How to Become a Freelance Copywriter with No Experience

So you’ve got dreams of being a freelance copywriter but don’t know where to start? Allow me to help you out.

When I took my very first copywriting class in art school, I thought it was going to be about copyrights… like, the law. I knew ZERO about this field, and to be honest the program I was in offered very little training on the field. I was the one lone copywriter in a sea of art directors and graphic designers, so I had to do a lot of “figuring it out” on my own.

So I binged the documentary “Art and Copy” over and over again, watched MadMen at least a few times through, and decided. I was going to be a copywriter. I have practically no formal training, but for whatever reason people have been paying me to write words for social media, websites, blogs, etc., since 2013.

If you even decided to read this article you’ve got the hard part done. You must like to write, and being a copywriter seems like a job you would like. The rest are all just technicalities 😉

Decide that You Are a Freelance Copywriter and Shout it From the Rooftops

I’m a copywriter because I decided to be a copywriter. That’s it. And that’s the most important first step you can take. Drop the ideas of “but I don’t have the training,” or “but I don’t have the experience,” or “I can’t leave my 9-5 and do what I love.” It’s all BS. The first step in becoming a successful freelance copywriter is deciding that’s what you are, and not justifying that decision to anyone. You don’t have to!

Decide, and proclaim. Write it in your journal, say it in the mirror, tell loved ones who you know will support you (don’t worry about telling Aunt Negative-Nelly-Nancy if she’s just going to bring you down, though). If you’re comfortable and don’t have to worry about a current employer seeing– update your social media platforms to have your job title as “freelance copywriter.” The sooner you get it out there, the sooner the work will start coming in.

Choose a Niche aka Pick What Industry You Want to Write For

Okay, there’s a lot of journaling involved when you ask me for advice. So go get your journal and a fresh pen ready because you’re gonna need it. I want you to make a list of all the industries that you would LOVE to write for. Don’t limit yourself to ones that you think can pay you a lot of money, or trendy industries that are “so hot right now” but that you actually don’t care much about.

Be honest with yourself. What industries or topics would you love to wake up every morning and come up with words for them that will help their brand and business SOAR? Remember there are NO RULES! Do you love skincare and makeup? Are you obsessed with vintage memorabilia? Does talking about IT and techy stuff really light you up? List out all the industries, brands, and businesses that would fall under those categories, and you’ve just defined your niche.

Create Your Dream Client Avatar

I know you’re probably thinking “um… okay but how do I actually start my freelance copywriting business?” And we’ll get there, but I promise that all of this stuff is so important to get sorted out first!

Okay so take out your journal again and think about your DREAM client. Get granular and specific. What do they look like? What do they do? How old are they? How do they treat you as a writer? What’s their communication vibe? You can even give them a name!

Now I want you to think about how you FEEL when you’re working with them. If you’re having trouble with this one, think about how people you hate working with make you feel, and write down the opposite of that. For me, I love when clients make me feel capable, smart, like an expert, trusted, excited to help them, enthusiastic, and APPRECIATED.

Tapping into those feelings is one of the pillars of manifestation. The sooner you can feel it, the sooner it will be yours. 

Set Up a Website with a Blog

It’s a good idea to have a website before you start pitching to clients so you have somewhere to send them to learn more about you. There are multiple places to do this easily with drag and drop templates like Squarespace or Wix, or you can do what I did and build a WordPress site and use Bluehost to host it. (Squarespace and Wix are easier though, in my opinion. Outsource the work if you’re new to websites and go the WordPress route.)

On your site you’ll have a homepage, an about page that talks about you, a page that lists your services and possibly prices, eventually include testimonials, samples of your work, and a blog. Your blog is going to help establish yourself as an expert in the field, help you start ranking for your niche, and also be a nice library of content for you to repurpose in your social media. 

Start Networking on Social Media and In Real Life (Gasp!)

You’ve got your home base all set up on your site, so now it’s time to get in the game, kid! (Wow, was that a baseball reference? Who am I right now?) Join private Facebook groups for copywriters, freelancers, women in business, entrepreneurs, and anyone in your niche because oftentimes people will post job opportunities right in there.

Start popping into LinkedIn every now and then too to build your network. Especially if your niche is on the techy, business-y, B2B end of things, LinkedIn is a great place to hang out. You can also publish articles right there on the platform which is a great place to repurpose your blog posts (this one will be going up on LinkedIn as both a link to my site, and its own article, for example.) 

Tell your friends and family who are supportive about your freelance copywriting side-hustle or business, and ask if they need help with any copywriting tasks. Doesn’t hurt to ask, right? They might have a friend who you don’t even know about who is building a website and needs a copywriter. And then, BAM – it’s client city for you.

Things I’ve Never Tried but Work for Other People

There are job boards for freelance copywriters out there, and content mills like Upwork and Fiverr. I’ve spent maybe 2 hours total only on Upwork and it was not my jam… just being honest. But I’ve also seen people make multiple six figures as freelancers using these platforms so maybe they could work for you, too! But I can’t recommend anything that I haven’t done and gotten great results from. And that’s all I have to say about that. (Spoken in the Forrest Gump accent.)

To sum up… 

Okay so first you just decide that you’re a freaking freelance copywriter! Woop woop! Welcome to the club, glad you’re here. Then you get all woowoo and write down the industry you want to work in, who your ideal client is, and how they make you FEEL. Then you build your website with a blog on it, start getting social on the social medias, reach out to your real-life network, and ta daaa! Your dreams of becoming a freelance copywriter have come to fruition. 

Having a Mentor is Helpful, Too

Not to toot my own horn, but I’m good at helping people with this stuff. I have a successful freelance copywriting business so I can help you build yours too! There are a couple of ways to work with me – either 1:1 or in my group mentoring program “Freelance Flow” that I offer a few times throughout the year. Email me at amy@a18media.com if you want to talk and decided if we’d be a good fit to work together. 

And just one more thing – I’m a strong “repurpose your content” advocate. It saves SO MUCH time and effort when creating all the social media posts, emails, landing pages, email funnels, etc. for your business. I made this “Spread Your Magic” Free Guide that gives you 20+ Ways to Repurpose Your Soul-Driven Content. YOUR words deserve to be read by more people, on more places and platforms. Grab your copy HERE.