Skip to content

SME Guide

How to Start a Content Writing Agency in Nigeria from Scratch

A content writing agency creates high-quality blog posts, articles, social media posts, website copy, press releases, and other content for clients in Nigeria. With the rise of digital marketing and SEO, the demand for professional content is surging locally. This presents an attractive business opportunity.

Follow this step-by-step guide to build a successful content writing agency in Nigeria from the ground up:

Learn strong writing and editing skills.

Sharpen your own writing and editing skills to lay a strong foundation for your agency.

Study writing principles: learn about content structure, style, audience research and adaptation, persuasive writing techniques, plain language writing, and more through books, blogs, and classes.

Read extensively. Consume blogs, magazines, books, etc. in diverse niches to expand your knowledge and vocabulary.

Practice diverse formats: write sample website copy, blog posts, social media content, press releases, newsletters, scripts, and other formats.

Learn editing skills. Study how to refine content structure, messaging, word choice, grammar, and spelling through online courses.

Take a writing course. Consider formal certifications like a diploma in writing or journalism to build credentials.

Get feedback. Have experienced writers or editors review your samples and provide improvement feedback.

Strong personal writing skills allow you to consistently produce high-quality content and guide your team.

Research the local content writing market.

Evaluate the competitive landscape.

  • Who are the major content agencies and freelancers serving clients in Nigeria?
  • What industries and clients do they focus on? Who is underserved?
  • What services and pricing models do competitors offer? Where are the gaps?
  • What content marketing trends are emerging locally that you can capitalise on?
  • What pain points do clients have when working with content teams?
  • What differentiates top content agencies from the average ones?

Market insights help position your agency competitively.

Develop your content writing expertise.

Become skilled in diverse content types and client needs.

Website copy: write compelling yet SEO-friendly website pages, product descriptions, service pages, etc.

Blog posts: Produce insightful blogs with researched data, expert perspectives, and engaging storytelling.

Social media: Craft attention-grabbing social media posts tailored to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Press releases: Write persuasive press releases that get media attention.

Newsletters: Design engaging email newsletters that get opened, clicked, and shared.

Scripts: Produce videos, podcasts, presentations, and speeches.

Technical writing: learn to explain complex products clearly through documentation, manuals, guides, etc.

Expertise in creating diverse content types for different mediums and audiences builds client confidence.

Build a strong personal brand.

Establish yourself as a leading content expert and agency founder.

Share your story. Communicate your background, experience, vision for the agency, and why you started this business. Be authentic and passionate.

Create content. Build authority by consistently publishing blogs, articles, and videos with useful content writing tips, insights, and ideas.

Be active on social media. Post regularly on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc., commenting on industry discussions.

Speak at events: Take opportunities to present at conferences and seminars related to marketing, writing, PR, and communications.

Network: Join professional associations and online communities of content marketers, creators, and PR professionals.

Do guest posts—write articles for prominent publications related to your expertise. Aim to get featured in major media.

Promote your expertise consistently online and offline to gain visibility.

Assemble a skilled content team.

A capable team of writers and editors is crucial for delivering excellence at scale.

Writers – Build a pool of talented writers who are excellent at producing insightful, engaging content for diverse topics and formats. Have them demonstrate skills through writing tests.

Editors: Hire skilled editors to refine content drafts, ensure brand consistency, and guarantee quality standards are met before client delivery.

Researchers: Have dedicated researchers who can gather data, insights, expert perspectives, etc. to inform content and fact-check accurately.

Project managers: Hire experienced project managers to coordinate content development, manage client relationships, and oversee timelines.

Creative talent: Bring on creative talent like graphic designers, videographers, etc. to provide visual assets to augment writing.

Invest in writers with demonstrated skills and expertise aligned with your agency’s niche. Compensate them well to retain talent.

Develop your service offerings.

Design diverse content-related services for clients:

Blog content: packages with different volumes of professional blogs per month based on client needs.

Social media content: ongoing social media content creation catered to each platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)

Website content: one-time website copywriting or ongoing site content updates as needed.

Press releases: writing and distribution of press releases to get media attention

Newsletters: Design, write, and distribute email newsletters for regular client communication.

Scripts: Produce video scripts, podcasts, speeches, etc.

Technical writing: user manuals, product guides, help documentation, etc.

Content audits: audit website content and recommend optimisation strategies.

Offer flexible content solutions targeted at client goals and budgets in your market.

Set competitive pricing

Benchmark competitor rates when structuring your pricing:

Per-word pricing of 50–250 per 500 words is common based on quality levels. Minimums apply.

Value-based pricing: price deliverables like press releases, blog packages, website copy, etc. based on market value.

Bundles: Offer discounts for purchasing larger volumes, e.g., 1 year of monthly content.

Premium services: charge higher rates for rush delivery, expert content, infographics, etc.

Upgrades: Allow client upgrades, e.g., from basic copyediting to premium proofreading services.

Tiered packages: have clear good-better-best content packages.

Retainers: Offer monthly retainers for ongoing content at preferential rates.

Premium clients: gradually increase rates as you gain expertise and reputation in a niche.

Price profitably based on the value you deliver while remaining competitive.

Build Your Content Writing Portfolio

Create an impressive portfolio that convinces prospects.

Client case studies: Showcase your best work through examples, metrics, and client testimonials. Get permission.

Content samples: Include diverse writing samples, e.g., blog posts, social media content, press releases, website copy, etc.

Before/after content: Demonstrate your editing skills through examples of content that has improved.

