Iram Ghafoor

I am planning on training one person regarding content writing from next week on. Only one person. I will do one on one sessions to guide you through the content writing journey, how to get clients, and everything in between.

Comment below if you're interested and tell me why I should choose you. I will choose one from the comments.
Don't inbox, please. I won't respond there.

P.s. don't ask why only one person. I have my reasons for that.

5-day Freelancers Skills Workshop held in Gilgit Baltistan by Pakistan Software Export Board where I joined as a trainer to train aspiring freelancers and content writers at University of Baltistan Skardu & Karakoram International University

Thank you for the opportunity Tech Destination Pakistan

Some glimpse from the content writing session delivered at Quaid e Azam university Islamabad

May 21, 2021

***From a Shy Rural Girl to a Confident Woman EARNING 6 FIGURES as a Freelancer***

As they say, "When there is a will, there is a way."

The purpose of sharing my story is to tell all those hopeless people that DON'T GIVE UP, YOUR DAY WILL COME.

I can still remember when back in 2017, I felt so hopeless because I had no support to continue my studies. Yeah, I was a passionate student back then, believing that degree k bagair kuch b nhi.

I didn't want to ask my father to finance my studies because I knew it would put more burden on his aged shoulders.

I wanted to do it myself. Thus, started hunting for jobs. A 22 years old girl visited almost every local back with a CV in hand and would get only one reply, "We will let you know if we have any vacancy available."

No luck. Admissions were running late so I somehow arranged 18k for the admission fee and got there. Opted for e-learning to minimize on-campus expenses.

After a month or so, got a job as an insurance sales officer in HBL with some references. But this was not my cup of tea. Being an introvert, it was too hard for me to communicate with every incoming and outgoing customer. So, I resigned after 6 months.

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However, the financial struggle was still the same. I still couldn't ask my father for personal expenses and this was the time when I actually craved FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE.

An online acquaintance suggested that I should try freelancing.
"What Freelancing? An alien term to me."
"Making money online? Such a joke."

But anyway, I wanted to give it a try. Thanks to my curious mind.

I don't know why I picked content writing to start with but I did anyway. Joined local FB groups and got to work with 2 agencies for two months.

Then, came to know about Fiverr and wanted to try my luck there. Thus, joined Fiverr in August 2018.
I can still remember the excitement I had when I received my first order of $5 within 15 hours of creating gigs.

The journey actually started from there. Now I was serious about freelancing and I knew I was going to make my name there.

And I did!!! Alhamdulillah.

I aced as a freelance content writer in 2.5 years. Still, a long way to go though!
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What's unique about my story is that I am not like every other freelancer, coming from cities with proper internet facilities. And believe me, nobody speaks English or even Urdu here (the reason my accent is so toota pootha).

And tech? A big NO, NO.

Even when I started, I didn't know how to copy-paste and save a file on the desktop. Believe me, I didn't.

Pure village environment.

But I did it from a village…

I challenged myself.

Worked 18 hours a day. Sometimes, I would have to wait for electricity 15 to 18 hours a day.

Struggled hard to improve my English and grammar (still struggling though).

Would forget to eat and sleep.

Would sit outside in the burning sun and harsh cold to catch internet signals.

Cried and went depressed multiple times (still the same) due to internet issues.

Got freckles and dark circles for the first time in life (you know girly things 😀).

Wanted to give up many times.

But, I had to do it. And I am glad I didn't give up.

No goals in mind.
No proper direction.
Not knowing where I was going.

Just had one thing in mind- I AM NEVER GOING TO ASK ANYONE FOR A SINGLE PENNY AGAIN. NOT EVEN MY FATHER.

And that day and this day, I am not asking but supporting them.

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So, yes!

I am proud to be the only child having a master's degree with distinction among my whole nanhal and dadhal. And I am proud that I achieved it with e-learning while sitting at home.

I am proud to be the only successful freelancer in my village.

I am proud that I self-learned content writing without any proper guidance.

I am proud to be self-sufficient while sitting in a village with poor internet access.

