Many people dream of writing professionally, and even take a stab at
it for a while. However, if you are truly serious about freelance
copywriting as a career and you intend to earn a comfortable living
writing, more is required than simply putting pen to paper and capturing
whatever ideas are floating around in your head at the moment.
Successful freelance copywriters must make significant career
investments.
Here, then, are some essential investments for a career in freelance copywriting:
1. Continuing Education that Hones Your Skill Set
Most people have heard success stories about writers with little
formal education, and some of those stories are true. Generally,
however, education is an essential investment that pays for itself many
times over for a freelance copywriter.
Not all education must take place in a classroom, of course. Today’s
educational environment includes online courses, many of which are
self-paced. Self-paced learning opportunities may work well for you,
since setting your own schedule enables you to work around deadlines and
client projects more easily.
Other educational opportunities for freelance copywriters involve
writing workshops, seminars, and conferences. A little online research
can reveal abundant opportunities to make an investment in your writing
career in this way. For instance, you might check out workshop and
seminar listings at
ShawGuides.com,
NewPages.com, and
Writersonlineworkshops.com.
While most seminars, workshops, and conferences require an investment
of time and money, you may find that your return on investment is
positive, as you hone your writing skills and you become a more valuable
commodity to your clients.
2. Essential Tools that Support the Writing Trade
Every profession requires a set of tools, and freelance copywriting
is no exception. It is possible to limp along with less than the best in
the way of computer equipment, but typically, the more you can invest
in a decent computer system, the smoother your workday will be.
The same goes for internet connectivity. High-speed internet saves a
tremendous amount of time each day for busy copywriters, so it is best
to invest in the best equipment for connectivity that you can find.
A robust word processor and writing and editing software are both
good investments for the freelance writer. Common grammar checkers
preferred by many English freelance copywriters are:
Grammarly,
WhiteSmoke, and
WordPerfect. The
Hemingway App is also a low-cost option for editing that flags such problem spots as overly wordy sentences and uses of passive voice.
Such tools should not be considered the ultimate authority on proper
grammar or word choice, but they are useful in helping you see potential
problems in your work that might otherwise slip past you in the
self-editing process.
3. Time-Saving Research Aids that Keep You Informed
Good quality research tools are also a great investment.
Buzzsumo
is especially helpful for giving you a quick overview of top content
shared on topics that you cover for your clients. HubSpot’s
“Ultimate List of Free Content Creation Tools and Resources”
gives some great pointers on freemium versions of research tools that
you can test out. If you need more functionality than freemium versions
offer, you can invest in paid versions that offer much more for the
serious freelancer.
Regarding research tools, it is also important to invest time in
discovering and following important information sources in your
particular niche. Invest in subscriptions to trade publications,
national and international news outlets, and industry-specific media
channels. Doing so requires both money and time, but you will likely
find a treasure trove of source material that will make your writing
more authoritative and, more importantly, more valuable to your clients.
You might also consider investing some time in learning the ins and outs of popular news aggregators like
Feedly,
Pocket, and
SmartNews.
Setting up and personalizing such news aggregators enables you to
quickly see important news items and posts related to your specific
fields of interest. In addition to staying up-to-date on current events,
scanning through the feeds can give you great ideas for future client
pitches.
4. Personal Development that Feeds Your Creative Spirit
As a freelance copywriter, you may find that deadlines and major
projects keep you constantly working with little time for yourself.
However, it is important to invest time in personal development if you
want to have a successful career in freelancing.
The article
“Your Best Investment as a Freelance Copywriter”
offers this important reminder: “You are your most important asset. You
are what clients “buy.” So make a commitment this year to invest a
reasonable percentage of your income in your personal and professional
development.”
Personal development includes your body, mind, and soul. Nurturing
yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally will help keep your
creative juices flowing and enrich your writing skills in the process.
So, invest time in reading for pleasure, exercising, socializing and
networking with people, enjoying a hobby, or volunteering for a local
charity. These activities will give you that all-important and
ever-elusive prize known as work/life balance.
5. Business Tools that Keep You on Track
In addition to the tools specific to copywriters, you must also make
an investment in the business end of your business. Since your work day
is largely determined by deadlines, you might find it helpful to invest
in good
time management tools.
As your client list grows, client relationship software may help you
stay organized and on top of client communication. Additionally, every
freelancer needs a good accounting system to help avoid financial
management mishaps that can derail your business and cost you both time
and money.
You may also find it helpful to invest in marketing tools such as a professionally-designed
website, email automation software to help you reach out to all your clients quickly and easily, and software such as
Hootsuite to help you manage your social media marketing.
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