If I Started Copywriting In 2024, I’d Do This [Beginners Guide]

Summary

In this video, the speaker distills 20 years of copywriting experience into a five-step framework for success in 2024. The steps include mastering AI tools to enhance writing, choosing a profitable niche, specializing in a type of copywriting, creating a niche-specific portfolio, and strategically finding clients where they spend time online. The video also suggests five booming industries for copywriters to consider: finance, SaaS, health and wellness, real estate, and e-commerce.

Takeaways

• 💡 Learn how to use AI tools like ChatGPT to improve productivity and avoid being overtaken by AI-savvy copywriters.
• 🏆 Specialize in a profitable writing niche to stand out, attract higher-paying clients, and increase demand.
• 💻 Explore booming industries like finance, SaaS, health and wellness, real estate, and e-commerce for lucrative opportunities.
• 📝 Specialize in one type of copywriting (e.g., landing pages, emails, video scripts) to develop expertise and attract more clients.
• 🚀 Combine niche expertise with specialized copywriting types to position yourself as an in-demand expert.
• 🛠 Create a strong portfolio with industry-specific examples to showcase your expertise to potential clients.
• 🌐 Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, Google Drive, or your own website to host and share portfolio work.
• 🔍 Research where your target clients spend their time online (LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.) and market yourself effectively on those platforms.
• 📈 Practice different types of copywriting by writing for fictional products or topics to gain experience.
• 🤝 Join copywriting communities like Copy Academy for networking, feedback, and career advice.

Q & A

What are the five key steps to earning a great income as a copywriter?

The five key steps include: 1) Learning how to use AI to enhance your writing skills. 2) Choosing a profitable writing niche. 3) Specializing in one type of copywriting. 4) Creating your own portfolio with industry-specific examples. 5) Getting copywriting clients by identifying where your ideal clients spend time online.

Why is it important for copywriters to learn how to use AI tools?

AI tools can help copywriters write faster, easier, and better, without writer's block. Learning to use AI can make a copywriter more productive and effective, potentially giving them an edge over those who do not utilize these tools.

What are the benefits of choosing a niche for a copywriter?

Niche copywriters are often more in demand, earn more money, and can attract higher-paying clients. Specializing in a niche allows a copywriter to stand out with industry experience and write about topics they are knowledgeable about, interested in, or passionate about.

What are some booming and profitable writing niches recommended in the script?

The recommended niches include finance, software as a service (SaaS), health and wellness, real estate, and e-commerce.

Why should a copywriter specialize in one type of copywriting?

Specializing allows a copywriter to become a go-to expert in a specific type of writing within their chosen niche, making them more valuable and sought after by clients who need that specific skill.

How can a copywriter identify their ideal clients' online platforms?

A copywriter can identify their ideal clients' platforms by researching the niche they want to write for and understanding where those clients spend their time online, such as LinkedIn, Reddit, or industry-specific forums.

What should a copywriter include in their portfolio to impress potential clients?

A copywriter's portfolio should include a few relevant, niche-specific examples that demonstrate their ability to write for the client's industry and showcase their writing skills.

How can a copywriter use their portfolio to win over clients?

A copywriter can use their portfolio to show potential clients their industry experience and writing capabilities by sharing it through their website, Google Drive, or LinkedIn.

What is the significance of the step-by-step framework provided in the script for new copywriters?

The framework is designed to guide new copywriters through the essentials of building a successful copywriting career, providing a clear path from learning the basics to securing clients.

How does the script suggest a copywriter can improve their chances of getting hired by clients?

The script suggests that copywriters should specialize in a niche and a type of copywriting, create a portfolio showcasing their skills in that area, and actively market themselves on platforms where their ideal clients are present.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Mastering Copywriting with AI: The First Step

The first step to becoming a successful copywriter is learning how to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT. Although AI has not yet replaced human copywriters due to its lack of creativity and empathy, it's essential to understand and use AI to enhance productivity and efficiency. Writers who don't learn to use AI will likely be outpaced by those who do. The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning to write effective prompts and offers a free AI copywriting course to help beginners get started.

05:02

🎯 Choosing a Profitable Niche: The Path to Higher Earnings

Specializing in a profitable niche can significantly boost a copywriter’s demand and income. Clients prefer niche writers who have industry-specific experience and can produce more relevant and compelling content. The speaker advises aspiring copywriters to select niches they are knowledgeable or passionate about, and provides examples of booming industries such as finance, software as a service (SaaS), health and wellness, real estate, and e-commerce. Each of these sectors offers numerous opportunities for specialized copywriters.

10:04

📝 Specializing in a Specific Type of Copywriting

After choosing a niche, it's beneficial to specialize in a specific type of copywriting, such as landing pages, emails, or video scripts. Beginners should experiment with various forms of copy to discover their strengths and preferences. Specializing in a particular type of writing within a chosen niche makes a copywriter a highly sought-after expert. Examples include writing email campaigns for e-commerce brands or technical content for software startups, which can help in creating a successful, niche-specific writing business.

📂 Creating a Relevant Portfolio: Showcasing Your Work

A well-crafted portfolio is essential for attracting clients, as it demonstrates a copywriter's industry experience and expertise. It should contain relevant examples tailored to the chosen niche, showcasing the specific type of writing the copywriter specializes in. Even if the examples are self-created, they should align with the needs of potential clients. The portfolio can be displayed on a personal website, Google Drive, or LinkedIn, making it easy for clients to review the copywriter’s work and validate their skills.

