How to become a respected, sought-after and outrageously paid copywriter

While you have come across the word, it's not the most common term around.

Copywriting is an important skill in business because it is the most valuable, least understood and least appreciated.

People are not interested in Copywriting because they don't understand it.

Copywriters of old defined copywriting as salesmanship in prints. The keyword here is sales.

A lot of entrepreneurs get confused as to what copywriting is. Is it beneficial? They wonder.

Any writing that persuades your audience for taking an action is called copywriting. Signing up for email updates, sharing something on social media or buying something online, are a few examples. Copywriting is often summarized as 'Copy'.

Copy is what we find on headlines, product descriptions, sales pages, CTR buttons, email subject lines, and pretty much everything used for marketing purposes. Even if it is a task as small as remembering the name of your company.

Writing copy is a process where you have to jab your readers' attention, secure it all the way down, push his emotional buttons and drag him to a boiling point.

You also have to lift risks off your buyer's shoulders, eliminate objections, ask for the sale and justify your price. 👌

That said, contrary to the usual misconception, copy is not about 'copying' something..

Generally, for a lay man, Copywriting is used to trigger sales.. It's not all about just writing, it's about closing and selling..

Levels of Copywriting

The levels of Copywriting can be liken to be ranks in copywriting..

I'll be Discussing just 3 for the sake of time..

1. Corporate Copywriter

These are copywriters that work for companies, they write their sales letters, email sequences, newsletters and even their brochures. They are like full time workers in a company..

2. Freelance Copywriters

These are copywriters who works on freelancing sites like Upwork and Fiverr.

They bid on copywriting jobs posted by clients on the platform. They work at their own convenient time. They aren't controlled by who they work for.. They work from home..

As a copywriter, you earn in dollars as a freelance copywriter on any of the freelancing sites plus it's very profitable considering the rate of dollar.

3. Personal Brand Copywriters

This is one of the best levels/ranks. It is actually the highest..These ones have built their names and fame.

They have an audience they sell to anytime...

They are link influencers in the industry..

This level is the most profitable..

Men like Dan Lok, Jason Capital, Stefan georgi and the rest are in this level.

They make an impact and help others in the same path.

Their aim is to raise others to become like them..

As a copywriter your aim is to achieve this level..

But of course you can't get there by just wishing.. You need to soak yourself in the waters of Copywriting and be intentional about your growth..

Businesses of a Copywriter

As a copywriter, you can engage in any business..

As long as it has to do with sales..

Let's look at some businesses/Jobs you can take up as a copywriter.

Direct Response Copywriter

Direct response copywriting is the opposite of the Ad copywriting you see on TV

Most TV Ad are working a long time game. They want you to remember their products at some point in the future, when you probably see it in a supermarket ( It's called brand awareness)

In Contrast, Direct response copywriting focuses on the immediate moment..

This has to do with writing copies that inspires the reader to take action immediately he/she finish reading..

As a direct response copywriter, you are in the business of taking care of the following..

Squeeze pages

Home pages

Contact pages

Social ads (Facebook ads, Instagram ads, etc.).

YOUR GOAL: To get the visitor to perform the desired action. For example, to click a CTA, to subscribe to the newsletter, to download a lead magnet, to share the content, etc.

Marketing Copywriter

As a Marketing copywriter you make use of compelling writing technique that focuses on consumer’s problems, desires, and pain points.

When you are a marketing copywriter, you offer solutions to consumers’ problems and insist on the benefits you or your client's solutions provide.

As a Marketing Copywriter you are in the business of taking care of the following:

Landing pages

Newsletters and sales emails

YOUR GOAL: To close the sale or get the contract. We can define this type of copywriting as writing to sell.

SEO Copywriter

You also use compelling writing technique that focuses on two actions:

✅ To persuade the reader to take a certain action

✅ To position the content in Google

You are in the business of writing the following:

Product descriptions

Product categories

Landing pages

YOUR GOAL: The text should be appealing both to the readers and Google

Writing Sales Copies.

