Starting a job as a freelancer can be a rewarding and exciting career. Many people are turning to freelancing as an alternative to traditional jobs.
However, it’s important to note that it’s also difficult, especially as you are starting out. In particular, a freelance copywriting career has some unique considerations that you need to keep in mind as you start out.
In this article, we’ll help you learn everything you need to know about freelance copywriting jobs.
We’ll help you know what pitfalls you’ll need to overcome and how much you could potentially earn, before giving you some ideas on where you can begin searching for freelance copywriting jobs.
What are the 6 Core Copywriting Skills?
As you start to consider your copywriting career, there are a few key skills that you should have in your tool belt.
Without these six core copywriting skills, you’ll likely find yourself falling behind or struggling to keep up with the competition.
Therefore, a great idea is to start your journey into freelance copywriting by evaluating how you are at these skills and practicing them if you are lacking in certain areas.
1. Research
Research is an essential skill for copywriters. You’ll need to be able to research information about products, industries, customers, and best practices.
Having highly honed research skills will ensure that you are able to deliver great copy to clients and have it read as though you are an expert, even if you have never heard of the subject before.
2. Adaptability
Another important skill is adaptability.
As a freelancer, you’ll be working with different clients who all have different styles, tones, products, and demands. You’ll need to learn how to be adaptable, manage your tasks and evaluate what is most important, and adjust to the changing needs of your clients.
It’s not just shifting your writing style from client to client, either. Sometimes the same client will do a complete 180 on what they want, and you have to keep your cool and just roll with it. Realistically, one week you might be drafting snappy ad copy and the next, they’ll ask for a 2,000-word explainer that sounds nothing like what you sent before. If you take things too personally or get attached to a particular style, you’ll get frustrated fast. Adapting isn’t just about being flexible for the client; sometimes it’s about surprising yourself, too.
3. Targeting an Audience
Copywriting is all about convincing an audience to make a purchase. The same words and phrases that will convince a 50-60-year-old male to buy a product won’t work for an 18-25-year-old woman.
You’ll need to know how to target an audience and what type of copy will appeal most to that demographic.
4. Staying Informed
In today’s modern business world, things are always changing.
The same tactics that helped copy be found online 5 years ago don’t work today. You’ll always need to stay on top of changing trends, new current affairs, and upcoming topics.
This will help you be a more informed writer as well as be able to move with the times.
Sometimes, the urge is strong to stick with what you know, especially if you’re getting steady results. But digital landscapes are restless—one algorithm tweak from Google and, suddenly, nobody’s reading that blog you were so proud of last month. It’s mildly annoying at best and maddening at worst, but it forces you to keep learning and experimenting. If you find yourself thinking you’ve mastered it all, that’s probably a sign you’re about to get left behind. Best advice? Stay curious and never assume you’re done figuring things out.
5. Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization or SEO is an essential skill for any writer.
SEO is all about getting discovered online. There are specific things that need to be present in your writing in order to gain the attention of search engines and help your copy appear high on the search engine results page.
When you are not privy to SEO best practices, it will be hard to deliver results to clients.
6. Strong Writing
The final skill that all freelance copywriters need is to have strong writing skills.
As mentioned earlier, the easiest way to fail as a copywriter is to fall behind in your writing talents.
In order to be a copywriter, you need to convince people in just a few words to make a purchase.
This is hard to accomplish, so honing your writing skills and always striving to be better is key.
How Do Copywriters Find Clients?
Finding clients is an essential part of being a copywriter.
There are a few places you can begin your search to find the best freelance copywriting jobs.
The first place to look at is your existing network. If you have worked in writing, marketing, or advertising, you likely have built up a network of people who might be interested in your services or who will be able to give you a referral.
This is a low-cost way of finding clients that play on your existing network, where you can find a great amount of support.
The next best place to look is job boards. This is a good place to begin if you are new to freelancing or copywriting.
You can start to build up a resume and portfolio of work that will allow you to target bigger clients later on in your career. Places like Fiverr and Upwork are good places to start.
Finally, you can consider freelance platforms that are designed to connect freelancers to clients, like WriterAccess.
At WriterAccess, you can create a profile, list your specialties, upload your portfolio, and start searching for freelance copywriting jobs.
We have a network of thousands of clients who are looking for the best copywriters out there, and you can join for no cost.
Wrap Up
Becoming a freelance copywriter is a great career for people who have a skill for persuasive writing.
