Start an Online Copywriting Business From Home Today

Copywriting is sometimes viewed as a highly specialist industry, but in reality anyone can start a copywriting business from home. The internet makes it increasingly easy to transfer information quickly and efficiently to clients and the financial rewards really can be quite lucrative for a small number of hours. It is perfectly conceivable to work just 40 hours a month and yet earn at least £1,000, meaning that you could work the equivalent of just one week out of three.

Copywriting is simply the creation of new and original material or “Copy” for use in any one of a number of media. Copywriting assignments could involve writing articles on a specialist subject, writing reviews, promotional adverts, press releases and website content or anything else that requires the creation of original text or written content.

How Do I Become a Copywriter?

There are many different ways of getting into copywriting but good copywriting requires a reasonable grasp of English and Grammar, but even more importantly the ability to write creatively. Many clients hire copywriting skills to create content that will promote their business or portray it in a positive light, so the ability to write in a style that members of the public can understand is critical.

You do not need formal qualifications to start a copywriting career, in fact you could start your online copywriting business right now if you have access to the internet. Setting up a website to promote your skills is very straight forward with many web hosting companies offering standard website templates which can have your site up and running within minutes, with little technical knowledge. Our tutorial Make Money Online from Blogging also has a detailed section about how to create and promote your blog or website to increase visitor traffic to your site.

The key to copywriting is to build a portfolio of work which you can show to prospective clients to promote your skills and help you gain assignments. You may want to start building up a range of work from press release examples to articles or promotional copy. If you do not yet have any then why not spend a few months offering your services for free to five or six clients, in order to develop your portfolio of work. This can easily be achieved alongside a full time job.

Obtaining Copywriting Work

There are so many channels to use to obtain copywriting work.

Firstly try online writing sites like Constant Content or Helium. These sites have sections dedicated to providing freelance work for budding copywriters. Usually the client will stipulate the title or theme of the material and provide a word count. They will also clearly display the renumeration for your efforts.

Secondly try contacting potential clients directly. Usually the best sites to target are small organisations who may be looking for a close working relationship with copywriting freelancers or who are willing to give new people a chance. Speak to them via phone so that they can get a feel for you as a person and then follow this up with an email containing your portfolio and a link to your website. This is a very powerful way of promoting your skills.

Thirdly go to specialist copywriting sites that host links to hundreds of copywriting freelancers. Whilst there may be stiff competition, many organisations looking for good copywriting skills are likely to visit these sites looking for prospective staff and often provide lucrative offers of work.

Visit specialist copywriting forums to advertise your skills and network with other copywriters, who may have some work that they can offer you. Digital Point Forums have a section dedicated to copywriting opportunities.

In addition to these approaches you may also wish to complete a recognised copywriting qualification which you can then use to further promote your skills and your credentials as a freelance copywriter. These can often be undertaken through a distance learning approach alongside your employment and these courses are excellent for providing you with a good grounding in the basics of copywriting and how to promote your skills. Here are two specific sites offering recgonised Copywriting courses, Institute of Copywriting, Tim Trout Copywriting. There are also a range of excellent free courses available with Vision2Learn which can help you gain NVQ's in basic business elements like Essential IT skills, Interactive Media, Customer Service Skills at Work and Health and Safety, which are an ideal grounding for helping you succeed with your online copywriting business.

Choosing Your Work

Before you start your copywriting business you need to think carefully about how you intend to promote you skills. Do you want to develop a specialism such as writing articles, press release or promotional copy or are you happy to try anything? Once you have clarified your direction it’s a good idea to develop 5-10 high quality examples of your work that you can display online for prospective clients to view. It works even better if you can obtain testimonials from those clients praising your work.

Benefits of Copywriting