer. You need a team.

But with more hands touching the business, there are more opportunities for it to get pulled in multiple directions. How do we solve that?

By creating processes. Having detailed, documented processes lets you:

• Standardize the business and amplify the brand. Everyone will do everything the same way. Additionally, you can develop templates that keep branding and image consistent.
• Accelerate new employee or subcontractor training. Imagine explaining the same thing over and over again to every new hire. Now imagine handing them a document that they can study before getting to work.
• Lets you maintain your Area of True Expertise. Stick to your processes, the things you do. Say no to everything else, and you’ll never water down your brand.

How to Create Processes for a Content Writing Business

Creating processes for your content writing business doesn’t need to be difficult. However, you should be consistent with them. Do:

1. Identify things that you already do a lot. These business activities are the best candidates to be standardized and replicated across the board. Some examples of this might include:

• Client onboarding and interviews
• Writer interviews and onboarding or offboarding
• Content creation
• Content strategy or keyword research
• Quality control
• Editing and revisions
• Client invoicing
• Subcontractor payments

2. Document everything. Even if it’s simply in Google Docs, make sure that you’ve written down what to do. This gives you a paper trail for others to study and for you to improve upon.

3. Identify where you need technology and invest. This may include hardware or software, subscriptions, services, and the like. I highly recommend that you invest in:

• Accounting software
• Plagiarism detection
• Cloud storage
• Audio and video calling software

4. Create templates. Templates help standardize the formatting, language, and layout of your most critical documents. Such consistency helps you present a more professional image to your clients and saves your team time.

5. Disseminate the processes to your employees or subcontractors. Build into your processes a process for getting information into the hands of the people who need to know. Again, it can be as simple as a Google Drive that has everything your writers, managers, or clients need to know.

6. Check in with people about what’s working and what’s not. At the end of the day, it’s your people who will make the processes run. Check in with them to learn what’s working and what isn’t. Then, make changes to improve your processes.

Part 4. Get Your Team Together for a Content Writing Business

Up until this point, you’ve been at it solo. But that means the business stops working when you stop working. That’s what we’re trying to escape.

At some point, you’ll realize you need people power to drive your content writing business to the next level. However, you don’t want just anyone touching the business you’ve built.

As you get your team together, let your mantra be: People create value. When chosen well, your people are your most valuable business asset.

In general, you’ll interact with three groups of people:

Writers & Editors

You’ll need writers (and if you invest in AI tools to speed up content production, you’ll specifically need AIO writers – more on that later) to delegate work to and editors to check the work.

It’s very easy to access writer pools, but your writers will make or break your reputation for quality.

Upwork is a great place to look for talented freelancers, but plenty of other places exist as well. Wherever you go, to succeed with hiring writers:

• Require fluency in the language you work. In most cases, that’s English. It’s up to you whether you want to hire U.S.-based writers only, or if you’re willing to look globally. Just be aware that will have tax implications and potentially complicate quality.
• Headhunt, don’t post jobs. Content writing is one of the easiest careers online to get into, which means everyone is doing it. Posting jobs is a great way to get flooded with randos. Instead, identify talented writers with expertise in your company’s niche, then approach them.
• Don’t ask for lengthy, unique “samples.” Instead, ask for a portfolio. If they don’t have one, consider giving them a writing test and requesting a unique paragraph or two. Asking for an entire article as part of the interview process (especially if you have no plans on paying for it) is something scammers do – and good writers know that.
• Be upfront with what they can expect. Don’t promise $2,000/month in work if they’re not going to consistently make that.
• Pay by the word. The industry standard for content writing is to pay your writers by the word. You may charge your clients a lump sum for the entire project, but your writers are expecting a per-word agreement.
• Don’t go for the cheapest you can find. You get what you pay for. Avoid sites where you can hire writers for rock-bottom rates.
• Set up an NDA and a contract ahead of time. Protect your processes and internal documentation by having everyone you hire sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Support Staff

Support staff may or may not be necessary depending on where you are in scaling your operations. They can help a business run more smoothly, especially if you’ve got multiple processes that require the human touch. Bring on support staff as you need. They may include:

• The web admin or IT support
• Customer success agents
• Writer support agents
• Business and project managers
• Specialists, such as content strategists or SEO experts
• Marketers

Business Partners

Business partners can breathe life, perspective, and capital into a growing enterprise. However, if you’re just starting a content writing business, it’s unlikely that you’ll need one. You may naturally have one, such as a spouse. That’s also fine!

Bringing on a business partner lies beyond the scope of this guide, but it’s worth mentioning because some people have asked me if they’re critical when you start a content writing business.

When you have a partner whose skills and competencies complement your own, that relationship will propel your business to profitability. However, don’t feel pressured to bring one on if you don’t feel like you need it.

A Few Other Tips for Working With Subcontractors

At the end of 2019, freelancers and independent contractors constituted some 36 percent of the U.S. workforce. It’s expected that they’ll be the majority by the late 2020s.

