Curious About Freelance Copywriting? You Need to Prepare for a Tough Start
Building a successful copywriting business takes time. Having a good support system will help when it feels like a slog.
Riding a bike, yoga, skydiving, sex. What do they have in common?
They are all rough the first time, but if you keep going you get the hang of it and the payoff is awesome! (I haven’t ever gone skydiving but I have friends that have tried to convince me).
It is the same for freelance copywriting. There are a lot of plus sides. If you are looking for a great solopreneur business, I share many of the pros in my previous post.
Some of the Great Things About Copywriting
But of course, there are going to be cons that you should consider. These are the negatives that I experienced. My personality and preferences weren’t a great fit for a copywriting career. They may not be an issue for you but it is good to keep in mind.
Client acquisition f***ing sucks!!
When you are starting out, people aren’t coming to you. So it is all you reaching out to them. It can be hard to get your first clients. And earn money.
There are different strategies for finding clients. The main one I learned is cold emailing.
This means emailing the owner of the company to introduce yourself. Highlight an opportunity or hole in their current website/email/ad marketing strategy. And then suggest or propose how you can help.
Some people are better at it than others. There are plenty of freelancers who are able to build up clientele in their first 30–60 days.
I am not one of those. And I know other aspiring copywriters who struggle to land clients with this method.
You can also use social media platforms. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook are the three others I learned about and dabbled in.
I am not proficient at social media so those didn’t come naturally. But I know copywriters who succeeded in those spaces.
The money will be inconsistent at first
If it takes a while to get clients, it also takes a while to earn. Once you get paid clients it can take time to be consistent. Earning enough to replace your 9–5 isn’t going to happen overnight.
This goes for most businesses though. There is going to be trial and error. If it’s handed to you, you aren’t finding what works best for you. So while it is tough, once you get the hang of it things will be more stable.
But it is definitely best to start this journey while you still have a reliable income source.
I didn’t.
And it may be one reason I struggled to get traction.
Clients may skip out on the bill
Typically, copywriters structure the payments in two parts. One when they are hired and one when they deliver the work.
When you deliver the work and request the remaining payment, there is a chance they will ghost you. If they are dishonest. From what I understand, it doesn’t happen often.
But it happened once to me.
Of course, this isn’t the only kind of business where you run the risk of a client not paying you. But it is worth knowing.
In the end, it is your business. You can run it how you want. There is probably a way to set up a kind of escrow account so the whole payment is there but applied in pieces. Or deliver most of the work but not all to ensure payment.
Sometimes the rabbit holes are super boring
No matter how interesting the niche you choose, there will be projects that aren’t exciting. I love learning about random subjects but even I get bored.
You are writing to improve sales for their business. It doesn’t matter if the trend you need to write about sucks or doesn’t interest you.
My niche was wine and winery copywriting. I LOVE wine and have a ton of knowledge to share. But I found it less fun writing about what people want to read versus what I want to write about…
Few people find the impact of WW2 on the Champagne region of France super interesting.
But this is ideal for someone that doesn’t have a million ideas. Some people need prompts to write. If you fall into that category, copywriting might be a great option.
Lastly, you need a community
This applies to all solopreneur ventures.
There are a lot of aspects to starting your own business. It is overwhelming a lot in the beginning. If things don’t take off right away it can be hard to stay positive and stick with it.
Joining courses and communities can help tremendously. I began my journey with Write Your Way to Freedom. There are thousands of other copywriters in this community. Knowing they are on the same journey is encouraging. And they are there to help when you get stuck.
I met a few women that became accountability partners. Even though I’m not focused on copywriting anymore, we still keep in touch. Having other solopreneurs to bounce ideas off and share the wins/losses is important. If you are serious about making it work, join a community or find someone on a similar journey.
Next post, I am going to go into the Write Your Way to Freedom program course. I will share the pros and cons of my experience.
