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
Showing posts with label copywriting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copywriting. Show all posts
10.1.10
Copywritng Success: Know Your Secret Strengths
While video and multimedia technologies are rapidly expanding, the Web remains a largely a text-oriented system. Text utilizes far less space than video or audio, and remains the go-to medium for the majority of the web’s public content.
This means that there is a lot of copy on the web, so a savvy copywriter should be on the lookout for any technique that will improve the material he puts forward.
Tip 1 – Know Yourself
This piece of advice has been kicking around for several thousand years, and it has persisted for a reason – people make better decisions when they know their strengths and limits.
If your writing lends itself to narrative structures, find ways to tell stories about the product, perhaps in the form of a testimonial or an interview. If you aren’t capable of writing technical articles, don’t try to bluff it.
Tip 2 – Improve Yourself
The web changes, language changes, people change, products change… in short, everything changes. This is a good thing. Improvement and training are important changes that everyone must go through in some degree if they want to remain relevant. You may want to consider enrolling in a writing course, study new SEO and copywriting tips, pick up a highly rated style manual, or continue refining your skills in some other way.
Tip 3 – Target Your Language to the Audience
There is always an audience. Whether writing a letter specifically to one individual or composing for a website to be viewed by international customers, take the time to find out who your audience is and tailor the writing accordingly.
Academics will have different writing standards than a DIY auto repair services, and neither will appreciate receiving articles targeted to the other.
Tip 4 – Write Coherently
Compare the following two statements:
The Large Hadron Collider, created and maintained by CERN in Geneva, is designed to locate and study the Higgs-Boson particle, which will provide insight into the origin of the universe.
CERN intends to use the Large Hadron Collider to locate and study the Higgs-Boson particle in an attempt to gain insight into the origin of the universe.
The first sentence is full of asides and parenthetical statements while the second conveys the information more fluidly. There are times when asides and references are important, but as a general rule, take any opportunity you can to simplify your writing. Your message will be stronger and clearer for the effort.
Tip 5 – Write Specifically
Again, consider this ambiguous sentence; “Anti-nuclear protestors released live cockroaches inside the White House Friday, and these were arrested when they left and blocked a security gate.”
While it seems innocuous enough on the surface, this statement does illustrate the problem with ambiguous grammar. Good copywriting is precise and unambiguous. Here it comes across as funny, but if your customers aren’t coming to your site to laugh, go with a clearer example.
Tip 6 – Write Concisely
Strunk and White’s ‘The Elements of Style’ sums this up as ‘Omit needless words.’ Stick to short, clear paragraphs and sentences. Elaborate where needed, but focus on efficient writing that gets the message across without pointless extras.
Tip 7 – Start Strong
Journalism focuses on a technique known as the lede. In short, this is all the relevant detail of the story conveyed in one sentence, and it always comes at the start of the article.
“A local man was arrested today in connection with the recent kidnapping of a foreign exchange student.”
Notice it doesn’t give names or quotes, just the hard-core facts. While online copywriting rarely needs to emulate this exact approach, it still illustrates a key point; good articles present their best facts quickly while hooking the reader.
Tip 8 – End Strong
There are countless examples of writing that start out with the proverbial ‘bang,’ only to wander off pointlessly. Focus your writing on its key message and make sure the final statement is as strong as the first.
Write your beginning statement and ending statement at the same time and make sure the article is always leading toward that killer end sentence that ties the article up in a powerful way.
Tip 9 – Read
While this partially falls under the idea of improving yourself, it’s also a specific example that deserves its own mention. Read constantly. Read good articles and bad, seeing what works and what does not. People who are widely read write better than comparable writers who don’t read as much.
Tip 10 – Write Constantly
Copywriting is a talent like any other. Daily practice with writing will expand your ability to try new ideas and reinforce good habits. Even if you have no copywriting assignment at the moment, browse the web looking for websites in your area of expertise, and see if you can’t improve their copy. Then you can either consider it free practice, or perhaps give the authors a call to see if they’re interested.
About the author: Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources
This means that there is a lot of copy on the web, so a savvy copywriter should be on the lookout for any technique that will improve the material he puts forward.
Tip 1 – Know Yourself
This piece of advice has been kicking around for several thousand years, and it has persisted for a reason – people make better decisions when they know their strengths and limits.
If your writing lends itself to narrative structures, find ways to tell stories about the product, perhaps in the form of a testimonial or an interview. If you aren’t capable of writing technical articles, don’t try to bluff it.
Tip 2 – Improve Yourself
The web changes, language changes, people change, products change… in short, everything changes. This is a good thing. Improvement and training are important changes that everyone must go through in some degree if they want to remain relevant. You may want to consider enrolling in a writing course, study new SEO and copywriting tips, pick up a highly rated style manual, or continue refining your skills in some other way.
