If you are a college student who is looking to enhance their CV and gain some work experience, a content writing internship will help you kill both birds with the same stone. What’s more? Most content writing internships will allow you to work from home, without having to worry about traveling to the office in peak hours.
If you aren’t sold by now, let me tell you some more. Writing is a great skill to have and it will come in handy in almost every facet of your professional (and personal life). What do college essays, SoPs (statement of purpose) for higher education and flirty Instagram DMs have in common? You guessed it right—they all involve writing!
Some writing opportunities from various industries include copywriting (advertising), content writing (marketing and brand building), feature writing (journalism) among various others. While journalism and advertising require some level of professional experience and qualifications, I believe that a content writing internship is the easiest nut to crack. Once you are in, it is no secret that internships can be converted into content writing jobs, eventually.
Moving on, if you are someone who is passionate about writing, wants to make a living as a content writer, but doesn’t know how to go about it, let me help you with some relevant tips based on my own experiences, through this YKA blog. We will cover the following topics:
- Research
- Cover letter
- Writing samples
Research
I can’t stress this enough: all successful projects begin with thorough research! If you are going to be lazy at the first step, then your chances of making it to the final step are low. Hence, put in the work so you can get to work.
When applying for a content writing internship, you must do your research regarding the position, the company, its brand and major clients. Understanding the company and its needs will help you tailor your cover letter and writing samples, such that you already seem like the ideal candidate for the position in question.
Cover Letter
Treat your cover letter like an opportunity to show your potential employer how good you are at writing. Make sure your opening statement is strong. Of course, your cover letter must have all the essential elements like mentioning how you know the company, why you think you would be a good fit for the position, giving them a brief idea of your work experience and skills etc. But, every cover letter (turned in by different aspirants) will have all these.
How can you make yours stand out? Try personalising your cover letter to suit the company’s brand, while maintaining your unique style of writing. It should be a combination of both. If you know of a fun tidbit or an impact story to do with the company, weave it into your cover letter. This will show them that you are already aware of the company’s work culture and that you can adapt to it, while bringing your own strengths to the table.
Writing Samples
Last but not the least, are your writing samples. You may have an extensive body of work as far as writing is concerned, but not everything you have written will work as a writing sample. When picking writing samples (two or three at best), try to select those which are closest to what you might have to churn out during your internship.
If you don’t have such samples in your repertoire, go with the ones you feel are the strongest, creatively and content-wise. Your writing samples need to make the potential employer feel like they are ready to seal the deal with you; and that the writing assignment as well as interview stage are mere formalities.
Fear not if you don’t have any writing samples or experience, because Youth Ki Awaaz is a great place to start. It has a community of budding and experienced writers you can interact with and learn from. What’s more? Since YKA is an open, self-publishing platform, you can try writing about a range of topics, from pop culture and sports, to politics and relationships.
Head to our writer’s resource center for more tips on how to write: https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/resourcecentre/
According to you, what are some other tips budding writers should keep in mind, when applying to freelance content writing jobs?