Tips on How to Become a Copywriter
I see you’ve found out about the amazing career of copywriting, eh? It sounds too good to be true, right? But you Google searched “How to become a copywriter” anyway to see if this is something you could actually do. *spoiler alert… yes! You can become a copywriter.
Can I tell you something? I didn’t know what a copywriter was until I searched for online jobs for stay at home moms. It seemed like a good “gig”. Low start-up cost, location independence, and I got to spend more time with my kiddos.
I feel like most of us come across this possibility of becoming a copywriter from searching for a job where you can work at home, while you are traveling the world, or really, just a job that allows you to have FREEDOM!
None of us want to be tied down to the corporate world of leaving before the sun rises, working 8+ hours a day, and then getting home just in time to make dinner and put the little monsters to bed. What a life, right?
I get it. I felt the same way. That’s why I went all in and said, “Bailey, you are now a copywriter”. Did I know 100% what a copywriter even did? NOPE.
I learned as I went, and a couple years later, I’m bringing in $7-8k a month as a copywriter in my specific niche.
How to Become a Copywriter
I’ll tell you a little bit of how I learned how to become a copywriter so you can start learning yourself!
Educate Yourself on Copywriting
Read blogs on how to become a copywriter, read copywriting books, watch youtube videos, and reach out to other copywriters. Learning copywriting techniques and little tips and tricks can greatly enhance your copy’s value, which will allow you to increase the rates that you can charge.
Best Copywriting Books
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
- The Boron Letters by Gary C. Halbert
- Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
- Content Marketing For Traffic And Sales by Daniel Daines-Hutt
Self Development for Copywriters/Entrepreneurs
You might roll your eyes here, but if you want to be a freelance copywriter and build your own business (aka be a lady boss, entrepreneur), you have to encompass the right mindset.
Building your own business and being your own boss is AMAZING! But there are also challenging parts about it. You will work with demanding clients, get not-so-good feedback, and dedicate your time to client work when deadlines arise.
Not to mention you’ll have to work on mindset to truly believe that you are worthy of charging those higher rates you are deserving of! PLEASE DON’T WRITE BLOGS FOR $30 on Upwork… Been there, done that. Not fun or worth it!
Investing the time to work on my mindset has helped my business grow more than any other factor. Sure, I learned a lot about copywriting over the past couple of years, but I truly think that my mindset is what has gotten me to this thriving place in my career.
My favorite self-development books are:
- You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
- You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
- Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forelo
*No affiliation… Just my honest recommendations.
Get out of Consumption Mode, Get into Action Mode
Consumption mode is necessary at the beginning. You want to learn as much as you can to feel confident in marketing your services. However, don’t let this phase last too long. Seriously, give yourself 3 weeks max to learn… But then get out there and create some copy and content!
You won’t become an expert copywriter without practice. The best way to improve and learn as a copywriter is to get copywriting projects, work with real clients, and get real feedback. Remember to take feedback as a learning opportunity!
Don’t get too hard on yourself. You should’ve seen the work I first submitted and put on the online space when I started out! (*kinda makes me want to hide in a hole).
But, if I didn’t put myself out there, I would never be where I’m at today. Everyone has to start somewhere!
Create a Copywriting Portfolio
Once you start feeling confident in your writing, gather the best pieces for your portfolio. Instead of a resume, copywriters usually send their portfolio pieces to potential clients. Clients just want to know that you can write and that you can bring them value. They don’t care if you worked 5+ years as a project manager.
Make sure your portfolio pieces are error-free. I would save them as a PDF before sending them over to any potential client. You can send them a link to a previously written article if you have one published, but be sure to check that the links are working correctly (sometimes businesses will change their URLs around, and links can be broken).
Fast Track the Whole Copywriting Learning Phase
Take a course! Don’t be like me, who took 1 year trying to teach myself everything there was to learn from my friend, Google. If I would’ve done it again, I would’ve gotten a mentor or taken a copywriting course right from the start.
Learn from people who are already where you want to be. They got to where they are for a reason. Learn from their mistakes and their advice so you can get there too!
Learn How to Become a Copywriter with The Copywriter’s Academy
Learning how to become a copywriter can be challenging when you are first starting out. There’s SO much information out there, it can be overwhelming!
That’s why I created the copywriter’s academy. My name is Bailey Petrucelli and I could be your new copywriting mentor. The copywriter’s academy is a 6-module (30+ lesson) course that tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about how to become a copywriter AND how to set up and run a successful business.
I teach you how to become a copywriter so you can live your dream life!
Sign Up for The Copywriter’s Academy for ONLY $37!
If you want to start a copywriting career, my insanely value-packed course will teach you everything you need to create a sustainable career for yourself (WORKING ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!). You’ll have exclusive access to 6 modules, 30+ lessons, contract templates, cold email template, workbooks, examples, guest speakers, and more! ALL FOR JUST $37!
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