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There’s a growing demand for high-quality online content. Since businesses often lack the time or expertise to create and manage content themselves, there’s an opportunity for talented writers to fill the gap. If you’re wondering how to start a content writing agency, this how-to guide is for you.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- How to start a content writing agency, and why it’s a good idea
- How to start a content writing agency and figure out the legal stuff
- How to start a content writing agency and find clients
- How to start a content writing agency and write for the win
- How to start a content writing agency for social media
- How to start a content writing agency and organize your content
- How to start a content writing agency and optimize your content
- How to start a content writing agency with Slam’s digital resources
This article provides an introduction to these topics. For a deep dive, check out our How to Start an Agency masterclass taught by Silvia Li Sam, founder and CEO of Slam Media Lab. The course includes 12 modules and 20+ professional templates to help you simplify the processes we’ll discuss in this article.
As an award-winning web design agency, we know first-hand the challenges of launching a new business. When we were first getting started, we spent hundreds of hours figuring out how to manage everything from accounting to content optimization.
Now, we successfully provide hundreds of clients with the following award-winning services:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Webflow Design & Development
- Content Writing & Strategy
- Brand Strategy & Identity
We believe that starting an agency should be accessible to everyone, and we’re excited to share what we’ve learned over the years with industry newcomers. Let’s explore how to start a content writing agency!
How to Start a Content Writing Agency and Why It's a Good Idea
Did you know there are 33.2 million small businesses in the United States? Together, they make up 99.9% of all US businesses. Moreover, around 58% of small business owners launch their new business from scratch.
Each of these small businesses needs clients to survive, and digital marketing is becoming an increasingly valuable way to attract new clients. Of course, finding and landing clients requires niche marketing skills – something not all small business owners have.
That’s where digital marketing agencies come into the picture. From small business website design to small business local SEO, agencies help fill the skills and knowledge gap.
Figuring out how to start a content writing agency is a good idea for many reasons, including:
- High demand
- Remote work
- Entrepreneurial freedom
- Financial stability
If you’re a strong writer with a keen eye for content that convinces and inspires people to support a brand, then starting a content writing agency may be a lucrative and rewarding opportunity.
How to Start a Content Writing Agency and Figure Out the Legal Stuff
Figuring out the legal logistics is one of the first steps to starting a successful business – content writing agency or otherwise.
In this section, we’ll discuss the basic steps involved in setting up:
- Business structure
- Registration
- Accounting & HR
This article provides an overview of these crucial topics. If you want to learn more about the legal and administrative logistics of running a content writing agency, our course on How to Start an Agency is a great place to start.
Business Structure
When figuring out how to start a content writing agency, your business’s structure is one of the first things you’ll need to determine. Many digital marketing agencies choose to structure themselves as either an LLC or an S-Corp. In this section, we’ll take a look at the differences between the two.
Here’s what you need to know about LLCs:
- Flexible ownership structure by one or more individuals/entities
- Members take draws that are not subject to payroll taxes
- Members pay self-employment tax on the entire net income
And here’s what you need to know about S-Corps:
- Up to 100 shareholders (must be U.S. citizens or residents)
- Shareholders may receive salaries subject to payroll tax
- Dividends are not subject to payroll tax
- Dividends are taxed at a lower rate than salaries
Before choosing a structure for your business, it’s important to check in with an accountant for advice on the best category for your agency.
Registration
You have several options when it comes to registering your content writing agency. If you’re based in the United States, one of the first things you’ll need to decide is where to incorporate your business.
Many businesses choose to incorporate in Delaware for the following five reasons:
- Flexible corporate laws
- Corporate litigation handled by the Court of Chancery
- Privacy protections for officers and directors
- Favorable tax laws
- Efficient filling and administrative processes
Regardless of where you choose to incorporate, we recommend using Stripe Atlas for the registration process. This will save you lots of time on the learning curve, and will also simplify the process of getting a Tax ID number from the IRS.
Accounting & HR
With your business formally incorporated, it’s time to keep track of finances. Setting up a well-organized accounting and payroll system from the beginning is critical for avoiding major headaches down the line – especially when tax season rolls around!
Here are three good accounting tools to consider:
Also, we recommend giving Gusto a try to manage payroll, benefits, insurance, and other critical HR processes.
How to Start a Content Writing Agency and Find Clients
Finding clients for your content writing agency is critical. After all, it’s the only way you’ll get paid! Getting started as a new agency is difficult because prospective clients will want to see a portfolio of previous work that demonstrates your knowledge and skill.
Fortunately, even if you’re new to the digital marketing industry, there are still ways to show off your abilities and prove your value to clients. The key to success lies in leveraging past work – even if it’s work you did voluntarily or for a low introductory price.
We suggest creating a portfolio of your writings and other projects to show prospective clients. If you don’t have any, now’s the time to create them! This could include:
- Social media content
- Blog posts
- Press releases
- Research papers
- Product descriptions
Once you’ve gathered some examples of previous work, here are seven proven ways to find your first clients:
- Referrals
- Word of mouth
- Upwork
- Targeted groups
- Social media
- Cold email
- SEO content
Another thing you should know when trying to pitch and land clients is how to respond to a Request for Proposal, or RFP. An RFP is a formal document that organizations use to invite proposal submissions for a product or service. To get a sense of how an RFP looks and what it entails, check out Slam’s agency RFP template.
Regardless of how you find clients, make sure you have a solid portfolio of past work and testimonials you can leverage to build your credibility.
How to Start a Content Writing Agency and Write for the Win
When starting a content writing agency, we recommend using digital tools to improve your writing and editing. This will help improve the accuracy, efficiency, and overall quality of your work.
