Do you have a passion for writing? Have you always been told you have a gift with words? Wondering how you can monetise your natural gift and build a profitable and fulfilling business as a copywriter?
You’ve heard it’s possible, but you’re wondering whether you too can really turn a natural talent into a full time business?
After working as a multi-passionate entrepreneur for 4+ years, offering, among other things, copywriting services, and working with everyone from small businesses to 6-7 figure entrepreneurs, I can say with absolute certainty that the opportunities on the online space are endless and you can create a career that you love.
I’m about to break down everything you need to know about building a sustainable copywriting business and offering a high level of service to clients worldwide.
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How to get Paid to Write and Work from Home as a Copywriter
Disclaimer: There’s a lot of information online about starting your own online business and I advise you to approach everything you see (including this article) with your own judgment and an open mind. A lot of people will say that starting an online business is a quick fix, an easy way to earn some extra money and that it doesn’t take much time and energy. Here’s the truth: a copywriting business is a legitimate business, and – while it can also be a good side hobby – if you’re looking to make it your full time job, there’s a lot of work before you.
What is a Copywriter?
Have you ever landed on someone’s website, or seen a sales post on social media and were so inspired by what they were saying that a few minutes later you were clicking that checkout button and walking away with their product or service? That, friend, is the power of effective copywriting.
Copywriting refers to the art or the process of crafting text intended to persuade the reader to take action. It’s a persuasive marketing art and is used on websites, in email marketing, for advertising, brochures, and essentially anything that serves the purpose of selling something.
Note: This is different to Content Writing which is also a potential foundation for a service provision business.
Is writing not your thing? Here are other online service provision businesses worth their own weight in salt:
Why Copywriting?
If you find that you have a knack for words, you might think it’s a talent that everyone has, because it comes naturally to you.
The truth is, not everyone is a good writer. There – I said it! But I say it with kindness because it’s just reality. I’m not a very good painter, that’s just reality!
Not everyone understands how to write with the purpose of captivating a reader, and as with anything, it’s a skill not everyone wants or has time to learn.
Maybe you also have experience in the marketing and advertising industries. Maybe you worked in sales at one point or even in publishing. Or maybe you’ve just always loved writing and have 7 journals piled in drawers at home.
When you have a skill that someone does not and has no interest in learning, there’s always the opportunity to offer support and get paid for it. Basically, there’s always a market of people looking for a writer.
< Dive deeper into the importance of Copywriting HERE >
It’s also important to mention that more businesses are moving away from print marketing and into digital marketing, so there’s more of a demand for someone who not only understands how to write, but how to harness digital marketing to write for the virtual space.
Who needs a Copywriter?
Long story short, everyone!
All businesses engage in some sort of written advertising and marketing (both print and digital), through content creation, email marketing, on websites, landing and sales pages, brochures, ads, etc…
It’s very unlikely that business owners will be doing all of that themselves. They’ll want to bring someone onto their team who has the right qualities they’re looking for and who they can trust to write for them.
*Enter the Copywriter*
What does a Copywriter do for their clients?
While copywriting is an expertise (or niche service) in itself, there are various subcategories of services you could choose to specialise in as a copywriter, or you could choose to offer a variety of the following:
- Email marketing and newsletters
- Website and landing page copywriting
- Marketing funnel development
- Product or Service Launch copy
- Ads
- Product descriptions
- Social media posts
- Blog writing
- SEO (search engine optimisation)
- Community management (for social media platforms)
What do you need to become a good Copywriter?
A good copywriter does more than just write.
Well okay obviously a copywriter has to be a good writer first! You have to have a good grasp of the language, grammar, sentence structure, and understand various styles of writing. (Pro tip: A good writer is also often an avid reader)
But a good copywriter is also able to step into someone else’s voice and write from this person’s shoes. A good copywriter is able to listen, ask the right questions and study in order to understand the other person’s tone, style, language preference and uniqueness to be able to create written pieces in tune with the person or brand.
I always like to say, when I’m writing for someone else, I want them to have to look twice and wonder whether they didn’t write this themselves!
A good copywriter (especially a sales and marketing copywriter) also has a good grasp of who their audience is. They have to understand sales psychology to be able to successfully convert a message into an action and they have to understand the marketing goals of the person for whom they’re writing.
If you choose to specialise in one or a few of the subcategories above, you’ll also want to become an expert in that specific craft.
So copywriting is both intuitive (it’s often a gift people just have) but also technical (because there are many elements that have to be studied).
Sound like you? Then you’re definitely in the right place!
How to sell services as a Copywriter?
There are many factors that will influence how you package, price and sell your copywriting services.
The first thing you might want to consider is what type of copy are you going to be writing? What are you going to specialise in? What results are you going to focus on offering your clients? And if it feels aligned, what specific clients are you hoping to work with?
You could decide to make a full time job out of it.
You could also decide to do it part time alongside another job as a way to make some extra cash.
You could decide to create packages ranging anywhere between $500-2000+.
It will take some brainstorming and really sitting with your options, your skills and your goals to find what works best for you. And once you do, you’ll then have to decide where to sell your services.
>> Check out this article on the best places to market your service provision business <<
So what's next?
And voila!!
Obviously the details of how exactly you’re going to make all the above happen will require time, effort and a lot of deep diving on your end into your goals, your purpose and the skills you have or want to learn to share through your services.
While it doesn’t have to be overcomplicated and can be a rather straightforward process, the road to “financial freedom” in any online venture is riddled with challenges. But I speak on behalf of myself and my clients when I say that it is absolutely worth it!
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