Becoming a conversion copywriter was the best decision I’ve ever made.
It’s allowed me to live the ultimate freelancer lifestyle:
Work from home (or the beach)…
Earn far more money than any 9-5 office job…
Work as much or as little as I want…
And experience absolute freedom because I’m the big kahuna calling the shots.
However:
If you want to live this exciting & freeing life, first you must become a MASTER at helping companies convert leads into happy customers.
This is the sole purpose of conversion copywriting and WHY companies are willing to spend so much on conversion copywriters.
If you possess the rare ability to generate sales for your clients, you can realistically earn 6 figures (or more) very quickly WITHOUT a degree, enormous boulders of debt, or kissing corporate beehives.
In this blog post…
I’m going to reveal my no bullcrap advice on everything you need to know about becoming a conversion copywriter. In just 10 minutes from now, you will know if this career is right for you and how to get started, the RIGHT way.
What is a Conversion Copywriter?
A conversion copywriter is someone who generates conversions for their clients.
Conversions can mean different things depending on the company/brand’s objective.
However, it’s usually generating more sales or leads.
Conversion copywriters can write for a variety of different niches (golf, fitness, real estate, etc.) and online & offline mediums (Facebook ads, blogs, emails, etc.)
The possibilities for what you write about and for whom are almost endless.
What’s The difference Between Conversion Copywriting and Direct Response Copywriting?
Tomato, Tomaaahto.
Different name, same meaning.
Conversion copywriting is a newish term created for online copywriters, but it’s all the same.
The #1 objective is to generate a direct response/conversion (sell a product or generate a lead).
What Does a Conversion Copywriter Do?
Companies hire conversion copywriters to help them generate conversions (leads, sales, webinar sign-ups, etc.) through their writing.
So…
80% of your time will be spent writing copy.
20% will be spent on generating new clients.
However…
This is flipped when starting out. Beginners spend more time generating clients than they do writing.
Also…
You are not limited to what you write about or for whom.
Conversion copywriters write for a variety of different mediums, topics and industries.
They are needed in every niche under the moon and on every medium (online and offline).
You can write emails for yoga instructors or Facebook ads for investing companies.
That’s one of the beauties of conversion copywriting - you get to choose who you write for and what you write about.
Conversion Copywriter Salary 2023
According to Zip Recruiter, conversion copywriters can make between $27-$57/hr in 2023.
WARNING:
Take copywriting salary averages with a BIG pound of salt water
Why?
Because as a conversion copywriter, you are an entrepreneur.
You run your own business.
There are “conversion copywriters” making $5/hr (or none at all) and there are conversion copywriters making $1000+/hr.
It all boils down to how you run your freelance business.
There is virtually no limit to how much you can earn, as long as you are constantly improving your selling, marketing and copywriting skills, providing supreme value for your clients and running your freelance business like a pro.
10 Conversion Copywriting Examples
Here are 10 of my favorite conversion copywriting examples.
They are from classic ads that have sold millions worth of products over time.
1. “Coat of Arms Letter” by Gary Halbert
2. “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano But When I Started To Play!” – By John Caples
3. "Do you make these mistakes in job interviews?” By Gary Bencivenga
4. “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock” – By David Ogilvy
5. “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” – By Max Sackheim
6. The One-Legged Golfer Ad – By John Carlton
7. The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches – By Joe Karbo
8. "Now! Read 300 Business Magazines in 30 Minutes!" – By Eugene Schwartz
9. "Vision Break-through" - By Joseph Sugarmen
10. How to Win Friends & Influence People - By Victor Schwab
You can learn about them (and why they worked) by clicking on this detailed post.
Study these ads in great detail. Uncover WHY they worked so well (the hidden conversion copywriting secrets baked within them).
5 Reasons Why YOU Should Become a Conversion Copywriter in 2024
1. Work from anywhere in the world
You can write from ANYWHERE your red bottom desires.
Starbucks, an RV while driving across the country, on a beach, from your couch… ANYWHERE.
It doesn’t matter.
Freelance conversion copywriters work 100% remote.
If you want to snag a conversion copywriter job with a company, you can usually work remote or some sort of hybrid.
2. FREEDOM
You are your own boss.
You set your schedule, you choose how many hours you want to work, what brands you want to write for, what topics you want to write about, and so on.
Only entrepreneurship hand-delivers you this much freedom.
3. You can earn 6 figures or more
As a conversion copywriter, the only limit to your earning potential is your own imagination and work ethic.
There is no power-hungry boss or faceless corporate entity paying you peanuts on the dollar. You get to keep 100% of your profits (minus expenses).
3 keys that determine how much you can earn:
- How many clients you can get
- How much you charge per service
- How many services you offer & how many you can complete per year
4. YOU can become a conversion copywriter TODAY
You don’t need a bachelor’s degree, “3 years of experience” before sticking your foot in the door or climbing stinky corporate ladders…
Anyone can become a conversion copywriter, in a few short months, IF they put in the work and constantly improve their copywriting skills.
5. FUN
I became a conversion copywriter for the money, but I stayed for the fun.
I am extremely passionate about writing copy.
I get to choose which companies I write for and what I write about.
Monday mornings are exciting.
And they can become the new “Friday night” for you too.
How to Become a Conversion Copywriter with ZERO Experience (Simple 5-Step Guide)
These are the exact 5 steps I took to become a conversion copywriter.