When you hire your writers and editors (and possibly others), you’ll likely hire them as independent contractors. However, you need to be aware of what that means for you as a business owner.

Here are a few tips:

• Be wary of the IRS rules around employees and independent contractors. The IRS is very clear about what you can and cannot require from independent contractors. Familiarize yourself with these rules before hiring anyone.
• Be careful with non-compete agreements. NCAs are extremely common, but come with some major caveats. In the U.S., enforceability varies by state (they’re often unenforceable with online work). However, they may scare off some potential hires.
• Get your subcontractors’ availability and work around them. The easiest way to keep your staff happy is to work with them. Have everyone give you their availability, then task out work accordingly. This makes it easier to enforce accountability and deadlines, while making it more obvious when you need to hire more writers.

Part 5: Leverage the Power of AI Content Writing Tools (And AIO Writers)

AI (artificial intelligence) is one of the best inventions of modern times, especially for writers. It has brought so many benefits to the content marketing industry that you, as a writer and business owner, can’t ignore.

AI comes with many benefits and opportunities that can significantly enhance your productivity, creativity, and overall success. Here are some compelling reasons why you should integrate AI into your writing business:

Why Should AI Be a Critical Part of Every Writer’s Business?

So why should you embrace AI as a critical tool in your business?

Sure, the camp is divided on whether using AI is good or not.

And others advocate for AI-generated content to be labeled.

However, at the end of the day, one thing is certain — AI is an excellent tool for boosting your writing business. 

The main reason for that is AI can help you run a writing business with tantalizing profit margins of over 70%!

Here’s why:

• Scalability: AI helps you write faster without compromising on quality. Because of this, you can easily take on more clients and projects. You can scale your business and exponentially grow your income.
• Speed and efficiency: AI-powered tools can automate various writing tasks, such as idea generation, grammar and spell-checking, proofreading, and content formatting. This allows writers to focus more on their creative process and spend less time on mundane editing tasks.
• Content generation assistance: AI can assist in generating content ideas or even drafting portions of articles, blog posts, or other written content. While the final creative touch remains with you, the writer, AI can serve as a valuable co-writer, offering suggestions and inspiration.
• Enhanced content research: AI can assist you in finding relevant and reliable sources quickly. Other more powerful ones, like Content at Scale, even add links to sources in their drafts. With the ability to process vast amounts of information, AI-powered content writing tools can streamline the content creation process and help you discover valuable insights and facts to add credibility to your content.
• SEO: SEO is an integral part of content creation, and AI can help ensure your content is SEO-friendly. It can suggest relevant keywords and analyze search trends, ensuring that your content is primed to rank and drive traffic. 

However, it is essential to remember that while AI can be an incredible tool, it’s not a replacement for creativity or the human touch. You should only use AI as a complementary tool to enhance your skills and efficiency rather than relying solely on it for content creation. 

By combining the power of AI with your unique perspectives and creativity, your businesses can enjoy a significant advantage in today’s competitive digital landscape.

By the way, I used to be THE biggest AI critic. I was totally against using it in my content marketing for a long time — but then I came to my senses once the right tool came along that emphasized integrity in content. 😅 

Need help convincing or converting your team, business, bosses, or clients to the AIO way? Want me at your next event? I can teach your people how AI in content can be done ethically, with that aforementioned integrity. Get me to speak at your next event! 📣

Best AI Content Writing Tool

Now that you’ve seen the value AI adds to your writing business, let me show you the best AI content writing tool. 

It’s called Content at Scale.

Content at Scale AI has the ability to produce a high-quality 2,000+-word blog draft in mere minutes!

This is the first-ever content automation platform built to help writers and business owners scale content marketing without losing touch with quality, authenticity, and accuracy. This is a powerful tool built by long-form SEO content marketers for long-form SEO content writers who want to create impeccable content at scale.

Unlike most AI content generators out there, Content at Scale outputs content that is truly human-like, bypasses AI content detectors, and is optimized for search. 

As if that wasn’t good enough, Content at Scale also integrates with Copyscape, so you can rest assured your content is plagiarism free. It also has a WordPress plugin that enables you to sync your content directly to your blog right from the Content at Scale dashboard.

It also has my personal stamp of approval, which isn’t easy to earn. Plus, as an AI speaker, I’ve tested a lot of AI-powered tools and this one is by far the best one I’ve tried.

Check out my tutorial below to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how powerful this tool really is.

Find and Train AIO Writers

As your reputation grows, you’ll soon find yourself with a good problem — more clients than you can handle as a one-person team.

When this happens, you have two options — pass on the work to other businesses, or hire writers to help you with the workload.

I’d personally go with hiring and growing my business into an AIO writing agency.

But where do you find writers who can use AI tools proficiently and produce fantastic content? Plus, how do you vet, hire, and train them?

