Tell us about yourself, your background, and what you are doing currently.

Hello, I am Nimisha Chanda, a final year student at Kamala Nehru College, Delhi University, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) with a minor in Economics. I am a freelance content writer currently. I have also tried hands-on copywriting.

My current goal is to learn Twitter and LinkedIn marketing and Personal Branding.

What motivated you to get into content writing?

After school got over and I was 18+, I wanted to become financially independent. I was also preparing for government jobs side by side as my parents wanted me to apply for them.

Until the start of 2020, I had no idea about content writing and freelancing. But then the lockdown happened, and I came across a youtube video in which different soft skills like content writing, graphic design, digital marketing, and many more were talked about. I went for content writing because I have had a knack for writing since my school days.

Out of excitement, I took a course on Udemy the very next day. I finished the course in 2-3 days. I then wrote some blogs too and continued my learning.

What went into landing your first opportunity - Was it tough?

I got my first client on 13th April 2020 through a Facebook group. She gave me articles to write on a word count basis.

What role does Proof of Work play in your career? How have you used it so far?

Proof of Work has helped me analyze my content writing journey. It has helped me see where I started and where I am currently at.

Proof of Work has helped me get inbound leads too. I, once, got an inbound lead from a lady from Britain who wanted me to write SEO content and drive sales for her product.

People— the recruiters, demand Proof of Work in the job market. They want results, that is, what you bring to the table. You can always show the results you brought to your previous clients in the form of testimonials.

Your content writing portfolio should have all the samples which help your prospects get an idea of what kind of content you write.

Here is how I would suggest content writers make their portfolio:

• Right keywords
• Add your work experiences
• How engaging is your audience is
• Mention where your content is ranking
• Add testimonials from previous clients
• Specify what type of content you have written
• Previous links to articles from different niches
• Show the results you have brought to your previous clients
• Keep the Google algorithm in mind. It ranks valuable content more than keyword-stuffed content

What was the role of Proof of Work in your freelancing career?

I felt I was not growing enough when I was working with my first client. So I decided to start freelancing on my own.

I had stable growth in my freelancing career till 2021. I learned Mandala art along with freelancing.

I also gave government exams in the same year in March in Kota.

My college got offline in February 2022, so I got busy with studies along with freelancing. 

I made my LinkedIn account and started putting my Instagram prompts there. I started creating content regularly on LinkedIn in June 2022. 3 of my posts got viral too. I have recently crossed 8K+ followers on LinkedIn. People’s appreciation and comments keep me motivated to create. 

I have learned storytelling and LinkedIn personal branding, and have implemented them too. I believe what you learn and implement for yourself helps you do it for your clients too.

As a freelancer, if you are reaching out to someone without any reference, you need to have your Proof of Work so that you can show them that you are credible for the role. Then only you can charge hefty amounts. This has helped me charge 50% for my work in advance.

Working for different clients helps you not just create Proof of Work but also with getting testimonials from them. You can and should always add these to your portfolio.

I once handled 6 clients in freelancing single-handedly in August 2022. My job was to provide content in the form of articles and blogs for their profile.

Building projects and working for clients has helped me get confident while outreaching out to people for work. I always believe nothing can teach you as much as your work experiences can.

What are the biggest challenges you've faced and obstacles you've overcome? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

As a freelancer, it becomes important to have an open mindset that you will find clients who will not want to work with you.

I worked for a start-up in Pune to write their website content, Instagram captions, and Tweets for one month. They denied me payment saying that I didn't do much.

There was another such instance of a toxic client on Instagram who started ghosting me after I submitted my work samples to them, saying that it was their closing time. I was not pre-informed about any such case. They showed no budget issue in the beginning.

At one point a few months back, I thought of dropping freelancing completely, but then I wanted to give it one last shot to have no regrets in the future.

I recently helped a founder with their LinkedIn personal branding for free as they did not have the budget to pay. In instances like this one, free work helps you learn, build credibility and build connections with people.

Here are the things that I would do if I had to start freelancing all over again from scratch:

🚀Observe, Observe, and Observe more. 💫

🚀Select a profitable niche. ✒

🚀 Start creating samples. ✍️

🚀Select a social media platform (e.g., LinkedIn) 🌎

🚀Start creating content consistently to build credibility

🚀Cold pitch at least ten people I want to work with😯

🚀Network, Engage, and build a community to look after😌

🚀Stay Consistent.🌼

🚀 Repeat.

How was your experience using Fueler?

I am still new to using Fueler but I have been a part of the Fueler Whatsapp Community for the past 2-3 months.

It gives me good FOMO in the Fueler community as there are so many knowledgeable workers in it.

What do you love the most about Fueler?

Being part of the Fueler community helps me with personal growth. I like the vibe as there is no toxicity.

Sparsh, for example, keeps sharing knowledgeable resources in the group. He also writes great content on AI on Twitter.

Riten Da also keeps sharing book suggestions and recommendations in the group.

What’s your advice to opportunity seekers who are just starting?

Before starting, I would suggest that beginners talk to their peers/seniors and understand what they want to do. Also, read as much as you can.

You can also look up courses on YouTube and Udemy and start by taking one lesson. Then you can see if you can understand or not.

Would you like to share any of your favorite quotes?

These are some of the quotes that stick with me:

"It is normal to be traumatized by the past, troubled by the present, and terrified by the future."

“Those who want to change their lives one day, change it every day.”

“Let us all master our emotions and be all set to master other significant parts of our healing journey.”

“Don't look at the staircase of success all at once. But, have a glimpse of one step at a time.”

“The fight is not to become popular but the battle is to be remembered.”

“Life's about paddling out and fighting the waves until you find the perfect one to ride home on.”

I write in my journal. I believe that what you write and manifest plus, hard work, the universe makes it happen.

Special thanks to Rajita for covering this success story.

Fueler Success Story || Fueler.io

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