How to Become a Copywriter: The Ultimate Guide
Copywriting is a profession that still stands in relevance even to this day. The demand for copywriters remains high regardless of the economy. It is a fundamental practice that businesses clamor for, which cemented the craft as an essential profession.
Machines could not replicate the skill of an experienced copywriter. Becoming a copywriter requires a good mix of creativity, dedication, and skill. We will look at steps to teach you how to become a copywriter.
Take note of these methods as you start your venture into becoming a copywriter.
Know What Copywriting Is
Before you ease into becoming a copywriter, you need to know what it is and what it entails first. Copywriting involves the use of words, either written or spoken, to compel people to take action after reading or hearing them. This action would usually involve buying a product or service from a business.
You see the products of copywriting in landing pages, sales pages, and ads. You also see them in blog posts, articles, and social media posts. What you see on a
In simpler terms, a copywriter creates content that has a call-to-action on a bigger scale. The main goal is to evoke a response from the intended audience. Knowing how to do this would involve a good deal of learning the process itself.
A great suggestion for this would be to take up Copywriting Classes. This helps you learn the ins and outs of copywriting. This also helps you understand other necessary fields such as marketing and advertising.
Understand the Two Paths to Copywriting
There are two approaches to the copywriting trade. You can work as an in-house copywriter for a company or advertising agency. You can also take the route of a freelance copywriter.
Each of these approaches has its pros and cons. Whichever you choose, they do provide you with a means to use writing as a lucrative venture.
Taking the in-house route allows you to work with an experienced copywriter. It provides learning opportunities to let you hone your craft with consistent mentorship. It also offers a stable income, along with benefits.
Taking the freelance route allows you more control of your workflow. This includes your work hours, projects, and rates. You can also make this a side hustle and you can even work at home.
Learn About the Market
Copywriting has one competitive market. Aside from being a lucrative writing segment, it is also is one that leaves you with a lot of competitors to go up against. With that in mind, you have to push towards being better with your craft.
For instance, you can look at the monthly salaries garnered from various writing careers. A copywriter’s average base salary is at $61,822 per year, including benefits. The rates also change when you work as an in-house copywriter.
Establish Your Client Base
Once you have an idea of how the market works and how many competitors are out there, you need to establish your network of clients. In-house copywriters would have the advantage of working with clients established by the company or agency they work under. The situation changes when you look at the freelance copywriters.
For freelancers, they need to establish a network of their own. Like any business venture, they have to exert as much effort into it as possible. Having connections can provide you advantages in landing copywriting gigs.
Uncertain on where to start? You can go for the small-time gigs first to get yourself both the needed experience and profit.
Websites like UpWork, Craigslist, and Fiverr are good starting points for writing gigs. Social media sites like Facebook offer an avenue where you can look for such gigs. For instance, you can check out various Facebook Groups for writing jobs.
These small gigs are a good starting point since you need to start somewhere. This leads us to the next step.
Build Your Portfolio
We mentioned earlier that you have to start somewhere. In this case, doing small writing gigs can work as a starting point. As you keep taking on these copywriting gigs, you get the chance to create and build your portfolio. With this portfolio, you can show other potential clients your skill as you push through with your copywriting career.
In building your portfolio, you don’t need to go ham with a fancy website. You can work with a simple portfolio that shows what you created. The key factor here is that you want to entice your clients to hire you because of your skill.
Make sure to have the necessary details on your portfolio. It should include your name, your expertise, and some samples of your work. Also include some contact information on how they can reach you if they want to book a session with you.
Another tidbit would be to also include a consultation fee. This way, you can see how willing they are to push through with hiring you for your services.
Strive for Improvement, Brace for Rejection
Know that you will encounter failure a lot. It is a tough pill to swallow but it comes in every venture. For copywriting, you will face a good deal of failure and rejection, especially if you try it for the first time.
The trick is to keep pushing and not stop. Keep on applying for copywriting gigs. From all of those applications that you passed, you will eventually nail one and get paid for it.
This should also push you to improve on your craft. Read up on copywriting references. Play the field until you find one that you can specialize in.
Learn How to Become a Copywriter
Now that you know how to become a copywriter, you can take steps in venturing towards this writing field. It tests both your creativity and skill as you entice people to action.
Copywriters are in high demand. Hone your skills and take up those copywriting gigs. Check out our other guides to learn how you can improve and market yourself as a copywriter today!