No need to fret – I’ve got you. 💪

I’ve created an in-depth guide to help you source and hire the best AIO (artificial intelligence optimization) writers. 

Check it out here.

However, here’s a simple 3-step process:

• Craft a detailed job listing 
• Use relevant and reliable hiring platforms
• Train your new hires

Here’s a short video tutorial explaining the process 👇

Growing your team may be a daunting step if you’re a solo writer, but it’s a critical part of business and personal growth.

AI: Supercharging Your Content Creation

Leveraging AI in your writing business is a no-brainer.

It’s the missing piece in your content creation production line.

With your processes and team in place, AI gives you that extra boost you need to ensure content production is effective and runs like a well-oiled machine.

So, don’t be discouraged by the naysayers. AI is here — and it’s here to stay.

Those who embrace it early will have a huge advantage over the competition. 🥇

Part 6. 6 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Content Writing Business

Whether you’re starting a content business or scaling up a solopreneurship, there’s plenty of room for things to go wrong. I’ll round out the guide with a few lessons I’ve learned the hard way over the years.

Some common mistakes include…

1. Scaling Too Fast (or Too Slowly)

If you scale too fast, you end up with bloat that eat away at your profits. This may include things like hiring too many people or jumping into too many projects. At the other end of the spectrum, scaling too slowly may mean overworked people or lacking the infrastructure you need to take advantage of opportunities.

To fix this: Think long-term, identify your priorities and your goals, then focus on creating value with your people and your processes.

2. Not Doing Content Marketing for Your Business

I didn’t start content marketing with Express Writers until 2016. The moment I did, the brand took off and became the multi-million-dollar agency it is today.

Why? Content marketing is one of the most powerful ways for you to demonstrate your expertise and showcase your content differentiation factor. It’s how you prove you’re a True Expert at what you do without pushing yourself into people’s faces.

To fix this: Draw up a content strategy when you do your business plan. Your content and your business goals should align. That will also help you produce content without feeling burnt out.

3. Saying Yes to Projects Outside Your Scope

The most valuable weapon in your arsenal is also one of your smallest: It’s the word no.

Most freelancers aren’t trained in this weapon. As a business owner, you’ll need to be because you don’t want to take on projects that are outside your Area of True Expertise. There are several pragmatic reasons for this:

• They’ll take longer because you don’t have the processes or people for it
• They’ll water down your brand
• They’ll force you to tweak the very processes you built to try to make them fit

To fix this: Go back to your Area of True Expertise. Develop processes for everything in which you’re a True Expert. Say no to any jobs or work for which you don’t have processes already.

 

4. Not Learning How to Handle Money

You need to learn how to manage money – and no, I don’t mean simply hiring a bookkeeper who will handle everything.

I learned this the hard way when I discovered the people that I had put in charge of money were stealing from me.

Even if something as severe as that never happens to you, not knowing how to manage money may mean unnecessary expenses, lost revenue, or inaccurate records that get you in trouble down the line.

To fix this: Take a course on accounting for business online or at your community college. Then, play an active role in the money of your company.

5. Being Scared of Delegating

I get it. Your business is your baby. You’ve worked hard to build a reputation and a client base. Handing that over to someone else can be terrifying.

But you’ll need to do it to grow. Getting in the way by trying to continue to do everything yourself will only hamstring the rest of your efforts.

To fix this: Make your processes extra well-thought-out to give you the peace of mind that everyone is doing things correctly. Then, hire the right people. Here’s a good video from my archives on what I learned from hitting $180k in one month in my agency.

6. Not Firing People When They Need to Go

It sucks to fire people, but sometimes it needs to happen. Having the wrong members on your team is just as bad as not having any people at all – in fact, it can be worse as your reputation will be on the line.

Don’t be afraid to put your foot down and make room for better professionals to join your team.

To fix this: Create a list of behaviors for which you have no tolerance, then refer to this list to determine if someone needs to be let go. Some examples may include consistently missing deadlines or going MIA when you need revisions from them.

Conclusion: Start a Content Writing Business in Months, Not Years

 

There you have it – close to everything you need to consider when you start a content writing business.

From thinking about your position in the industry to the details of dealing with independent contractors, you’re now equipped with the insights you need to get started.

Plus, with the power of AI to help you, there’s no reason why you should struggle to scale and grow your business!

Of course, the skills I’ve outlined here are just the tip of the iceberg of what you need to know. The content writing industry itself is constantly changing. In addition to running your business, you’ll need to keep pace with the state of content writing best practices and tools.

Knowledge is power, as they say.

And if you want to turn insights into action, with 1:1 guidance from me along the way, you need my Content Transformation System. 🚀  

This strategic coaching program teaches you the skills, systems, and strategies to turn your struggling business into a sustainable, cogs-turning, 6 and 7-figures-busting brand.

Apply today to start your journey to the next level.

Get a taste of my program for free right now in our training class.