freelance copywriting

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 … Read more