I am proud that I struggled.

And most importantly, I am proud to be a proud daughter of my father, and mother (in heavens) ☺️

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In the end, it's all about how you challenge yourself, how much effort you put in, and how much stamina you have to stand firm.

If I can while sitting in a village with extremely poor internet facilities, why can't you?

Received Prime Minister's Excellence Award...
for being one of the few nominated freelancers working from remote areas with internet issues and other challenges.

Alhamdulillah!

Iram Ghafoor updated their website address.

Here comes my very first session about "Blog Writing". Must watch to learn how to write a blog post from start to finish.

Blog Writing Blog Writing SessionThe session will cover how to craft:-Headlines-Blog Introduction-main body content-Conclusion

😊😊

Team BUILDREINS thank Mam Iram Ghafoor for providing us with an excellent training session on SEO and CONTENT WRITING .
Her knowledge, bright ideas, and comforting guidance had a great positive impact on us. It was indeed a helpful and useful session.
We are looking forward to our next interaction soon. Wishing her best of luck for her future endeavours.

Received my coffee book of Extraordinary Freelancers prepared by PSEB. Feels so good to hold this in my hands and read amazing stories of brilliant freelancers 😍 Thank you Tech Destination Pakistan

Attended Connected Pakistan Conference 2021.

Really enjoyed the event, energy, motivation, and vibes. Such events are necessary to encourage digital growth in Pakistan.

How to start as a content writer?

One of the most common questions people ask

Well, first of all, Don't forget that Google and Youtube are your best friends. You will find plenty of material there.

Here is what you can do to start as a content writer.

- Start slow. Don't rush yourself
- First, understand the term "content writing" and "content writer" (Google will help, believe me)
- Content writing is a broad term that covers multiple categories under its head. You need to decide which Category you want to start with.
If you don't know anything about its categories, Google it.
Or head over to Fiverr (as a buyer)> check its category "writing and translation". You'll find multiple subcategories under this head. You can pick any of the subcategories (as per your interest) and start working on that. E.g., blog writing, email writing, web content writing, product descriptions, etc.
-Even if you excel in any one domain, that'll be enough to make living. However, expand your skills as you grow... But start with one (or max 2).
- whatever category you have picked, now only focus on that. E.g., if you have decided to go with blog writing, learn the common format/layout of a blog, why people write blogs, what's the purpose of the blog, what kind of content you can provide in a blog, how to write a blog post, etc.
- Then start practicing. E.g., write a few blogs for yourself and publish them on medium... Before you start to grab clients.
- Ask seniors for feedback. This way you will learn your shortcomings and you can work on them
- After you have practiced enough, it's time to grab clients. How you can do that? Multiple options; Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Fiverr, Upwork, cold emailing, and a lot more. Google where you can find content writing jobs.
- Strongly pitch your potential clients and you go from there

What rates you should charge as a beginner?

It's solely up to you. Some even start for free, some start with $10, some with $5 or whatever price they feel is worth their efforts. You can also decide a price by analyzing your competition. E.g., if you intend to sell your services on Fiverr, see what price other writers are offering there. You surely don't want to charge something as of sellers with level badges because otherwise, your prospect will go to them... Unless you have a strong portfolio. Charge a bit lower than what others are offering and you can gradually increase the price as you gain some experience and exposure.

Delivered my first ever session about freelancing and content writing to the students of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University and it was my first time doing the video thing or even doing a session.
Feels good and confident 😊

Thank you for the mention sir Hisham Sarwar 😊

Honored to be a part of 102 extraordinary freelancers list prepared b Software Export Board ( ). I am the one selected from my city (there are only 2 from , me and )

