Copywriting is a good career because there is a consistent and growing demand for copywriters. There is a projected employment growth of 7.6% from 2020 to 2030 for copywriters in advertising, promotions, and marketing, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Google Trends data also shows a spike in searches for “copywriting,” from 25 in 2019 to almost 100 in 2022.
Some advantages of a professional career in copywriting are scalable income, multiple clients, and flexible schedules. Some freelance copywriters turn this career into a full 6 figure business by starting their own marketing agency. Copywriting has been around for decades. It has developed from print ads, like those written by David Ogilvy, to digital content produced by AI.
Copywriting does have challenges that make some people believe it is not a good career path, even though the demand for this skill is on the rise. It’s harder to stand out in the job market and find steady work. Regularly producing good copy takes time and energy, besides the pressure of keeping up with industry trends.
In this article, we’ll answer the question is copywriting a good career. We’ll cover the best ways to find copywriting jobs in 2023, what to expect from the career, and how to start a copywriting career with no experience.
What is a Copywriting Career?
A copywriting career involves creating persuasive written content to promote products, services, or brands. Copywriters craft advertisements, website content, email campaigns, product descriptions, and social media posts. The different copywriting careers are:
Copywriting is a good career because it has high demand, high income potential, and plenty of growth opportunities. An Upwork survey shows that freelance writing saw a 55.2% increase in demand, with successful copywriters charging hourly rates of $19 to $45 an hour.
Copywriting coach Tyson 4D from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada promotes copywriting as a profitable side hustle for beginners. He claims that you can earn $100 per day or $10,000 per month as a remote copywriter. According to Tyson, copywriting is a flexible and rewarding career where you only need to work a few hours a week to earn a good income.
Mason Doerr from Miami, Florida shares that he became a millionaire at 24 years old by working as a freelance copywriter. He earned $4,500 in his first month, then scaled to $35,000 per month after getting more clients. He then started his own digital marketing agency, Cardinal Agency. Mason says that copywriting is a good career because of its low-entry barrier. You don’t need a college degree or experience to look for a copywriting job.
5 Ways To Find a Copywriting Job in 2023
Freelancing platforms and online job sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and LinkedIn are the easiest way to find a copywriting job in 2023. On Upwork, there are 4,900 copywriter listings. You can find a freelance copywriting job in industries like SaaS, social media marketing, real estate, and SEO. As per Upwork, some of the most popular copywriting niches on their site are email marketing and long-form blog writing.
You can access these platforms by creating a profile with your resume, portfolio, rates, and copywriting niche. You can reply to job listings from a potential client and send as many applications as you want.
You can also promote your copywriter profile like on Fiverr. Here, clients can give you a review for each “gig” or project you finish. Fiverr rewards 5-star freelancer profiles with badges like Fiverr’s Choice, Top-Rated, and Pro to help clients find you faster.
Company websites let you apply directly to a company without going through a third-party. Before applying, it's important to do your research to understand the company’s brand voice, content style, and the copywriting skills they need.
Here is an example of a copywriting job listing from Amazon Jobs for their Brand Innovation Lab. It lists down the job requirements, company culture, and even the base pay. Amazon copywriters earn a base pay of $96,400 to $185,000 per year depending on their geographic market. This information lets you tailor your professional copywriter resume and expected salary during the job interview.
Copywriting and marketing agencies like Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, and McCann work with multiple clients. This gives you a better chance of landing a copywriting role because the agency will match you with a company from their wide network of existing clients. There are over 14,000 marketing agencies in the US according to Statista which means there are many copywriting opportunities available.
To apply as a copywriter for an agency, you can visit their website and look at the available positions. This is an example of a copywriter role at Snow Agency, a marketing firm based in Miami, Florida. It mentions that they’re looking specifically for a social media copywriter for ecommerce ad copy. It also mentions the requirements like having at least 1 year of experience in copywriting.
Cold outreach involves contacting potential clients or businesses to ask if they’re looking for a copywriter. This approach is more difficult but profitable since you won’t have to deal with third-party agencies or platform deductions. To do cold outreach, you need to build a list of potential copywriting clients, draft a cold email, and send it.
Freelance writer Jorden Makelle who runs the Killer Cold Emailing course says that sending cold emails to prospects is a good strategy to land a high-paying copywriting client. It’s also proven by a Backlinko study that sending cold emails to more than one prospect improves response rates by 93%.
Partnering with local businesses lets you contribute to the local economy while earning high income. If you know any local business owners in your area, you can reach out to them and offer your copywriting services.
Copywriter Sean Ferres from Brisbane, Australia recommends writing them a free sample in exchange for a testimonial or referral. You can then leverage those to get more clients and increase your income. This is a big advantage compared to sending applications to potential clients and companies who don’t know you.
What are the Advantages of a Copywriting Career?
Flexibility, high income, and beginner-friendly roles are the advantages of a copywriting career. This is especially the case for freelance copywriters who can take on multiple clients at once.
Alex Cattoni, the founder of The Copy Posse course, shares that copywriting allowed her to travel the world while working remotely. Alex is part of the 15 million digital nomads from the US who make money online. As a copywriter she claims that you can turn copywriting from a $100 side hustle into a $10,000 per month writing business, even as a beginner.
What are the Challenges of a Copywriting Career?
Competition, unstable income, and technical skills are the challenges of a copywriting career. Despite the high demand for copywriters, the industry is saturated with many people treating it as a get-rich-quick hustle. The reality is that 95% of aspiring copywriters fail because they didn’t have the right skills and knowledge.
