If you enjoy writing of any type, a career as a freelance copywriter could be a good choice for you.
When done right, a career as a copywriter can be satisfying and lucrative. It is also a great way to take control of your career and work-life balance. Freelance writers typically set their own schedule and choose the amount of work they do, a significant bonus for anyone looking for more flexibility in their careers.
If you have ever wondered how to get started as a freelance copywriter, this guide is for you.
What Is a Freelance Copywriter?
A freelance copywriter is a writer who works for clients on a project or contract basis. You are not an official employee. As a freelancer, you choose the clients you want to work with, set your own rates, create your own schedule, and hold yourself accountable.
Freelance writing is one of the most in-demand types of freelance work. After the general upheaval in the working world in recent years, many people want to be more in control of their money, work-life balance, and the type of work they do. Choosing a freelance position is a great way to get all of that.
As a copywriter, you can choose what type of work you take on. Accepting jobs from various clients allows you to diversify your portfolio, potentially leading to better, more lucrative work in the future.
Copy is the written content used to market brands and products. Copywriters create content for promotional and commercial use. Copy can be used for advertising, websites, billboards, email campaigns, newsletters, and blogs, just to name a few.
As a freelance copywriter, you may find yourself creating catchy taglines for magazine advertisements or creating an optimized blog article for the web. Copywriters are an integral part of the marketing industry.
How to Get Started as a Copywriter
Luckily, freelance copywriters do not have to invest in too much equipment or education. Most writers can get by with a computer, internet access, and some word-processing software. While having a formal degree or certification can give you an advantage, it is not necessary for most freelance writers.
Just like any other job, as you gain experience, you will get better. The main difference for freelancers is you must seek out these opportunities on your own. With the endless supply of online classes and content, finding these opportunities has never been easier.
1. Read Everything
One of the best ways to become a better writer is to become a better reader. The more words, content, and ideas you expose yourself to, the easier it will be for you to create creative content on your own. Find blogs, websites, magazines, and books that you love, and dive in. Figure out what type of writing you find the most compelling and try to model that on your own.
2. Get Organized
As a freelancer, you will need to make your own schedule. While this can feel exciting and freeing, it can also quickly become overwhelming if you don’t have a strategy. There are a few ways to go about this depending on your work style.
Keeping track of your writing schedule, particularly your deadlines, will be critical if you want to be successful as a freelance writer. While you can keep it old-school and use a paper planner, an online calendar or organizational app might be a better option. That way you always have access to your schedule no matter where you are. There is also a possibility that one or more of your clients will want you to use a specific app or tool while creating content for them.
Here are some popular organizational and workflow apps used by freelance writers:
Notion: Notion is an all-inclusive workspace where you can keep track of your schedule, collaborate with others, create content, and manage your project. It comes with a variety of features including an idea database, a weekly overview, and a calendar.
Image Source: https://www.notion.so/
Clockify: For some freelancers, they find that work hours suddenly take over all parts of their lives. If you want to give yourself focused work time so you have the freedom to do other things in your life, an app like Clockify could be a great option. As you monitor your work hours, you may realize how long projects really take and this can give you a more realistic expectation for your costs. Perhaps you were undercharging clients because you were underestimating your time. Best of all, this app is free.
Image Source: https://clockify.me/
Asana: Another popular project management tool is Asana. Freelancers can use this tool to help them meet their goals, make plans, and monitor project progress. It also integrates with many other popular business tools.
Image Source: https://asana.com/templates/work-log
3. Get Experience
While you can have a successful, profitable career as a copywriter, most writers will need to start on a small, less lucrative path. Clients will not pay you top dollar for content if you don’t have a good reputation and writing samples to share.
When first starting out, you may have to do some unpaid writing. This could be in the form of your own blog, writing content for family and friends, or contributing to websites. Once you have a good supply of quality writing, you can put it together in your portfolio. This is what you will share with potential clients.
As you build rapport with your clients, consider asking them to share their experiences working with you in writing. You can add these recommendations and reviews to your portfolio and personal website, if you have one.
4. Hone Your SEO Skills
At its core, copywriting requires you to be a skilled writer. However, there are many trends and industry trends to keep up with, depending on the type of jobs you take. You will need expert level research skills to keep up with all the information you need.
