So you wanna learn how to become a copywriter my junior friend? Well itu2019s very possible. In fact, thereu2019s really no formal education you need. Some of the top-paid copywriters in the world never went to college or took a writing class!No education!No formal training!!Make lots of money!!!u2026..now before you start getting crazy, let me step you back into the reality of becoming a copywriter:1.) What Is Copywriting?Copywriting is essentially moving words around to sell better.Letu2019s say I work for a company that has a webpage which gets 1 out of 500 visitors to buy something.If I was a copywriter, I would figure out how to make 1 out of 100 of those people buy. This means 5x more sales from the SAME webpage!A good copywriter will understand how to do this with their words, and also how to re-arrange pictures and buttons to get more sales.A good copywriter is not just a writer. They are a keen studier of the human psychology behind purchase decisions!2.) Understand why people hire copywriters:Think of the huge amount of content a lot of companies have to put out.A single insurance company will have to put out all this stuff:Ads on TVAds on the internetAds on radioBrochures for B2C salesBrochures for B2B salesBrochures for every different productForms to fill outForms to fill out for various different product linesGoogle adsFacebook adsUpdate their TwitterUpdate their Facebook pageMake content for their websiteMake the content for their website about each different productMake sure their content is convertingMake sure customers understand how to signupSend customers packets explaining their policyHave scripts for their sales people to followHave scripts for their customer support people to followWrite press releasesThe list goes on and on and on and onu2026Allllll of these things need to get written by or looked over by a copywriter. And thatu2019s just a single example! Some companies will rely heavily on copywriters. Some companies (like 37Signals) require ALL members of the team to be great writers before they ever start.So people will pay a copywriter good money to handle these things for them. But YOU my young friend, need to understand that to get that money, you need to keep relationships within those companies that need those services.How to Get Clients As a Freelance Copywriter:This is by far the biggest question I get. And people seem to forget one thing:Establishing yourself as a freelance copywriter is the same as building a business from the ground up.Youu2019ve got to put in LOTS of effort in the beginning, show talent, and not expect immediate riches. Thereu2019s no free lunches here boys and girls.A lot of people get entranced by the prospect of working from their laptop from anywhere in the world as copywriter. In fact people go nuts when I post pictures like this from various locations!Since all my copywriting business is conducted from a laptop, I can take off and go work from the beach.Or if I wanted to drum up an extra $10,000 really quick u2026..I can just devote some of my hours to copywriting gigs.But these luxuries are the result of hard work, actual results, and existing exposure.This wonu2019t happen overnight for most copywriters. And probably NEVER will for a lot of them. However Iu2019ll share some of the ways Iu2019ve personally seen people get amazing (and high paid) copywriting gigs:METHOD #1.) Becoming popular on the web as a copywriter.If you become known as a famous copywriting figure, you will build instant credibility.And if you have high credibility, you can ask for more money.So how did I build credibility for my copywriting career?Building Copywriting Credibility Step 1.) Practicing what you preach:I originally ran a couple of businesses starting from high school, and I first applied some copywriting techniques to the email list I had.METHOD #2.) Becoming popular in a specific nicheSo a lot of lower-end copywriters will insist u201cI can write everything!u201d But in reality they should niche down when they start. For example, if you worked for a big health company and did a lot of writing for them, you should call yourself a copywriter that specializes in the health space.This will make it easier to gain credibility in a specific area.You probably wouldnu2019t super-trust the guy who mows your lawn for financial adviceu2026..however you REALLY might take his advice on how to hedge bushes and get a clean line on the edge of a lawn.He has very specific advice, and lots of experience practicing what heu2019s talking about.Instead of being u201cjust a copywriteru201d u2026.it would be better if you were u201cA female copywriter who specializes in talking to 1st time expecting mothers.u201dIt would be best to hang out and network in places where people are selling stuff to 1st time expectant mothers. If someone need a copywriter, and you have experience in EXACTLY their nicheu2026..guess who has a high chance of getting the gig??My personal niche started out with smaller companies and daily deals. Then moved into medium sized businesses.However if someone approached me to write for 1st time expectant mothers, I could DO Itu2026u2026but I donu2019t have experience and canu2019t exactly relate to the struggles of that demographic. So I try to stick to my area of expertise so I can deliver the maximum results.METHOD #3.) Becoming popular for big companiesTHIS method can apply to certain people, and be quite lucrative.Letu2019s say you worked for a big company in the marketing department and you were exposed to how a big marketing department tests & releases products.If you were to build a nice little network in the same industry, and then become a consultant with a VERY SPECIFIC expertise, then you get some other big companies to fork over A LOT of money.Smaller freelance gigs can pay a few hundred dollars. But a huge corporation who is a doing an 8+ month rollout of $100,000,000+ product will pay you some phat-ass cash to ensure they do it right.Now I personally probably couldnu2019t get one of these gigs because Iu2019ve