Some interesting Google search tips I found the other day, thought to share with you (specifically helpful for content writers)
1. “enter text here” (text in inverted commas) to search for the exact same phrase e.g., “Write for your readers; address their questions” (This is specifically helpful when you want to know if your article is published or not)
2. - (minus sign) to exclude a word from your search e.g., best laptops -Apple
3. : (colons) to search for a certain site having words you are looking for. E.g., games:apple.com
4. Google site:site name (to search for a specific site e.g., Google site:fiverr.com)
5. Related:site name (to find sites that are similar to this site e.g., related:backlinko.com)
6. OR (to search two words/phrases at once e.g., game OR Word, content writing tips OR how to do content writing)
7. Type define word in Google’s search bar to learn the definition of any word or slang e.g., define plagiarism, define I am beat
8. *Search term here* filetype:type name to find results having a specific file type. E.g., *How to lose weight* filetype:pdf
9. “* find missing words or variable of words (specifically helpful when finding lyrics of a song) e.g. "*is bigger than an elephant"
10. Type Time place in Google’s search bar to know the time in a specific place (same for sunset/sunrise and weather ) e.g., time Turkey, sunset Landon, weather Hawaii
11. .. (to search for a specific range of number e.g., 90..100)
12. Do maths on Google e.g., type 76+90*20/60 in Google’s search bar. It will show the answer
13. Enter the package number in the Google search bar to track your package (works most of the time)

Writing in Plain English

If you want to win your reader, make sure to write in plain English. It precisely means:
1. Write for your readers; address their questions and information they are looking for
2. Make sure your content is scannable; readers first scan then read
3. Use active voice; it makes your sentences more concise and clear
4. Make sure your sentences are shorter and clear; avoid jargon, avoid vague words, avoid unnecessary modifiers, avoid difficult or fancy words, avoid excessive use of 'it, is, there is, this, that, being said that, as we discussed above' etc.
5. Use subheadings, bullets, and lists to make your article more scannable
6. Address your reader directly which means use 'you'; make sure your content is conversational
7. Break your old-school grammar rules; start sentences with but, or, because, etc.
8. Use powerful verb and meaningful words
9. Avoid wordiness; delete all those unnecessary words
10. Make sure your content is flowing well; read aloud to check the flow and catch mistakes

Plain language also supports SEO

This independence day

Let's aim to be financially independent
Mentally independent
and most importantly, emotionally independent!

***GIG NOT APPEARING IN SEARCH RESULTS***

So, it often happens that you edit a gig and it disappears from search results and you think that the gig has been deranked.
Though deranking is also a factor, in most cases, it's because your gig is under review by Fiverr CS.

So, what you can do is;
- Go to Fiverr help center portal at https://fiverr.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

- Click 'submit a request'

- Select gig as 'subject' and then select issue 'my gig doesn't appear in search result'.

- Select the relevant gig and see its status. If the status is ACTIVE then there is a problem with ranking.

But if the status is GIG UNDER REVIEW, then it's simply that Fiverr CS wants to further review your gig.

In that case, open a ticket and tell the support to reinstate your gig. It will be back in search results.

***3 Years of Struggle and Success as a Content Writer on Fiverr***

Say Masha Allah!

Started desperately, not knowing what to do and how to do it. Just wanted to have money.
Worked with scammers, worked for peanuts; just to enhance my skills.
Reached out to every relevant person for guidance (Thank you all for helping me out, you have my respect)
Utilized every useful resource

Worked 18 hours a day, to get only 11000 rupees at the end of the month.

But didn't stop!
Set goals
"THIS MONTH I AM GOING TO MAKE MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS MONTH- NO MATTER RS. 1 OR RS. 1000"

Joined Fiverr. Made $1000 within 4 months of joining

But, it wasn't that smooth
A lot of rejections due to bad grammar and low-quality content
2star reviews
3-star reviews
Order cancellations
Desperate to outsource because not knowing what to write
Blaming clients for rejections because I'm not at fault (wasn't ready to accept my mistakes)
Demotivated when seniors told me "I am not creative, my grammar is bad so I can't be a writer."

Wanted to give up many times
Wanted to quit
Cried when learning was hard due to internet issues (Even cried last night because wasn’t able to attend a live session due to poor internet :D)
Cried when I wasn't able to open any site due to internet failure
Cried when I had to transfer files from mobile to laptop and laptop to mobile because the internet would suck
Depressed
Immensely stressed

But didn't quit
Didn't give up
Struggled
Struggled again
And again.

