So you’ve decided to become a copywriter. Congrats!
You’ve found a career you think suits your personality, skills, and interests. Now you need to figure out how hard it is to actually achieve your dreams and make your career happen. In this article, I’ll answer some of the most common questions I get about being a copywriter.
Can You Be Successful If You Don’t Want To Be Lazy?
One of the things I’m always asked about is whether or not you need to be passionate about writing to be successful as a copywriter. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter whether you want to be lazy or not. You can still be successful as a copywriter as long as you have enough talent and can put in the needed hours. Here’s the thing: You’ll never be able to sustain yourself financially as a copywriter if you’re not happy doing the work. There will always be more work than you can handle. Plus, you’ll find yourself with plenty of free time while working full-time. So, it’s a matter of whether or not you’re willing to put in the necessary work to succeed. Personally, I think anyone can be a successful copywriter if they’re willing to put in the necessary hours and learn from the best.
What’s The Pay Like?
Another question I get asked frequently has to do with how much money you can make as a copywriter. Truthfully, the pay is pretty good for a non-manual, entry-level position. According to PayScale, the median salary for a copywriter is about $52,000 per year. So, if you’re reading this, chances are you can already start making that money. But again, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to be successful as a copywriter, you’ll have to be prepared to put in the work and learn from the best.
How Difficult is it To Find Clients?
One of the main things that can prevent you from being successful as a copywriter is finding clients. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘it takes money to make money,’ and that’s definitely true in this case. If you want to make money as a copywriter, you’re going to have to start collecting clients. The good news is that collecting clients is not as difficult as you’d think. All you need is a simple lead generation strategy and some persistence.
When I first got started as a copywriter, I spent a lot of time searching for clients. I spent hours upon hours each week looking for new leads through various platforms and methods. It wasn’t easy finding clients, but I did what I had to do. Today, I get about a third of my leads through my blog and a third through my email marketing. That’s it. I don’t do any cold calling or use any other tactics that could be considered spammy. Simply put, I trust my instincts on when to approach a potential lead and when to move on. Often, I’ll get a feeling that a lead isn’t going to be interested in what I have to offer. So, I don’t waste my time with those leads. I figure it’s better to keep my days free for writing and collecting royalties than it is to give my time to a lead that isn’t going to pay me back (especially since I don’t want to hurt my credit score in any way).
Do You Need To Be A Natural Writer To Be Successful?
Finally, I want to address something that often comes up when people find out what I do for a living: Do you need to be a natural writer to be successful?
It depends on what you mean by ‘natural.’ If you mean you were born with the talent of being a good writer, then yes, you probably do. There are also a lot of other routes to success as a writer that don’t require you to be naturally talented. You can become a copywriter, for example, if you’ve got the talent for it. You can also become an editor, a proofreader, or a layout/formatting expert. In my case, I didn’t have the talent for writing, so I had to learn as I went along. I picked up a few skills along the way, like copyediting and fact-checking, but I still consider myself to be a complete novice when compared to most other writers. If you don’t already have the talent, you can learn how to write effectively and communicate with others through classes and online tutorials. There are also plenty of online resources, like Skillcrush, that can help you find the writing assignments and projects that suit you.