Gaining Copywriting experience question

14 replies
I have taken a few Copywriting courses online. Now i want to get some experience writing. Would like some advice as to how to go about gaining experience even if that means working for free.
#copywriting #experience #gaining #question
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    One suggestion: Before you write for free, take a course on positioning. You don't have to write for free to get started.

    Which courses have you taken?

    Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeHumphreys
      Never work for free. Free doesn't pay your bills.

      Even when you write copy for your own info-products or ones you want to promote as an affiliate, you're getting paid with future income.

      Like Alex mentioned, you need to rethink what is the best way to position yourself as a professional copywriter... and it's not working for free.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rdelgado00384
        Thank you for your feedback. The course I was taking is Kopywriting Kourse (not an affiliate link)

        and also i have studied many books including The Gary Halbert letters.
        Copywriting is very much an art form and i am still learning. This is why i need practice. I need hands on experiance to learn
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        • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
          Originally Posted by Rdelgado00384 View Post

          Thank you for your feedback. The course i took is from Kopywriting Kourse (not an affiliate link)

          and also i have studied many books including The Gary Halbert letters. Copywriting is very much an art form and i am still learning. This is why i need practice.
          Okay, here's my suggestion...

          Create an info product or offer a service. Then write your own sales copy and drive traffic to it. Keep reworking your copy until it converts well.

          One of the best ways to start in my opinion.

          (Worked for me and has worked for others.)

          Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    I never intended to write copy for other businesses but wrote
    my own copy for my first online product an ebook. Only after
    that sales letter did so well that I decided to study copywriting
    seriously and become a copywriter. So you have received great
    advice above. Why not start by writing "free" for yourself?

    Even if you don't have a product then write for an affiliate
    product and see how the copy converts. At least you are
    being paid in the process.

    -Ray Edwards
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    The most powerful and concentrated copywriting training online today bar none! Autoresponder Writing Email SECRETS
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  • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
    Do NOT work for free.

    Say it with me. Do NOT work for free.

    You will not value your work. You will not do your best. Your client will not value your work. And a client that will make another human being work for nothing (outside your favorite charity that you can VOLUNTEER for) is worthless.

    You need experience. You do not need to worry about how to pay your bills. That doesn't give you experience - it gives you anxiety and heartburn.

    Keep studying, because frankly your sentence construction needs work. But learn how to position and pitch yourself so that you get PAID. You'll treat it much more seriously.
    Signature

    Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.

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    • Profile picture of the author Rdelgado00384
      Originally Posted by angiecolee View Post

      Do NOT work for free.

      Say it with me. Do NOT work for free.

      .

      Keep studying, because frankly your sentence construction needs work. But learn how to position and pitch yourself so that you get PAID. You'll treat it much more seriously.
      lol thank you for your honesty I completely ignore all grammatical rules while posting.
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      • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
        Originally Posted by Rdelgado00384 View Post

        lol thank you for your honesty I completely ignore all grammatical rules while posting.
        Why? This is a professional forum where colleagues and potential clients alike have a chance to see your style.

        Why would you waste free marketing with laziness?

        EDITED TO ADD:

        I don't actively search for freelance work these days. It finds me.

        One of my sources? Referrals from writers right here.

        If I didn't present my best self, think they'd put their names on the line for me?

        Think about it. Don't be lazy about presenting yourself, even if you're just learning.

        This isn't an AOL chat room.
        Signature

        Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.

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  • Profile picture of the author turboshandy
    Instead of working for free, work for yourself. Do what Alex Cohen said, learn by doing something for yourself, not by offering free services.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    Alex nailed it. Learn positioning. You will LITERALLY save yourself years of grief - if you get this now.

    Imagine...

    You get to choose the conversation... and who you're having the conversation with.

    Repeat after me....

    Path of least resistance.

    That's always... and only... where you wanna be (whether you're marketing your own services, selling a product of your creation or pimping out other people's stuff.)

    In other words...

    Say you're selling copywriting services and you need to make $5,000 a month. Do you position yourself in front of people who don't understand the value of copy and have a hard time parting with $500 - where you have to educate and convince them?

    Or...

    Do you go after people (already in-LOVE with what copy can do for their business) who want a copywriter to show them, "I'm the pro who will make it rain?"

    Mark
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    Do you want a 9 figure copywriter and biz owner to Write With You? I'll work with you, on zoom, to help write your copy or client copy... while you learn from one of the few copywriters to legit hit 9 figures in gross sales! Discover More

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  • Profile picture of the author shawnlebrun
    The things that I've found to help me greatly over the last 3 to 4 years copywriting... is the following things.

    1. Become well known and an expert in a specific niche. I started back in 2001 or so as a fitness copywriter and have since did well over 200 sales letters for clients.

    These days, the financial and personal development niches are ones I've been asked to do a lot of.

