I’ve been working as a content manager, freelance writer, and editor for the Barcelona-based digital marketing agency Vime Digital for over four years. In fact, there are dozens of agencies out there and they’re all eager to recruit new writers. Read on and learn how to make your bones in the agency world.

Let’s quickly define what a digital marketing agency is, so we’re all on the same page. A digital agency is a business entity that provides online marketing services for external clients (they’re called “accounts” in the agency lingo). These services include blog and news-related content writing and publishing, with a major focus on search engine optimization (SEO).

What do clients expect from an agency like this? They want higher levels of traffic on their websites and top positions for specific keywords in search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. How is this achieved with your help? You’ll need to write articles for a variety of blogs and news outlets, and link them up to your employing agency account’s website using a specific anchor text. This is called a “link building campaign” or “sponsored posts campaign,” and to be successful at it, you need to have a solid understanding of SEO, in addition to sharp writing skills.

Let’s take a look at an example, so it’s all clear. Let’s say the agency’s client is an e-commerce site in the audio equipment industry. The agency’s outreach team contacts website owners in the audio niche and asks them if they’re interested in publishing sponsored posts. Once this agreement is reached, it’s time to get the article ready, and that’s exactly where you step in.

As a writer, you might get tasked with ghostwriting a 600-1,200-word blog post according to specific guidelines (number of links, images, anchor text, etc.) The post you write also needs to nail a particular keyword so it can rank in search engines and send referral traffic to the client’s website.

As you can imagine, you’d need to write content that follows the style guide of a particular publisher’s website. Plus, the agency might deal with clients in various markets, so one day, you become a temporary expert in online gaming, and the next you’re all about the most luxurious hotels in Costa Rica. To become a successful writer in this environment, you need a lot of mental flexibility and a general understanding of a wide array of topics. And as with any freelance client, you must honor deadlines, often set at around 48 hours from the moment you receive your assignment.

The pay depends on the requirements of each client. But on average, you can count on $50-$100 per blog post. Once submitted, it lands in an editor’s inbox, and if you know what you’re doing, reworks are quite rare, and the editor takes care of the rest.

Over the years, I screened dozens of applications from freelance writers who wanted to sign up with an agency. The ones who got the job weren’t the ones with the best resumes and cover letters. Rather, they had a solid website and a decent portfolio that served as proof of their skills.

Digital agencies often advertise on job boards, but if you want to get hired, it’s much better if you connect with relevant players on LinkedIn or through cold email outreach. Look for a “content manager,” “content director,” or an “editorial manager” and show them your writing chops. You just might catch them at the moment when they desperately need a great writer for their new account.

BIO – Rafal Reyzer is a full-time blogger, freelance writer, digital marketer, editor, and content manager. He started his blog to provide readers with tools and strategies they can use to work remotely and achieve success through online creativity. His site is an oasis for writers, bloggers, publishers, content enthusiasts, and freelancers who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. https://rafalreyzer.com/