How To Become a Copywriter for Free With No Experience in 2024
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Are you ready to ditch your 9-to-5 for the world of copywriting, but your bank account says otherwise? Don’t worry! Almost every successful writer I know, including myself, started with nothing and made it happen.
In this post, I’ll cover everything from developing copywriting skills to building a portfolio without any financial investment. Whether you’re ready for a career change, a student, or someone interested in copywriting, let this post be your ultimate guide.
Inside you’ll learn the basics of copywriting and how to generate leads in your business that value your expertise and develop your brand. With the information below, you can separate yourself from the competition without draining your wallet or undergoing lengthy education programs.
Ready to escape your boring routine and take back your time? Keep reading.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: As an affiliate, we may receive a commission on any purchases made through the links provided. We only promote products and services that we believe provide value and guarantee honest opinions in our reviews.
What is Copywriting?
Copywriting is a form of communication that focuses on creating persuasive and engaging content for marketing and sales purposes. It is relied upon for emails, websites, advertisements, sales letters, video scripts, and other materials to help generate conversions, engagement, and profit.
A professional who creates and formats copy for distribution is called a copywriter. The freelance copywriting profession has become a lucrative option with the growth of e-commerce business models and digital marketing, offering countless opportunities in every niche and genre imaginable.
Any freelance copywriter who knows SEO can use keywords and optimize different page elements like titles, meta descriptions, and content to boost a webpage’s ranking on Google and get it onto the first page. And this, my future copywriting genius, is an invaluable skill set all business owners need.
By mastering the art of identifying the target audience and understanding their preferences, behaviors, and demographics, one can create highly targeted content that converts readers into customers and repeat business.
5 Reasons You Need To Know How to Become a Copywriter in 2024
Copywriting isn’t just about dazzling consumers with clever words – it’s a powerful tool for any business looking to boost its profile and sales.
It involves crafting persuasive content that speaks directly to the customer, ensuring maximum impact on results.
In 2024, there are five compelling reasons to learn how to become a copywriter.
Copywriters Are in High Demand
Figure 1: Average Copywriter Salary, 2023 (Source: copyhackers.com, 2023:online)
The demand for copywriters is high as brands aim to stand out in a crowded market by effectively communicating their message clearly and compellingly, highlighting the importance of words in today’s digital age.
Aspiring copywriters can access numerous opportunities by honing their communication skills and freelance writing. In a job market that is constantly evolving and highly competitive, specializing in an industry where you have expertise or experience can be advantageous.
Consider options you are familiar with and ones outside your comfort zone. Writing is a powerful skill, and producing content that resonates with people you don’t know is empowering.
With it, you can open up many career opportunities in the creative space and even establish your own copywriting business where you’re the big boss.
Copywriting Is a Great Way To Make Money
Figure 2: Average Copywriter Salary, 2023 (Source: builtin.com, 2023:online)
If you’re hunting for a career that can give you financial freedom and help unleash your creative potential, copywriting could be just the thing. It offers plenty of opportunities to make money by writing persuasive content to drive businesses forward.
Reports show this career is quite lucrative, with many professionals earning six-figure salaries each year. That means you have a realistic shot to fully replace or supplement your income in a year or less.
By mastering your writing skills, you can unlock the potential to receive lucrative copywriter salaries, achieve a thriving career, and pursue creative work that is challenging and rewarding.
You Can Work From Anywhere
The freedom that copywriting provides is one of its most attractive aspects. You can work from anywhere with an internet connection and the necessary computer and software, such as your home, a coffee shop, or even the beach.
Thanks to online copywriting platforms and job boards, you can access thousands of listings any time you like without setting foot inside a company or a specific location. You can work with clients of your choice and adjust your availability whenever you want.
To attract potential clients, build your own website to showcase your skills and market yourself. Freelance copywriters enjoy freedom and flexibility, which is rare in other professions. It’s hard to find opportunities that offer the freedom to travel, work remotely, and have a flexible schedule like this.
You Can Save Companies Time and Money
Since the pandemic, businesses have become increasingly aware that attempting to compete online without a professional copywriter is a recipe for disaster. Copywriters make it their primary focus to write clear, concise, and error-free copy while creating marketing materials that promote the brand’s strengths, uniqueness, and messaging.
Content that ranks organically helps businesses save thousands of dollars monthly on paid advertising strategies by driving free traffic to goods, offers, subscription services, and memberships. With a solid search engine optimization strategy and high-quality, optimized content, a copywriter can pay huge dividends in any industry or niche.
The expertise you’ll gain from learning how to become a copywriter is what companies want and need. For many small businesses, a cost-saving solution is paramount to long-term success. This strategy helps them stay competitive in the marketplace, allowing for higher profit margins and preventing closures.
