So, you’ve been dabbling in delivering your copywriting services while working a standard 9-5. And you’ve got a taste of how deliciously sweet a career in copywriting could be. It’s unsurprising that you want to take the leap and become a full-time copywriter.
But you’re here because you’re not sure how to do it.
How do you become a copywriter full time? How do you make sure you have a steady flow of clients? And is it as risky as everyone says?
Don’t panic.
I’ve got the answers for you.
So, without further ado, let’s jump right in, shall we?
Benefits of Being a Copywriter
Chances are you’ve already sampled a few of these delicacies. But, here are the benefits of being a full-time copywriter:
# You get to write every day. If you love writing, that’s reason enough.
# So long as you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can work wherever you want. And, these days, you can even connect to Wi-Fi on a beach.
# You can work whenever. Want to go to that movie premiere? You can. Want to book those last-minute, half-price flights to Hawaii? Go for it. You’re not a slave to a clock anymore. So long as the work is done, it doesn’t matter when you do it.
# Don’t like the project? Don’t do it. You have the freedom to pick and choose which projects you work on.
# No capped income. You can earn as much as you strive for.
# You set your own prices. No more feeling like you’re not paid what you’re worth.
# You’re in charge of your schedule. So, you can set out your day however you’d like.
How Different Is Full Time to Side Hustle?
You might be thinking that full-time copywriting is exactly the same as doing it part time.
The reality is quite different.
Of course, you’re used to some of the daily tasks and activities a copywriter needs to do.
But, chances are, if you’ve also been working a 9-5 job, you haven’t needed to do many of the others. Things that build a business. I’m talking:
# Networking and making connections
# Creating blog articles
# Creating and scheduling social media posts
# Perfecting your copywriting process
# Pitching your services to clients
# Overall, shaping your part-time side hustle into a full-time brand.
The good thing is, you’ve already tasted key parts of what it means to be a copywriter.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ve experienced what it’s like to do it full-time.
You’ll realize quickly that, when you decide to take your copywriting career full time, it’s far more demanding. Because, realistically, you’re no longer “just” a freelancer. You’re a business owner.
Which brings us on to…
Are Copywriters Freelancers or Business Owners?
No one can deny how big a role mindset plays in the entrepreneurial world.
One of the key mindset shifts I made (and I know a lot of copywriters will say the same thing) is
the label you give yourself.
Freelancers are freedom-searching individuals who work on multiple projects with numerous clients at any given time.
Sounds about right, wouldn’t you say?
So, yes. You are a freelancer. But you’re also a business owner.
Don’t think that – just because you’re selling yourself (ie: your services) – it doesn’t count.
It absolutely counts.
And when you take your copywriting career full-time, your income is from your business.
In my humble opinion, there’s a mindset shift when you stop seeing yourself as a freelancer and start believing that you’re a business owner.
It stems from the tasks we associate with both labels.
A freelancer feels far more focused on the service you provide and doesn’t automatically associate it with all the things a business owner needs to do (eg: market their business, turn their business into a brand, run a website, create passive income with digital products, build their email lists, and so on).
My advice to you?
Start viewing your business as just that: a business.
As a full-time copywriter, you run a personal brand.
That’s just as real as any other business out there.
How To Get Clients
One of the questions I get asked most is “where do you find copywriting clients?”
Unfortunately, there’s no “High Paying Client Store” with “Sign One Get One Free” deals.
But, to be honest, that’s not a store I’d recommend going to. Because, usually, stores – ie: freelancing sites – tend to be full of low-paying clients.
Unless, of course, they are freelancing sites that were built exclusively for high paying clients.
So, how do you get copywriting clients?
There’s no one way, and it’s not a quick answer, I’m afraid.
Copywriters get copywriting clients the same way any service-based business gains clients:
Through building their brand and establishing themselves as experts in the industry.
I can hear you sighing, because that sounds very “grey-area”, doesn’t it?
Here are some steps you can take to build your copywriting business and get copywriting clients.
Niche Down Your Copywriting Services
There are many copywriting courses out there that will tell you not to niche.
Their reasons sound fair enough: if you niche, you’ll be isolating potential clients and turning down work.
That makes sense on paper.
But the reality is quite different.
Niching down into a narrower field means you’re able to deliver copywriting in your specialism.
With something that has stakes as high as someone’s business, people aren’t looking to gamble. They want to minimize the risk as much as possible. So, going to a copywriter who sits in their specialism is far more appealing than a generalist or jack-of-all-trades.
You can niche in a few different ways:
1. Niche by industry (ie: a health and wellness copywriter)
2. Niche by copywriter type (ie: a creative copywriter / a direct response copywriter)
3. Niche by deliverable (ie: a website copywriter / a sales page copywriter)
4. Niche by audience type (ie: a copywriter for restaurant owners / a copywriter for pet-sitters)
If you’re nervous about niching, try niching down into a slightly broader market. Rather than being specific, like “a copywriter for graphic designers”, start with “a copywriter for service-based businesses”.
That way, you’ve narrowed the net and excluded product-based businesses, but not narrowed it so much that it feels you’re missing out on lots of work.
Build Your Portfolio
In the early days, a copywriter once told me that “it doesn’t matter who you have written for. It matters that you can write.”
That put a stop to my worries of “but who will trust me to write their copy when I haven’t written for any of the big companies?”
Because it’s true.
So long as you’re building your copywriting portfolio and putting your best words forward, then the brand names aren’t as important.
But how do you build a portfolio when you can’t get any clients? And how can you get clients if you can’t build a portfolio?
The answer? Spec work.
The great thing about spec work is that you can write for any brand in the world. Once you’ve chosen your niche (as above), you can create anything for a brand that does or does not exist that sits within that niche to start building your portfolio.
So long as you label your piece with the term “spec work”, you’re free to write what you want. Use this in your portfolio so potential clients can see your talent.
Build Connections
It sounds cliche, and I remember rolling my eyes at this at the beginning of my journey.
But honestly, building connections is the most meaningful thing you can do as a copywriter, and it’ll be the main reason you gain repetitive work.
A copywriter works very personally alongside a brand owner. It can be extremely nerve-wracking for the client, and it becomes overwhelming for them all too easily.
If you’ve made the effort to make connections with brand owners that fit into your niche and you don’t appear to just be looking for a sale, when they’re ready to invest in a copywriter, they’ll already know you. Your chances of being selected are far higher when they feel you’re genuinely interested in their success.
Full Time Copywriter – Here You Come!
Being a full-time copywriter is the best gig in the world. Genuinely.
I won’t lie and say it’s easy, because it isn’t. You’ll need to exercise your drive and ambition, put yourself out there, set time aside for learning and professional development, and set clear goals to reflect on.
But I will say that, as long as you keep your eye on the prize, have a natural gift with words, and you’re willing to go out of your way to learn and build connections, you’ll find your feet pretty quickly.
So, good luck with the transition from part-time side hustler to full-time wordy-magician.
I think I speak for the entire copywriting community when I say “you’ve got this.”
