How to Become a Copywriter in 2024: The 4 Steps

Copywriting is one of the most sought after skills on the web and in the digital marketing world. With a copywritten text, you can drastically increase your sales. Therefore, this writing technique represents a real opportunity for all brands. 📈

In the same way, the profession the copywriter’s job is in ever-increasing demand. Many brands have understood the value of this strategy and use copywriters to write sales texts.

The good news is that it is possible to become a copywriter, even from scratch. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to train yourself in copywriting and how to find clients so you can make a living with this skill. 💰

What is a Copywriter?

A copywriter is in charge of writing sales pages, in order to convert a reader into a buyer. The copywriting is the art of using words to capture and hold the reader’s attention. This technique can be used for different reasons, but the main one remains for selling. 🤝

However, the copywriter’s job has many specificities that are often unknown to the general public. So let’s take a look at what a copywriter is, what a typical day looks like, how much they earn, etc.

Definition

A copywriter is a person who writes the text of advertisements. Copywriting can take many forms. Generally, copywriting takes the form of a “sales page“. This sales page will bring together persuasive elements to convince a reader to make a purchase. 💳

But copywriting can also work on other advertising media. This is for example the case of video ads. In fact, brands can hire a copywriter to write copy for video ads on YouTube Ads, Instagram Ads or others.

The copywriter can be asked to write sales texts on absolutely all types of products and services. For example, we can see copywriters writing short product sheets for some e-tailers. But usually, we’ll use a copywriter to sell “High Ticket” offers. 💸

Copywriting has also gained popularity in recent years, thanks to the emergence of infoproducts such as online training, ebooks and others. Copywriting is often used in bankable topics, such as personal finance, weight loss, personal development and others.

Regarding their status, a copywriter can be freelance or salaried. The vast majority of copywriters will opt for freelance status. However, you can also find a job as a copywriter on a permanent basis. The compensation will also depend and can be either a fixed income for a sales page or a percentage of sales. 💯

A typical day as a copywriter

Contrary to what you might think, a copywriter does not spend all day writing. Each writer will have a different typical day, depending on his specialty, his missions, but also his status(freelance or employee).

To illustrate, let’s take the example of a copywriter who works on short assignments, i.e. writing a sales page for a client with a deadline of one week. 📅

Generally, the start of the day begins with the preparation of the sales page. In itself, the copywriter will build the structure of his sales text, prepare his arguments, do research to find scientific and statistical studies to include in his sales page.

Then, it’s time to write. Again, every copywriter has a different method for being productive. Many copywriters do several 30-45 minute writing sessions, then a 15 minute break. This is to stay as focused as possible. 🤓

Finally, the last part concerns the proofreading and the layout. It’s a little lighter work, and doesn’t require as much focus as writing. Most copywriters do this work at the end of the day.

If you work as a freelance copywriter, you will also have to spend some time prospecting for new clients. It really depends on the profile. Some copywriters have new assignments every week and others work on long-term assignments(about 3 to 6 months). Depending on the type of assignment you work on, you will have to spend more or less time prospecting. 📞

Who is a copywriter for?

Of course, copywriting is a good job if you enjoy writing. You don’t necessarily need to be good at writing quickly. Many copywriters were not comfortable with copywriting at first. Writing fast and well can be learned , so you can become a copywriter even if you have no writing experience. ✍️

The copywriting profession is also for people who love to sell. Indeed, as a copywriter, you are not going to write novels. You will write with the sole purpose of convincing your reader to make a purchase. Therefore, you must also have an aptitude for sales and persuasion in general.

In terms of the qualities needed to be a good copywriter, it seems that you need to be patient, creative and thorough. Writing a sales page takes several days in most cases. You need to stay focused and organized to get your work in on time. ⏱️

In addition, it is important to know that most copywriters work alone. Therefore, you must enjoy working alone to do this job. If you work in a larger structure, you may have to work in a team for example.

Finally, being a copywriter can bring a less stable income than other professions. This is especially true if you are a freelancer. If you’re paid on a percentage of sales, your income may differ depending on your performance. 📊

However, you can expect to earn much more than with a traditional permanent job. So, if you manage your budget well, you’ll do just as well as someone with a traditional employment contract.

How much does a copywriter earn?

Copywriting is a fairly recent profession that has exploded in popularity with the emergence of the internet. The problem is that it is quite difficult to know exactly how much money copywriters make. Simply because there are different statuses, specialties and so on.

Nevertheless, through various studies and surveys, we can get an idea of the average income generated by a copywriter. 💰

According to talent.com the average salary of a copywriter is 3217€ per month, or 38.608€ per year.

👉 For a beginning copywriter, the average income is $28,068 per year.

👉 An experienced copywriter can earn up to 65,000€ per year.

When it comes to freelance copywriters, it is difficult to estimate their income. Not least because some copywriters are paid only in sales commissions. However, it is logically possible to earn more by being a freelancer, as in any other industry.

The 4 steps to becoming a copywriter

Now you need to know if copywriting is for you or not. If so, we’ll show you the 4 steps to becoming a copywriter from scratch. ✍️

Step 1: Learn the basics of persuasion

Copywriting is above all the art of convincing. So before you even think about writing a sales copy, you need to think about using persuasive arguments.

