Turn my love of writing into a copywriting career?

Question

Hello, everyone. I've really been looking for a way to quit the retail job thats so unfulfilling. And I'd finally like to see my dream of working from my laptop fulfilled and have the time to pursue my other hustles. Does anyone know how to get into a copywriting career? I've always loved writing and write alot for myself on social media, but never did it professionally. Would like advice on how to further myself in this area.

Jackie Ghedine · Answer

Kelli, congrats on working towards a career pivot that fulfills and excites you.

Carrie is absolutely right, there are so many entrepreneurs who need help with copywriting and even creating content as they focus on other aspects to build their business.

I recently worked with a woman who left her corporate job in fashion to start her own business as a writer and watching her flourish has been amazing.

Some additional tips: Get involved in some networking groups that provides you with exposure to entrepreneurs so you can start building connections.  Upwork, Fiverr, TopTal, Thumbtack are all great places to start working on getting side gigs. Start writing on platforms that will give you exposure as well.

Good luck!

Carrie Lee Maldonado · Answer

Hi Kelli! I'm a writer too. I bought a copywriting course several years ago because this was my dream too. A couple things I found out...it's helpful to know how email marketing works and SEO because that's what's in demand.  If you plug into the online coaching world, a lot of entrepreneurs are starting businesses and copywriting is something they're outsourcing for. What I've learned from marketing my own business is that it's helpful to have a niche. In the meantime, check out upwork and see what companies are looking for as well as different FB groups. And write, write, write!!

ELIZABETH DELUCA · Answer

Dear Kelli:

I applaud your efforts to pursue a writing career. Even though we are in the middle of a global pandemic, there is a tremendous demand for compelling content online and in print.

There are several excellent, affordable copywriting and content marketing training courses available online. I urge you to check out the courses offered by Udemy and Stack Skills to get started. I also encourage you to join networking groups, read relevant blogs, and set time aside every day to write.

You don’t need a degree in journalism to become a writer however, you should be authentic, offer a unique perspective, and understand your audience and their interests well.

I can relate to your story and have longed to become a freelance travel writer for the past 12 years. Unfortunately, this dream never materialized because I was working full-time in various corporate roles and did not have the time to devote to my writing career. I was recently furloughed from my job in the event industry, and I am currently launching my own travel writing career.

Kelli - this is your time to shine! Best of luck with your new writing career.

Janet Granger · Answer

I believe I can offer some advice because I have been in marketing for over 25 years and have hired many copywriters over that time. I was also in charge of Content Strategy for a Fortune 500 company.

First, I suggest you take a course (or two), as suggested above, and that you make sure you are, in fact, a good writer. In my experience, better writers command better pay. There are a lot of mediocre writers marketing themselves (for social media posts, blogging, etc.) and, as someone who hires this talent, I can sniff out good talent vs. just ok talent pretty quickly. If you're not a 'great' writer that's ok, too. Just realize you'll have to do more work/jobs for less pay.

I also recommend that you make sure there are no typos in your published work - including emails for jobs, answering inquiries, etc. (although I make them constantly myself!). If I hire you to write for me/a client, I want to be sure no one is embarrassed by typos or mistakes.  And it's important to have a good idea about proper grammar, too; if not, be sure to check/use Grammarly.

Other than that: 
1) It's important to be on all the right platforms for people like me to find you. The ones mentioned above are all good. You might also reach out to content marketers on LinkedIn, or answer professional inquiries there. 
2) Create a small portfolio of samples you can send out to show people your work. The best people send me samples of their work - blog examples in a number of different categories/industries, social posts, white papers, etc.
3) Read other good writers - even fiction. Learn how they are skilled at what they do.  
4) And practice all the time - write, write, write. It's a skill that gets better over time.

I wish you the best of luck! Great writers are golden nuggets in my world. If you're good, you'll do well.

Alysson · Answer

Hi Kelli,
I would second much of the information already shared above. In this 24-7 social media online world, content (and therefore writing), is king. If you can carve out your niche as mentioned above, you probably can start finding jobs almost immediately at all of the websites already listed. Do you have areas of interest or experience that you can tap into? Hobbies, courses, work experience, etc that will give you the foundation to start writing with some authority? I would also make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated and complete. I have used resources from this website in the past; they do want to sell you courses (as do many) but might be a helpful place to start. Good luck!
https://www.awai.com

Shanita Taylor · Answer

Hello there, I can’t offer much advice on that particular area. Have you thought about writing a book or free lance writing? I self published with Amazon.

Anonymous · Answer

When I first started college I wanted to turn my love for writing into a career and I thought copywriting was the way to do that. My advisor told me that there weren’t a lot of job opportunities for it and they were getting even slimmer over time. That was 15 years ago, so I imagine it’s gotten even worse since then. I have also not seen job postings for copywriters at any of the companies I’ve worked for. If you want to do gig work or freelance it’s probably a different market, but I felt like I should at least say that from a full-time employee point of view, opportunities are slim. Even if you freelance, it’s going to be competitive and you need to be good at marketing and selling yourself. If you love writing but aren’t stuck on copywriting specifically, have you tried taking some career aptitude or interest tests to get ideas? There are lots of more stable and abundant jobs that require solid writing skills, such as technical writing and business analysis.

Turn my love of writing into a copywriting career?

You're invited.

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