To make your path to success easier, you may want to get efficient tips on how to start freelance copywriting. They may save you tons of time and efforts.
So, what do you need to start?
- Passion. You should love what you do. That’s because if you do what you love, you’ll surely achieve unsurpassed results. What do all the top bloggers and successful copywriters have in common? That’s right. They are fond of writing. They write not just for the sake of making money or bragging. They write because they are crazy about it. That’s not just their hobby. That’s their way of life.
- Motivation. If you have a passion for writing, it will keep you motivated every time you face any serious difficulty on your road to success. To boost your motivation even more, you should set the goals that you’d like to achieve with the help of your writing.
- Patience. Do you remember the proverb: “Rome wasn’t built in a day”? Your freelance copywriting career or business is not going to be built in a day either. So, you should be patient. No matter what challenges you may face just keep going. How can you win the race if you fade away?
- Focus. Concentrate on what you need to do to develop your copywriting career/business. Make it your top priority and do something that will get you closer to accomplishing your goal every day.
- Inspiration. To create a great amount of high-quality content, you are sure to need a lot of inspiration. How can you get it from your muse? Well, every time you finish a text or copywriting gig, give yourself a reward. Take breaks and have rest once you complete an important assignment. Get inspired by top influencers in your niche, famous bloggers, prolific entrepreneurs, your favorite music artists, etc.
- Desire to learn and improve your skills. Live and learn. This is a great saying that reveals us a very valuable tip. It’s never late to learn and you should do it during your whole life. If you want to become a professional copywriter, you should learn the craft and master your skills daily. There is a theory that to become a true expert in any niche or activity, you should devote at least 10,000 hours to it. Thus, be ready to study and practice a lot.
5 Things That You Need to Do Before You Even Start
Now, let’s move from general tips on how to become a freelance copywriter online to clear-cut steps that you should take before you even jump into it.
- Do the research. Learn as much as possible about copywriting and content marketing. Learn the history of copywriting and online copy advertisement. Read the books written by recognized experts in the niche. It will help you understand what kind of skills and knowledge you should gain to succeed.
- Learn how much a professional copywriter earn and set your rates. This is vital as you’ll get a clear picture of how much you can earn if you master the craft. You can do your own research on it. Here are some average figures: writing web content – $250-$750 per page, writing short sales letters – $2000-$4000 per one piece, writing long sales letters – $5000 per one piece, as far as hourly rates are concerned, typically they vary from $50 to $100 per hour. On top of that, expert copywriters can ask for the percentage of the turnover from the copy they produce.
- Choose your niche. It should be in demand so that you can earn from it. You can check latest Google trends here and pick the niches that you like most of all. The niche you choose should resonate with your passion.
- Create a business plan. The importance of a good and well thought-out business plan should never be underestimated. It gives you a clear vision on where to go and helps you decide what steps you will need to take to succeed.
- Create a winning portfolio. This is another vital thing to do. If you’ve got published posts on your own blog or guest posts on other blogs, feel free to use them as your samples. Be sure to create it before you start looking for clients because the first thing that they are going to ask you is your copywriting portfolio.
7 Types of Writing That You May Want to Choose as a Writer
Let’s move forward. Now you know general tips on how to become a freelance copywriter at home and know what to do before you start. Now, let’s consider what types of writing you can take.
- Blogging. This is a great way of attracting the target audience to your site and showcasing your expertise. It works really well if you put decent efforts into it. Be ready to do extensive research and add appealing high-quality images to your posts as well as helpful infographics whenever it is needed. Blogging is a very effective way of developing a well-recognized brand.
- Sales copy/ad copy. Usually, ad copy presumes creating a clickable ad that is aimed at grabbing visitors’ attention and encouraging them to click on the needed link.
- Web copywriting service. This type of content is published on web pages. It describes the service/product in the best light so that the prospects could understand what value they will get if they buy it.
- Social media content. Social media networks are essential for promoting a business online. Discover what type of content works best on each media platform here.
- Journalism. If you have a knack for journalism, you can write articles for established online magazines and newspapers or news portals and get paid for each article you submit.
- Industry writing. This is writing content for a specific industry. It presumes a great amount of research.
- Creative writing. This kind of writing covers composing speeches, personal essays, plays, fictions, poetry, etc.
How to Become Freelance Copywriter: Learn the Art of Copywriting from the Real Pros
If you are dead serious about your copywriting career or business, you should take your time to study the paths and works of the best copywriters of all time. The time you invest into it will pay off greatly. You can use Google and find them on your own.
Here you can find the list of the best books on copywriting.
Headlines Will Make or Break Your Writing Efforts
Headlines are of the greatest importance because they are the very first thing that the readers will see and evaluate. If the headline is not engaging, the chances are the readers won’t read the article.
Thus, you should turn your headlines into a powerful attention-grabbing tool. Have a look at this diagram to get the idea of what type of headlines works best.
Content: Always Write for Your Prospects Not for Your Ego
If you want to get something, you should give first. That’s the Law of the Universe that teaches us deep wisdom. It can be applied in any niche, activity or field. The same is fair when it comes to writing content.
Keep in mind your prospects while writing and do your best to create value for them. Your content should help them solve their issues and address their pain points. Nobody cares what you want. So, forget about your Ego and focus on the needs of your prospects. That’s a golden rule of creating a highly efficient copy.
Structure: Make the Text Appealing to the Eye
Formatting is another vital thing you should consider while creating content. Make sure to split your text into paragraphs. Each paragraph should include not more than 3-5 lines. Separate each 3-4 paragraphs with subheadings. Use bullet lists to make your article even more appealing. Use common fonts that are well accepted by readers.
Style and Flow: Make It Spicy and Original with Your Own Writing Style
Develop your own personal style of writing through your posts. It will add some extra spice and authenticity to the content that you create. Your audience will love that.
Extra Copywriting Tips to Make Your Copy Even Better
- Never lie. You should never lie just to make the product or service you write about more appealing. In the long run, it will have a very negative effect as you will lose the trust.
- Do the research before you start. Find as much information on the product, service or thing that you should write about and study it thoroughly. Analyze it and think what facts will be suitable to use in your article.
- Wear the shoes of your prospects. Feel and share the pain points that your prospects have. Think of the difficulties or challenges that they may face and how the service or product can solve them.
- Avoid bragging. This is annoying if you simply write that this is the best of best because it is delivered by the best experts.
- Create value for the readers. If you want to sell without being salesy, you should sell benefits not features. It is closely related to the tips that you should wear the shoes of your customers.
- Clarity and simplicity. Make your text clear, simple, and concise. Avoid ink-horn terms. Convey your ideas in a simple and clear way.
Conclusion
There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to writing web copies. I hope this article will help you start as a freelance writer and give you a clear picture of what you should do to succeed.
What are your thoughts on how to become a freelance advertising copywriter?
Good read.
Thanks, Rohit.