Geographic spread: feature work done for companies across Nigeria and internationally.

Visual content: include infographics, videos, presentations, and other visual assets created for clients.

Satisfied clients: list key clients served with a brief description of the work executed for them.

An impactful portfolio builds trust that you can deliver results for diverse industries, formats, and clients.

Structure your content agency legally.

Choose the right legal structure for your business.

Sole proprietorship: the simplest structure where you operate as an individual. No corporate veil, but easy to setup.

Partnership: Allows co-founding the agency with others. Create partnership agreements defining profit shares, roles, etc.

A limited liability company (LLC) separates your personal finances from the company for liability protection. More complex compliance

A corporation establishes a distinct legal entity for your agency. More formalities like annual returns and taxes apply.

Consult legal and tax experts to determine which structure optimally balances ease, protection, and compliance based on your specific situation.

Fund Your Content Writing Business

Explore financing options to launch and operate your agency.

Bootstrapping: self-fund startup costs from personal savings. It requires low startup capital but limited growth.

Bank loans: Approach banks or microfinance institutions for small business loans by presenting your business plan.

Investors – Pitch angel investors or VCs on your growth prospects in exchange for equity shares.

Business grants: seek grants from government agencies like the Bank of Industry, Youth Development Funds, etc.

Business partners: co-found the agency with partners who bring investment. Sign shareholder agreements.

Working capital financing: secure financing like invoice factoring to ease cash flow for operational expenses.

Crowdfunding: Use crowdfunding platforms to raise startup capital from a broad base of supporters and future customers.

Determine the optimal funding mix to launch and sustain your agency based on costs, equity dilution, and repayment capabilities.

Set Up Your Content Studio

Create a productive content writing environment.

Office: Set up professional office space for your team, even if you are starting virtual or home-based initially.

Hardware: Equip your team with powerful laptops, projectors, printers, scanners, and other tools needed to work efficiently.

Software: invest in writing tools like Grammarly, design software like Canva, and project collaboration platforms like Trello.

Information access: subscribe to premium databases, publications, and media monitoring tools to inform content.

Content guidelines: Create an agency style guide covering writing best practices, tone of voice, branding rules, processes, etc.

Productivity frameworks: institute processes like structured brainstorming, outlining, editing checklists, etc. to drive consistency.

Communication channels: set up team messaging, video conferencing, knowledge-sharing platforms, etc. to collaborate smoothly.

Investing in a top-notch studio ensures your team has everything they need to excel.

Master SEO-Optimised Content Writing

Creating SEO-friendly content should be a core agency speciality.

Keyword research: Use tools like SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, etc. to identify topics and keywords with high search volume and low competition to target.

Optimise content: naturally incorporate relevant keywords in headlines, body text, captions, meta descriptions, etc. Avoid over-optimisation.

Format for scannability: Use scannable formatting like subtitles, bullet points, short paragraphs, etc. to make the content easy to digest.

Optimise media: give images and video files SEO-friendly titles, alt text, captions, etc.

Enhance readability: assess and improve readability scores through Grammarly and similar tools.

Check mobile-friendliness: Ensure content layouts, sizes, and formatting display well on mobile devices.

Link building: interlink relevant internal content. Pitch other sites to earn high-value backlinks.

Analyse performance: Track organic visibility, traffic, and conversions driven by content using Google Analytics. Refine accordingly.

SEO expertise makes you more valuable to businesses needing organic growth.

Stay updated on industry trends.

Keep pace with an evolving field.

  • Attend content marketing, writing, and blogging conferences.
  • Read industry publications like Contently and Coschedule blogs.
  • Follow influencers and experts on social media for insights.
  • Participate in professional associations like the Content Marketing Institute.
  • Listen to podcasts like The Content Marketing Show for inspiration.
  • Take online courses on new content creation tools.
  • Subscribe to Google Alerts for the latest content news.

Ongoing education helps incorporate fresh ideas and strategies into your agency.

Provide excellent client service.

End-to-end customer service makes or breaks agencies. Ensure:

  • Swift responses to inquiries
  • Warm client onboarding
  • Regular project updates
  • Accommodating urgent needs
  • Soliciting client feedback
  • Swift issue resolution
  • Post-project support
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys
  • Client appreciation gestures

Exceptional service earns loyalty, referrals, and growth.

Leverage content marketing.

Aggressively market your agency through content:

  • Publish a company blog with useful writing and marketing tips to attract leads.
  • Start a podcast focused on business communication and writing.
  • Create free content marketing e-books and tools to capture emails.
  • Promote content offers through social media, PPC ads, and email marketing.
  • Repurpose content into various formats: blogs from research reports, infographics from blogs, etc.
  • Get press mentions by pitching journalists on writing-related stories.
  • Position executives as expert sources for media commentary on relevant topics.

Leveraging diverse content formats spreads awareness and grows your audience.

Diversify your offerings.

Expand services catering to client content needs:

  • Copywriting: website pages, brochures, catalogues, and a ads
  • Translation: Make content accessible in local languages.
  • Illustrated writing: infographics, comics, animated videos
  • Audio content: podcasts, online radio ads, audiobooks
  • Instructional writing: user manuals, e-learning courses, and how-to guides
  • Speechwriting: scripts for client presentations and talks
  • Publishing: producing books and e-books for clients

Diverse content services attract new clients while earning more from existing ones.

Those are crucial steps and strategies to launch a successful content writing agency in Nigeria. The key is delighting clients by producing stellar, results-driven content tailored to their goals. This builds a thriving, referral-based business.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *