If you’re looking for a side business idea that can help you make money online, you’ve probably considered trying your hand at copywriting. After all, being the go-to person for someone who needs help with their correspondence sounds like a sure-fire way to make a few bucks on the side. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to pay for someone to write something for them. Heck, even the biggest brands will sometimes pay top dollar for a well-written email pitch or advertorial. If you can write in a way that appeals to the masses, you can definitely make a living from it.
Now is the perfect opportunity to jump in and see what it’s like. You can get started for free by creating a test copy for a small business that you’ve found online. You’ll need to develop your skills and learn how to write compelling emails and pitches, how to make an effective sales page, and how to properly write an advertorial. You’ll also need to be able to design some pretty nifty websites (if you’re a web designer or programmer), understand SEO, and perform research to develop effective marketing campaigns.
If you think that you can handle all of that, then great! You can build a profitable copywriting business and be doing your small part to solve the overwhelm problem that plagues so many businesses.
Choose The Right Niche
When it comes to finding a profitable niche, it’s all about knowing your target audience and tailoring your copy to appeal to them. Before you start cranking out copy, it’s important to understand who you’re writing for and what their needs are.
For example, if you’re passionate about climate change and you want to help consumers be more mindful of their carbon footprint, you could start a blog where you educate your readers about the negative effects of excessive consumption. You can also utilize tools like Google Analytics to track the behavior of your audience and determine what content is most effective at engaging them. Plus, you can use your findings to inform the next blog post you create. Your target audience might be interested in what you have to say, but they’re equally likely to just want to get the damn thing over with so they can go about their day. You have to learn to write for the “average” person.
Set Up Regular Writing Routine
To ensure that you produce quality content that will attract customers, you should establish a regular writing schedule. Maybe you’ll plan on writing three blog posts per month, or two articles per week. Whatever it may be, make sure that you stick to it and maintain a consistent output. With more and more people turning to digital forms of communication, whether it’s through emails or social media, it’s easy for your content to get lost in the shuffle if you don’t have the time to keep up with it. Also, don’t forget to schedule some time to review what you’ve written. Nothing sucks more than getting to the end of a long week and finding out that your content wasn’t up to par. You can also hire freelance writers to take over your content for a while so you can take a break. Sometimes, a little time away is exactly what you need to get those creative juices flowing again.
Education Is Important
It’s important to have some form of formal education, whether it’s digital marketing, journalism, or English literature. Having a baseline of knowledge about marketing and sales enables you to approach your writing assignments with a more objective viewpoint. While it’s important to have some knowledge about the subject matter, especially if you want to get paid for your work, being an expert doesn’t hurt either.
If you’re looking for a stable side business idea, then copywriting could be a good choice. You can get started for free by creating a test copy for a small business that you’ve found online. When you’ve developed your skills and started making a living from it, it will be all the more satisfying knowing that you were able to put your skills to use and contribute to the betterment of the world through your writings.