Back in 2020, I went all in with freelance copywriting.
Believe it or not…
I did NOT become a freelance copywriter because I enjoyed writing.
Nope.
I became a freelance copywriter because I realized that this profitable and RARE skill would allow me to live the ultimate freelancer dream life.
I could have total freedom and control over my work while making as much money as I desired… writing from anywhere in the world.
However:
This is only possible when you can provide your clients SUPREME value.
Once you can provide real value, the possibilities are endless for your freelance copywriting career.
Over the last 3 years, I’ve secured hundreds of paying clients, worked in dozens of different niches and have written copy for the most popular mediums (emails, ad copy, websites, landing pages, SEO blogs, etc.).
I’ve learned a lot during this time.
And I’m going to share my best tips & secrets with you to help YOU become a successful freelance copywriter in 2024.
In this post…
I’m going to cover what freelance copywriting is, what a day in the life of a freelance copywriter looks like, how much you can realistically earn, and hand you a step-by-step gameplan on how to become a successful freelance copywriter in the fastest amount of time possible – EVEN if you have ZERO copywriting experience.
What is Freelance Copywriting?
First, before you learn how to become a freelance copywriter…
It’s important to understand what COPYWRITING is.
Forget all the mumbo jumbo you’ve heard online.
Copywriting is simply salesmanship in print (or on the web).
Its salesmanship multiplied.
Because…
Instead of selling face-to-face, to only one person at a time…
You are selling to hundreds, thousands, even MILLIONS of people, all at once, through the words you write.
The ONLY goal of writing copy is to get results (either more leads or more sales).
And FREELANCE copywriting is simply writing copy for your own clients vs writing for one company, as their employee.
The only real difference with freelance copywriting, as opposed to working as an in-house copywriter or at an agency (9-5 type roles), is that you are your own boss.
Yes, as a freelance copywriter, you are a business owner.
Your success as a freelance copywriter has just as much to do with how well you market yourself, as the words you write for clients.
Because in order to write for clients, you must get them first.
This requires marketing AND sales skills.
However, there are many benefits to being a freelance copywriter…
Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Become a Freelance Copywriter
NUMBER #1: You can work from anywhere
The beach, Starbucks, from your couch wearing SpongeBob PJs.
It doesn’t matter.
You can write from ANYWHERE your heart desires.
NUMBER #2: You have TOTAL freedom over your work
You are your own boss.
You set your own hours.
You choose how many hours you want to work, WHO you want to work with, what kind of copy you want to write, etc.
Only entrepreneurship allows you this much freedom.
NUMBER #3: You can earn 7 figures or more
Unlike working for a company, there really is no limit to your earning potential.
The only limit is how many clients you can get and how much you can write in a day.
NUMBER #4: YOU can become a freelance copywriter TODAY
You don’t need a degree…
You don’t need “5 years of experience” just to get your foot in the door…
You don’t need to climb the corporate ladder…
The truth is…
Anyone can become a successful freelance copywriter… if they put in the work and constantly improve their marketing, sales and copywriting skills.
What Does a Freelance Copywriter Do?
So, what does a freelance copywriter actually do?
As a freelance copywriter…
Your daily tasks will include finding clients and writing for them.
That’s it.
When starting out…
You will focus more time on finding clients, than writing.
Then, once you have a steady stream of clients, you can spend the majority of your time writing about topics you enjoy, for brands you love.
How Much Does a Freelance Copywriter Make?
According to Zip Recruiter…
As of today (Nov 6, 2023), freelance copywriters earn around $45 per hour (or… around $90,000 per year).
However, going by the average copywriting rates you see online is FOOLISH.
It is VERY misleading.
Because as a freelance copywriter, it’s 100% up to you on how much (or how little) you make.
You can make $2,000,000 in one year… or… you can make less than $1,000.
You are a business owner. There is virtually no limit to how much you can earn. The only limit is your own marketing, salesmanship and copywriting skills.
If you get good at marketing yourself, selling your services and getting results for your clients, you can earn a FORTUNE.
Freelance copywriters can make WAAAAY more money than in-house or agency copywriters (working as an employee).
So, you shouldn’t limit yourself to averages.
You CAN earn as much as you desire…. IF you put in the work and become a master at this life-changing skill.
How Much Should a Freelance Copywriter Charge?
How much you can charge as a freelance copywriter varies greatly depending on WHO you’re writing for.
For example…
If you choose a hot niche filled with companies looking to hire copywriters, you can charge $100 per hour (or more).
But, on the other toe, if you don’t have a niche or you choose a niche that doesn’t understand the value copywriters bring to the table, you won’t be able to charge much at all.
In the next section, I’ll cover how to find the perfect niche for you.
However:
When starting out with no clients, you should charge VERY LOW FEES.
When I started out, I did not choose a niche.
I went broad. And accepted any and every client I could get.
And I charged VERY LOW RATES per gig.
I did this because I wanted to get a shit ton of experience, in the shortest amount of time possible.
Why?
So I could build an impressive portfolio.
I knew that without a portfolio, with a bunch of copywriting samples & testimonials, I wouldn’t be able to get top-paying clients.
So…
If you’re just starting out and don’t have many clients (or zero), I’d recommend charging VERY LOW fees and going broad (not choosing a niche).
How to Become a Freelance Copywriter with NO Experience
Here are my 5 steps for becoming a successful freelance copywriter.
This is what I personally did and recommend you do too.
Use these 5 steps as a roadmap to breaking into freelance copywriting and growing a successful freelance copywriting business.
#1) Git Gud
The first step to becoming a kickass freelance copywriter is…
Learn how to write copy.
In order to make money as a copywriter, you need to provide your clients extreme value.