    Anyways, when you can narrow down your skills to focus on one niche, you can get SO good and so skilled at that niche... you can produce work that gets noticed.

    It's easier to be a master of a niche or than a "jack of all trades."

    Jon Benson, one of the highest paid copywriters online, is known for his fitness writing.

    2. Attract clients instead of chasing them.

    This is where having a platform helps.... whether it's a blog, a podcast, daily emails, newsletter.

    Your platform will get your personality and information out there... and will resonate with the RIGHT kind of clients you want to work with.

    This tidbit of advice has gained me more clients in the last few years than anything else.

    The more content I strive to produce that's WOW.... and life-changing for folks, and I do it freely without wanting anything in return... that's when I notice more clients contacting me.

    Like Mark and Alex said... two writers I respect and admire... it's about positioning yourself.

    Well, if you focus on becoming GREAT in a specific niche... and you use a platform to create content that positions you as an expert that attract the kind of clients you want... you'll soon find out how much easier it is to land clients.

    I can say one thing that I've learned over the years... it's this: Clients who find you, read your content on your platform, and hunt you down... they usually turn into clients so much faster and easier than if you were to send out blind offers or you contact people who have posted they're looking for copywriters.

    There's something about your content and your voice being able to attract the right kind of people you WANT to work with... that puts you in a position of so much more power... than being the one contacting people who have posted job offers.

    The bottom line is... with so many copywriters to choose from these days.. you betta have a way to stand out and make you seem like the best choice.
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    • Profile picture of the author splitTest
      Originally Posted by shawnlebrun View Post

      The things that I've found to help me greatly over the last 3 to 4 years copywriting... is the following things.

      1. Become well known and an expert in a specific niche. I started back in 2001 or so as a fitness copywriter and have since did well over 200 sales letters for clients.

      These days, the financial and personal development niches are ones I've been asked to do a lot of.

      Anyways, when you can narrow down your skills to focus on one niche, you can get SO good and so skilled at that niche... you can produce work that gets noticed.

      It's easier to be a master of a niche or than a "jack of all trades."

      Jon Benson, one of the highest paid copywriters online, is known for his fitness writing.

      2. Attract clients instead of chasing them.

      This is where having a platform helps.... whether it's a blog, a podcast, daily emails, newsletter.

      Your platform will get your personality and information out there... and will resonate with the RIGHT kind of clients you want to work with.

      This tidbit of advice has gained me more clients in the last few years than anything else.

      The more content I strive to produce that's WOW.... and life-changing for folks, and I do it freely without wanting anything in return... that's when I notice more clients contacting me.

      Like Mark and Alex said... two writers I respect and admire... it's about positioning yourself.

      Well, if you focus on becoming GREAT in a specific niche... and you use a platform to create content that positions you as an expert that attract the kind of clients you want... you'll soon find out how much easier it is to land clients.

      I can say one thing that I've learned over the years... it's this: Clients who find you, read your content on your platform, and hunt you down... they usually turn into clients so much faster and easier than if you were to send out blind offers or you contact people who have posted they're looking for copywriters.

      There's something about your content and your voice being able to attract the right kind of people you WANT to work with... that puts you in a position of so much more power... than being the one contacting people who have posted job offers.

      The bottom line is... with so many copywriters to choose from these days.. you betta have a way to stand out and make you seem like the best choice.
      And let's not forget, you have to be a darn good copywriter on top of all that. In other words, freelance copywriting is far more difficult to make a living at than the courses, coaches and other "dream sellers" make it out to be.

      Takes time and dedication (and still offers no guarantees), like any other career. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.
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  • Profile picture of the author jonrhodesuk
    I read a few books then applied this knowledge to my HypnoBusters website. I had over 150 sales pages to amend, so by the time I finished this I knew what I was doing.

    So why not set up your own website and write copy to sell either your own products, or someone else's through an affiliate program? You can then properly track your success by looking at your stats, such as dwell time and of course sales. This way you get rewarded with making some cash if you do a good job.
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    • Profile picture of the author walker22
      A lot of good advice here.

      Kevin Rogers always advises new writers to go find a Clickbank product they like, buy it, study it and then go write a new sales page for it. Market it and see how you do. If you don't get sales, go back to the drawing board and write another sales letter for it. Or write another sales letter for a different affiliate product.

      This way you're getting paid if you write well rather than de-valuing yourself by writing for free.

      One thing I did while I was in the middle of taking John Carlton's Simple Writing System training was to get a friend to hire me to re-write a Craigslist ad for the motorcycle he was trying to sell. He had no calls after a month of having his little ad up there. I completely re-wrote it with what I'd learned from Carlton and it sold in 12 hours with no haggling over price.

      You could do the same. Let friends know you're copywriting now and offer to write their Craigslist or Ebay ads for stuff they're selling (ask for a cut of what they get). Write ads for stuff you could sell on there too. It's a great way to build your chops.
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