How To Become A Copywriter & Earn Six Figures+ In 2022

Imagine what your life would be like if you were earning $100,000+/year.

That might be more than you’re currently making at your job right now.

You might not even think it’s possible for yourself.

Well, it is! I’m going to show you a path from wherever you are now on the income scale to six figures+.

How Can Copywriting Get Me There?

It seems like anytime you hear the word freelance lately, you hear copywriting, copywriter, or SEO. 

Look at this post from Upwork titled 15 of the Best, Highest-Paying Freelance Jobs.

Scroll down about half a roll on your mouse and you’ll see #1: Copywriter.

Copywriting is one of the highest paying freelance gigs

But what is copywriting and why does the world seem to think you can:

1. Learn a new skill

2. Get proficient enough to charge for your copywriting services

3. Go out and find new copywriting clients

4. Build a book of business large enough to earn you $100,000+ in a year?

I have an idea but don’t take just my word for it.

Here’s the first sentence from the copywriting section of the same post: “The copywriting field is one of the most viable options for freelancers.”

And copywriting is likely to produce roughly 15,400 job openings per year through 2030. In other words, it’s going to blow up.

There are going to be a LOT of copywriters needed

That’s what I call an opportunity.

What is a copywriter anyway?

Long version: A copywriter is a professional who creates written communication that sells a product, service, or idea. They work with clients to create compelling, persuasive, and enjoyable content that captures the attention of potential customers and instigates a consumer action.

TLDR: They are someone who writes persuasively to spur an action from a consumer.

Writing to get some action happening as a copywriter

How to Become a Copywriter

Right now, copywriting might seem like a far-off dream, but it isn’t that hard to get started in the field.

You might be dreaming of how to become a copywriter

Depending on your background, becoming a copywriter could take a few weeks or a few months. Here’s a great post by Copify that explains how your background can affect your journey to copywriting stardom.

There are necessary skills that must be learned but the great news is you might already possess some or most of them.

And once you know what skills are needed, here are the steps to not only become a great copywriter but to build your income from $0 to $100,000+ a year:

1. Learn the basics of copywriting from books and the web

2. Practice, practice, practice

3.               Learn copywriting from the Pros

4. Write some copy for friends or colleagues for free

5. Get your first paid gig (Fiverr, Upwork, etc.)

6.                Build your reputation to generate referrals and keep expanding your portfolio

WHOA! I know what you’re thinking: 6 steps is a lot. But you want to earn $100k+ copywriting, right? And build the future you envision for yourself? Thought so. Let’s dive in.

Learn The Basics of Effective and Persuasive Copywriting

Just like any new skill, you must learn the basics.

A quick Google search of copywriting resources returned 10,700,000 results. With all that info out there, it could be easy to get overwhelmed, so we’ve done the work for you. We’ve pulled from the best to kick start your burgeoning career:

Grammarly’s Top 5 Books on Copywriting is a great place to start filling your personal library.

Cashvertising is personally my favorite and an amazing book for you as a beginner. It’s like a crash course in consumer psychology plus lots of tips and tricks to implement immediately and get instant results.

From the web, here are 3 great starting points:

1. Ten Timeless Persuasive Writing Techniques

2. Robert Cialdini’s 6 Principles of Persuasion

3. 14 Persuasive Writing Techniques That Trigger A Response

Once you’ve soaked up some beginning knowledge, it’s time to practice.

Practice, Practice, Practice

How do you get better at anything? You have to practice. This is a no-brainer.

In the beginning, you’ll feel like you’re fumbling around in the dark trying to find a needle in a haystack, blindfolded. This is natural and part of the learning curve.

Keep putting in the work and before you know it, you’ll go from this guy:

Clark Kent learning copywriting

     to this guy

Superman as accomplished copywriter

 .

Congratulations! Now that you’re getting your feet under you, it’s time to hone your craft.

Let’s see what the pros are doing and learn from the best.

Learn copywriting from the Pros

The thing about copywriting is that it works. Great copywriters are gently tugging on those basic psychological strings buried deep inside us and guiding us to take some sort of action, without us knowing it.

Question for you: How do we do that and not have to spend tons of money hiring a private coach?

Answer: Find the best copywriters and read their stuff. See if there’s a gentle tugging going on and if you’re honest, there will be. A great place to start is this list of 34 Of The Best Copywriters To Watch Out For In 2022.

Now you know what it should feel like when someone is reading your work. Read enough of these, and your brain will start knowing what great copy feels like and automatically translate some of it into your own writing.

You’re really making headway now. It’s time to put all this to work and get your first gig copywriting for someone else.

Write Copy For Friends Or Colleagues For Free

Trust me, this will be worth it.

You never know, who your friends know or who they can refer you to. Plus, being your friends and closest colleagues, they will more likely give you honest feedback so you can get better, faster.

Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather hear about my shortcomings, and there will be shortcomings, from a friend and not from people like this:

Copywriting feedback from not-your-friends

Now it’s time to make some money!

Get your first paid gig (Fiverr, Upwork, etc.)

Notice I said SOME money, not LOTS of money. What did you expect? It’s your first paid gig.

We highly recommend you use one the freelance sites, Fiverr or Upwork, to land your first paying gig.

There are a couple reasons for this:

1. They’re freelance sites so employers are going to be there looking for freelancers

2. There are a lot of resources you can use to improve your skills and land more gigs

Here is a great article to get you started: 22 Tips To Get Your First Order On Fiverr [Including 2 Secret Ones].

Once you’ve had a paying gig, it’s time to grow your business.

Build Your Reputation To Generate Referrals And Keep Expanding Your Portfolio

Well, you made it!

Now it’s really time to fly.

It’s undeniable that the best way to grow your business is by generating copywriting referrals. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Your referral prospect is a warm lead vs. a cold lead

2. The referrer is providing a testimonial by referring to you

3. You’re broadening your network with potential access to their social circles

On a professional level, IMO there’s no place like Linkedin to do this.

From Linkedin: “Linkedin is the world’s largest professional network on the internet.”

If you want to be a professional copywriter, go where the professionals are.

Linkedin is a place where you can find business connections, referral partners, and really expand your network to grow your business to six figures+. There are professionals from all over the world on there so your new “customer base” is essentially limitless.

Growing your customer base leads to copywriting growth

If you’re curious about how to leverage your Linkedin network, check out How To Set Up Your Linkedin To Increase Referral Business. It’s a step-by-step reference guide to utilise all the benefits of the platform and take your business to six figures+.

Well, there you have it. It won’t be a straight line and not even necessarily a short journey. But if you put in the work and use the resources above as a starting point, you just might surprise yourself and be sitting on a beach in a year, earning six figures+.

I hope you found this helpful. If so, head over to our blog and soak up all the info you can to help you on your journey.

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