A beginner’s Guide to Copywriting: How To Get Started Fast (With No Experience)

So you’ve read a lot of articles and watched YouTube videos out there and have decided you want to give this whole copywriting thing a try. Well, let me tell you, you are in the right place.

In this article, I will be sharing the first six steps you must take to start a freelance copywriting business and make money doing what you love asap.

This is the place to be if you are looking to turn your passion for writing into a business. Yes, it is possible, I promise you that. But before we get to that, there are six very important steps that you need to take first before you find a client who will want to give you their money for your writing skills.

In this article, you will find important new tips that I think you’ll find insanely helpful, especially step six. Make sure you read to the end to learn something that will completely change the way you think about how to get clients. 

As always, I’m here to help you create the life of your dreams by building a successful Digital Marketing/internet marketing business, so if you’re into that, give me a thumbs up below and if you’re new around here, welcome. I will put out  new copywriting and Digital marketing tutorials in this blog from time to time.

So if you’re looking to ignite your freelance copywriting business this year, stay glued and keep reading to the end.

All right, now let’s dive right into the six steps to ignite your freelance copywriting business fast:

#1. Step number one is study. This is my number one step and it will always remain in the number one spot, because it is extremely important. You have heard me say over and over again that learning never stops, and yes, believe it or not.

Even after doing this for a while, I still learn and grow my copywriting and Digital marketing skills knowledge every single week.

If you really want to be successful in this business and digital marketing in general, then you have to commit yourself to the continual pursuit of knowledge. So go out there and listen to podcasts, watch YouTube tutorials, read articles like this one, buy books and actually read them. 

It will also be a great idea to sign up for practical copywriting programs and challenges and attend events as well. 

#2. Step number two is to practice. All the knowledge in the world will not benefit you well unless you really implement it.

Now I know that everyone wants to learn what they need to know and then go out there immediately and find a paying client, but I am telling you right now that you’ll definitely wanna practice writing copies before you go out there and call yourself a copywriter. 

First of all, you’ll be really hard pressed to find a client if you can’t actually prove to them that you know what you’re doing, and secondly, your first few attempts at copywriting will be bad. Yes, I said it. Let’s all just accept this as a fact right now because I don’t care who you are, when you’re first learning this craft, or any new skill for that matter, you’re not gonna be great at first and that’s okay.

The way you grow as a copywriter is to first write a bad copy and then fix it, and that is the Copy Posse golden rule and the only way you’ll get better and better. So write this down: You gotta write crappy before you write a copy. So that’s exactly what you should be doing right now.

With this article, YouTube videos and podcasts you’re learning something from, go ahead and put it  into practice . What matters is that you’re getting your hands dirty because that is the only real way you’ll learn anything new.

My favorite way to practice is to re-write headlines that I find online. So the next time you see an ad, a landing page, or an email, try to re-write it in your own words. . 

#3. Step number three is to find a community. I truly believe this is the single biggest needle mover for those looking to start a new business in anything,

So you’ll wanna do this sooner rather than later. Connecting with a community of like-minded peers will be massively beneficial to you because I’m just gonna go out on a limb and say it, you probably don’t know many other copywriters, right?

So who can you talk to about your struggles? Who can you ask to review something you write and give you honest feedback?

Who can you reach out to for tips on landing clients, or what to do once you actually land a client and need support? 

Having an online crew that you can connect with will make your journey  much easier, because trust me, you are going to have some questions along the way and you’re gonna want support, guidance and encouragement from people who get where you’re at. 

Now you can find tons of groups and communities online, like Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms.

But here’s the real kicker  guys, you need to actually engage with the people in these groups. Be active and real and build a relationship with them, because people will always be more willing to reply to your questions and posts if you’ve proved that you’re an active and value-driven member of the community first. 

#4. Step number four is to write your elevator pitch. So this tip is kind of like three tips in one, so make sure you pay close attention. Once you start practicing and building confidence In your craft, it’s the time to get well clear on how you plan to work for your future clients.

So think of your elevator pitch as your personal sales pitch. You need to be able to quickly and effectively communicate what you offer, who you serve and how you do it, and you should be able to communicate that all in 10 seconds or less.

Or the amount of time it takes an elevator to move a floor, which means that your pitch needs to be quick but it also needs to position you as the person who can help your clients achieve their goals.

So let’s break this down a little bit. What do you offer? Will you offer copy or content or both? Then go a step further to nail down exactly what your ideal niche is, or in other words, what would you like as your area of expertise? It could be personal development, online education, beauty, health and fitness, the list goes on and on. 

So ask yourself what you truly enjoy researching, learning about and writing about, and that’s what you should pick as your starter niche, because remember, you’re gonna have to write about this topic every day for the foreseeable future.

