The 3 archetypes
Content WRITER (per-post or per-word, $200–$1000/article). Content STRATEGIST (salaried, $40k–$120k/yr, owns calendar + briefs + analytics). SEO WRITER (specialised; $500–$2000/article, ranks for keywords). Strategist is most stable income.
Portfolio basics
6–10 published pieces (your own blog or other publications). At least 2 with measurable results (traffic, leads, conversions). A 1-page case study of your best piece including the brief, your process, and the outcome.
How to land your first paid gig
Cold email 10 marketing managers/week with a personalised pitch: "I read [their recent piece], I noticed [specific gap], here’s a 200-word outline of what I’d write to fill it." Convert 1 in 20 to a paid trial. From there it compounds.
Tools to know
Ahrefs / SEMrush (paid but free trials), Surfer SEO, ChatGPT/Claude as a research assistant (not a writer), Grammarly, Notion or Google Docs. Don’t use AI to write the actual articles — clients spot it and you lose the gig.