Introduction To Copywriting & How To Become A Freelance Writer
Introduction To Copywriting & How To Become A Freelance Writer
One of many pathways to Wifi money
Becoming a copywriter is a fast and flexible way to get started with Wifi money. It’s a high-demand skill which can generate good returns, and is a must for all businesses. It’s not difficult to get started as long as you’ll put in the work. A competent writer can get clients without needing to be a world-class expert. All you need is Google Drive and a phone/laptop to access it.
This article will cover the basics of:
Types of freelance writing
Learning how to be a writer
Tips for polishing your writing
What prices to charge
How to get your first clients
This should be enough to get anyone on the path to a writing-based service business. As always, feel free to DM me on Twitter with questions.
TYPES OF FREELANCE WRITING
There are many niches within the writing field, including editing and translating existing works.
Copywriting is sales-focused writing. Marketing and advertising with persuasion and clarity. Follow BowTiedSalesguy for examples on how to sell. Twitter is a good way to practice the basics. Craft compelling tweets and threads, using the character limit to get creative.Look at examples of what works by using Twitter search to find high-engagement tweets.
Example: ‘bowtiedbull min_retweets:100’ shows BTB’s tweets with 100+ RTs. For likes instead, the search string is ‘[account] min_faves:[number]’ (such as bowtiedox min_faves:300)
Sometimes clients ask for ghostwriters - writing with the credit attributed to someone else. It’s often used for long-form writing (speeches, novels, etc) but also applies to short-form copywriting (blog posts, product descriptions, emails, etc) or even tweets.
Freelance writers may advertise as being able to do both copywriting and ghostwriting, especially when starting out. Anyone who’s a decent writer should be able to do either at a reasonable level. While it’s best to have a specific niche, there’s overlap between writing categories. You can interchangeably use multiple keywords for SEO/advertising purposes.
Avoid categories like journalism which have no prestige and even worse pay. Mainstream media outlets are zeros. You don’t want to write for them outside of SEO-centric applications like HARO (Help A Reporter Out).
RESOURCES FOR LEARNING HOW TO BE A WRITER
Some people like low-cost courses on sites like Udemy. It’s just hard to judge their level of quality before starting, and many courses have filler content. The main advantage is obtaining certificates which may help stand in for social proof when you’re starting from scratch. But if your B2B offer is strong enough, you may not need anything else. Reading a few books can already teach the essentials.
If you literally have $0 to spend:
If you know your way around the internet, most books are “free” somewhere. Ahoy.
A library membership card gives both physical access and digital (through free apps like Overdrive and Libby)
Follow copywriters on Twitter and learn by applying their advice.
Common copywriting book recommendations include:
How To Write A Good Advertisement - Victor O Schwab
The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells - Robert Bly
Break-Through Advertising - Eugene M. Schwartz
Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content - Ann Handley
Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing - Mark Shaw
Cashvertising: How to Use More than 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make Big Money Selling Anything to Anyone - Drew Whitman
Website recommendations include Bencivenga Bullets and The Gary Halbert Letter.
There are more options, though you can get a world-class education on Twitter, using the Bow Tied Jungle as a springboard. Follow niches of interest, subscribe to Substacks, and ask questions. You can start your second (or third) income for FREE or close to it.
Most great copywriting ticks the right boxes for human psychology and SEO. Knowledge of these subjects can be helpful. Follow accounts like BowTiedTetra and BowTiedOpossum for SEO and web-related content. Popular SEO-related tools include SurferSEO, Semrush, SpyFu, Jasper, etc.
BowTiedSalesGuy recommends books like:
Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar - David Sandler
Pitch Anything - Oren Klaff
No BS Sales Success - Dan Kennedy
SPIN Selling - Neil Rackham
Book of Pook - Pook (Anonymous)
Influence - Robert Cialdini
Presuasion - Robert Cialdini
Copywriting Handbook - Joe Sugarman
16 Word Sales Letter - Evaldo Albuquerque
DotCom Secrets - Russell Brunson
The Copywriter Club lists a TON more, including:
The Copywriter’s Handbook - Bob Bly
The Well-fed Writer - Peter Bowerman
The Advertising Secrets of the Written Word - Joseph Sugarman
Ogilvy on Advertising - David Ogilvy
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This - Luke Sullivan
The Elements of Style - Strunk and White
The Ultimate Sales Letter - Dan Kennedy
Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Schwartz
My Life in Advertising - Claude Hopkins
Scientific Advertising - Claude Hopkins
Tested Advertising Methods - John Caples
The Advertising Solution - Craig Simpson and Brian Kurtz
The Super Mega Brainy Bundle - Joanna Wiebe
On Writing - Stephen King
On Writing Well - William Zinsser
Everybody Writes - Ann Handley
Master Content Marketing - Pamela Wilson
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kanneman
Made to Stick - Chip and Dan Heath
Switch - Chip and Dan Heath
Brainfluence - Roger Dooley
Buyology - Martin Lindstom
The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
Orbiting the Giant Hairball - Gordon McKenzie
The Opposable Mind - Roger Martin
(Thanks to BowTiedCoquito for sharing the link. Most people should probably ignore this last list, though. Fewer books is better when it comes to starting out.)
