In the courtroom of copywriting jobs, the defendant (six-figure copywriter) was on trial for being cunning enough to earn a lot. The plaintiff (copywriter earning less) argued that the defendant used ‘cunning’ and ‘mysterious’ ways that tipped scales in their favor.
When the jury returned with their decision, they found the defendant not guilty. The court ruled that in copywriting jobs, the six-figure copywriter enjoys success from their ability to learn how to learn.
In a world where the ability to learn on the move is your greatest weapon, the question to set you apart is: are you able to learn how to learn?
Do you want to become a six-figure copywriter? Let’s look at the stories of three master copywriters. We will learn from them, and find out how to become successful six-figure copywriters.
Joe Coleman
Ten years ago, Joe Coleman found the courage to move from permanent employment. He became a full-time freelance copywriter in the U.K. for ad agencies. This was after working part-time as a copywriter for five years.
A daring move that only time would reveal its impact – whether gainful or dire. Still, Joe Coleman took the risk to follow his dream of becoming a successful copywriter.
Ten years have lapsed now, and his story proves that, indeed, copywriting jobs are like driving in the fog. You only see a few meters ahead, but you can make the whole journey that way if you keep going.
He took to LinkedIn during his 10th copywriting anniversary on July 7, 2020, and wrote, “God, I can’t believe it!” But the following three tips from him on copywriting jobs will make you believe it.
1. When you start off, work comes from people you know. It then moves to recommendations/referrals.
The first step is hard to take, given the constant uncertainties that coruscate in the mind of a beginner. The devil has always been in the details, thus the mind becomes a breeding ground of what-ifs.
What if my copywriting career doesn’t take off?
Joe Coleman offers advice, that in the infancy of your career, it is jobs from people you know that will start you off. If you do the jobs well, your happy clients give you referrals you need to get work from new clients you never knew.
Who, then, do you already know? And what avenues can you grasp to begin steering your copywriting career to a six-figure spot?
2. Seek attention; it works!
Personal branding plays a role that you cannot ignore. A brand is a story about you and your capabilities. It is thus not only important to have an interesting story (brand) but also to push it out there.
Make some noise, talk about the works you have done, and the results that your clients smiled about. Seek attention because it’s your muscle to climb up the next rung. Coleman calls it ‘doing self-promotional work’
3. The time is now!
Is there a most appropriate time to start? Sure there is, but you can’t sit and wait around for it. The time is now! The journey to building a successful career in copywriting calls for continuous movement.
Freelance conceptual copywriter Cole advises that you need to start now.
Carol Tice
Carol Tice had a dream embossed in her heart when she started her career: to make six-figures. It’s one thing to dream, another to believe, and a different one to achieve.
Carol Tice began at age 14 as a singer-songwriter. She dreamed and believed but initially fell short at achieving. Yet, she kept having a stab at it and voila!
She has authored a book titled Fear Not, a guide on how to build confidence as a freelance writer.
She found herself narrating her first six-figures with copywriting jobs. She has a penchant for recession-proof industries as these have given her higher income.
Here are her top three tips:
1. One-off projects suck.
Carol Tice reveals that it is constant work, even if from a few clients, that does the trick. She discourages taking a few random, small, and spaced-out copywriting jobs. She advises that if you target quality prospects, it doesn’t take a lot of clients to earn a good living.
2. Keep stretching.
Through stretching, Carol Tice has grown over time to become a successful copywriter. She went for assignments that needed more research, and one of the tips she gives on her blog is to keep stretching.
Copywriting jobs could be in the form of:
- advertising
- website
- emails
- blog posts
- landing pages
- brochures
- video scripts
- product descriptions, among other forms
Keep stretching to improve and write in various forms. That will set you apart as a sought-after copywriter.
3. Keep Marketing.
You can’t afford to not market yourself, as it’s a driver to having that six-figure hitting your account. Carol Tice writes that having a 21st Century business card is a skill for Marketing as a Copywriter
Kat Boogaard
Wisconsin-based successful copywriter Kat Boogaard blogs on her website. She concedes it’s hard to answer the question “What do you do for a living?”, before giving an answer: she is a freelance writer.
She focuses on creating online content. Over the years, Kat Boogaard has managed to find her way to the wall of six-figure copywriters, and carve her name. Here are three tips from her:
1. Refine and expand your niche.
It is important that you find, define, then refine your niche, and forge clarity as a copywriter. To do this, you need to know your freelance writing niche. Kat alludes her success to narrowing down to and mastering one niche.
2. Work your butt off.
Here it is! The tips may be simple and easy to learn, but getting them done calls for action and discipline. The saying goes, the flipside of discipline is disaster. You need:
- The discipline to take action (act-I-on).
- The strength to push through heaps of research and get jobs done well and delivered in time.
Whether it’s a rivulet of coffee flowing on your desk that you need, get it and work your butt off.
3. Know when and which clients to drop.
What was that? How is dropping clients supposed to help when in the first place you need clients?
Kat Boogaard realized work overwhelmed her without earning her enough income.
She had to take stock of her clientele. She dropped the many small jobs that are not constant, and created time for constant jobs that needed more research but paid well. Remember Carol Tice’s tip about one-off jobs sucking?
A good extrapolation from the above tips points to one common thing: the habits of a copywriter. If you are going to have a successful streak as an online copywriter, the crux of it lies within your everyday habits.
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