not the normal tips for being a freelance copywriter
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There are plenty of sites offering tips for being a freelance copywriter. The 'How to be a Successful Copywriter' blog gives some less common pointers.TRANSCRIPT
NOT THE NORMAL TIPS FOR BEING A FREELANCE COPYWRITER
Maybe it’s the economy but there’s
been a lot more interest in the idea of
making money as a freelance
copywriter over the last year or so.
While being a successful freelancer
isn’t something you can learn
completely from a €5 ebook, there’s
plenty of advice out there giving key
directions and concepts that are
important.
Here we give some less common tips for being a freelance copywriter you probably won’t read in
those places. And unless you understand and try to stick to them as much as possible, the odds of
you making any money as a successful freelancer are probably pretty slim. Sad face.
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1. LEARN TO TYPE WELL (AND THAT MEANS FAST)
You probably have never heard that one
before but, face it, time is money, right?
That’s certainly the case with most
freelance writing jobs because you’re
almost always going to get paid on a
‘per word’ basis.
So, it should be obvious that you need to be able have your fingers following your thoughts as fluidly as
possible. Don’t worry about how to learn to do it because there are free websites where you can learn
touch- or speed-typing.
2. EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY
This isn’t important because you’re trying to ‘show off’ but
because words mean things. If you want to get your point
across you’ve got to be able to do so as clearly and
precisely as possible. And the only way to improve your
word power is to read, read, read. It doesn’t really matter
what you read but if you have clients in particular fields
they’ll probably have specialist vocabulary that you’ll need
to master before you can write about it convincingly.
And it should go without saying that you’ve got to spell
things right. No excuses here. Spell check your work
every time but remember: spell checks are fallible so
don’t rely on them completely. Always read your stuff
through for yourself before clicking ‘send’.
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3. WORK ON BUILDING UP YOUR CONFIDENCE
One of your biggest long-term
challenges is shooting for higher income
targets. The ‘content mills’ (places
like Fivver where you can get jobs
writing articles for $5) are OK to start
because you get some practice and
build up your confidence.
Although you’ll not find high paying,
long-term, really professional freelance
writing ‘gigs’ there it’s worth keeping any
testimonials you get from those clients
because you can use them later when
pitching for work either face to face or on
your own website.
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4. LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF WRITING GIGSOne of the best things about being a copywriter is the
variety of stuff you get to do. Different kinds of jobs
require different skill sets and some pay better than
others so you may want to think about specializing in
those higher paying ones. Here’s a few examples but the
list could go on for pages.
• White papers
• Case studies
• Landing pages
• Technical writing
• SEO copywriting
• Brochure writing
• Ghost blogging
• Press advertising
5. LEARN HOW TO RESEARCH EFFECTIVELY
When you start a
copywriting job there are
two things you’ve got to
know: everything about
your client’s product and
everything about the
competitors’ products.
You’re going to need to
• Writing for radio or TV
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be able to scan information – both printed and online –
quickly and pick out the most important things
relevant to your job. Crucially, what can your product do
that the competitors can’t? Work that out and you’re
nearly home and dry.
6. BE PRO-ACTIVE
The internet has significantly expanded job
opportunities for writers. Now that it’s so
easy for businesses to be ‘on’ the internet
there’s an even greater demand for
somebody to provide the words that go on
those pages. Remember that in 99.99% of
the cases, these prospects have their own
businesses already and they don’t know a
thing about writing. If you can just contact
them and say, “Hey…I noticed that you’ve
got a nice website. Do you ever need any
help with writing for it?”
That’s exactly what you should say. Leave it really open-ended like that. It’s just a simple question but if they
need help, they’ll tell you. You can be absolutely guaranteed that you’ll eventually find somebody who wants help.
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7. BUILD UP A WRITING PORTFOLIOAt the start of your illustrious copywriting career it makes NO
difference what you put in your portfolio (as long as you’re proud of
it, of course). This initial portfolio will change later after you’ve
established a niche for yourself. Start with your hobbies and
interests and show them to friends and acquaintances who may be
able to put you in contact with someone willing to pay for what you
write. (This is also a good way of getting used to presenting your
work to others. And to taking criticism!) Start with articles, opinion
pieces, even poems, until you break into paid work.
8. SET UP SOME KIND OF WEBSITE
Most people who say they want to be freelance copywriters will do
absolutely nothing. They’ll just sit around and hope that the copy fairy
will change them into one. So just by getting a simple Word Press or
Blogger site you’ll be beating 99% of them. It doesn’t have to be
fancy but you’ve got to be out there.
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THESE TIPS FOR BEING A FREELANCE COPYWRITER ARE
JUST A START
So, that should give you some food for thought,
right? If you develop a skill, somebody will want
it. From there it’s just a matter of (1) plan (2) do
(3) review… over and over and over again,
getting better every week, every month, every
year. Get started and don’t stop.
Good luck. And just remember… the author of
this article hated English in high school but now
makes a good living from writing. It really is
possible.
Please let us know what you think of this topic by leaving a short (or long!) comment below. And sign up now for our
regular newsletter at the bottom of the page.
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THANK YOU
www.beacopywriter.org