So…
Here’s how to learn copywriting extremely fast…
Read the top 5-10 books on direct response copywriting.
Strive to read 20-50 pages, each day.
As you read these books…
You also want to practice your copywriting skills.
I’ve written a very detailed blog post on how to practice copywriting – How to Practice Copywriting for Free (5 Exercises to Improve Your Skills TODAY)
However, here’s the gist of it…
Read, handwrite and study successful ads (I list which ads to study here.
Plus…
Turn features to benefits, by finding products on Amazon, pasting their features to an Excel document and adding your own benefits.
Plus…
Improve headlines you find online.
I like to improve headlines from online articles displayed on Firefox’s home page.
Like this:
Write 4 new headlines using the 4 U’s headline technique.
Write a headline that is:
Unique…
Ultra-specific…
Useful…
And Urgent.
Do this copy practice every day (along with reading 20ish pages per day)
This should all take you no longer than an hour.
If you do this each day, you will become a copywriting wizard in a few short months (this can be done in weeks if you don’t work full-time).
After a few months, you’ll be ready to provide REAL VALUE to potential clients via writing for them.
#2) Where to Find Copywriting Clients
I’ve created a detailed blog post covering my 10 favorite methods for getting freelance copywriting clients called... How to Get Copywriting Clients in 2023 With No Experience (Get New Clients TODAY)
You can read it here.
However, when starting out, the goal is to get rapid-fire experience.
You want to write for a wide variety of clients (in different industries) and, also, write for the most popular types of copy (emails, landing pages, blog posts, ads, etc).
Limiting yourself to a specific niche or a specific type of copy (when just starting out), will handicap you from getting clients fast and breaking into this field.
Beginners should strive to write a LOT of copy for paying clients, for a VARIETY of different industries & mediums.
The 2 fastest ways to get freelance copywriting clients (as quick as TODAY):
1. Post on Facebook
Simply create an offer and post it to your feed.
I got my first copywriting client doing this - within 24 hours.
It works extremely well and takes about 10 minutes to whip up.
Again, see my blog post for step-by-step instructions on how to do this.
2. Fiverr
Create a Fiverr account and post gigs.
This is another way to get clients within days.
I’ve gotten dozens of freelance clients from Fiverr within my first few months as a copywriter.
AFTER you’ve gotten a lot of experience writing for different industries and types of copy….
You should niche down.
Scratch that…
If you desire to earn “6-figures” or “10k per month” (or much more), then you MUST choose a freelance copywriting niche.
You will never earn much money by staying a generalist.
#3) Choose a Copywriting Niche
Once you’ve gotten experience and can demonstrate your expertise to potential clients, you’ll be ready to choose a copywriting niche.
I’ve written over 3,000 words on how to choose a copywriting niche, with step-by-step instructions, in this ultimate guide – The 10 Highest-Paying Copywriting Niches in 2023 (How to Pick the Best One for YOU).
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND reading this ENTIRE post BEFORE choosing a niche (or even if you already have a niche)…
Because I reveal the must-haves and secrets for maximizing your success as a freelance copywriter via the niche you choose.
Essentially…
You want to find a WEALTHY niche that you are passionate about writing for (filled with thousands of potential clients who understand the importance of copywriting, are actively hiring freelance copywriters and have unlimited money to spend).
Here are the top 10 freelance copywriting niches in 2023:
- Health and Fitness
- Finance
- Tech
- Ecommerce
- Real Estate
- Travel
- Pet
- Self Improvement
- Academic Education
- Fashion and beauty
And…
Here are the top 5 copywriting services to specialize in:
- Email copywriter
- Website copywriter
- SEO copywriter
- Direct response advertising copywriter
- Landing page copywriter
After you choose your niche, you MUST do something FIRST before getting clients within your new niche.
You must…
#4) Create a Copywriting Portfolio
After you gotten a bunch of samples and testimonials, you’ll want to create a copywriting portfolio.
Believe it or not…
There’s a way to create a copywriting portfolio that impresses clients – 100% FREE – in 10 minutes or less.
This is the same way that I created my portfolio (I still use this exact same portfolio - 4 years later).
This method is perfect for beginner copywriters because you don’t need to pay a dime, it takes 10 minutes to create and you don’t have to have any tech or design skills.
Once you’re ready to create a freelance copywriting portfolio, follow this step-by-step crash course here.
#5) How to Get Freelance Copywriting Clients
After you’ve picked a copywriting niche and have created your copywriting portfolio, now the real fun begins…
I recommend freelance copywriters to start with prospecting.
There’s really no way around this.
Especially when starting out.
The best ways to prospect are through networking, cold email outreach and LinkedIn outreach.
I cover these 3 ways to get freelance clients in great detail here.
Prospecting will get you clients ASAP – in as quick as 24 hours.
However…
Prospecting is tough work.
And there’s a limit to how many clients you can get because it requires time and energy.
If you aren’t reaching out to new clients frequently, you won’t be earning too much money.
However, there is a way to grow your freelance business WITHOUT prospecting.
There is a way to get new clients WHILE YOU SLEEP.
Which brings me to the last tip in this freelance copywriting crash course:
Content marketing
In the beginning…
You’ll need to pitch, apply and network to get copywriting clients.
It requires a lot of time and energy.
And 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
However, it takes a lot of time and effort and a long time to notice any results.
It is much more of a long-term strategy to gain clients.
But once you do build momentum, it builds and builds and builds upon itself
You can get so many clients over time that you’ll never need to cold outreach again and you’ll even need to reject a lot of requests because you’ve got so much work.
Conclusion
You now have everything you need to start your freelance copywriting business.
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