Do you ever see an email subject line that you just have to open? Once you’ve clicked, you’re met with paragraphs of useful information that keeps you scrolling…and scrolling…and scrolling.

“Why did I just read that”, you silently stew?

Well, that was a copywriter and they got YOU!

What is a copywriter and what do they do?

Copywriting is creating meaningful, engaging text that will get a reader to take a specific action. Actions such as: entering your email address, downloading a free report, signing up for a free webinar, buying a product, etc.

Believe it or not, those blog posts you see when you search businesses online probably aren’t written by the company you’re following.There’s a whole slew of copywriters who outsource their talents on websites like Fiverr, who are ready and willing to write blogs and articles for companies for a fee.

Why do people hire copywriters?

Most business owners don’t want to spend their time in front of a computer writing when they could be out building relationships or working with their teams to grow their business. For larger businesses, marketing departments in house are in charge of stringing together all of the words that customers will interact with, from email campaigns, to web copy, to blog posts, to social media captions, and more. When it comes to smaller businesses, an entire team of writers may not always be in the budget. In these cases, writers can be outsourced on a project basis. 

In any case, all good businesses know that content is one of the most important ways to engage their audience. And in the end, most business owners do as Expresswriters.com says in their great article 14 Reasons You Should Hire A Copywriter and “Leave It to the Wizards of Words.”

Working as a Copywriter: Freelance vs In-House

If you’re even a little bit curious by now, you probably have another screen open searching things like “Copywriting jobs” or “Highest paying copywriting jobs”.

If this is the case, then you’ve undoubtedly come across primarily two types of jobs: Freelance/Contract or In-House. Freelance copywriting is owning your own business. Working when you want and where you want, but having to go out and get the jobs whether through referrals, cold calling, networking, etc. In-house copywriters are hired by companies and are on their staff in a more traditional 9-5 role.

There are pros and cons to both, and you don’t want to get into either without thinking about what you want for your life. We’ve grabbed a few of the most notable pros and cons to help start you on your journey:

Working as an In-House Copywriter: Pros

In-house writing jobs are coveted because of the benefits that come along with them. The salary may not be as high as freelancing pay, but the stability, in-house culture, and it being your own open-ended business place has plenty of advantages that freelance writers would surely envy. And then there is the fact that you'll have a paycheck come every month – no matter what. Financial security feels amazing and if that’s your top priority, this is probably the way to go.

Working as an In-House Copywriter: Cons

Clint’s face says it all: All that glitters is not always gold.

If full and absolute control of your time is one of the most appealing aspects of freelance copywriting to you, it may be worth it to steer clear of the in-house route. You might be a “free spirit”, but in working for a company you still have to work at the company's whim.

In-house copywriters are still doing their best to appease management and ensure that deadlines are met. Also, they may be under a lot of pressure to do whatever it takes to make the client happy, even if it means publishing the most ridiculous and often unfinished content.

Working as a Freelance Copywriter: Pros

Freelancing certainly has some great perks!

When you are a freelance copywriter, you have your own business and ultimately control over your time. You can decide the direction you want to take your career in. You are in charge of what jobs you take, when you take them on.

Working for yourself, you are not going to be limited to the 9-5 schedule many people are accustomed to. Sometimes you’ll work longer, sometimes shorter, but it won’t feel like work because you will be doing things you enjoy.

Arguably the best part of all, freelance copywriters can get paid more per piece of work than they would be paid as an in-house copywriter. This is because you’re in charge of the amount of money that you charge per project. If you can accomplish projects quickly and efficiently, you’re also able to stack your workload by balancing several projects at once.

Working as a Freelance Copywriter: Cons

One of the biggest drawbacks is that you have to find your own clients. If you like taking initiative, this won't be an issue, especially if you start with online marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork. 

Although making your own hours is nice, this means there is often no steady paycheck. This alone is not all doom and gloom and there are several systematic ways you can grow your copywriting business like these from Jacob McMillen, one of the premier copywriters in the universe.

The ability to work flexible hours can be great, but a lot of people need structure in their lives.  As a freelance copywriter you need to carve out time to learn and grow your skillset so you can make more money. You need to constantly be submitting yourself for more work, or reaching out to new clients. You need to take meetings with these clients to understand their needs, write the pieces, and go through the editing process before they’re finally submitted. Not to mention balancing your personal life as well.

The fact is, there is no structure imposed on you while freelancing and this might not be your cup of tea.

No matter what you choose to do, know that your options increase when you choose to lean on an AI copywriting assistant to complete your work faster and more efficiently. Writer’s block is one of the main setbacks for copywriters, whether they’re on a marketing team or freelancing. When you use an AI copywriter, you can beat writer’s block, kickstart the creative process, and write faster than ever before. This is especially helpful when you’re working on a project basis, where the faster you write, the more money you make!

Next step for you: Check out “How to Make Six Figures Copywriting in a Year.”