But don’t worry, picking your niche right now isn’t a lifelong commitment. You can pivot at any time. Next up, ask: who do you serve? Do you want to help coaches, entrepreneurs or authors? Female-led brands, local businesses, natural and sustainable products? eCommerce companies? You should narrow down and get specific on who your ideal client would be. And finally, how do you do it? 

What services will you offer? Do you do blog posts, sales copy, video scripts, emails, social media, home pages, websites, ads? There are so many different types and mediums of copywriting out there. Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Wait, I can’t narrow it down that much. “Won’t it be super hard to find clients or get work “if I am that specific?” .

Listen, I know it’s scary and it can feel like you’re cutting yourself off from tons of opportunities, but trust me, when you get specific, it actually helps you find and land clients. Let me prove it to you.

Which one of these elevator pitches do you think is most likely to land a client? “I help coaches craft website copies that are clear, effective and personal to help them attract more clients” or “I’m a copywriter and I can write a copy for you.”

Yeah it’s pretty obvious that the first one stands out. It’s short, clear and concise. Now it doesn’t mean you have to turn away work that falls outside of this, it just means you now have a laser focused approach for finding clients that you’re actually super excited to work with.

#5. Step number five is to start building your portfolio and profile. So you know all that practice you’ve been doing? Yeah, now it’s time to organize it all into one neat and tidy place, so that when you have a client that’s interested in possibly working with you, you can showcase your skills in a way that’s professional.

The key here is that if you haven’t actually been contracted to write any of that work yet, Make sure you are very clear that what you’re showing are just samples, and then of course you can add in any other relevant writing samples you have that showcase your skills and abilities.

But a question that I get literally all the time is, “which software should I use to build my portfolio?” And you guys seriously do not have to overthink this. I have every single one of my students create their portfolios on Google Drive.

It’s free, it’s easy and everyone knows how to use it. It’s great because you can add as many documents as you want, add folders organized by niche and brand to make it really easy to navigate, and it’s super simple to share your work. 

Remember, all you have to do is prove to your clients that you know what you’re doing. Copywriters aren’t designers, so I promise you that your clients aren’t expecting your portfolio to be pretty. Well organized and structured, yes, but fancy?Not really. 

#6. Step number six is to get visible. Now this is when you put yourself out there and start looking for clients. There are many different methods for finding and creating clients, but something that I think is even more effective than sending cold outreach emails to 5000 people is networking. So my advice is get out there on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, attend live and local events, And start having value-driven conversations.

Make it super clear who you are and what you do, enter your elevator pitch from step number four. The key here is to make yourself as visible as possible, because sure, you can spend hours actively looking for clients, but you could easily attract clients to you by showing up and connecting with the right people. I am a big believer in something my friend and freelancing expert Jay Close says, and that is to ask your network to advocate for you.

So yes, that means letting your friends and family and former classmates,coaches, bosses, and colleagues know what you’re doing now and how you can help people. 

Now I know a lot of people shy away from doing this because it’s a public declaration of you trying something new and what if you fail? I get it. Or worse, what if everyone feels the need to share their opinions and unsolicited advice? Yes, I have been there too. Now I know it might feel scary debuting your new copywriting skills to the world.

But think of it this way, who is more likely to advocate for you and send possible clients your way? Is it people who know, like and trust you, or people you’ve never even met? If you’re not letting your network know about what you’re doing,you are missing out on a ton of potential connections and opportunities.

In fact, one of my Copy Posse launch pad coaching students shared this powerful story with our class and I wanna take a minute to share it with you. She said, “I have specifically not told anyone at work that I’m doing this course because I’m afraid of retributions. I’m afraid that they could say I’m not giving 100% because my attention is divided between my job and copywriting.

And I’ve imagined 100 different conversations with my superiors that all end badly.” “Well, tonight my boss invited me over for dinner. When we were sitting around the kitchen, we started talking about finances and the future, and after thinking about it for a second, I decided to tell her.” “I told her I’m in a copywriting program right now and looking to get some freelancing jobs in the future.

She asked a few questions about copywriting and I explained a little bit about what I’m learning. She was really excited and told me how happy she was that I was investing in something like that. “Then she said, ‘Actually,we could really use some help with that kind of stuff at work.

I’ve been writing all of our content and trying to keep our site updated, but I really don’t have time for any of that. Let me know whenever you’re ready and I’d love to give you some projects.'” Um, what? 

How amazing is that? Now here is another story that one of my students shared. “Holy cow, you guys! I went public on my private Instagram page last night and shared a post about my new copywriting business. Less than 24 hours later, I have a client meeting booked.”

 Yeah! So now it’s your turn. Get visible, be active, and put yourself out there in whatever way feels right for you. You never know what might happen next. 

All right, that’s all for this article.  If you enjoyed this article and found it helpful, please share it to others that might be interested. Thanks

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