A well-written story holds the power of moving you, inspiring you and motivating you.
With the ongoing pandemic, individuals are struggling now more than ever to sustain themselves and to survive.
In a world dominated by technology and advertisements all around us, have you ever wondered about the talented people that make it all happen? Copywriting is a huge part of all the advertisements online and offline that we see. If you are someone who loves writing and is seriously considering a career as a freelance copywriter, then here are a few tips to help you get started.
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Negative effects of Covid-19 on people and their jobs
According to Pew Research Center, overall one-in-four adults have had trouble paying their bills since the coronavirus outbreak started. A third of them have dipped into their savings or retirement accounts to make ends meet.
With more and more people staying home and losing jobs, and being advised to stay home for the foreseeable future, finding jobs that give you the freedom of working from home has become far more valuable.
What is a freelancer?
A freelancer is a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. As a freelancer, you may work with an employer on a contract basis wherein they contact you when there’s a requirement or depending on the terms and conditions of your contract, the employer may give you a set of assignments in a month.
Freelancing is one of the most in-demand types of work. As a copywriter, accepting jobs from various clients allows you to diversify your portfolio and also gives you the freedom to manage other aspects of your life without having to work a 9-5 job.
What are the advantages of freelancing?
There are many advantages to working as a freelancer, some of these advantages are:
- Freedom of choosing your clients –
Freelancers have the ability to choose the clients they work with. They also have the freedom to decide the number of clients they want to work for. They can choose to work with 1 client or a number of clients at once.
- Control of workload –
When you work as a freelancer, you can work as much as you want (or as little). You can choose projects that are meaningful to you. You also get to focus on the work you love doing without having to attend tedious meetings, deal with office politics or face other office distractions.
- Independence –
When you work as a freelancer you aren’t working a regular 9-5 job. You have the freedom of working alone, choosing your own hours. If you love working at night, you may choose to do so and still submit the work on time.
- Flexibility –
When you work at a regular job, you only get a set number of holidays in a year. As a freelancer, you can decide if you want to work full time for a few months and not work for a few or you get to decide where you want to work from. You may choose to work from a remote place or from the comfort of your house. You have the freedom to decide.
Who is a copywriter?
A copywriter is someone who is paid to write a copy. Copywriting is connected to the act of promoting or selling a business, an organization, a brand, product or service which makes it by definition a form of marketing.
Depending on how advanced you are, a copywriter can earn anything between 30$ an hour to 60$ an hour (sometimes a lot more for super sought-after writers). This amount may vary depending on the job requirements.
How to start your career as a freelance copywriter?
Now that you’re familiar with the concept of freelancing and copywriting, the next natural question is where to begin. Here are a few tips that may help:
- Reading –
If you know the kind of copywriter that interests you, then we suggest you read up as much as you can about it. If you want to write more about fashion, then subscribe to fashion blogs, fashion magazines and related articles. The more you read, the more well-versed you’ll be in the field that interests you, giving you a better chance of being successful.
- Getting organized –
As a freelancer, you are responsible for your own schedule. Without a proper working schedule and strategy, things may pile up to the point where you feel overwhelmed and you may panic. To avoid situations like these where you can’t keep up with the schedules, organizing your day could be a great solution.
- Getting experience –
When it comes to being a copywriter, most of the recruiters are going to ask you for your writing portfolio. If you don’t have prior working experience, it’s helpful if you have written articles or blogs in the past even if it’s for personal use. Recruiters want to see your style of writing and want to see if you can successfully do the job that’s in tangent with their requirements. Online Jobs Academy has listed some of the top websites where you can find entry-level jobs for freelance copywriters depending upon your writing skills, passion and qualifications.
- Research –
Copywriting requires you to be a skilled writer. If you are going to be writing for an organization or going to be running their blogs, then you must know about the company in detail.
As a copywriter, you may also have to write about topics that you have no prior experience in. To tackle this problem all you need to do is read about said topic as much as you can and know about the topics in detail.
- Attend networking events –
As a copywriter who is just starting out, you may constantly have the need to find potential clients. One way to do this is by attending a few networking events. These events don’t have to be restricted to just advertising. If you want to write about travel and have heard of a new travel agency that has just started, talking to them about a potential job as a copywriter could be beneficial.
Suggested Reading: Content Marketing vs. Copywriting: What’s the Difference?
In conclusion-
Freelancing is a new working trend that is only going to get more and more popular. With the advent of technology, more businesses are going online and are thus always on the lookout for good copywriters.
If you have a knack for writing and want to become a freelancer, then starting out as a freelancer copywriter could be a great step towards a bright future.
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Hi Win,
Nice breakdown here. Writing diligently to get practice seems to be a prime way to find copywriting work. Freelancers in general struggle to profit for not honing their prime skill through patient, persistent practice. Master your craft. Position yourself to thrive as a freelancer.
Ryan
One of the toughest challenges to getting started in freelance copywriting can be not having a portfolio to show. Even if you don’t have published worked, you can put together samples for your targeted industry and create a website that showcases your work, style, and quality you bring to a project.