Do you like to write? Have you always had the ability to persuade others? If the answer to both questions has been “yes”, you already have the basic initial skills to work as a copywriter . It is a profession that is not only fashionable today but will also continue to be totally necessary in the future.
With thousands of online and offline businesses trying to gain a foothold among their potential clientele, persuasive writing is one of the key tools to get more sales . And this is where the work of an online copywriter becomes relevant.
Still don’t know what it is and what skills you need to be a copywriter? Do not worry, today I am going to solve all your doubts about this topic.
Table of Contents
What is a copywriter?
I could tell you that the copywriter is the one who is dedicated to copywriting, and it would not be uncertain but it would be obvious, so I am not going to stop there.
Have you heard of persuasive writing ? It is a very sales-oriented writing technique. What you are looking for is to get the reader to make a decision and do what is expected of him: to buy, to leave his email address, to subscribe to the newsletter, etc.
Persuasive writing has been used since the middle of the last century in the world of advertising. But with the rise of digital marketing it has become even more popular.
Returning to the topic of working as a copywriter, what I can tell you is that it is someone who works on persuasive writing. Who creates texts that are capable of converting .
Be careful, it does not consist of a pure and simple commercial text in which we talk about the benefits of a product or service, but rather something much more complex. It is a content that adds value to the reader and, at the same time, encourages him to make the decision that we are waiting for on his part.
All of this leads us to the conclusion that a copywriter is a master of the written word who is also very knowledgeable about how human psychology works .
If you want to know more about the subject of copywriting, take a look at this article .
Types of Copywriters
Before looking in depth at what skills you need and how to work as a copywriter, it is important to be clear that not all copywriters do exactly the same thing . Depending on how your work is, we can talk about:
- Direct Response Copywriter – Your goal is to get an immediate response from the reader. That as soon as you finish reading the text, take action and do what is expected of you. Look for immediate results.
- Web copywriter : their work is basically the same as in the previous case, but their activity is totally focused on the digital environment. Create persuasive texts for web pages. There are also other specialties such as copywriting for social networks or email marketing.
- SEO copywriter : he is one of the most complete professionals when it comes to writing. He is capable of creating texts that are persuasive and, in addition, that can achieve good organic positioning.
- Brand copywriter : he is very specialized and his task is focused on making the brand he works for stand out from the competition. He is very knowledgeable about issues related to personal branding (for professionals) and brand image (for companies).
- Technical copywriter : in this case we are dealing with a professional who is a great specialist in technical matters about a certain discipline. Thus, he can create attractive texts on complex subjects such as Law, Finance, Medicine, Engineering, etc.
- Specialized copywriter : it does not have a profile as technical as the previous one, but it is very specialized in writing about certain topics.
Skills to work as a copywriter
Now that you know what working as a copywriter is all about, it’s time to check if you have the necessary skills and abilities to earn money writing . Let’s see what they are.
ability to write
The main task of the copywriter is to write. So if you want to practice this profession, you must have a great ability to write texts that capture the attention of users and, in addition, are persuasive.
Although you can learn to write and as you create content you will do better and better, you also have to have a certain “gift” . We tend to think that everyone can create texts suitable for publication online, and this is not the case.
First you have to be a good reader and then you have to learn different writing techniques in order to connect with your readers. Since we are talking about being a copywriter and not just an editor, you also have to be able to “play” with the psychology of the readers , take them right where you want them to be.
Of course, it is also necessary to have perfect spelling and grammar.
Curiosity
If you work professionally as a copywriter, you may come across clients who ask for very different texts from each other. It is clear that you will not master all the disciplines you could write about, but there is an aptitude that you cannot miss, and that is curiosity.
Before putting your hands on the keyboard and starting to write, you must have documented yourself very well. If you yourself don’t understand the topic you have to talk about in your text, how are your readers going to do it?
Hence the importance of the copywriter being a person with a curious nature. That he doesn’t mind getting informed and researching even the most complex topics . This will allow you to be much more versatile and even specialize in subjects in which there is not much competition.
Creativity
Writing is creative work, and much more so if we are talking about writing that has a persuasive purpose.
A good text is not one that looks like all the others, but precisely the one that stands out among all and is capable of adding value to the reader and persuading him. And all this without the content losing an iota of quality.
