How To Become A Copywriter (With No Experience or Portfolio)

1. 7 things to know before you launch your freelance copywriting career.

Before launching your copywriting business, it is essential to understand the opportunity. While earning a high income with your words is more than possible, achieving those goals takes focus and skill. Check out these frequently asked questions to help you decide if this business is right for you.

Freelance copywriting is a service business where the freelancer helps businesses sell products or services through their words. Some of the most popular forms of online copy include Google Ads, social media ads (e.g., Facebook Ads), sales letters, landing pages, emails, and video scripts. 

It depends on the skills you bring to the table. 

You will need a strong knowledge of sales, persuasion, and writing, all make a critical difference. Learning copywriting will take much more effort if you come from a professional background like accounting. On the other hand, a professional sales rep with a track record might find it easier to learn copywriting. 

Unlike medicine, law, or accounting, there are no formally required certifications or credentials to become a freelance copywriter. Instead, your qualifications take two forms: your case studies (i.e., past copywriting projects where you have helped clients achieve more sales or generate leads), portfolio examples, and writing skills.

In some cases, specialized industry knowledge can help you get ahead faster in freelance copywriting. For example, two industries – health and financial products – are known to pay copywriters very well.

However, those industries are highly competitive and demand the best from copywriters. Strong research skills and an industry background make a big difference in competing and winning in these specialized areas. 

There is no simple answer because your earnings depend on multiple factors. For example, in high demand, you may specialize in a type of copy (e.g., Facebook Ads or Amazon product descriptions). In addition, some copywriters earn royalties or bonuses based on the results they achieve from their clients.

According to CopyHackers, most freelancer copywriters earn between $50 to $149 per hour. With sufficient skill and experience, earning a $100,000 income or higher is more than possible.

As a brand new freelance copywriter, landing your first few copywriting assignments from clients is likely to be complicated. The two best places to start as a beginner are on freelancer websites like Upwork. In addition, reaching out to your network can help – especially friends in marketing and advertising. 

As a beginner, you will probably not have any case studies or track records of success. As a result, you may have to charge lower fees for your copywriting projects. As you gain experience, you can increase your prices.

Producing two to five work samples (e.g., two sales emails, a landing page, and a sales letter) can help showcase your skills to potential clients.

Getting started from scratch as a freelance copywriter is going to take work. You will need to apply yourself to a few areas. Start by reading a few of the industry’s best-known copywriting books (see details in the step-by-step section below).

Next, write a few copy samples for practice: aim for three to five samples. Finally, reach out to people you already know in marketing positions and ask for an opportunity.

Writers have multiple ways to earn an income online. You might become an ebook writer and earn passive income. Or you might be interested in helping companies attract leads through search engine optimization (SEO) as a freelance content writer. Given those choices, you might wonder if copywriting is right for you.

To help you decide, think through these pros and cons.

Pros:

• High-income potential.

As a freelance copywriter, you have the potential to earn six figures or higher. Some copywriters charge $20,000 or even $100,000 for a sales promotion. In addition, some companies are happy to pay commissions and royalties to copywriters who generate sales.

• Work from-home schedule flexibility.

While copywriters are expected to deliver their copy by the deadline, there is still dramatic flexibility. Prefer to work in the early morning hours and do other things in the afternoon? That’s certainly possible as a freelance copywriter. As a freelancer, you can almost always work from home on a schedule that works for you.

• Making a valuable contribution. 

Some writers have had bad experiences with their writing not being valued. People might have made fun of you for writing stories, novels, or poetry. As a freelance copywriter, your words directly drive sales. That means your contribution will be valued and respected.

• Entrepreneurial growth options.

Have you ever wondered about earning money while you sleep with passive income ideas? You are uniquely suited to start and grow online businesses as a copywriter. After perfecting your skills, you can partner with others or grow a brand independently. 

You’ll need to learn other skills like finance and operations when running a company. However, you’ll bring a crucial skill to the venture – the ability to generate sales through effective ads. With the ability to generate customers on demand, you have an opportunity to grow your income through bonuses and ownership in a fast-growing business.

Cons:

There are some significant downsides to running a freelance copywriting business. Make sure you understand these drawbacks before you embark on this career.

• Service business model.

As a freelance copywriter, you are in the client service business. That means you have to work hard to keep clients happy. You need to communicate professionally, meet deadlines, and more. While a service business is low-cost to start, it can be more challenging to scale up.

• Potential for criticism.

You’ll face significant criticism from clients as a copywriter. Some clients will disagree with your ideas and request changes. In other cases, a client may spend money driving traffic to your copy only to earn no sales. No copywriter achieves a win every time – many top professionals in the field achieve a 10-20% hit rate (i.e., the majority of their copy doesn’t immediately produce results). As a freelance copywriter, you need to be able to work with criticism regularly and keep improving your craft.

• Intense beginner competition.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in new copywriters entering the market. Copywriting training courses and programs have fueled this growth. As a beginner, you will face competing against many other new copywriters. 

Overcoming the challenge of intense competition ultimately comes down to achieving results with your copy. Keep working hard at improving your copywriting skills and get testimonials from clients who are pleased with your work.