Remember to put advice into action! Avoid endless book-reading and perpetual preparation. Take the leap ASAP, otherwise you won’t be applying any of the concepts you learn. Action is often more important than reading, because you’ll learn as you go.
And as you go, save examples of writing that you like. Have a “swipe file” that you can reference. Websites like Swiped.co can help with this.
For your actual writing, Google Drive is likely the best free option. You can write anywhere, on any device, and save files in multiple formats. Microsoft Word isn’t a good default (for open-source alternatives, see LibreOffice and OpenOffice).
TIPS FOR POLISHING YOUR WRITING
Copywriting content can be as short or long as necessary, whether it’s 140 characters or 2000 words. Just communicate the essential message within someone’s attention span. Short and punchy is often better than elaborate. Word count can vary wildly by purpose and niche, so I won’t cover the topic. For more, BowTiedTetra has a short Substack article on word counts.
Don’t forget to A/B test when possible, and revisit your copy, looking for improvements. Small changes can make a big difference for successful businesses. An extra 0.25% conversion rate could be thousands of dollars.
Adjust your style to match target audiences. You don’t want overly casual work if you’re writing for scientists and academics, for example. When in doubt, casual tends to be better. Shorter words and sentences.
Writing should generally be within a 5th to 8th grade level. For self-editing and general polish, there are automated services like:
Remember, these are automated services, so don't take every suggestion or over-polish. Many suggestions are wrong, inefficient, or pointless. Writers can also break grammar rules for stylistic reasons. These are only a general guideline for double-checking things.
I like automated editing tools because it’s a second pair of eyes on your work. It’s easy to miss small things like overly complex sentences or overused words. Even big-budget novels from major publishing houses have typos in printed editions. Perfection is impossible.
In general, the best polish is repeated practice.
WHAT PRICES TO CHARGE
Overall, rates don’t matter as much as ROI and being able to get the job done.
Standard rates depend on level of experience, type of work needed, and the client’s budget. Writers and editors typically charge per word. Some charge per page, but clients can be unhappy with per-page writing due to varying expectations. Font choices, margins, line spacing, and other factors make “one page” impossible to quantify. It’s usually around 400-500 words. “Per hour” rates aren’t any better, because everyone has different typing speeds, and research (if needed) adds extra time.
“Per word” pricing is the most effective all-around. For quick quotes, consider how much an hour of your time is worth and how long you take to write 500 words. If you normally make $50/hour, and it takes 1 hour to write 1 page, you can charge at least $0.10 per word ($50 per 500 words). If you’re cash-strapped or don’t live in a first-world country, you’ll charge less, but not too low. Clients may associate ultra-low prices with low-quality work. You should, at minimum, aim to beat U.S. federal minimum wage (about $1,200 per month) with a combination of pricing and volume. Everyone’s balance is different.
Some example rates:
Don’t forget add-on services like adding stock photos to pair with your writing. Clients rarely want to search for the right photo and ensure it has proper licensing. A few win-win upsells (and/or tiered price packages) can go a long way.
Price isn’t that important for the first 2-3 months of being a freelance writer. The main goal is acquiring testimonials, which can be leveraged into higher rates later on. Get a few case studies under your belt, then seriously evaluate your pricing and market value.
HOW TO ACQUIRE YOUR FIRST CLIENTS
I’ll cover this topic in a Part 2, so be sure to subscribe to this Substack. First: become a competent writer who can deliver results. Second: consider making a website landing page to showcase your offer(s), testimonials, and maybe portfolio pieces or case studies (even if the site is something as simple as Carrd).