Are you talented at describing things? Do your friends and family claim you’re good at giving directions without using GPS due to your liberal use of descriptive words? Maybe you’re a natural copywriter?
If you are, you can help other people write ads, create website copy, develop brochures, and improve their product listings on various platforms like Amazon.com.
What is a Copywriter?
Copywriters are paid to create sales pages, landing pages, email funnels, blog posts, articles, social media posts, whitepapers, case studies, and more that are designed persuasively. A good copywriter is not only a good writer, but also knows what makes people tick and is well-versed in understanding the audience to use the right words to convert them.
To work as a freelance copywriter, you really do need to understand the process of writing copy for persuasion as well as the psychology of the buyer. You’ll get to choose your own hours, projects, and set your own rates while also working from home, so you don’t even need to rent an office.
Freelance copywriters can keep their overhead low due to the fact you only need a good computer, word processing software, and an internet connection to find your customers. The hardest part of all of it will be setting up your schedule to include all the work you need to do aside from writing while ensuring you have enough time to write too.
Get the Word Out
Once you decide that you want to be a copywriter, it’s imperative you work hard to get the word out. Since you’re a copywriter, you should have no problem creating the same work for yourself that you claim to be able to create for your clients. The best way to get the word out is to be your own best client. Create a website that sells. Create an email marketing autoresponder campaign that impresses. Do for you whatever you claim you will do for others as your best example. The great thing about this is, as you work on your marketing materials for yourself, you’ll also improve your skills at the same time.
Choose a Niche
Don’t just do anything as a copywriter, especially when you’re new. Instead, decide on a niche based on where your skillset lies right now. For example, writing product descriptions may sound boring, but it’s a great place to start and give you practice before you start writing sales pages, which takes a little more skill than short product descriptions.
Draw Clients to You
Using your website, social media profiles, and so forth, you’ll want to draw clients to you by ensuring you know who they are. Go where they are so that they can get to know you. If your clients hang out in a private Facebook group, you need to be there. If your clients hang out at a coffee shop in person, you need to be there. Use the tools of the trade such as autoresponders, landing pages, and internet ads delivered to the right people to get the message across.
Build a Portfolio
Even if you haven’t been hired yet, you can still create a portfolio by designing examples of what you’d do for a real product just like you do in college. In college, your teacher gives you assignments to create an advert for a product, and you can use that as your example. You can do this without a teacher on your own. Work with local business owners at a reduced rate until you build a portfolio that is attractive and showcases each claim you make.
Finally, set your rates so that you make enough money to cover your time, your expenses, your education, and your life. Be careful about working for free unless it’s very strategic. Working at a reduced rate to build your portfolio, build connections, and become the go-to person is great, but working for free forever is not going to build the freelance income you desire, so be careful about doing that for people who may not want to hire you later. You can charge by project, retainer, or on commission – or a combination of all of them depending on what type of work you’re doing.
