It was 2021. COVID times.
I landed a remote job with a digital marketing startup while pursuing my Master’s.
I’d been writing SEO content since 2016, and I thought I knew it well, mainly because I never struggled to get hired.
But I was sooo… wrong.
While working with this boss, I got a reality check and I’m glad I got it.
Let me tell you how it went and how it shaped my content marketing career.
The BAD Boss Era
When I worked for him, I dreaded opening emails.
Edits happened overnight, and they were harsh. Worse was the boss’s WhatsApp text that came with the “edits” link.
I started praying every night before sleep for fewer edits and no brutal remarks the next morning.
But the fact is, I really didn’t know how to write good SEO content then.
All I knew was to write quickly. I’ve a good typing speed!
All the agencies I had worked with previously were all about “stuffing” keywords in the name of SEO. The focus was always on “quantity” over quality.
I soon realized this agency was a real digital marketing agency. They actually helped their clients grow.
He was straightforward without any filters.
One time he said that I didn’t know anything about SEO writing. Not only him but his editors were also fed up with the work I was delivering.
He said I made rookie mistakes as if I didn’t know how to write SEO content. This forced me to upskill so I could keep up with his requirements.
I started learning from free sources like HubSpot and Google. He even pointed me towards the Backlinko guides, so I can learn the real stuff.
I would learn and apply the same in my writing.
But thanks to the bad boss and his editors, I learned some technical stuffs that these guides overlook.
Lessons in SEO Writing
It was at this agency that I first learned about content briefs.
Before that, everywhere I worked, I was only given a topic or blog title and a few SEO keywords.
But at this agency, in each brief, they mentioned what was expected of me and the SEO practices I had to follow.
This helped me learn:
- Writing meta titles and description
- Interlinking
- Using Stats
- Creating hooks
- Writing conclusion headings
- FAQs
- Keyword density
And most importantly, “REAL” research, not just rephrasing the information on the ranked blogs.
Honestly, I didn’t even know how to find the original statistics link when I started working with him.
The transition was stressful. I had to unlearn several things.
If I had to summarize my key learnings, then here they are:
Real Content vs Keyword Stuffing
In the first few projects, I did what I knew — keyword dumping, but maintaining the density.
Result?
10+ comments. 50+ edits. 5 long WhatsApp texts (insults) from the boss!
The painful task? Rewriting the whole thing 2-3 times.
Initially, I didn’t even understand why they found so many faults in my work. I used to be so angry.
Till then, all I knew was that if I fit the keywords perfectly, making some sense, it was good to go!
To justify my initial work, I started researching online. That’s when I realized all I knew was wrong.
Keyword stuffing may have worked a couple of years back, but not during that time.
This activity led me to study Google’s SEO updates.
I understood that a ton of “real” research is essential to write “real” content.
Writing for Humans
Keyword, word count limits, and interlinks may work for the algorithm, but not humans.
It was again this boss who told me about “readability” and the Hemingway Editor.
He made it mandatory for me to run all my content through the app. He wasn’t strict with it, but told me to get at least Grade 7 readability.
The editors on the other hand taught me: title and sentence case, flow, clarity, cutting fluff, using proper images, and so on.
By the way, I didn’t even know there was a term called “fluff” before working here.
Subject Matter Expertise and Author Bio
When I worked with him, I learned about other writers on his team through LinkedIn.
They used to post the blogs they wrote for the agency. I started reading them and noticed they had “bylines”.
One day, I noticed a blog a team member shared on LinkedIn. It was my content (with edits), but her name as the author.
So, I asked the boss about it. He said, “You’re not an expert to get an author bio”.
I didn’t find this a convincing reason, so I started reading about how author bio works.
I dug into Google E-E-A-T and learned what he said was true.
People prefer to read a blog from someone who has the exact knowledge and can prove it.
So, I started learning how to use case studies, examples, quotes and more in my writing to showcase E-E-A-T.
Additionally, I focused on building my personal brand.
Editing & Confidence
As a writer, the worst thing is finding the improvement areas just after you send the submission email.
While working for this boss, this was like real bad.
When the edits came back with the boss’s WhatsApp text message, I actually accepted those mistakes.
Reading my content the next day, with fresh eyes, I could see the places I could have improved.
So, I decided to write in the morning and start editing after a gap of 2-3 hours in the evening before the 7 PM deadlines.
I started copying the exact way the editors would edit it — mercilessly.
I think I did improve a lot, but the boss was never satisfied.
Transition from Writer to Content Marketer
Just to prove my “bad” boss wrong, I had studied digital marketing thoroughly. But never proved him wrong, because he’s right all along.
Whenever he would use a jargon I didn’t know, it would hurt my ego. So, I completed the free courses on HubSpot to learn everything.
I also started reading Backlinko, HubSpot, and Semrush regularly.
This also led me to explore social media marketing, WordPress, SEO, and more.
I built my website and started promoting the content using social channels.
I applied all my SEO knowledge to my website and managed to get ranked on the first page of Google for one blog only, but it tanked soon after.
Well, you know, it’s not that easy.
Due to this website, I learned how to use Google Analytics and Search Console.
Using my social channels, I started pulling traffic to my website. So, I not only had a byline but managed to pull traffic.
All these, plus the works from this agency I worked for, helped me get a paid byline blog writing opportunity later.
Proudest moments were when almost all my bylined blogs were getting accepted with minimal edits. Some even without edits. (Unfortunately, those links are long gone.)
I wanted to try out email marketing as well. So, I started reading about it.
Never got the chance to experiment with it, as I landed a job with better pay soon after.
In the new company, I was finally doing “content marketing,” something that I had learned due to this “bad” boss.
For the next 4 years, I continued doing that and learned several new things. But this time, with an open mind, no resistance.
The Silver Lining of a Bad Boss
Yes, the boss was extremely rude. But due to my ego, I had pushed myself to unlearn and learn.
Did he do it intentionally to help me? I don’t know.
But it worked out for me.
Those days were stressful, but now I see how far I have come due to that. I’m grateful for whatever I experienced then.
Bad bosses make you mad, but they also help you to stand out in the competitive market.
If not for those long WhatsApp messages early morning and 10+ comments, I wouldn’t have grown as a content marketer.
Tired of Bad Bosses and Endless Edits? Here’s My Advice
We all get at least one bad boss in life.
My advice? Unless it hampers your mental and physical health, don’t resist them.
Try to learn the skills the boss is belittling you for. Don’t take anything to heart.
Bosses will come and go, but your skills are to stay.
Use these bad bosses as a motivator to push you out of your comfort zone. But yes, don’t sacrifice your health.
When it comes to endless edits, please do it.
No matter how many rounds of edits you are given, keep studying your mistakes and fix them. This will help you write better in the future.
SEO will keep evolving, but fortunately, your readers will remain human. So, always try to study what your audience prefers over anything else.
My Gratitude for the Bad Boss
No matter how much I hated him back then, I appreciate whatever he taught me. I did speak to him again after a few years, and he was doing fine.
His agency is doing well, just AI has hampered his content services, but now I think things will be alright.
Even when I spoke to him after resigning from his agency, I had resentment towards him.
But now, after 5+ years, I understand his situation well.
If I ever meet him again, I might even…. thank him, will see, not sure.
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