Learned
Kept trying

And here I'm today
With 350+ happy customers from around the world
With a lot of returning buyers who trust me for their content needs
Where I'm able to guide a few people to step into the world of freelancing and content writing
I didn't make millions, don't have lots of fans but quite satisfied with what I have achieved

The journey is still going
I'm still learning
Still struggling
Some days, I want to quit
But the next day, I'm doing it with a new energy

Alhamdulillah!
Can't thank Him enough.

Keep going! Your day will come, that's all I have to say :)

Ask me anything for the next 40 minutes.1,2,3 go...

A golden tip for all writers- especially beginners

READ THE CONTENT LOUDLY after writing the first draft. It will help you know if the flow is missing or if something is off that you should fix.

Fix it, then read again.

Fix again and then read again

Read at least thrice and I can bet you'll see improvement in your writing.

Try it and do share the results with me. Cheers! 😊

We have been talking enough about value, quality, grammar, and bla bla…

Let's talk about CONTENT FORMATTING today

Ok, you were attending a wedding and that one girl/guy caught your attention.

Why?

Were they dressed nicely? Or had a decent makeup on?
Whatever the reason, they made themselves look attractive (visually appealing) that caught your attention, right?

The same is true for content formatting (talking about blog articles here).
Poorly formatted or unformatted content looks cringe. And it can be a turn-off for your potential client (at least for me).

So make sure your content is well-formatted, visually appealing, and easy to read.

How?
-- Make sure your blog has a proper title and always use a large font for the title. It's also nice to bold the title.

-- Use subheadings. And don't underline or italicize your title or main subheadings.

-- Likewise, your subheading should be bold and all subheads must have a consistent font. E.g., if the first H2 has Calibri 16, all h2 should have the same font. If the first h3 has Calibri 14, the rest should also follow the same font size and style.

-- It's recommended to capitalize the first letter of each word for title and subheadings.

-- Keep the font consistent for the rest of your content (paragraphs) e.g., Calibri 12.

-- Make sure there is proper spacing between paragraphs (double spacing is my favorite)

-- Write short paragraphs. It is ideal to have 1 to 4 sentences per paragraph. But certain articles like interview-style articles may need long paragraphs so that's completely fine. But try not to exceed 5 to 7 sentences in that case as well. There are no hard and fast rules though, use your judgment to guess the ideal length.

-- Write short sentences; 20 to 26 words is the ideal length for sentences. If you find it necessary to extend sentences, then make sure it doesn't exceed 34 words.

-- Break up the text with bullet points where possible

-- Use easy to read fonts

-- Use decent colors such as black for the main text and black/blue for subheads

-- Don't intend the first line of paragraphs, looks unprofessional.

-- If you have to hyperlink any text, don't hyperlink the whole line or sentence. Instead, hyperlink any figures such as 3 million, 5.6%, January 2021. Otherwise, hyperlink only 2 to 3 words. Excessive hyperlinking makes the text hard to read.

-- And make sure your article ends on a nice Call to Action (CTA). It can be a question, a link, a piece of advice, or anything that indicates that we have reached the end and now it's time for the reader to take action.

Note: These are tips to follow when you are writing for a client. Of course, you have to add a table of content, relevant images, and take care of background color, etc., when publishing a blog post.
Have something to add to the list? Do share!

"HOW" has more impact than "WHY" for blog articles.

Kia smjhy?

And do you know what's my secret of retaining this?

No rocket science, just two simple things:
1. COMMUNICATION; can't stress enough the importance of communication.
2. BUYER'S SATISFACTION; deliver quality work and meet their expectations. They'll come back for more!

Cheers!

So, often people ask me that they want to start content writing but don't know how to choose a topic for practice.

It's easy. Pick any of your favorite topics.
Ok, you are asking me 'how to find content writing jobs', 'how to learn content writing', 'how to choose niche/topic for writing an article',
These alone make brilliant topic ideas. Do your research and write about these topics.
Super easy, right?