Starting as a copywritter

Well i'm sure this question came up this way or another but I suppose times have changed and there are more and more references and guides.

Basically i'm a designer but copy always goes well with it, even not as long articles but just having the right titles and phrases to give you that extra uniqueness...

How do I start?
I mean I do write my own copy nowdays but I can't say its professional...
are there fundmentals I should follow?
I started reading some articles at copyblogger lately...

Tips would be very much appreciated!

 

If you have no idea how long do you think it would take you to learn, better to hire someone

 

"Starting as a copywritter". You could begin by getting into the habit of proof-reading all your content before you submit.

 

You should go to college for writing/English if you don't see a way to enter into copywriting. There's plenty of ways to become a copywriter without college education but you have to research that and build clients on your own.

 

All of these people aren't helping very much! If you want quick clients, freelance sites would be your best bet. It's where I started, until I realized how low the rates were and transitioned to finding my own clients. There are plenty of people out there waiting for a great writer to pop up, perfect your craft and pursue clients; you should be fine.

Also, always PROOFREAD!

 

There is no one way to learn copywriting. There are a lot of great resources both online and off. Just keep in mind, there are also many that are quite bad. Writing online offers very few barriers to entry. Calling oneself an expert and offering 'advice' has become a cottage industry. Copyblogger was one of the earlier ones and his stuff is quite good.

Also, it would depend upon the types of materials your clients would want. There are some writers who believe the long sales letter is the absolute only way to make sales. Visit enough of their sites and you might start to feel the same way. Some believe you write directly to the reader, as in starting with Dear Friend. (Depending upon your audience, those two words can make or break the sale before it starts.) And still others believe you write without referring to the reader at all. I've found being open to a variety of approaches offers both the writer and their clients the most options. But, getting to that point can take years.

If you are a professional designer and getting well-paying clients, it would probably make more sense to stick with what you do well and bring in a writer to work with you and your clients.

 

Gee jiminy cricket, that's such good advice. Thanks for helping so much!

 

It's what I'm here for

 

Thanks for the chuckle, and welcome aboard newbie.

 

Copyblogger is a good place to start. The thing about writing is, the more you write the better you'll get at it. I would start by choosing a few influential bloggers in your field and reading their blogs religiously. You should also write as much as possible. This will help you get a feel for how others do it and help you establish your own voice. If you're interested, I actually have a class on becoming a better blogger through content planning. It takes you through finding your voice, your purpose, and developing a plan for your blog. I've heard from many students that my class has helped their writing tremendously. Here's a 20% off link to the class if you're interested in taking it.

 

This is not that difficult, you need to start with the short article and then post long. It is important that you have the skills and determination to write

 

Copywriting or content writing is not so simple work as writing an article. Mostly it is used for commercial purpose and you are expected to be skillful in the field you are.

All You need to be a successful Copywriter or content writer is writing skills, good English and a flair for marketing or sales.

You can definitely write good contents or copy if you have some experience with good English. So have some physical experience in marketing or sales, try to write articles for few months and you have much more chances of success than to start as a beginner.

 

I disagree with the advise to go to go back to school. The so-called "good English" some people are referring to will make you less relatable to your audience at best, overly stiff, grammar focused and unpersuasive at worst.

The way you talk with your friends at the coffee shop? Good copywriting.

The way your old school math professor detailed the daily curriculum to you at the beginning of each class session? Bad copywriting.

Much like starting a business in general, the best experience comes from working in the field, which is not easy when you have no portfolio items to show clients. But if you think through how to get small jobs and then grow in both magnitude and scale, it's not hard to reach the $100,000 per year mark in 1 to 2 years time. (You chose a good profession, as a revenue producer who leverages print to sell to hundreds or thousands of people at a time)

I outlined my own journey from no experience to full-time copywriting in this post; I think you might find it useful and informative: http://buildstartups.com/blog/1000-online-60-days

Good luck!

 

Since you are starting out as a copywriter, I suggest you read Copyblogger and Content Marketing Institute. Those are two superb places to learn all about copywriting. Copyblogger is chock full of very useful tips. I've been reading and greatly enjoying Brian Clark's blog for at least five years.

You should read Heidi Cohen's marketing blog, she has some useful insights about copywriting and marketing.

One more tip: Please check out the My.Copyblogger Library where they offer several free ebooks. The ebook you should look for is Copywriting 101: How to Craft Compelling Copy. You'll find that helpful.