How To Become A Copywriter From Home

Build a successful freelance copywriting business - turn basic writing skills into a paycheck.

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.5

- Part one – everything you need for a fast-track start
- including your first article
- Part two – the copywriter’s ‘how to’: sales copy
- expert copy
- and more!
- Part three – the essential skills that mark out a real pro

What you'll learn

Part one – everything you need for a fast-track start

including your first article

Part two – the copywriter’s ‘how to’: sales copy

expert copy

and more!

Part three – the essential skills that mark out a real pro

Part four – how to boost your income and turn your new website into a money magnet

* Requirements

* None

Description

You can start a new career as a freelance copywriter......

Just imagine, earning your living - a good living - without the hassle of commuting. Be your own boss. All you really need is a PC or Mac and a broadband connection - plus a desire to write and a bit of flair. Three months from now that could all become a reality. You will be a copywriter!

"After just a few months I am writing sales copy for a huge experiential company, as well as technical copy for a well-respected tech-industry publication and building websites for small businesses." Martin Brennan.

Unlike so many guides on the subject, it's not a jumped-up list of 'useful phrases'. It won't tell you 'how to make a million dollars overnight'. Instead it is a unique, detailed step-by-step guide to becoming a successful freelance copywriter working from home, from scratch.

Step by step
Follow each step and you can make between £300 ($450) a day and - with more experience - £500 ($750) a day. Not exactly a get rich quick formula, but a very respectable income. Especially for someone who is their own boss, has few overheads, doesn't have to commute to work, and chooses exactly how much or how little work they want to take on. Because my website has been live for some time now, I get more than I need and have to turn work away.

Is it possible?
Sure, and in this guide I will show you – in detail – everything you need to know. Things like:
• How to begin from scratch and quickly build a portfolio
• How to find clients - fast
• How to market yourself
• How to build a copywriter website in just five days - for free
• How to find the most profitable projects and drop the rest
• How much to charge

In fact, I will even share my killer 'terms and conditions' that enable me to close more business at higher prices. I will:

• Introduce you to the jargon – no getting caught out as a beginner
• Show how to walk your clients through a brief, how to research topics, how to write for print and how to write for the web
• We will look at different writing styles (or 'tone of voice' as the marketing people call it).
• I will teach you questioning techniques for telephone interviews (I do all my work over the net and by phone) and show you some clever, low cost phone recording kit and transcription software so that you won't even have to take notes
• Plus lots of tricks of the trade that save valuable time and mark you out as a real pro

And give you stacks of links to real samples of different types of copy, templates, tick lists and so on, plus more detailed descriptions of some of the topics covered in this book (build your own free library). In fact, everything you need to get you started with confidence.

Who this course is for:

Anyone….
… wanting a new career
… wanting to work from home – be their own boss
… wanting an extra revenue stream
… wanting the freedom of being a freelancer

Course content

8 sections • 37 lectures

My Story 3 lectures

My Story Preview 01:56

Len Smith describes how he moved into copywriting, how he learned not to worry about being an expert on any subject, how it all came together.

Introduction - THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON Preview 03:30

This course is not about learning a new skill. It's about transforming your whole way of life - your work/life balance, the way you make your living, or the way you boost your income.

In reality, it's going to take three months to get to the point where you feel confident speaking to prospects, using the right jargon, knowing what to charge.I want you to win, so in THIS lesson I show you the best possible way to get through the course with me.

Connect With The Community Preview 00:20

Getting started 11 lectures

QUICK WIN - publish an article 10 days from now Preview 02:26

QUICK WIN? Publish your first article ten days from now - guaranteed

Wherever possible, I like to give my students a ‘quick win’ early in the course. And what better ‘quick win’ than getting an article published in the next few days.

After all, few things can compare with seeing your own work published for the first time. It’s more than just a great feeling, it’s a confidence booster.

I'll show you how.

Hit the ground running Preview 01:17

Copywriting - what's it all about? Preview 03:44

Everything you'll need on day one Preview 05:30

The good news is, you really need very little to start as a freelance copywriter. I don’t have business cards (don’t ever meet my clients), don’t have business stationery (I just use Word documents for invoices and so on). I work from home with minimum equipment.

In this session you'll be pleasantly surprised how little you need to spend to get up and running.

How to build a portfolio - fast Preview 04:38

Pick the most profitable sector to suit your skills Preview 04:14

There’s more than one type of copywriting – advertising… sales/marketing... informative copy...expert copy….. PR copy…. Media copy… website copy, and so on. And it’s unlikely your skills’ll match all of them.

This session will help you find the areas where you should begin and areas that you may want to grow into later.

How much should you charge? Preview 04:07

Your client contract- and a winning sales technique Preview 03:29

Protecting your work with copyright © Preview 02:19

Clients, especially start-ups, may occasionally ask you about copyright and you’ll certainly want to protect your own website. So how does it work?

What have we achieved? Preview 00:32

HANDOUT - How to hit the ground running Preview 00:08

Choose projects where you feel comfortable 12 lectures

SALES COPYWRITING - whistle-stop tour Preview 05:23

A quick introduction to what differentiates Sales copy from Descriptive and Technical copy. We learn to take a customer perspective, differentiate between features and benefits (bet you get it wrong!).

We discover why women don’t buy lipstick and we apply a litmus test for sorting features from benefits.

Finally, we learn the novice’s biggest single bear trap and glimpse at the psychology of Needs vs Wants.

Time to meet AIDA Preview 03:32

AIDA in practice Preview 05:23

PRESS RELEASES Preview 08:04

Press Releases are both profitable and easy to write - they are so structured. This lesson gives an overview of the basic structure of a Press Release.

CASE STUDY copywriting Preview 04:59

Case Studies and Adding Value - Fireside Chat Preview 07:01

WHITE PAPERS the big earners Preview 01:25

WHITE PAPERS what are they? Preview 02:49

WHITE PAPERS what do they look like Preview 03:01

Build A Copywriting Website In Just Five Days From Now Preview 5 pages

Your 'online brochure' copywriter's website - Fireside Chat Preview 02:22

In this video we check if you've had any problems developing your 'online brochure' - and offer a solution.

Back to basics Preview 22 pages

How to write sales copy

White Papers - a big earning opportunity

Write 'expert copy' - without being an expert

How to write a case study

Press releases

How to write for websites - the fastest growing market

Back to basics II 2 lectures

Back to basics Preview 24 pages

The Bleedin' Apostrophe - Fireside Chat Preview 05:04

How to boost your copywriting income 3 lectures

How to boost your copywriting income Preview 00:07

Infomercials - a new revenue stream Preview 03:31

Here's a new revenue stream for copywriters - more income, no extra overheads - ad a way to differentiate yourself from other freelancers. Watch the video and download the notes.