You Have the Opportunity To Be Creative
A career in copywriting can be exhilarating and fulfilling, providing the chance to use your creativity and aid in the success of companies. As a copywriter, you will utilize your creativity to develop unique concepts that can assist any client in distinguishing themselves from their rivals.
Your creativity will be visible for all to see when you create copy for landing pages, social media posts, ads, or email marketing. Combining left and right-brain thinking with an understanding of consumer psychology and user experience is necessary to generate unique and innovative ideas that are out of the box.
Copywriting is a great career choice for those who are analytical and creative. If you stay informed on industry trends and research your target audience, you can excel and establish an identity. It’s mentally stimulating and never repetitive, making it the perfect job for multi-talented individuals. The sky’s the limit with copywriting.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Copywrite Like a Pro
As a freelance copywriter, I understand the importance of having a writing process that resonates with my readers yet is fully optimized to garner high SERP rankings. Over the years, I’ve worked with two SEO agencies that taught me the right tactics and strategies.
As a result, I developed a unique way of doing things that allows me to consistently produce high-quality copy that ranks and effectively sells affiliate products, services, and subscriptions.
With my approach, you’ll learn how to thoroughly examine search intent by studying the first page results and recognizing the requirements and challenges of the intended audience.
1. Learn the Basics of Copywriting
To learn how to become a copywriter, you must first develop a solid understanding of the fundamentals of writing.
Copywriting involves crafting compelling messages that encourage your target audience to take action, so you’ll need to know who you’re writing for and have clarity and brevity in your wording.
You can familiarize yourself with the industry by reading books that explain what good writing entails and the basics of conversational content. That includes consistently working on your grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Start by reading The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. to get your feet wet.
2. Develop Your Writing Skills
If you want to develop the copywriting skills needed for successful freelance writing, try following these actions. Use free templates to start writing small articles of 400 to 700 words and focus on tone, style, and structure.
You’ll need to keep the audience engaged, so break up long text into smaller paragraphs and sentences that make it easier to read. By forming the article this way, you’ll increase the readability and motivate the reader to delve deeper.
Always write your content with a purpose and drive it toward a call to action. Rather than simply stating the benefits of your product or service, provide your audience with actual proof and illustrations to establish their confidence in your work.
With continued practice, you’ll find yourself mastering the creative process and developing your own unique flair. Before submitting any work to a client, make sure it checks all the boxes – take some extra time for quality control!
3. Take Online Copywriting Courses
Investing in online copywriting courses could be the ultimate way to take it up a notch. You can save months or even years of time spent learning by selecting the appropriate program that provides you with advanced skills and knowledge.
Find a reputable course provider that delivers practical insights and tutorials and covers the basics of writing with advanced techniques. When researching which course is worth the investment, consider the syllabus, instructor’s credentials, course duration, and price.
Additionally, read reviews and ask for recommendations from peers or mentors with copywriting experience. If you’re just getting started as a copywriter, investing in online courses is money well spent. They are perfect for learning the basics and enhancing existing skill sets – without having to leave home.
4. Utilize Job Boards
As a freelance copywriter, using job boards can be crucial for finding high-quality clients. Job boards offer an easy starting point when it’s time to find work and establish connections.
However, don’t dive in head first just yet. Look at other writer’s reviews to avoid content mills and other low-paying businesses that undervalue your skills. Before applying for any job, research the company and check their social media presence.
A great way to separate the wheat from the chaff among potential clients on job boards is to thoroughly analyze their portfolio and their expectations for the copywriting job.
Don’t hesitate to take advantage of job boards to find the best copywriting clients that match your writing style and work ethics. Real-time updates can provide numerous opportunities whether you’re a beginner or an experienced freelance copywriter seeking to generate more income.
5. Join an Agency
A great way to supercharge your writing experience and gain more prospects in search engine optimization, copywriting, and content writing is by joining an agency.
By working for an agency, you can enjoy steady work and stable income streams, with great perks like contributing to your 401k, deducting your taxes, and taking care of a considerable chunk of your healthcare costs.
Agencies provide the chance to learn and grow in a supportive, collaborative environment. By joining, you don’t need to struggle with making contacts to land contracts, yet you will still have plenty of opportunities to hone your writing skills and build your copywriting portfolio.
Collaborating with seasoned writers and experts in your industry can offer beneficial insights to help you further develop as a freelance writer. Don’t hesitate to start researching and applying to a promising agency today that will show you the proper tools to put you on the path towards becoming a top-notch freelance writer.
6. Determine Search Intent Before You Write One Word of Copy
Successful copywriting is all about understanding the underlying intent of your client search queries. If you want to build a thriving freelance writing career, learning to identify and write content optimized for user searches should be the first priority. That means researching the purpose of a user’s online search to create content that truly resonates with their intentions.
