How to Become a Freelance Copywriter. Work from Home.
THIS COURSE IS ALSO INCLUDED IN MY NEW MASTERCLASS ON UDEMY. TAKE IT HERE AS A STAND-ALONE COURSE, OR ENJOY IT ALONG WITH 20 HOURS OF OTHER CONTENT. MY MASTERCLASS ON UDEMY IS CALLED: Alan Sharpe’s 20-Hour Copywriting Masterclass
When I started my freelance copywriting business way back in 1991, I had zero experience as a copywriter. I had no clients, I had no samples, and I had not written a single word of promotional copy, ever, for anyone. And yet within a few weeks of starting out, I was earning money as a freelance copywriter.
That was twenty-six years ago. Today, getting started is even easier. And even harder.
I’ve worked as a freelance copywriter and as a staff copywriter at ad agencies. I have written in all of the channels: offline, online, outdoor, mobile and broadcast.
I have written print ads, radio commercials, email newsletters, sales letters, banner ads, product packaging, brochures, factsheets, case studies, slogans and plenty more for Apple, IBM, Bell, Re/Max, Hilton Hotels and hundreds of other clients worldwide. I’ve written copy for some of the top agencies in the world, including Blitz, Cossette, J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett.
I got married, bought a house, and raised two kids on my freelance copywriting salary alone.
In case you’re wondering, I’ve been teaching copywriting since 1995. On Udemy, I teach copywriting to over thirteen thousand students from one hundred and forty countries. I am one of the top-rated instructors in the copywriting niche on Udemy.
What you’ll learn
Welcome to Freelance Copywriter in a Week. This course teaches you how to start a freelance copywriting business in a week. I teach you the steps I took to get started. And I teach you the lessons I learned along the way as I freelanced for businesses, agencies and non-profit organizations in North America and around the world. At the end of this course, you’ll know how to launch your freelance copywriting business in seven days.
Learn seven proven steps to get started as a freelance copywriter
This course is divided into seven sections, each one corresponding to a day of the week.
On day one, you create your portfolio. I tell you why you need a portfolio, what you need in your portfolio, and how to create an effective portfolio from scratch.
On day two, you brand yourself. I teach you how to brand yourself with a company name, a website, and branded email.
On day three, you pick your perfect client. We examine the three major markets for your freelance copywriting services, and I describe the qualities you need to look for in the perfect client.
On day four, you perfect your pitch. I teach you the two ways you need to pitch yourself to potential clients. And I describe the questions you need to answer whenever you are out looking for business.
On day five, you start looking for business. Without paying clients, you’ll go broke. I teach you how to pick up the phone and talk to potential clients. I teach you what to say, when to say it, and how to present yourself professionally so that prospective clients hire you.
On day six, you draft a letter of agreement. I teach you how to quote copywriting jobs, how to write a simple contract, and how to get agreements in writing.
On day seven, you start your first freelance copywriting project professionally. I teach you the things you need to do to appear professional from day one. And I give you helpful tips on how and when to invoice your first client.
Bonus lecture. The course ends with a bonus lecture.I tell you the things you need to do AFTER you have launched your freelance copywriting business, the things that will guarantee your long-term success.
Follow my practical, step-by-step advice
This course is filled with practical, step-by-step advice, tools, tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years as a freelance copywriter. I use dozens of examples from the real world of freelancing. I describe what works, and what doesn’t work. I tell you about mistakes, and how you can avoid them. You will also learn, indirectly, from other successful freelance copywriters. We’ll look at how they brand themselves, how they describe their services, how they pitch themselves, how they set themselves apart from competing copywriters, and plenty more.
Are you an ideal student for this course?
I designed this course for copywriters and aspiring copywriters who want to start a freelance copywriting business.
This course does not teach copywriting. It doesn’t teach a single thing about how to write copy.
This course teaches you how to become a freelance copywriter in seven days. It teaches you the steps you must take to brand yourself, find clients, pitch yourself, land clients, negotiate agreements, conduct yourself like a professional freelance copywriter, and get paid.
Join the course now
Learn more about the course by reviewing the course description and course outline below. Watch the free preview lessons. Read the reviews from my satisfied students. Then enroll today.
Day 1: Build Your Portfolio
You don't need experience or clients or education to start earning good money as a copywriter. All you need is a good book. In the advertising business, your "book" is your portfolio of your work. Your book showcases your copywriting ability.
You don't need experience or clients or education to start earning good money as a copywriter. All you need is a good book. In the advertising business, your "book" is your portfolio of your work. Your book showcases your copywriting ability. Here are some things to bear in mind about those samples.
Day 2: Brand Yourself
When you start a freelance copywriting business, you’re doing just that—starting a business. To be in business, you have to call your business something. Here are some tips for creating a name for your new copywriting business.
You don't need your own website to make money as a freelance copywriter. You can create a profile on Upwork dot com and Freelancer dot com, and get paying clients that way. But if you want to position yourself as a professional, and if you want to earn six figures as a copywriter, you need your own website. Your website doesn't have to be fancy. It just has to answer the questions that potential clients have when visiting the websites of freelance copywriters.
No one will take you seriously if you have a Gmail address. Gmail positions you as an amateur. Same goes for Hotmail and Yahoo addresses. Branded email positions you as an established professional.
Day 3: Choose Your Ideal Client
Many new freelance copywriters think far too hard about what they want to write, and not long enough about who they want to write it for. But more important than what you write is who you write it for. When you're starting out as a freelance copywriter, you have no clients. You can specialize all you want, but if you don't get clients, you'll go broke. So first, decide who you want to write for, then decide what you want to write.
There are three primary markets for copywriting services: businesses, agencies, and non-profits. Once you have decided on the market you want to work with, decide what your ideal client looks like. That client must meet three criteria.
Day 4: Polish Your pitch
The first way to pitch yourself is with an "elevator pitch." An elevator pitch is a way of describing who you are, what you do and why someone should hire you, and to do this in the time it takes someone to ride up to their floor in an elevator with you.
You need two ways to pitch yourself. A short way to answer the first question. And a longer way to answer the second question. Your longer pitch should answer a number of questions.
Day 5: Fish Where the Fish Are
If you've ever been fishing, you'll know that there are certain areas of any river, lake or ocean where fish congregate. And there are also areas where fish never congregate. Smart anglers know where the fish are, and only drop their line in the water where the fish are.
The main thing to remember about fishing for clients is that they never swim up to your boat and jump in. You have to throw your line in the water. You have to have a hook on the end of that line. And you have to have some bait on the end of that hook. The least expensive way to fish for new clients is to pick up the phone and call them. Here's how you do it.
Day 6: Get it in Writing
Day 7: Start Your First Project Professionally
The best clients to work for as a freelance copywriter know a professional copywriter when they meet one. They likely have more experience working with freelance copywriters than you have working with clients. Here are some tips on how to start your first project professionally.
There's only one thing worse than getting paid low wages to write great copy, and that’s getting paid nothing at all. In the thirty years that I've been writing copy, I've had a few clients who stiffed me. But they are rare. Most clients will pay you for your freelance copywriting services. But only if you take the steps needed to get paid, and get paid on time. Here they are.
Bonus Lecture
To get started as a freelance copywriter, you need to do seven things: create a portfolio, brand yourself, choose your ideal client, polish your pitch, fish where the fish are, get agreements in writing, and start your first project professionally. These steps can be done in seven days. But what about after that? What steps should you take after that vital first week to guarantee your long-term success? I’ll tell you.
