What Is Freelance Copywriting?
Freelance copywriting is a process where professional writers produce copy – that is, text written solely for marketing purposes – on a project or contract basis. Freelance copywriters either work directly with clients, or via intermediaries – agencies, online platforms, or any form of social media. These copies can be used in websites, advertisements, print media, digital media – basically anywhere marketing purposes can be fulfilled.
Why Choose Freelance Copywriting?
Providing freelance copywriting services has its perks. Here are some reasons why you might want to become a freelance copywriter.
- Impact: Copywriting is all about influencing the readers. In some cases, it may even influence the fate of an entire company. Helping clients finalise ideas they’ve been struggling with for some time is incredibly rewarding.
- Accessibility: There are virtually no barriers to entry when it comes to freelance copywriting. You don’t need a specialised degree; just a sample or two of your finest writing will suffice!
- Creativity: There is no limit on how creative you can be with your writing. That’s precisely what makes this area of writing so rewarding and fun. Finding new-found, memorable ways to express your ideas will never get old.
- Flexibility: Providing content writing services on a freelance basis accompanies flexible working hours which translate to proper work-life balance, adequate leisure time, and quality family time as well. You can operate purely as a sole trader – keeping a record of everything you earn and spend – or you could set yourself up as a business.
- Diversity: Being a freelance copywriter means getting in touch with people from all walks of life around the world. You’ll communicate with marketers, managers, and entrepreneurs at all levels.
What Do Freelance Copywriters Work on?
Freelance copywriting has a lot of specialist areas such as:
- B2B Copywriting: Business-to-Business copywriting aims at impacting other businesses and drawing their interest toward a particular sector. In simple words, B2B copywriters write to help one business sell to other businesses – for example, writing for a condiment company to sell to fast-food chains.
- B2C Copywriting: Business-to-Consumer copywriting helps businesses sell their products or services to consumers. As such, the writing aims to influence the general public or a specified target audience.
- SEO Copywriting: Search Engine Optimisation copywriting aims to maximise the visibility of web pages at different search engines such as Google or Bing. This writing aims to rank the text the highest possible in the search results for relevant queries.
- Social Media Copywriting: This form of copywriting entails content creation for publication at online social platforms such as Instagram or Facebook. Social media content should be short and sweet; that’s how they get the most attention.
Can I Be A Freelance Copywriter?
Anyone can be a freelance copywriter as long as they have passion and dedication to drive them. However, if you want to succeed in the long run as a freelance copywriter, you should possess the following qualities:
- Personal Qualities: Self-discipline, determination, self-confidence, and positivity are some of the most essential traits that a freelance copywriter must possess to prosper.
- Established Writing Expertise: If you wish to make a decent living as a freelance copywriter then you need to have proof that you’re capable. There must be individuals unrelated to you who can vouch for your writing.
- Business Skills: Freelance copywriting involves a lot of routine tasks that you should be able to handle – promoting yourself, handling your money, and formulating your freelance career strategy.
- Managerial Skills: As a freelance copywriter, you’ll be managing your overall workload, timescales, financial records, and of course, maintaining effective communication with the clients. This could take some time to learn if you’re not used to taking charge.
Should I Register for VAT?
Regardless of whether you work as a sole trader or a business, you should register for VAT if your annual turnover is above £81,000. Doing so means that you can demand back the VAT you’ve paid on your purchases such as renting an office or buying a lot of equipment.
How Can I Gain Experience?
You can’t get work if you don’t have the experience, but you can’t get experience when no one hires you. The start of any career is a trying time, particularly because of this vicious circle. However, that shouldn’t stop you from building your portfolio. You can do unpaid work for your friends and family or even for charity organisations. This way, you’ll have copies to get your career started.
You can even start your blog so that you develop an audience for your writing skills. You could blog about copywriting itself to demonstrate your expertise.
Where Can I Find Work?
The following are a few ways that new freelance copywriters could find work:
- Personal Website: If you can spare some money to pioneer your career, you can opt for making a website to market your copywriting services.
- Job Portals: There is no shortage of online portals nowadays where freelancers could find work – PeoplePerHour, Upwork, Fiverr, to name just a few.
- Social Profiles: You can also utilise your social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter to find work. This way, you would be promoting your services, showcasing your work, and networking with other writers simultaneously.
- Local Companies: You could also opt for contract work for local companies such as a copywriting agency that’s looking to hire on a contract basis.
How Much Should I Charge?
Your fee relies on the level of expertise and prior experience you have on your hands as well as the demand for a particular project. As a general rule, you should charge less if you’re just starting. If you’ve worked for prestigious brands, you can charge relatively higher. Some other factors to consider are:
- The length of the project
- The deadline to deliver the work
- The value of the content itself for the client’s business
- The number of revisions required
- The technical complexity of the subject matter
To sum up, freelance copywriting has so much to offer. You just need to have the motivation to get started!