Marketing is such a boom industry! Non-stop, it boosts sales and drives income to businesses, big and small. It makes giants out of small entrepreneurs who know how to use it in all its numerous forms.
Marketing utilizes a variety of media ranging from TV, radio, and print to web pages, blog posts, and social networking sites. If you consider the many different media that produce effective marketing, you’d be impressed by how much marketing relies on the skills and expertise of a copywriter.
How copywriting works
Clearly, marketing has moved beyond the traditional, office-generated company brochures, newsletters, and flyers. These are published and distributed on a monthly or yearly basis. Ad and sales copy have expanded to include a constant turnover of SEO content, website landing pages, print ads and press releases. These must be disseminated to the public more frequently.
Leveling up to an industry that’s web-generated, freelance copywriting jobs now also include writing sales letters, product descriptions, SEO copy, and product reviews, to name a few. Copywriting has also diversified into all
types of promotional material that businesses can mass-market online to generate buzz and new business.
How to find copywriting work
If you’re as enterprising as many entrepreneurs who bank on the power of marketing, then you can find many copywriting jobs waiting for you! To meet the demand and to provide copywriting services, these businesses continually need fresh, new marketing materials. As a freelance ad copywriter, here’s where you come in.
To ease yourself into freelance copywriting for an ad agencies, here are 10 tips to land a job.
Tip #1: See where the trend is going.
Sell yourself as a freelance copywriter by following new and existing trends. Know the talk, industry jargon, and remain current with marketing trends. Be well-versed in web marketing tools and techniques to help rank website content high in search engines and help drive traffic to websites.
Tip #2: Find out who’s hiring.
Even though companies have their own marketing arm, they still contract ad agencies to assist them in their marketing and advertising efforts. In turn, ad agencies employ freelance writers to help meet the growing demand.
Tip #3: Come to terms with outsourcing.
Since ad agencies subcontract project-based work to freelance copywriters, the arrangement is (in most cases) work-for-hire work. This means that the ad agency compensates you financially for ghostwriting the articles and content, but you’re legally prohibited to take credit for them. Depending on the contract, both ownership and authority over the work still belong to the hiring agency.
Tip #4: Stop being an amateur. Go professional!
It’s more difficult for amateurs to snare
freelance copywriting work from ad agencies. Aside from lacking experience, you may also lack samples of published work. As a result, this is the best time apply for internship positions. It’s either you train as an intern in a marketing firm or work as a temp. worker in a better-known ad agency.
Tip #5: Accept smaller projects.
During the process of transitioning from amateur to professional, you’ll have to think big but start small. Start by accepting smaller projects and newer accounts. Once you have demonstrated your ability to accomplish smaller project, you will
have access to bigger projects that meet your caliber as a writer.
Tip #6: Create your book or portfolio.
It’s not just photographers and ramp models who have their books. Even freelance copywriters have their own. A book is your portfolio of qualifications and credentials. It also includes samples and references.
In the absence of a Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, or Marketing, a portfolio does wonders! With every job application, a great portfolio exemplifies your skills and helps sell you as a competent copywriter.
Tip #7: Test the local market.
The good news is that most local ad agencies prefer to outsource work to writers who live within the area. Depending on where you reside, do a local online search for ad agencies. Search by locality and/or specialty.
Tip #8: Do a more advanced search.
If you need to explore a bigger market, broaden your search to include cities and states outside your area. Many ad agencies don’t mind if you freelance, as long as you can deliver exceptional work.
Tip #9: Gain more experience.
Only with more experience can you command
a higher price. A senior copywriter with 3-5 years of experience earns between $25 to $75 per hour. A new freelance copywriter, in contrast, gets paid much less, between $15 and $35 per hour. Until you’ve proven your worth and ad agencies begin to give you repeat work, you’ll be paid on a per-project arrangement rather than on hourly rates.
Tip #10: Write copy that converts into real sales.
The test of a true ad copywriter is that you can write a piece of copy that both promotes AND sells! For marketing material to generate results, it must do more than capture the
interest and attention of readers. It’s crucial your copy converts followers into readers, and readers into customers. Loyal and repeat customers are the best results since they prove that you do, indeed, possess that selling factor!
