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WHAT IS FREELANCE COPYWRITING?
by Brian Scott
Something a lot
of people don't give much thought to is, "Where does copy come from?" We
see it everywhere: on book covers; cereal boxes; sales letters; billboards; and
Super Bowl ads. It's an important question. More importantly, just what is it,
because it is not just a bunch of words thrown together. Whenever you read a
precise, carefully worded summary describing the contents and advantages of a
product, chances are good that an expert copywriter strung the words together.
If you read persuasive, emotional-driven copy and it rouses feelings inside
you, it means you've been snagged, hooked, and entranced; you are ready to take
action. Thank the copywriter who penned the words. Web-site front pages, book
blurbs, product brochures, company press releases, commercial scripts and sales
pitches, if it's there to sell, highlight, persuade or enhance, then it's in
the copywriter's domain.
Freelance copywriting is sometimes a
thankless job. If you stick with it you'll do your fair share of ghost-writing
or work-for-hire (writing without official credit on behalf of an employer)
gigs. Freelance copywriting jobs are often lucrative, thanks to the sheer
number of copywriting jobs available on the open market and the demand to hire
writers who can write persuasive copy to generate sales.
To be a
successful freelance copywriter, you need to know how to write good, strong
copy. This involves mastering the written word and understanding subtle
psychology that persuade readers to act. If you think you have what it takes,
many ad agencies, businesses, and affiliates will pay you competitive rates for
your time. Freelance copywriters command hourly rates between $25 and $75 (on
average), and this remains true even if you do not have a college degree.
How do you tap into the lucrative freelance copywriting market? First of
all, always remember the self-explanatory philosophy that held David Ogilvy,
one of the greatest advertisers of the twentieth century, in good stead: the
best way to get new clients is to do amazing work for your current ones.
Secondly, never underestimate the benefit of pro bono work. Doing pro bono
freelance work for community projects not only win you good will, but
volunteering your freelance talents can open doors with local small business
owners and helps to bolster your portfolio. Websites for computer gaming,
motoring and other recreational pursuits often have time for volunteers. A body
of published work is always going to look impressive. Finally, and most
important, always have an online presence.
You can find a vast
majority of freelance copywriting work through online job marketplaces, such as
CraigsList.com,
eLance.com,
DailyFreelanceJobs.com, and
GetAFreelancer.com. A fabulous website to find daily
freelance writing jobs is FreelanceWriting.com’s
Career Center, where it pull freelance jobs from many job marketplaces. It's
also handy to read up on and practice SEO (search engine optimization), because
a lot of employers demand you write keyword-dense content, as well as
well-written and human-readable copy. Many beginner copywriters find that
authoring a blog showcasing writing samples and good SEO techniques can
generate work and contacts with surprising regularity. Frequenting web-forums
populated with working copywriters can also generate work, as copywriters often
find themselves drowned in contracted jobs. Networking with other freelance
copywriters can generate sub-contract work for you if you prove yourself
reliable and skilled.
If you're going to sell your skills you have to
make sure you have something to sell. Not everyone has a Midas touch with
words. For those of us who struggle on occasion, I offer some tips to hone your
copywriting skills:
CREATE A WINNING FORMULA. Try to structure
your writing in a strict manner. Name your paragraphs by what they should
contain and make sure each one has a purpose. Introduce your subject, give some
background, detail what exactly will appeal to the consumer in all of us, and
then go in for the kill. Sure, it's hardly a model of spontaneity. While it
lacks the free-flowing fluidity of improvised structure, there are fewer
chances for distraction when you write copy that is direct and to the point.
ECONOMIZE WORDS. Similarly, practice restricting your sentence
length and word count. Stand back and, with the attitude of a surgeon, excise
words from your tracts of text until your pitch is a model of efficiency.
Streamline your writing until you can fit what you need to say into two hundred
words, then a hundred, then fifty, then a sentence.
CREATE A SWIPE
FILE OF IDEAS. Finally, don't feel guilty about checking out the
competition. When you find a piece of copy that draws you in, read it over
carefully and study why it works. Incorporate phrases that close the deal for
you into your articles while you make up some of your own.
Practice,
as always, makes perfect. You can find freelance copywriting jobs within almost
any industry (technology; automotive; health; biomedical; gaming; etc.), so
ensure you diversify to maximize your job potential. Regular research and an
understanding of key issues that affect your client will make all the
difference in the world between average copy and keyword-rich, understandable,
saleable prose.
© B.
Scott
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Scott has been
a professional freelance writer for more than a decade. He is an active forum moderator at Writing Answers, a vibrant community of writers helping writers.
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