Your job is to write copies that will persuade the reader to take a specific action; to buy a product, make inquiries, subscribe to a newsletter or download a free report.

Product Description

Your job as a good product description copywriter is to describe a product to influence the reader and make them click the buy button..

You'll do more than just explain features, you tell the reader what's in for them by drawing out the benefits of the product and tying it to a certain lifestyle or aspiration.

If you go to sites like Amazon, Jumia, Konga and the likes of them, take a look at the description of any of the products their you'll see that it is well crafted..

As a copywriter, this can be your area of focus..

Web Content.

Your job is to create engaging contents for websites. These contents will be to engage visitors of the web page and influence their buying decisions..

Social Media Management

Here your job is to create contents that attract people to your client's Social Media feeds.

This is a very lucrative area, a lot of businesses is now online, thus the need for a social media account manager.

You create daily contents that engages readers and eventually trigger sales..

To start a copywriting business, you’ll need to select the services you’ll offer clients, showcase your writing samples and market yourself to attract new clients to hire you as a freelance copywriter.

You are starting as a Freelance Copywriter

1. COVER THE BASICS

Before you can start a copywriting business, you’ll need to cover the basic requirements of Copywriting. First, make sure you have all the supplies you’ll need to be a copywriter, including a SmartPhone or computer, an internet connection and a website promoting your services.

If you buy anything new for your business, make sure you track the expense so you can deduct it from your income taxes.

You also may need to register your business and purchase insurance.

2. PLAN YOUR COPYWRITING BUSINESS

Develop a plan of action that outlines your goals, business strategy and target clients. Analyze your competition by looking up other freelance copywriting businesses in your market to see what services they offer and how much they charge clients for their services.

You’ll also want to plan a promotional strategy for growing your business over time.

3. CHOOSE YOUR SERVICES

What services will your freelance copywriting business offer to its clients?

You may want to specialize in specific areas of copywriting, such as advertising copy, website content, email marketing copy and more.

If you have experience in a particular type of writing, you may want to choose to focus on that niche while getting your copywriting business off the ground.👌

4. DEVELOP YOUR BRAND

A strong brand will set you apart from your competitors and give your business a personality that clients can relate to.

Your brand includes the tone and style of your business as well as the graphic look of your business, including your logo, fonts and color palette.

Once you have a clear brand, you can use it across all your marketing materials, including business cards and your website.

You are now slowly moving to become a Personal Brand Copywriter

5. ESTABLISH YOUR RATES

Setting the rate you’ll charge your clients is an important step and can also be one of the most challenging tasks for writers who are new to freelancing.

First, take a look at what other copywriters in your area charge, so you can establish a realistic range for the industry in your city.

Find other copywriters offering similar services with similar experience levels to you and see what their rates are.

It’s a good idea to set both an hourly rate and a per-word rate, to offer clients some flexibility.

When setting your rate, it’s important to take into consideration all the business expenses that must be covered by your earnings.

It can be tempting to set a low rate when you’re starting out to attract as many clients as possible, but make sure your rates are sustainable in the long run and offer you a comfortable living. 👌

6. GATHER YOUR WRITING SAMPLES

If you’ve worked as a copywriter for an agency or brand before leaving to start your own copywriting business, you’ll want to gather writing samples from your work that showcase your talent and demonstrate the range of media, industries and clients you’ve written for.

If you don’t have previous copywriting experience, you’ll still need writing samples to show potential clients.

You can do Spec work..

You can do spec work to showcase your skills. Spec work involves producing ads on behalf of a business, without working for them.

Often, writers starting out will develop copy for big brands to show the kind of work they’d produce to make a splash for that company, even though they don’t work for them.

7. DEVELOP AN ONLINE PORTFOLIO

Once you have selected all your writing samples, you’ll need somewhere to display them so potential clients can see your work.

Develop an online portfolio that showcases your writing samples, provides a listing of your services and offers a bio so clients can learn more about you and your background.

Lastly

8. SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS

Copywriters should always be improving their writing skills or learning new skills that can help grow their business.

Daniel M.A