Tip 3 – Target Your Language to the Audience
There is always an audience. Whether writing a letter specifically to one individual or composing for a website to be viewed by international customers, take the time to find out who your audience is and tailor the writing accordingly.
Academics will have different writing standards than a DIY auto repair services, and neither will appreciate receiving articles targeted to the other.
Tip 4 – Write Coherently
Compare the following two statements:
The Large Hadron Collider, created and maintained by CERN in Geneva, is designed to locate and study the Higgs-Boson particle, which will provide insight into the origin of the universe.
CERN intends to use the Large Hadron Collider to locate and study the Higgs-Boson particle in an attempt to gain insight into the origin of the universe.
The first sentence is full of asides and parenthetical statements while the second conveys the information more fluidly. There are times when asides and references are important, but as a general rule, take any opportunity you can to simplify your writing. Your message will be stronger and clearer for the effort.
Tip 5 – Write Specifically
Again, consider this ambiguous sentence; “Anti-nuclear protestors released live cockroaches inside the White House Friday, and these were arrested when they left and blocked a security gate.”
While it seems innocuous enough on the surface, this statement does illustrate the problem with ambiguous grammar. Good copywriting is precise and unambiguous. Here it comes across as funny, but if your customers aren’t coming to your site to laugh, go with a clearer example.
Tip 6 – Write Concisely
Strunk and White’s ‘The Elements of Style’ sums this up as ‘Omit needless words.’ Stick to short, clear paragraphs and sentences. Elaborate where needed, but focus on efficient writing that gets the message across without pointless extras.
Tip 7 – Start Strong
Journalism focuses on a technique known as the lede. In short, this is all the relevant detail of the story conveyed in one sentence, and it always comes at the start of the article.
“A local man was arrested today in connection with the recent kidnapping of a foreign exchange student.”
Notice it doesn’t give names or quotes, just the hard-core facts. While online copywriting rarely needs to emulate this exact approach, it still illustrates a key point; good articles present their best facts quickly while hooking the reader.
Tip 8 – End Strong
There are countless examples of writing that start out with the proverbial ‘bang,’ only to wander off pointlessly. Focus your writing on its key message and make sure the final statement is as strong as the first.
Write your beginning statement and ending statement at the same time and make sure the article is always leading toward that killer end sentence that ties the article up in a powerful way.
Tip 9 – Read
While this partially falls under the idea of improving yourself, it’s also a specific example that deserves its own mention. Read constantly. Read good articles and bad, seeing what works and what does not. People who are widely read write better than comparable writers who don’t read as much.
Tip 10 – Write Constantly
Copywriting is a talent like any other. Daily practice with writing will expand your ability to try new ideas and reinforce good habits. Even if you have no copywriting assignment at the moment, browse the web looking for websites in your area of expertise, and see if you can’t improve their copy. Then you can either consider it free practice, or perhaps give the authors a call to see if they’re interested.
About the author: Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources
14.1.09
The World of Online Copywriting
Be a Web Copywriter Online copywriting has become a multi-billion dollar resource for companies that utilize the Internet. There are ads, publications, banners, websites and articles that are written by freelance copywriters through the Internet.
Copywriting persuades or draws attention to whatever is being promoted. Good online copywriting invites a person to actually read the ad whereas bad copywriting can quickly be navigated away from.
The Internet has turned into a billion dollar revenue source for thousands and thousands of companies throughout the world. Online copywriting is more often associated with a form of article called a Search Engine Optimized (SEO) article. The SEO copywriter writes articles, varying in lengths, to fit a series of keywords or phrases that will turn up prominently in an internet search through such search engines as Google or Yahoo.
The web copywriter must be internet savvy. Often links are used within the article that will direct the reader to an additional webpage. Online copywriting is a valuable tool used by companies who want to reach a wider demographic audience.
Many website articles are tailored to meet the demands the customers are expecting and as a way to draw potential visitors in, the web copywriter must have online copywriting articles that are suited to that audience.
Words have power. We see that day in and day out through the commercials and ads we see each day. But one form of online copywriting we do not often take into consideration when thinking about copywriting in general is that essays or reviews against a particular subject are considered a form of marketing.
Take for example, the government and organization ads against smoking. The articles and commercials are very much against use of any form of tobacco. Their use of health statistics show the detrimental effects that smoking has on our bodies, not only as a tobacco user, but through second hand smoke as well.
As more people turn to the internet for personal enjoyment, shopping and to stay informed, online copywriting will continue to be a formidable force to be reckoned with. Jobs will be created and the opportunities to advance in this career field will continue to rise. If you find yourself intrigued by the idea of being a copywriter, it is definitely worth checking into.
About the Author: Learn Copywriting Information at http://copywriting.answersaboutwriting.com/
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