Most freelance writing happens on the internet. If the content you’re producing will live on a website, you want Google and other search engines to be able to find it. This means it needs to be optimized for those search engines.
If you run a company’s blog, for instance, you need to know how to write your articles to best match search engine requirements, so the blogs get the traffic they need. Google continually changes its algorithms and priorities. What gave you great results one month, might not work the next. You need to stay up to date on the latest SEO practices along with any changes in the industry you’re working with.
You might also need to know how to turn each blog into a captivating social media post or subscriber email. Each type of content requires slightly different skills and processes.
What Type of Copywriting Is Right for You?
As a beginner, it’s good to try everything. However, as you gain experience, you’ll find types of content and specific topics that you prefer to write about. Each types of copywriting has its own style and purpose.
1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Includes: Website content, blogs
Focus: The primary focus of SEO copywriting is to create high-quality content. They also need to enhance the web page’s visibility. This typically includes incorporating focused keywords, links to other authoritative sites, and relevant calls to action. You need to do all this without affecting its readability, meaning it should read naturally and the optimization should not feel forced.
2. Technical
Includes: Articles (web and print)
Focus: Technical copywriting requires specific areas of expertise. For example, technical articles on computer programming will require extensive knowledge in that area. These articles will be less about telling a story and more about sharing specific knowledge and research with your readers.
3. Creative
Includes: Catchy phrases for advertisement, blogs, branding
Focus: Creative copywriters try to tell a story with their words. They want to create something that will leave an impression on whoever reads it.
4. Marketing
Includes: Advertisements, emails, billboards
Focus: For this type of copywriting, it is helpful to have a background (degree or experience) in marketing. The advertisements, email campaigns, and billboards you’ll create need to influence the public by speaking to their needs, while not sounding like a sales pitch. The best marketing copy leaves a lasting impression on those that interact with it. Just think about how many brand slogans you have imbedded in your brain.
5. Content
Includes: How-to guides, blogs, newsletters, social media, scripts, billboards
Focus: Content copywriters develop blogs and newsletters dedicated to providing information about a certain subject of product. Your writing is meant to bring in new customers or turn one-time customers into dedicated followers. Content copywriters focus on providing readers with useful information.
When first starting out, it can be helpful to try a little bit of each copywriting style. While you aren’t required to pick a specific niche as a freelance writer, trying a variety of styles can help you figure out what you like best and where your strengths lie. As your skills develop, you may find yourself naturally focusing on one area.
Where to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
Finding good freelance writing jobs can be somewhat tricky, especially when you’re first starting out. While freelance writing jobs are routinely posted on sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, Upwork, and ProBlogger, it can be hard to break through the application process. Many jobs received hundreds or even thousands of applications.
For example, this freelance job posted on LinkedIn has over 300 applications after only one day. It can feel overwhelming if you are looking for work and must compete with hundreds of other people.
While it can’t hurt to apply to jobs like this, many freelance writers find success by attracting clients to them. This means building a strong online presence. For example, Romana Hoekstra has built her freelance writing career using LinkedIn as a platform. She routinely shares helpful content marketing information and has become an expert in SaaS marketing. Her clients reach out to her.
Image Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romana-hoekstra/
Building a strong profile on LinkedIn along with possibly hosting your own site can be a good way to establish yourself as a strong freelance writer.
In addition to your online profiles, you should build connections with people you know, including friends, colleagues, former clients, and old classmates. They can help expand your network or even refer clients to you.
Another good option is to search for agencies that hire freelance writers. These are typically marketing agencies that help other clients and businesses create the content they need.
Expand Your Career as a Freelance Copywriter with Express Writers
Honestly, the best way to start a new venture is to jump right in. The more you write, the better writer you’ll become.
You may find yourself writing a blog about the latest at-home exercise trends one day and exploring the best vacation cities in Michigan the next. As you expand your freelance writing career, you will learn the type of writing you’re passionate about along with the types of clients you prefer working with.
If you are a budding freelance writer with solid skills, consider working with us here at Express Writers. We are always looking for high-quality freelance writers with a good understanding of SEO best practices.
Apply to be a writer with Express Writers today.
