A transparent look at 10 things I’ve learned as a self-taught copywriter using YouTube, marketing books, Google, and social media…
Before we get into this, I have a question; have you heard of copywriting before? As a business owner you’ve probably heard this referred to as “writing that sells” or something to that extent. This is the best way to describe it; writing that sells.
I originally didn’t intend on becoming an actual copywriter. This research was for marketing my own creative art business and I wasn’t sure this was something I could do for other business owners. But the more I learned, the more I realized this was actually a perfect pivot for me. This led me to even more copywriting discoveries.
I realized that copywriting was something I was naturally good at and I enjoyed the entire process from start to finish. This was when I decided to go all in. I would become a freelance copywriter on top of building my creative art business.
However, sometimes being self-taught would have me doubting my abilities and thinking maybe I didn’t know enough... what if the information I’ve received isn’t as ‘up to standard’ as the information a mentee would receive? What if the only way to get a valuable education is to spend hundreds on a copywriting course? Would I be passed up by prospective clients if they could tell I was self-taught?!
These questions would swirl around in my mind on my most unconfident days. This is why I created this list, because sometimes you just need to remind yourself of how much you have learned<3
Here are 10 things I’ve learned as a self-taught copywriter:
· Copywriting is a valuable profession recognized globally. It’s one of those roles people don’t always mention, but honestly, the work of a copywriter is truly vital to any company’s success. When I learned about this profession, I was surprised at the lack of hype around it. Many businesses could really boost their success by hiring a copywriter or even learning the skill themselves. Whether you’re operating locally or online, having some strategic copy can totally help your business thrive!
· You can create copy from anywhere in the world, and as I mentioned, this is a service that almost every business can benefit from. So, that means copywriters can write and sell their services to anyone and business owners can buy their services from anywhere around the globe. Plus, it’s a tariff-free career!
· The only people who know what a copywriter is are the people in the marketing world. Even many business owners aren’t exactly sure what a copywriter does, so it’s a bit of a mystery to most! When I first talked to my family and friends about becoming a copywriter, not a single person knew what that meant. Although, when I explained it to them, they got it because we read copy every single day of our lives. We all know what it is, even if we aren’t familiar with the terminology.
· Research. Research. And more research! A decent copywriter spends 75% of their time researching and 25% writing. When a copywriter does enough research on their clients target audience, they begin to understand the ins and outs of their client’s specific niche and can use strategies based in psychology to persuade them to engage and buy. If a copywriter doesn’t enjoy research and learning new things, it’d probably be a pretty excruciating career path.
· It might sound obvious to some, but I realized quickly that the main skill you need to have as a copywriter is courage. Anyone with a basic knowledge of grammar and technology can do this job but if they don’t come at this courageously then they won’t get very far. There are always going to be business owners looking for copy, and since writing is such a subjective thing, there’s very few ways to botch the writing part. So, what really makes a successful copywriter is being willing to network, reaching out to cold-pitch, and continually putting themselves out there. This is just like any other art. The more folks you share it with, the more folks will engage with and appreciate it.
· Depending on a copywriter’s skill level and number of projects they take on, copywriting can be a lucrative profession. They earn an average of around $67,000 per year but many expert copywriters easily make 5 figures per month and this is a job that people often turn to in times of financial need due to the fact that they can scale a freelance writing business quickly. There are a few reasons why copywriting pays well. The first I’ve already mentioned; most businesses - especially once they start growing - need copy for their websites, funnels, product descriptions, and so many other writing needs. Business owners have A LOT on their to-do list, it’s smart to delegate when it’s an option. The other reason is because of the return on investment (ROI) that business owners get from hiring a copywriter is huge. This is a fantastic marketing tactic because most copy is written, posted and done. It can be used over and over, hence the name ‘copy’ writing. If a business owner pays $2000 for website copy and that copy generates $15,000 then that is a damn good investment.
· There are ways to write copy that are intentional and strategic and backed by psychology. If a writer doesn’t use these specific persuasive techniques, they try to use something like ChatGPT to draft their copy or go into it with no marketing knowledge whatsoever then the copy simply isn’t going to be good. I created my first website back in 2016 and knew absolutely nothing about marketing or copywriting. It basically said “Hi, I’m Kayla, here’s what I’m offering” and I thought that would be enough. How wrong I was… now that I’m thinking about it, that site might still be out there somewhere in the vast and infinite interwebs *cringe*{cringe teeth emoji}
· There are three main ways to become a copywriter: self-taught (like me), joining an educational copywriting group, or learning from a mentor.
Self-taught copywriters find any resources on and offline to learn the ins and outs of copywriting. They often are the people in this field that create new ways of copywriting because they have no one solid education, instead they learn from many different experts and craft their own path.
Copywriting groups are everywhere nowadays! These often work similar to an online college class where there are a certain number of students and a teacher that is teaching you everything you need to know about marketing. These groups are awesome because they not only provide a copywriting education but also give newcomers a group to network with.
Learning from a mentor seems to be growing less and less popular as these other more accessible paths pop up. But this seems to be the way most of the well-known pioneers became copywriters. Mentee’s shadow the mentor and learn as much as they can from them. Mentors often offer 1:1 coaching to give their students more of a hands-on learning approach.
· Networking is a copywriter’s best friend. There are a few reasons I say this. The first being that networking is the main way writers get clients. Whether they network within their niche or network with other copywriters this is a solid way to keep a consistent pool of people to work with. The other reason being that copywriting is a lonely job. Just like with other creative endeavors such as painting or writing a novel, there’s a necessity to work long hours alone. Networking early is such a great idea because other writers really get what it’s like to be a freelancer and can offer helpful support and advice. In my own experience, most copywriters are friendly, welcoming, and want to give advice to fresh writers.
· Niching down makes it easier to write copy. Many copywriters begin their journey without picking a particular niche. As they build their portfolios and discover what they truly enjoy, they often decide to focus on a specific area. This makes research much easier because they already have extensive knowledge about this topic.
Were you surprised to learn any of these? Let me know and we can chat about it😊