To determine search intent, start by googling the keyword you want to rank for and analyzing the search engine results page. Pay close attention to the titles and meta descriptions of the top-performing pages to understand the categories of search intent.
Watch this video for an easy search intent strategy and the secret weapon that positions you for success BEFORE you write one word. Shout out to Kenneth Fong!
Analyzing top-performing websites can assist you in optimizing your content to meet the expectations of your intended audience. Utilize Google’s auto-suggest feature, commonly asked questions, and the secret weapon to obtain a robust understanding of what your readers are trying to find.
By doing this, you can build content that solves their problems, answer their questions, or reflects their interests, ultimately ranking better and capturing more copywriting clients. Never overlook the importance of search intent, or skip this step when crafting your content.
7. Practice SEO Optimized Writing Techniques
Practicing SEO optimized writing techniques is crucial if you want to make your persuasive writing more effective and increase the visibility of your content. It involves using strategic keywords and learning how to optimize your content to rank higher in search engine result pages.
Start by using keyword tools to research relevant keywords that apply to your next post or article and use them in a way that won’t negatively impact the quality of your writing. Incorporate internal links and tags, and learn how to optimize your headlines, subheadings, and meta descriptions to make them more attractive to search engines.
SEO optimized writing should create a nice balance by capturing the reader’s attention and playing to the algorithms that accurately rank your content. Additionally, it’s essential to understand human psychology to develop your copywriting skills further.
If you optimize your writing towards both SEO and human factors, your content will be visually pleasing, easy to read, and searchable. Eventually, this will lead to an ever-growing audience as the rankings increase.
8. Develop Relationships With Copy Strategists
Now, let me make this perfectly clear. This step only applies if you decide to work with an agency. So, what exactly is a copy strategist?
A content or copy strategist deals with planning, organizing, and executing content development projects, while the copywriter is responsible for persuading the end-user and developing engaging content.
Both roles have specialized skills and bring different benefits to the content development process. By developing a relationship with your content strategist, you can gain deeper insights into the client’s specific goals and tailor your copy to suit their unique buyer personas.
Whenever you have the opportunity, extend an olive branch to your content strategists to learn about their processes and how they work with other writers.
By building friendly and amicable relationships, you can stay ahead of the curve in the content marketing industry, showcase yourself as a professional copywriter to potential clients, and position yourself for more assignments.
Remember, building reputable relationships will enable you to tap into their wealth of knowledge and contribute to maximizing your copy’s results over time. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to your copy strategist. Their goal is your goal which is to create the best content and maximize the bottom line.
9. Create a Portfolio
As a copywriter, having a copywriting portfolio is essential to showcase your skills and win clients. To create a copywriting portfolio, start by selecting the best pieces of content that demonstrate your writing ability and style.
Show off your prowess by assembling an impressive writer portfolio that highlights a variety of styles like blog posts, email campaigns, and social media content. Boost its appeal with a few design touches to make it look great – plus easy-to-follow navigation so visitors can quickly find what they’re looking for.
You can create a website or use platforms like LinkedIn or Copy.ai to host your portfolio. Once your portfolio is ready, keep it updated with your latest and best work.
Doing so will ensure a future copywriting client will see your most recent and relevant work. Your portfolio is you and the reflection of your brand, so invest time to make it stand out from other copywriters and attract the attention of potential clients.
10. Build an Online Presence
As a copywriter, building an online presence is a a necessary step in the beginning stages. You’ll need a way to connect with future clients and establish your personal brand in the industry. LinkedIn is one of the best social media platforms to collaborate with other writers and reach out to content managers.
Of course, it’s not the only platform. But for career professionals, it’s ideal for showcasing your writing skills and garnering recommendations from others in the industry. You can also advertise your services, engage with other writers and prospective clients, and generate leads through paid advertising.
When it’s time to do outreach, not all social media platforms will work for your business, so focus on meeting your customers and prospects where they are – this could be through social media posts, having your own website, utilizing word of mouth marketing, and direct messaging among others.
11. Stay Up-to-Date on Industry Trends
Copywriting success depends on staying ahead of the game by keeping a handle on current industry trends. Knowing what’s hot and up-and-coming in your field keeps your content relevant, relatable, and successful.
Fortunately, there are several tools that monitor trends in the current market and provide recent trending data that can help copywriters when creating content. Google Trends is a free tool that provides real-time data and can help identify buzzworthy topics.
Keyword research is also crucial when creating content for websites and social platforms as it reveals the terms and phrases people are searching for and which ones have the potential to rank in the search engines and drive more traffic.
You can spot trends for free on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Eventually, paid tools such as BuzzSumo and Semrush should become part of your arsenal. These tools also help you keep track of competitors, analyze content performance, and discover new content formats.