Deanna Blanchard from Asheville, North Carolina is a direct response copywriter with 15 years of experience. She says that it’s unlikely for anyone to start earning 6 figures from copywriting in just a year. You first need to learn how to write copy and understand persuasive selling.
Freelance copywriters face unstable income since they don’t get a fixed salary from an employer. In fact, a survey by The Mighty Marketer revealed that 72% of freelancers identify unpredictable income as their top challenge.
What Skills Do You Need To Succeed in a Copywriting Career?
Research, commitment, and selling are the skills you need to succeed in a copywriting career. You need to understand your audience and product or service you’re writing about. This means knowing how to look at facts and finding the right sources. Since copywriting has a steep learning curve, putting enough time into learning can help you improve your writing for clients. While sales skills aren’t required for copywriters, it helps to know the right way to persuade audiences or customers.
What are the Career Paths in Copywriting?
Employee, freelance copywriting, and business owner are the usual copywriter career paths. An employee copywriter works in a digital marketing agency where they get promoted to copy editor, content manager, or creative director. A freelance copywriter works independently. They’re responsible for finding their own clients and managing their schedule. A business owner is a copywriter who started their own agency and now hires copywriters to work for them.
Is It Hard To Get a Job in Copywriting?
No, it’s not hard to get a job in copywriting if you know how to market yourself to potential clients or companies. There is a huge demand for copywriters as shown by the 4,300 job openings for copywriters in hen ZipRecruiter. But this demand also means that there is high competition. Finding clients involves making your portfolio stand out from other copywriters.
One reviewer from Reddit mentions that copywriting gets overhyped. He mentions the online entrepreneur Dan Lok who makes copywriting seem easier than it is through his paid courses and YouTube videos. It gets harder to build a copywriting career if you don’t know which skills or copywriting niche you should focus on.
Is Copywriting Profitable?
Yes, copywriting is profitable because copywriters earn up to $136,000 per year based on a report from ZipRecruiter. The average copywriter salary sits around $77,180. According to writer Elna Cain, freelance copywriters can charge anywhere from $0.05 to $0.20 per word. This means you can already make $500 from only one 2,000 word blog article.
However, these figures are not the same for all copywriters. Online entrepreneur Shane Hummus explains that freelance copywriters and business owners have higher income than copywriters employed by a digital marketing agency or advertising firm. In fact, beginner copywriters can earn as little as $10,000 a year as per copywriter Carmine Mastropierro.
Is There a Future in Copywriting?
Yes, there is a future in copywriting because businesses always need to sell their products or services. These companies need copywriters to create ads, social media posts, and online content that can persuade people to buy.
Even with AI, copywriters won’t be replaced in the future since AI and machine learning can’t replicate human creativity and intuition. One Reddit comment shares that a big part of copywriting is knowing how to describe technical fields used by the company, which AI tools like ChatGPT can’t copy.
How To Become a Copywriter With No Experience?
To become a copywriter with no experience, you need to study free copywriting courses, invest in a paid program, practice persuasive writing, and choose a copywriting niche. Once you have a solid foundation of technical writing skills, you can start building a copywriting portfolio. Include samples you published on Medium or any copy you made for a local business. You can also join copywriting groups where you can ask for advice and network with more successful copywriters.
How To Become a Freelance Copywriter With No Experience?
You can become a freelance copywriter with no experience by studying the basics of freelance copywriting, shifting to a business owner’s mindset, accepting any copywriting work, and making yourself referable. Before you look for clients, you need to set your copywriting rates so you can charge clients fairly for your services.
Copywriting FAQs
What is Copywriting?
Copywriting is persuasive writing aimed at selling a product or service. Common types of copy include website copy, a blog post, emails, and social media ads.
What Does a Copywriter Do?
A copywriter is a writer who persuades readers to take action, like buying a product or signing up for a newsletter. Many copywriters specialize in a niche. Some work as a social media copywriter, direct response copywriter, email marketing copywriter, or ecommerce copywriter. The tasks vary, but a good copywriter invests time in learning specialized skills such as consultative selling, customer behavior, and lead generation.
What are the Payment Options Available to a Copywriter?
Wire transfer, bank deposit, and online payments are the payment options available to a copywriter. Employed copywriters who work in an agency usually get their salary deposited into their bank account. Freelance writers who work remotely receive payments through international wallets like PayPal, Wise, and Stripe.
Local Lead Generation is Still a Better Career Than Copywriting
Local lead generation is still a better career than copywriting because local lead gen offers a more stable and profitable business model. Copywriting has a lot of challenges, like inconsistent income and market competition, which makes it difficult to find potential clients.
While copywriting can be a rewarding career for some, it’s not the case for everyone. Not all copywriters can scale to 6 figures with the business model unlike what some copywriting gurus might make you believe. Local lead gen on the other hand isn’t prone to competition or market saturation since you target local business in a specific and niche market. This focused approach is more effective in attracting and retaining clients. According to a survey by BrightLocal, 75% of local businesses see increasing leads as a key challenge, showing the demand for local lead generation services.
Local lead gen works by creating and ranking websites in search engines to generate leads for local businesses. These lead gen sites can earn between $500 to $2,500 per month, offering a lucrative avenue for those adept in SEO and online marketing strategies.
If you're exploring a career path that offers stability, scalability, and high income potential, local lead generation stands out as a promising option. It’s a viable alternative to the unpredictable nature of copywriting and can lead to financial growth and better professional satisfaction.