An inexpensive and indispensable book that is recommended by all good copywriters is the bestseller “Influence and Manipulation” by Robert Cialdini.

For just a few euros, you will learn all the main concepts of persuasion, such as social proof or scarcity. Just by reading this book, you will already be able to add powerful words and concrete sales arguments to your papers. 📝

If you want to learn the art of persuasion more quickly, we recommend that you take a course in copywriting. The best trainings cover in detail every element that allows you to convince anyone, only with words.

Step 2: Get trained in copywriting

Once you have mastered the principles of selling and persuasion, you need to learn how to apply them in a sales copy. Copywriting uses many selling mechanisms to hold a reader’s attention, as well as to convince them to make a purchase. 💳

At this stage, you need to know the main principles of selling, which work both in writing and in speaking. These principles will be social proof, urgency, scarcity and others.

Now you need to learn how to write a sales page. Indeed, it is not enough to list all your arguments and place an order form at the end of the page. A sales page should have a structure that matches the offer, expectation of prospects and others. 📜

Here, we won’t lie to you. It is best to go through a premium training to learn how to create a sales page structure. Otherwise, you risk putting your arguments, social proofs, titles and so on in the wrong place. Knowing that every word counts in a sales page, this can quickly become detrimental.

Or, you can learn how to write sales pages with books. In fact, some books teach copywriting and will allow you to write your first sales pages with minimal investment. 💰

Several books on copywriting exist in French and in English. We recommend the book “Guide to Copywriting” by Selim Niederhoffer:

One method that works very well and is totally free is to simply copy sales pages that have performed well. This may seem trivial, but it will allow you to learn about copywriting. This way, you will learn from experienced copywriters. 🤓

By copying successful sales pages, you will memorize how the arguments and the main selling mechanisms are used by the writer. To find sales pages that have worked, you can simply go to the marketplaces of System.io, Clickbank, 1tpe and others.

On these marketplaces, you will be able to see the infoproducts that work best and their sales page. We also invite you to draw inspiration from sales texts in other languages, especially in English. 🇺🇸

Step 3: Practice writing your first sales pages

Once you have mastered copywriting, you can immediately start offering your services. The problem is that you’re going to be inexperienced. So the best thing to do is to practice writing sales pages before going all in.

You are invited to write a few mock sales pages for practice before offering your services. 🖋️

But in fact, once you master copywriting, you can also use it to sell infoproducts. It is even the best way to progress and to train yourself to make sales pages. For this, you can use the best copywriting software in your writing. This way, you will be able to see the financial results and theeffectiveness of your copywriting.

Step 4: Find assignments / find a copywriting job

Being good at copywriting and knowing how to write wind texts that convert is good. But the goal is to make a living as a copywriter. Once you have the necessary skills, it’s time to find clients if you want to be a freelancer, or find a job if you want to become an employee. 👔

How to find customers?

If you choose to work as a freelance copywriter, you will need to find assignments. Knowing that this job can be done 100% from home, you can find clients online. You’ll never have to travel per se. 💻

In order to find customers via the internet, there are different solutions. We’ll show you which ones are most effective.

To start, you can use freelancing platforms. These marketplaces connect freelancers and clients. You will be able to offer your copywriting services there and clients will be able to work with you from the platform. 🤝

For the record, the statistics in copywriting show that freelancers tend to earn more than employees in this web profession!

Some of the well-known and reliable freelancing platforms include 5euros.com, Fiverr, Upwork, etc.

Sample freelance copywriter ad on Upwork :

The freelancing platforms are a very good way to find your first clients. Nevertheless, the missions entrusted are generally of short duration. It is rare to have clients and missions on the long term. On the other hand, you should know that the platforms take a percentage of your turnover. 💸

To have long term missions, it is better to go direct. This way, there is no intermediary between you and your customers. To do this, you can approach companies via e-mail or by phone. You can also respond to job postings on LinkedIn or other professional social networks. Many companies are looking to work with freelance copywriters.

How do I find a job as a copywriter?

In order to find a copywriting job, again 100% remote, there are several methods. The first is to approach digital marketing agencies and other companies that may need copywriters. ✍️

Or, you can use job boards like Indeed for example. As mentioned above, there is a very high demand for permanent copywriter positions. You are bound to find jobs for copywriting(writing sales pages, advertising scripts, etc.).

Example of job offers on Indeed :

If you opt for a premium course, you will have easier access to job offers. Indeed, some trainers give access to their professional network. Thus, several copywriter jobs are posted regularly on private self-help groups. 💪

You now know the steps to follow to become a copywriter from scratch. By following the advice we’ve given you, you’ll have everything you need to get started in the world of copywriting. As you have seen, there are also online courses to learn more quickly. 👨‍🎓

If you want to become a copywriter as soon as possible, we invite you to invest in a training in copywriting . Thanks to the teaching of an experienced copywriter, but also to many practical exercises, you will quickly be able to offer your copywriting services, either as a freelancer or as an employee.