never worked inside a huge company. That means I lose major credibility because Iu2019ve never walked the walk.But if you do have some very niche experience within a big corporation and had a few big wins, you might be able to become a very highly-sought-after consultant.The cool part is you only need a few good contacts for this.I know someone who wrote an oil-management program in the 70u2019s thatu2019s still used today. Till this day he gets sweet-ass gigs from multiple companies JUST to be around if anyone needs help implementing it.Since the projects he consults for are $2billion+ u2026..the companies donu2019t mind shelling out major cash just to keep him around.Boring? Yes.Sweet cash flow? Yes.This is one of the benefits of working with a big company:You know how to implement projects within a large company. That is actually a rare skill.METHOD #4.) Get small-time gigs.Now there are some other ways to get copywriting gigs, but Iu2019ve never seen anyone who consistently made big money doing these things alone, so Iu2019ll just list them quickly:Posting on Fiverr for copywriting gigs.Youu2019ll definitely get some leads this way, but your clients will usually be bargain-hunters and not HUGE jobs.Posting on Craigslist as a copywriter for hire. This will generally result in corporate copywriter jobs that are relatively low-paying ($35,000 u2024 $45,000).Posting on UpWork as a copywriter for hire. This will get you small to medium gigs. Itu2019s not my favorite wayMETHOD #5.) Post in Facebook Groups where people can use copywriting services.I think this one is the easiest. Just go to groups like The Cult of Copy Job Board that you are offering your services for a one-time low price of $xxxxx and that youu2019re for hire.A lot of times people will bite.People also constantly post gigs there such as:Not all the gigs will be good, but some will.In the beginning you will have to scrape together gigs, but if you start putting all your work inside a simple portfolio, you can gain some steam. Which brings me to :Make a Simple Copywriting Portfolio!Ok, listen to me carefully young buck:You DO NOT NEED a fancy website. In fact, Iu2019ve never never ever seen someone get a copywriting gig directly from their portfolio. EVER!!The reason is: people are looking to hire you based on your skills at copywriting. Not u201chow fancy your website looks.u201d This is a common mistake. Look how crappy my copywriting consults page is. That page generates huge returns even though it sucks super bad. The desire to buy is created from previous exposure to me, NOT the way the page looks.People will spend months and lots of money and time on a fancy website, only to realize NO ONE IS COMING TO IT. The only people going there are the people they meet directly and tell to go there.The best type of copywriting portfolio is a simple page with the following elements:Your name.Your expertise (Social Media? Landing Pages? A/B Testing?).A few examples of your work.How they can book a session with you.I know it sounds counterintuitive, but some of the best copywriting pages Iu2019ve EVER SEEN are super simple oneu2019s like this:See how simple that is?It also only leaves them ONE option of what to do next, and thatu2019s to book a session with you.These sessions should generally be a minimum of $100.If a client is not willing to pay at least $100 for a consultation session where you point out everything wrong with their page, they are NOT going to buy anyways.My minimum consultation session is $597 now. And Iu2019ve learned the hard way that if people are not willing to pay it, they are not going to be willing to pay you more (or they just simply canu2019t afford it).Oddly enough, the more I charge for each hour session, the more respect and compliance I get from the client! They want to make SURE they get their money out of that session , so they ensure they show up on time and show up prepared.I would personally avoid doing free sessions. Because what generally happens is:1.) Everyone gets excited about working together.2.) You setup a meeting with this u201cprospective clientu201d.3.) You prepare for the meeting and draw up a proposal.4.) You talk with the client and tell them what youu2019re going to do for them.5.) They tell you u201cletu2019s talk again soon after I run this by my boss.u201d6.) You never talk againu2026..and all that time was wasted.7.) You become sad and poor :-(To get people taking you seriously, you need to charge them for your time. If they decide to go for a full contract with you, then you can comp them the hour long session. However if they donu2019t go with you, at least you still get paid.Charging people for your time is a sure-fire way to get them to value your services.Every single successful freelance copywriter I know ALWAYS charges for their time.Some Copywriting Books for you to read:Iu2019ve read a helluva lot of copywriting books, and these are the oneu2019s I recommend you read to get off to a great start:BOOK 1.) Read The Gary Halbert Letters (Free) Start by reading u201cThe Boron Lettersu201d. Make sure you print each chapter out for maximum effect!Ch 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25You can also buy The Boron Letters directly from Amazon.BOOK 2.) If you want a book that sits on your desk and can re-cap this kourse quickly, then grab my book called u201cThis Book Will Teach You How To Write Betteru201d from Amazon.BOOK 3.) Read Advertising Secrets of the Written Word by Joseph Sugarman. This book usually costs in the $30 range, but is one of my go-to books for ideas on how to position copy. Almost every successful kopywriter will know this book.BOOK 4.) Also, check out Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy (great for traditional advertising advice as well)Your Next Steps To Becoming A Copywriter:I showed above in this post some good things to do first:Read the copywriting books I recommended above.Making a simple copywriting portfolio.Put yourself out there.Well my young friend, I hope this answers your question!-N