Learning capacity
This aptitude is closely related to that of curiosity. As a creative and persuasive writer, your clients can commission texts from you on practically any topic, and you have to be prepared for it.
You always have to be willing to learn new things , because you may be commissioned with content on a topic that you have no idea about.
In fact, you have to go a little further and keep yourself constantly informed about the advances in the writing sector and the new trends that are coming.
The more up-to-date you are in terms of knowledge, the easier it will be for you to keep your loyal customers happy and gain new customers. Because you will be able to anticipate trends and fashions, and to offer exactly what your potential clients are going to need in the near future.
Knowledge of SEO to work as a copywriter
The SEO copywriter and the copywriter are different professionals. But, as I told you before, there are copywriters who are also specialists in organic positioning.
If you know for sure that yours is persuasive writing, you do not need to become an expert in creating texts capable of positioning, but you should have some basic notions about SEO. This will make each of your texts even more efficient : it will rank well on Google, attract traffic and, moreover, achieve conversions.
Empathy
What differentiates a copy type text from other modalities is that it is capable of persuading the reader to do something. This happens because there is a connection, and that engagement (or identification of the reader with the text) is not possible if there is no certain empathy on the part of the creator of the content.
To be a good copywriter you must be able to put yourself in the place of the reader and identify with him : know what kind of person he is, what motivations he has, and the reasons why he needs the information he is looking for. If you succeed, you can be sure that your text will have a great impact.
What’s more, if a copy text is good, it will not only achieve conversion, but it will also retain the reader and make him return to the web again and again.
How to work as a copywriter?
If you have the skills we have seen, you already have a long way to go to find a job as an online copywriter. But first of all, there are a series of issues that you must take into account.
Working as a copywriter, is it a job for you?
Perhaps dedicating yourself to the world of writing sounds good and very bucolic to you. You may already imagine yourself sitting in your favorite coffee shop enjoying a cup of coffee while writing texts for your clients. But neither this nor other professions in the digital environment are as beautiful as they seem at first glance.
The work of the copywriter is associated with a large dose of stress . Basically because you are always working under pressure. You will soon realize that most clients order texts from you today that they wish they had done yesterday. In other words, they are going to ask you for complicated things and you must have them ready in a very short time .
To produce a quality text you have to be able to document yourself well and quickly , write impeccably, correct the texts and even edit them in a period of time that can be very short.
Now, if you are one of those people who performs well under pressure, then you will have no problem when it comes to dedicating yourself to this beautiful profession.
Training is essential
We talked before about the need to keep knowledge updated. But when it comes to being a copywriter, you don’t just need to update your knowledge: you need to have a good training base .
Creating a product description for an online store is not the same as creating an article for a blog or writing a persuasive text. No matter how good you are at writing, you need to train as a copywriter. Because it’s not just about writing . In this case, managing the emotions of the readers is of vital importance .
There are many ways to learn to be a copy. There are very good professionals who offer high quality courses . As an example I recommend Maider Tomasena and Javi Pastor . The good thing is that with their courses you can both start learning from scratch and continue deepening your knowledge of persuasive writing.
On specialized training platforms such as Domestika , you also have small courses at your disposal with which you can gradually learn the noble art of selling through the written word.
Of course, you can find a lot of useful information on YouTube , specialized blogs, podcasts and books that deal with writing in general and copywriting in particular.
Start looking for clients
Do you already have everything ready? Then it’s time to start looking for clients. My recommendation is that you create your own website and start working on your personal brand through social networks like LinkedIn or Twitter.
Do not forget to create some copy-style texts, post them on your website and share them on networks so that potential clients can see what you are capable of doing.
You can also find clients on platforms specialized in freelance work such as Malt, Freelancer or Fiverr.
Through different channels you can attract customers. But don’t lose sight of the fact that your real objective is not to get the maximum number of clients, but rather to retain those with whom it is really worth working .
If you strive to become a good professional, there is no reason why you can’t make a living from persuasive writing. You can even use your knowledge to write texts that help you directly to earn money. For example, creating your own affiliate website to generate passive income.
Working as a copywriter is not easy, but it is a very good option for those who dream of making a living writing. If you create good copy, you can be sure that it will end up racking up thousands of reads. The better you do and the happier your customers are, the more orders you will receive .