12. Join a Writing Group
Seeking mentors or a coach would be a smart move for those who aspire to have a career in copywriting or freelance writing. A writing group can offer a secure environment to share your experiences, gain writing advice, and obtain supportive criticism for your work.
These groups feature everything from newbie writers with fresh takes to experienced authors who can impart their wisdom and knowledge. As an up and coming copywriter, you’ll likely have plenty of questions, and a solid network can help provide the answers.
You may have questions about the quality of your work, how to promote it, local outlets for writers or even how to get published. By joining a writing group, you can take the first step toward building a sizeable network of peers and potential clients in the copywriting or freelance world.
13. Leverage Existing Relationships
As a freelance copywriter, finding clients may seem daunting. However, leveraging existing relationships is a simple and effective way to boost your business. By being kind, open, and honest with those already in your life, you can learn to use your existing network to find potential clients.
Relationship building is crucial to connect with people who can recommend your services to their network. Word-of-mouth referrals can bring in a consistent stream of work, and every satisfied client is a chance to expand your business.
Contact your current clients and request them to refer potential customers. They likely have their connections, businesses or companies, which they may recommend your services.
Utilize your social media networks, such as LinkedIn, to connect with professionals in your industry, build your personal brand, and share your writing expertise. If you develop strategic relationships, you can unlock new opportunities and build a successful copywriting career.
What You Need To Know Before Learning How To Become a Copywriter
Well, now that you know how to become a copywriter. There are a few housekeeping items I must address. Before you dig into the steps we’ve just covered, accept that this endeavor will require patience, persistence, and hard work. Results may not be immediate, so don’t be discouraged and give it time.
You’ll need to determine what type of copywriting you want to specialize in and focus your efforts accordingly. Each type of copywriting, whether in sales, SEO, content writing, social media, or email marketing, has unique skill requirements.
I stress the word patience because developing the necessary skills to build a robust portfolio will take time. On your journey, you will develop a unique writing style if you continue to learn, experiment, and perfect the appropriate copywriting framework.
Sure, free resources can help you learn new things. But, investing in learning materials and professional coaching can help push your skills to even greater heights. Plus, taking on small projects will give you even more practice.
Can you get started for free? Absolutely! Just know it will be harder to compete with more experienced freelance copywriters, and it will take longer to get your copywriting business up and running.
How To Fast Track Your Copywriting Business
Ready to step your copywriting game up a notch? AI content writers can be the launchpad for your copywriting career, helping you get a jumpstart on success. Automating tedious tasks like research and building structure will save time so you can focus on creating engaging written masterpieces.
Compared to manual methods, AI writing tools can help writers produce content faster and eliminate brain fog. Furthermore, AI-powered models continuously train and leverage top-performing copywriters’ data, so freelance copywriters can expand their portfolio and increase their chances of becoming successful copywriters quickly.
And lastly, AI writers tailor and create better stories to engage the target audience with persuasive writing techniques while reducing human error. With access to powerful tools for creating engaging yet accurate content quickly and easily, the sky’s the limit for your copywriting career.
Best Option To Scale Your Copywriting Services at Warp Speed
Need to scale your copywriting fast? Content at Scale is the ultimate solution for taking it up a notch. This AI-driven content writing solution can help freelance copywriters create full-length original posts with no human intervention required.
The only information this software needs is a keyword, YouTube video, podcast episode, or existing blog URL. This state-of-the-art software stack combines multiple AI models, natural language processing algorithms, and semantic analysis tools to provide research-backed content tailored to the target audience preferences while reducing human error.
Unlike other AI writing tools on the market that require a lot of manual input in order to produce quality content, this innovative tool can drastically reduce the time it takes to create engaging copy for your followers.
Whether you’re aiming to expand your online writing business as a freelance copywriter or aspiring to pursue a career in professional copywriting, you can enhance the caliber of your content and increase productivity. With access to powerful tools like Content at Scale and professional copywriter resources available online, it has never been easier to become a successful copywriter – even if you are just starting out!
Wrapping Up
You don’t need any money or prior experience to become a successful copywriter. With a never give up spirit and a bit of know-how, you can achieve anything.
Over 12 years, I’ve developed my digital marketing skills through many sessions with leading coaches and the support of a highly-supportive blog community – now I’m sharing those tips as a freelance copywriter for two SEO agencies, clients, and my own personal projects.
To become a successful copywriter, follow the tips in this post to start your journey, even if you have limited funds. Through developing skills and reaching objectives, you can unlock an amazing array of opportunities. Trust in my experience, and start honing your skills today. I started with nothing, and you can do it too.
Ken Jones
Ken empowers small business owners and entrepreneurs to scale productivity through innovative content creation, strategic planning, and cutting-edge technology. He’s passionate about helping businesses thrive in the digital age.
