10 Lessons from 10 Months of Freelance Copywriting

You are currently viewing 10 Lessons from 10 Months of Freelance Copywriting
  • Post published:July 24, 2022
  • Post category:Marketing

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Content writing is not a stepping stone toward copywriting. 

You can do either without involving the other discipline. 

I wasted a lot of time trying to think there’s more demand for content writers, so let me do that first. 

Spoiler alert: It doesn’t work like that.

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Don’t choose copywriting because you want to do less work. It’s neither short-form writing nor requires less research. 

True Story: I once researched for 3 hours to find one stat—so I could mold it into a compelling sentence for a script. 

You’ve been warned!

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Copywriting is a lot more than just writing & research. Yes, you should know sentence structure, grammar & artistic language so you can break or make the rules, but… 

The need to understand consumer psychology is non-negotiable.

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Copywriting is a high-income skill. Sure. 

But only for those who increase their client’s revenue. It’s hard to get high-paying clients without showing results. 

Clients are willing to pay top dollar only if you make them substantially more.

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If you want to niche down, choose a service rather than an industry. Specialize in a service and charge more. 

-Landing Pages 

-Ads 

-Emails 

-Web 

-Social Media 

Start with one, explore industries & then lock in your money-making method.

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Cliché aside, you never stop learning copywriting. Every time you test copy—it tells you something unique about your audience. 

And the longer you work in a specific service in a particular industry, you gain specific knowledge to make your clients more money.

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Learning on the job is the only way to write good copy. Sure, you can read books, blogs, or watch videos—even write in a vacuum, but it’s the real client projects that teach you. 

Because that’s when your copy is out in the wild, and you see people’s responses.

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The process of creating that unique angle will never be linear. 

You can be: 

-Showering 

-Talking to a friend 

-Watching a movie 

Be prepared to take notes. Anytime. Anywhere. 

P.S. Save angles in a swipe file so you can use the most successful ones on repeat.

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Copy research is actually full-time customer research. 

Be it surveys, interviews, reviews, or testimonials—copy writes itself when you deeply absorb the customer’s perspective. 

On a tight deadline? Just dive into customer reviews.

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Think of your client’s journey as a copywriting process. 

In one line: It is simple communication. 

From your cold emails & inbound content to delivery of work & offboarding—delight your clients. 

After all, that’s what copywriting is; simple communication. Isn’t it?

What’s your #1 tip as a freelance copywriter?

Let me know in the comments!

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