5 Writing Tips for An Aspiring Copywriter

Computers and technology have made it possible to write novels and stories in much less time than it would normally take in the old days.

We now have the ability to write and publish articles, blog posts, and newsletters right from our desktop.

Colleges and universities turn out fresh new grads every day who are excited about the possibilities of becoming highly paid writers.

Freelancing is not the easiest of careers but if you can manage to find the right clients you can make a very comfortable living doing copywriting.

It takes time to develop and hone your writing skills to create content that is interesting and motivates the reader to take action.

This means preparing ahead of time and learning all you can about your new profession to ensure that you are successful.

To help you start off on the right foot, here are some key suggestions and tips for anyone who has the dream or desire to become a copywriter. It may take you some time but it will be well worth it to achieve your goals.

1. Create an Impressive Portfolio

Prospective clients want to know that you have good spelling and grammar and can put sentences together well. They may ask you to show them samples of your previous work.

You don’t have to have a ton of content available but you should have a few good pieces that demonstrate your writing ability. Anything you have written in the past can be used as writing samples.

If you don’t have anything at all you can write out a few short articles just so you have something on hand to show off. Over time just keep adding to your portfolio and this ceases to be a problem.

2. Learn How to Listen

When you write for clients important skills to have are listening and note taking. We are not writing about ourselves, and in fact, we need to remove ourselves from the equation.

It is all about the client. You have to know what their needs and desires are for the content they are hiring you to write.

You may have to do additional research into their topic if you are not familiar with it.

You may be writing about something completely different than you are used to and will need to work hard to absorb as much information as you can about their business and what your content is intended to accomplish.

3. Research the Clients Market and Target Audience

How effective you are as a copywriter directly relates to how well you can grab a reader’s attention and keep them reading until the end.

This is not easy as people tend to scan content very quickly before deciding to read the whole page. You need to know what these people are interested in, what they value, and what motivates them to buy a product.

What’s In It for Me?

We tend to think that people searching the internet for a product will be interested in the features of the product. Buyers, on the other hand, want to know how this product or service benefits them.

Remember it is all about them. How will this product or service make their life easier, better, or solve a problem for them? That is what they want to know when they search the internet.

4. Think Like a Salesman

That is essentially what you are in this career. You are a virtual salesman promoting a product or service for a business that is in need of advertising.

Imagine yourself as a salesman working in a big department store and you are talking to a customer about the benefits of buying that new washer or dryer.

What would you say to them? How would you present the benefits of owning that product ensuring that they make a purchase?

5. Create Compelling Headlines

A compelling headline is one that gets the reader’s attention and motivates them to click to read more. It won’t matter how great your content is if no one ever takes the time to read it.

The job of your headline is to grab attention and get the reader interested to read the summary or intro of your article.

These tips will help you learn to be an effective copywriter and live the life you have dreamed about.