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at some of the tools available on the market and why they’ll make it easier for you to start a content writing agency.
Writing Tools
The use of writing tools will improve your content creation process by ensuring your text is grammatically correct and free of errors.
Here are a few examples:
- Grammarly: A grammar and spell-check tool that provides real-time suggestions.
- Google Docs: A collaborative word processing tool with real-time editing, comments, and sharing features.
- Otter AI: A transcription and note-taking tool that uses artificial intelligence to convert spoken words into written text.
By integrating these tools into your content writing agency workflow, you’ll ensure the content you put out into the world is consistent and of the highest possible quality.
Editing Tools
Once you’ve written your content, it’s a good idea to run it through an editor before publishing it to the web. Tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Word include built-in editing features you can use for checking your spelling and grammar.
Here are a few additional editing tools to consider:
- Hemingway Editor: Promotes clearer and more concise writing by highlighting complex sentences, adverbs, and passive voice.
- Readable: Analyzes content for readability and suggests improvements.
- Copyscape: A plagiarism checker designed to ensure content originality.
Integrating these editing tools into your writing process will result in more polished and error-free content for your clients.
How to Start a Content Writing Agency for Social Media
If you’re researching how to start a content writing agency in 2024, managing social media content is a skill you need to learn. Sure, it’s technically possible to write content without focusing on social media, but we make no promises about how successful you’ll be!
In this section, we’ll provide some information on:
- Platforms
- Tips
- Resources
Creating and optimizing content for social media is a critical consideration when figuring out how to start a content writing agency. We discuss the basics here, but if you need a more thorough explainer then consider enrolling in our How to Start an Agency course.
Platforms
Most small businesses rely on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for sharing content and connecting with supporters. Learning the ins and outs of these platforms will increase your chances of landing and keeping great clients.
Each platform has different algorithms, policies, and best practices for creating and promoting content to its users. Also, keep in mind that each platform tends to cater to different demographics, so understanding your target audience is an important part of running a social media campaign.
For example, if you’re preparing content for a client that wants to target Gen Z, then a small business TikTok strategy is the way to go. On the other hand, if your client wants to focus their social media marketing on visual content and day-to-day updates, consider an Instagram for small business strategy.
Tips
If your goal is to run a successful social media marketing agency in 2024, you need a clear sense of best practices in the industry.
Here are Slam’s top 3 tips for running a great social media campaign:
- Know your audience
- Craft compelling headlines and content
- Understand the importance of visual appeal
It all comes down to understanding what your audience wants and needs and using well-written and visually appealing content to communicate your solution. By following these tips, you’ll establish a connection with your audience and build a vibrant online community around your client’s brand.
Resources
At Slam, we’ve launched and managed successful social media campaigns for hundreds of clients. Along the way, we’ve documented our processes and created templates to save time and money.
Here are a few great social media resources to make your life easier:
These templates provide a structured framework that will help keep your brand coherent and your content on schedule.
How to Start a Content Writing Agency and Organize Your Content
If there’s one thing we know about running a digital marketing agency, it’s the importance of keeping your content creation and tracking processes organized. Otherwise, things can quickly become cumbersome and confusing.
There are three key stages involved in creating and optimizing your content writing:
- Research
- Design
- Tracking
In this section, we’ll take a look at what’s involved in successfully executing each of these three stages of the content writing process.
Content Research
Content research involves systematically gathering and analyzing information to create informative, accurate, and interesting content. There are several ways to conduct research, including through articles, books, data, and online resources on a given topic.
The goal of content research is to understand:
- Audience needs
- Industry trends
- Relevant data
This will ensure your content is well-informed and valuable to your target audience. To simplify the process of collecting and referencing your content research, check out our Notion Content Creation Template [+Calendar].
Content Design
Once you’ve completed your research and have a clear sense of the direction your campaign will take, it’s time to move on to the design phase. Content design involves considering your user’s needs and crafting written and visual content that is user-friendly and accessible.
For example, let’s say you’ve been hired to produce content for the landing page of a personal website. To design the content, you might consider factors like:
- Clear and concise language
- Impactful visuals
- Intuitive navigation
- Accessibility
By designing for user engagement, you’ll create impactful content that’s more likely to convert.
Content Tracking
Monitoring and analyzing the performance of your digital content is an important agency responsibility. A streamlined content tracking system will also help you organize the backlinks and keywords that make up your different content series.
For instance, a central database of your blog articles, links, and keywords is a great way for your team to collaborate on content creation and quickly find content to cross-reference and optimize.
Slam’s Airtable Content Calendar is a great resource for tracking social media content, SEO articles, newsletters, and more!
How to Start a Content Writing Agency and Optimize Your Content
Even the most well-written content isn’t very useful if no one can find it. Ideally, the content you put out into the world should rank on the first few pages of Google. That’s why search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical skill to learn when figuring out how to start a content writing agency.
Here are a few Slam tools to help with your SEO strategy and SEO agency reporting:
Also, check out our guide to using SEO agency reporting software for your content writing agency.
SEO is a complex topic, so check out our How to Start an Agency masterclass if you need a more thorough explainer.
How to Start a Content Writing Agency with Slam's Digital Resources
As a design agency with over 10 years in the industry, we know how hard it is to figure out things like business setup, finding clients, and keeping track of content. That’s why we’ve decided to document our processes and create a series of resources designed to help agency founders save time and money.
Visit our products page for a full list of our templates and courses, many of which are included in our How to Start an Agency masterclass for a fixed price. You can also check out our blog for helpful guides and commentary on industry trends.
If you found this article helpful, check out these other how-to guides for agency founders:
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