If you’re looking for a new venture, why not consider freelancing as a copywriter? Not only does it offer great flexibility and the opportunity to work remotely, but you get to keep all the rights to your work. That alone makes it a worthwhile venture to consider. But what is copywriting, exactly? What does a copywriter do?
We’ll walk you through the basics of what a copywriter does and then delve into some of the most in-demand skills that you can use to land yourself high-paying copywriting projects.
What is Copywriting?
Copywriting is the art and craft of composing words and phrases that persuade people to take action, make purchases, or perform some kind of behavior. When you think of ads, billboards, magazine articles, and brochures, those are all considered forms of copywriting. It can also be done for purposes of branding, marketing, and social media campaigns. Basically, you’re taking words and putting them to use.
You’ll need to make sure that you’re equipped with the right hardware. A computer, of course, and decent internet connectivity. You’ll also need a standard telephone handset and a headset. You can also download free apps that can be used to take notes, find addresses, and make calls from your phone. Having all of that is fundamental to being a successful copywriter.
Why Should You Consider Freelancing as a Copywriter?
The benefits of becoming a freelancer as a copywriter are numerous. First off, you get to work remotely. If you’re already used to being your own boss, working remotely is a piece of cake. It’s also the perfect way to supplement your income; perhaps you’re looking for a side hustle to bring in some extra cash? Or maybe you want to try your hand at a new business venture and need the extra revenue to make it go smoothly?
Whatever your reasons for wanting to become a freelancer, you’re bound to find something that appeals to you. You’ll have complete control over your working conditions. If you prefer to be in the comfort of your home, that’s exactly what you should do. You won’t be tied down to a desk job like you would be in an office. And who knows? Perhaps you’ll even develop a following and can eventually become your own boss.
The Many Niches of Copywriting
While writing (and consequently, copywriting) can be quite flexible, it can also be quite specialized. For instance, legal writing is all about following the rules and using proper language for a certain subject matter. You’ll need to know how to use pre-made templates for contracts, memos, and other legal documents. If you’re able to, it’s usually a good idea to become an expert in a niche like this one.
On the other hand, marketing writing is all about using words to sell a product or service. You’ll be writing for online businesses, e-commerce websites, and product review blogs. The only difference is that you’re now working to attract customers rather than just give them information. Like with any other business, you can find a nice niche, build your reputation, and then charge quite a bit for your services. That’s up to you!
The more specialized you become, the more opportunities you’ll have. And that’s what makes this field so interesting. Once you’ve established yourself as an expert in one area, you can move on to another and another. The world of freelance copywriting is very much like the modern world. No two days are the same and there’s always something new to learn.
How to Become a Successful Freelancer as a Copywriter
While it’s not absolutely necessary to be a successful copywriter to be a freelancer, it certainly helps. You’ll need to develop your own personal brand and style of writing to attract potential clients. But you’ll also need to use various techniques to land yourself high-paying projects. Let’s take a quick look at each of these.
First things first. You’re going to need to determine your niche. What do you enjoy most about writing? What subject matter do you find most intriguing? Once you’ve answered these questions, you can begin to establish yourself as an authority in your chosen area. For example, maybe you’re an expert in SEO (search engine optimization) or PPC (pay-per-click management).
Whatever your niche, you’re going to need to follow some simple steps to find your audience and begin building your client base. Once you have a decent number of readers, you can begin to pitch your services to advertising agencies or marketing firms. Alternatively, you can use your blog to create content that you can sell to various companies.
Attracting Potential Clients
Your first step as a freelancer is to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field. The best way to do this is to establish yourself as an expert in various areas of SEO, PPC, content creation, and blog strategy. Not only will this make you a more attractive prospect to clients, but it also means you can quote more competitive prices. When potential clients read your bio or see your portfolio, they’ll know exactly what you can offer and how you can help them.
Another great way to establish yourself as an expert is to contribute articles to established, authoritative websites in your field. By doing so, you’re essentially building up credibility and trust with your audience. When potential clients see that you’ve contributed an article to a well-known website, they’ll assume you’re an expert in the field – even if you’re not. In fact, you can take this a step further and find contributing to websites for established businesses to be a great way to build your freelancing portfolio. Not only will this add more articles to your resume, but you’ll also be able to demonstrate your research capabilities to clients. For example, you may not know much about SEO, but you may know a lot about how Google works. By contributing to an authoritative website, you’re essentially allowing Google to crawl your content and add it to their index. This means your content will be available for search engine optimization purposes. When potential clients see that you’ve contributed to an SEO-related website, they’ll assume you’re an expert in SEO – even if you’re not technically trained in this area. This is just one of the many benefits of establishing yourself as an expert in a niche.
Presenting Your Expertise
Once you’ve established yourself as an expert in your chosen area, it’s time to put all that expertise to use. The next step is to establish yourself as an expert in presenting your expertise. Even if you’re extremely talented as a copywriter, you’ll never be able to establish yourself as such if you can’t effectively present your work. If you’ve ever worked in an office setting, you’ll know exactly what I mean. There will always be someone better than you at presenting their work. The best way to establish yourself as an expert in this area is to create visual content – like a graph or chart that explains your findings or an elaborate flowchart that maps out a strategy-like plan for a project. If none of these things exist, then maybe you should consider creating some. You can also use PowerPoint or Keynote to create something that’ll make a nice addition to your portfolio.
Remember: you’ll never be able to establish yourself as an expert if you can’t back it up with some kind of evidence. If you’re taking your career seriously, then you should certainly consider creating a business plan for yourself. Start by brainstorming all the reasons why you’re the perfect fit for the position and then build from there. You might even want to hire a business coach to help you navigate this process and set you up for future success.
Now that you’re equipped with the basics of what a copywriter does, you can begin establishing yourself as an expert in your chosen area. From there, you can move on to the next step and begin building your client base. Not only will this help you land yourself high paying projects, but it’ll also make you much more attractive to prospective clients.