What does it take to make a good freelance copywriter? You can learn the ropes by taking copywriting courses or perhaps you are a gifted writer.
According to copywriter Jason Leister, one can be the world's greatest copywriter but without clients you will probably be starving. For those starting out as a freelance writer, it's prudent not to try to run before you can walk.
In this guest article, Jason hands out five copywriting course myths that you should know before jumping into the water.
Five Things Every Freelance Copywriter Must Know
by Jason Leister
Almost 12 months ago, I began my career as a freelance copywriter. When I started, I had zero clients and zero income. To develop my skills and get a fast start, I bought most of the copywriting courses available on the market.
If you haven't noticed, there are a lot of them.
And while most of them are pretty good--filled with proven secrets for turning words into wealth--virtually all of them were missing something huge.
They were missing any helpful advice about HOW to make money as a copywriter. As I quickly found out, it doesn't matter how good your writing skills are if you can't make money using them.
Over the past 12 months, I've learned a lot about what it takes to make it as a freelance copywriter.
Here are a few things I wish I had known when I got started. These are some of the things that most copywriting courses don't talk about. I call them, the 5 Copywriting Course Myths.
Myth #1: If Your Copywriting Sells, You Will Make a Lot of Money Making money writing copy has a whole lot more to do with HOW you deal with clients than how to string words together.
You could be the world's greatest copywriter. But without clients to pay you, you'll be hard pressed to put food on the table.
As a business owner, your number one priority is to sell your product. And your product is your copywriting service. Without knowing how to attract clients, you'll never even get the chance to put your skills to use.
Work on your copywriting skills. But more importantly, work on your business acquisition skills.
Myth #2: You Need to Start at the Bottom and Work for Peanuts
You will hear this a lot from old school copywriters. The ones who put in years as a copy cub for a big name. Or the ones who honed their chops in an agency working for well known copy chiefs.
Most of them started at ground zero and worked their way up. But you don't have to. What do you have they don't have?
They didn't have the internet.
And since the internet has come along, the demand for copywriters has gone way, way up.
And the fact that there is DEMAND means you can potentially charge more for your services. Because they are more valuable.
Your copywriting income has little to do with experience or the number of years you've "put in." Your ability to make money as a freelance copywriter comes down to your ability to communicate the value your services deliver to your client.
Sure you have to deliver, but the first step is to get the order.
Myth #3: You Need to Work for Free to Get Started
If you need to work for free (or on spec as they call it), then it's not your copywriting skills that need work, it's your selling skills.
If someone is selling you on the idea of writing copy for them on "spec," then chances are, they're a much better salesman than you are.
Don't do it. Not because you won't get experience. But mainly because it's just not necessary.
Myth #4: You Can Get Wealthy Working for Clients
You can make a very good living writing copy for clients. But chances are, you won't become wealthy. Not really wealthy.
Wealth comes from income that requires little or no work. That's leverage. And with it, you can grow your income without investing an equal amount of time or effort.
Remember, the only reason your client can pay you $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 for a promotion is because they're making a whole lot more than that.
That's a clue about where the real money is hiding. Become your own client.
Acquire or create your own products and use your copywriting skills to build your OWN business.
Myth #5: Writing Copy is Easy
Being a freelance copywriter is real work. Often times a lot of work. Add to that the fact that a majority of the promotions written by even the most experienced copywriters either break even or lose money.
It's a little like baseball.
Copywriting is about a whole lot more than writing. You've got to connect the demand of your market, to the product you are selling. A promotion that worked 2 years ago might bomb today, and vice
versa.
Copywriting takes time, effort and a whole lot of guts to stick with it through thick and thin. The payoff can be huge, but there is a price you must pay. Just be sure you know that before you get started.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jason Leister is a freelance copywriter and author of the copywriting course, "The Independent Thinker's Guide to Becoming a Six-Figure Copywriter in 365 Days or Less" For a free sample of the copywriting course, visit his website at http://www.businessofcopy.com
