There is a growing demand for copywriters who work online. This is an excellent opportunity for those wanting to start their own businesses. You can work from home and structure your hours around your routine.
Copywriting options
Freelance copywriting can be lucrative if you get a set of clients who have an appetite for what you have to offer. A sound knowledge of business principles is an advantage here as you set up your own small business.
Alternatively, you can contract your services to writing organizations that have customers who pay them to do writing tasks for them.
What is copywriting?
A copywriter is charged with writing in various formats. You can be tasked with writing billboards, advertisements, newspaper articles, blogs, emails, etc. The main focus of the writing is persuasive: your job is to market and sell a product, concept or idea. To do this, you need to use your writing to convince people they want to buy it.
A burgeoning market is SEO writing. Search Engine Optimized writing makes use of keywords and phrases that are incorporated into the article. Their inclusion must be organic and natural and should not appear contrived. The inclusion of these keywords and phrases will help the article to be found when the topic is requested in a search engine.
How to become a copywriter
A copywriter should ideally have a qualification in journalism or communications. Fluency in English is critical. Native English speakers tend to have an advantage here. Much of the demand is for work written in English, despite it being a minority language when you look at the world demographic. There are online courses through several online institutions that you can do to brush up on your skills. The American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI) offers a great course to prepare you for a copywriting career.
Such programs can be completed over a short time and probably won’t cost more than $500. Other copywriters get a foot in the door of the market by gaining experience while working. Would-be copywriters can check various sites online to look for materials that can help them.
Some copywriting is niche-based. This is relevant to technical, legal, and medical writing. Additional qualifications in these fields may be mandatory. Tony Bodega, a copywriter says, “I put my passion for writing together with my study of the law to start a successful copywriting career.”
How to establish yourself as a reputable copywriter
One of the first things you need to do is establish a niche for yourself. A specialty is attractive to clients as it means you have knowledge and expertise in a writing format or topic. It may take some time to find the perfect niche for yourself.
You then need to set about proving your abilities. This may mean taking on grunt work at first to demonstrate your capacity to be a copywriter. These types of tasks build up experience and expose you to different types of writing. Search for freelance jobs on websites such as Copify, Freelancer, Indeed, Upwork, and CrowdSource. Search for local freelancing services as well. Having local knowledge is often an advantage. Set up email alerts to let you know when jobs become available, so you make your services available.
You must be willing to market your business. With a proven track record and a niche selected, you can market your brand. Use social media to advertise. Platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn can connect you with potential clients. Have your own website with links from social media. Your website can include a blog where you further demonstrate your abilities. An established presence on social media and an effective website go a long way to get your name out there.
Investing in your business is a worthwhile practice. Use some of the income you generate to advertise further, attend additional training courses, go to conferences, etc.
What sets a good copywriter apart from others?
There are several factors that can make you stand out head and shoulders from the competition:
- The ability to work under pressure and adhere to deadlines. Proving you are reliable is essential for gaining the trust of clients.
- A willingness to take constructive criticism on board and learn from it. You may not hit the mark the first time around. If you use this as a learning experience, you can put what you learned into practice and improve.
- Posts that are unique and interesting. Good use of the language and writing style makes your work more attractive to the client. Written pieces must flow coherently and hold the attention of the reader. Excellent use of idioms and descriptive words together with a wide vocabulary will set you apart from others.
- Writing pieces that are accessible and understandable to the average reader. If your writing is unnecessarily complex, it will be off-putting. Readers will abandon it without finishing it.
- A willingness to tackle challenging topics and put in the necessary time and effort will establish a solid reputation for your brand.
Author – Jack White