Use this step-by-step conversion copywriting course as your golden compass for navigating through the freelance copywriting world and reaching your BIG goals ASAP.
Step 1: Learn the Basics
This may sound like common sense, but you’d be shocked at how many copywriters skip this do-or-die phase.
Before you can write for clients and make mula, you must learn how to write copy, the RIGHT WAY.
Here’s how to learn copywriting extremely fast…
Read the top 5-10 books on direct response copywriting.
Here are the exact 10 books (click blue text to learn more about these books and where to purchase them) I read when starting out:
1. The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert
2. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman
3. How to Write a Good Advertisement by Victor O. Schwab
4. Scientific Advertising By Claude Hopkins
5. The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy
6. Ogilvy on Advertising By David Ogilvy
7. Tested Advertising Methods By John Caples
8. Cashvertising By Drew Eric Whitman
9. The Copywriter’s Handbook By Bob Bly
10. Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel By John Carlton
Strive to read 25 pages, each day.
As you read these books…
You also want to practice your copywriting skillz.
I’ve written a very detailed blog post on how to practice copywriting for beginners – How to Practice Copywriting for Free (5 Exercises to Improve Your Skills TODAY)
Plow through this post and practice as you read these 10 books.
This “phase” took me 3 months. I read 10 books (twice, 2nd time took detailed notes) and practiced writing for several hours every day).
Then…
After I gained a solid foundation of copywriting, I found clients to write for.
Step 2: Where to Find Copywriting Clients
I’ve created a detailed blog post that includes 10 bullet-proof techniques for securing freelance copywriting clients, you can read it here.
The goal:
When starting out, you want to write for a shitload of clients.
Write for a wide variety of clients in different niches and on different mediums (Facebook, product descriptions, emails, ads, etc.)
Do NOT lock yourself into one specific niche or type of copy.
Doing so will make it hard as rocks to find clients to write for and slow as a turtle to break into this career.
AFTER you’ve gotten a lot of experience writing for different industries and types of copy….
Choose a copywriting niche.
Step 3: Choose Your Copywriting Niche
Want to earn “6-figures” or “10k per month” as a conversion copywriter?
Then, you MUST choose a freelance copywriting niche.
Once you’ve gotten loads of writing experience and can demonstrate your value to clients, you’ll be ready to choose a conversion copywriting niche.
I’ve created a 3,000+ word blog post covering how to choose a copywriting niche, with step-by-step instructions:
The 10 Highest-Paying Copywriting Niches in 2023 (How to Pick the Best One for YOU
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND reading this ENTIRE GUIDE BEFORE choosing a niche…
Here is a quick summary…
You want to find a profitable niche that you are passionate about writing for (filled with thousands of potential clients who understand the importance of copywriting, are actively hiring conversion copywriters and have lots of money to spend.)
The top 10 freelance conversion copywriting niches in 2024:
- Self Improvement
- Health and Fitness
- Tech
- Ecommerce
- Real Estate
- Travel
- Finance
- Academic Education
- Fashion and beauty
- Pet
The top 5 conversion copywriting services to specialize in:
- SEO copywriter
- Email copywriter
- Landing page copywriter
- Website copywriter
- Ad copywriter
After you choose your niche, you MUST do something BEFORE writing for clients within your new niche.
Step 4: Create a Copywriting Portfolio
After you generate a chunk of writing samples and reviews, you’ll want to create a copywriting portfolio.
Believe it or not…
There’s a simple way to create an impressive copywriting portfolio in 10 minutes or less.
This is how I created my portfolio as a beginner (still use it today).
This method is perfect for beginner conversion copywriters because it’s free and only takes 10 minutes to set up.
Once you’re at this stage and are ready to build your conversion copywriting portfolio, follow this step-by-step copywriting portfolio guide.
Step 5: How to Get Freelance Copywriting Clients
Now the real fun begins…
I recommend freelance copywriters to start with prospecting.
The best ways to prospect are through cold email outreach, networking and LinkedIn.
I cover these 3 ways to get freelance clients in great detail here.
Prospecting will get you clients fast.
However…
Prospecting is tough.
There’s a limit to how many clients you can get because it requires blood, sweat and tears.
If you don’t reach out to prospects, you don’t make any money.
BUTTTT…
There is a way to grow your freelance business WITHOUT prospecting.
Which brings me to the last tip in this conversion copywriting crash course:
Content marketing
In the beginning…
You’ll need to pitch, apply and network to get conversion copywriting clients.
It requires a lot of time and energy.
You need to keep doing this until you get steady repeat business and referrals (which can take a while).
However, while you do this work to get immediate clients, you should also invest some time and energy into content marketing.
This can include:
- Blog posts
- YouTube channel
- Podcast
- Social media: Facebook, Insta, Twitter, TikTok
This is a long-term strategy to gain clients.
But once you do build enough momentum, you can get so many clients over time that you’ll never need to cold outreach again.
Conclusion
If you want to become a conversion copywriter, now is a fantastic time to get started.
Follow the tips laid out in this post (and read the helpful guides I’ve referred to throughout this post – marked blue)
If you follow this guide, you can realistically expect to start making money within a few months.
How much you earn and how quickly you earn it, are 100% dependent on you.
Want more insider copywriting tips to help you maximize your profit this year?
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