Freelance copywriting can be an excellent career because it's potentially lucrative, you can set your own schedule, and you can work with who you want.
Sounds great, right? It certainly can be!
Want to learn more?
Let's dive into each benefit of working as a freelance copywriter to further illustrate how it can be such a great career move.
Freelance Writing Can Be Lucrative
According to ZipRecruiter, the majority of freelance writers make between $43,000 and $85,0000 a year, with top earners pulling in $144,500!
Take a look at this data, courtesy of The Copywriter Club.
These figures should give you an idea of the ranges in income for copywriters.
If you meet enough freelance copywriters, you will find plenty that make six figures. They accomplish this through a high volume of pitching, effective networking, creating consistent, high-quality work, and always working to grow their business.
In this industry, word-of-mouth is huge. You want your clients to be singing your praises—so much so that they refer you to other paying clients. And as you impress those new clients, they will tell you about others still.
But another important part about having a lucrative career as a freelance writer is making sure you charge enough per project. Many freelance copywriters want to attract as many clients as possible so they charge very little.
However, many high-scale clients will see low rates as a turn-off because they will associate higher rates with higher quality.
My suggestion is to start off by charging about $50 per hour. Once you gain a full roster of clients, begin bumping up your rates with each new client as you finish the projects for your previous ones.
Set Your Own Schedule
Since you're not clocking in at a company, you can set your own hours. Do you prefer to work in the evenings? Early mornings? Weekends? Whatever works best for you! All that matters is you're able to meet all of your deadlines.
Otherwise, clients don't care what time of the day you work. This also means you can plan for days you need off. Perhaps your child has an appointment with his or her pediatrician. Maybe you want to travel, catch a movie on opening day, or have an important lunch date.
You can do it!
Of course, your schedule will depend on your unique situation. After all, having a spouse and children will certainly impact when you can work more than if you live alone.
But again, you know what's best. This is what I suggest when deciding your schedule:
- When do you have the most energy?
- When are you most free from distractions (like friends texting)?
- When is the least likely time other life commitments will compete for your time and attention?
Work with Who You Want
When you reach a certain point in your career, you can pick and choose your clients. This means that if you come across someone difficult (and you will at a certain point), you can respectfully decline the opportunity.
This is very different from a traditional job, where you may severely dislike your boss or co-worker. In this instance, you are stuck with them. The only way out is to quit.
But as a freelancer, you're not limited to a single boss or colleague. You'll find yourself working with various organizations, each with its own staff members and culture.
This means you can basically hop in and out of different professional ecosystems within even a single workday.
Of course, you can't be so picky when you're just starting out. In the beginning, you need to find all the clients you can to not only make money but grow your portfolio as well.
But over time, as you rise in your career as a copywriter, you'll experience more freedom. And that is a wonderful thing.
Final Thoughts
Is freelance copywriting a good career? It absolutely can be. Of course, it won't happen overnight. It takes time and dedication to grow it.
But if you're willing to put in the work required, there's no reason you can't reach a point where you can make a good living, set your own schedule, and work with who you like.
I hope this blog entry was helpful. If so, please share it on social media or text it to a friend who could use it.
Thanks so much and please enjoy the other blog entries on www.ChrisAlexis.com!