📈 How to Get Your First Copywriting Clients

Finding clients is a common challenge for new copywriters. The speaker recommends focusing on platforms where potential clients in the chosen niche are most active. Rather than spreading efforts across all social media, copywriters should identify where their target clients spend time, such as LinkedIn, Instagram, or specialized forums like Reddit. Building a profile and actively engaging with clients on these platforms, such as sending direct messages, increases the chances of landing work. The speaker also promotes a private community for copywriters to network, get feedback, and further their careers.

Keywords

💡AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the video, AI is discussed as a tool that copywriters can leverage to enhance their productivity and overcome writer's block. The speaker mentions that while AI cannot replace human copywriters due to its lack of creativity and empathy, it is becoming increasingly capable and will likely be able to write as well as humans in the future. The video encourages copywriters to learn how to use AI tools like chatbots to improve their writing skills.

💡Copywriting

Copywriting is the act of writing promotional content, often for advertising or marketing purposes. It is central to the video's theme, as the speaker shares a framework for building a successful copywriting career. The video emphasizes the importance of mastering copywriting skills to earn a great income, working flexibly from anywhere. The speaker's 20 years of experience in writing for various industries is distilled into a comprehensive framework for both beginners and experienced copywriters.

💡Niche

A niche in the context of the video refers to a specialized market segment that a copywriter chooses to focus on. The speaker advises copywriters to choose a profitable writing niche to increase demand, earnings, and to attract higher-paying clients. Niche expertise is portrayed as more impressive to clients compared to generalist writing, as it demonstrates industry-specific knowledge and experience. Examples given include finance, software as a service (SaaS), health and wellness, real estate, and e-commerce.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio in this context is a collection of a copywriter's work samples that demonstrate their skills and experience in a particular niche or type of writing. The video stresses the importance of creating a portfolio to showcase one's work to potential clients. It serves as proof of a copywriter's ability to write effectively for a specific industry, which can be crucial in winning clients. The speaker suggests that a few relevant, niche-specific examples are more impactful than a large number of generic samples.

💡Specialization

Specialization in the video refers to the act of focusing on a specific type of copywriting or industry. The speaker recommends that copywriters specialize to become more proficient and valuable in their chosen area. By specializing, copywriters can position themselves as experts within a niche, which can lead to higher demand and better pay. Examples of specializations mentioned include writing for e-commerce, software, health and wellness, or real estate industries.

💡Industry Experience

Industry experience is the knowledge and understanding a copywriter has of a particular industry, which they can apply to their writing. The video suggests that having industry experience is valuable because it allows copywriters to write more effectively for clients within that industry. Clients are portrayed as favoring writers with industry experience, as it indicates a higher level of skill and relevance. The speaker's framework includes choosing a niche where one has existing knowledge or interest.

💡Productivity

Productivity in the video is discussed in the context of using AI tools to enhance a copywriter's ability to write more efficiently and effectively. The speaker implies that mastering AI can lead to increased productivity by helping copywriters write faster, easier, and better, without experiencing writer's block. This is tied to the broader theme of leveraging technology to improve one's copywriting career.

💡Email Automation

Email automation is a specific type of copywriting mentioned in the video, where copywriters create content for automated email campaigns. It is highlighted as a profitable specialization within the e-commerce industry. The video uses the example of a copywriter who helps e-commerce brands grow their revenue through email automation, illustrating how specialization in a particular type of copywriting can lead to a successful career.

💡Technical Marketing Content

Technical marketing content refers to the specialized writing needed for marketing materials that require an understanding of technical or industry-specific details. The video gives an example of a company that specializes in writing this type of content for software startups, showcasing how a deep understanding of a niche can lead to a successful copywriting business.

💡Client Acquisition

Client acquisition is the process of attracting and securing clients for one's copywriting services. The video discusses various strategies for finding and winning clients, emphasizing the importance of understanding where one's ideal clients spend their time online. It suggests that by focusing marketing efforts on the platforms where potential clients are active, copywriters can more effectively acquire clients and build their business.

Highlights

Mastering five key steps is crucial for earning a great income as a copywriter.

AI will not replace copywriters yet due to its lack of creativity and empathy.

Learning to use AI tools can enhance writing productivity and effectiveness.

Choosing a profitable writing niche increases demand and earning potential.

Niche copywriters are more in demand and can attract higher paying clients.

Specializing in a niche allows writers to stand out with industry-specific experience.

Five booming and profitable writing niches include finance, SaaS, health and wellness, real estate, and e-commerce.

Specializing in one type of copywriting can lead to becoming a go-to expert in a specific field.

Practicing different types of copywriting can help find the most comfortable and skilled area.

Creating a portfolio with niche-specific examples is essential to showcase industry experience.

Uploading portfolio examples online, such as on a personal website or Google Drive, is recommended.

Identifying where ideal clients spend time online is key to marketing copywriting services effectively.

Focusing on a specific platform where the target clients are active can improve the chances of winning business.

Joining a community like Copy Academy can provide networking and feedback opportunities for copywriters.

Transcripts

if you master these five key steps

you'll be well on your way to earning a

great income as a copywriter working

just a few hours a day from anywhere in

the world in this video I'm going to

distill my 20 years of copyrighting

experience where I've written for

hundreds of clients in over 153

different Industries into a

comprehensive five-part framework this

is the exact step-by-step approach I

would take if I was starting out as a

brand new copywriter in 2024 so whether

you're a complete beginner or looking to

improve your skills this step-by-step

framework is designed to guide you

through the essentials of building a

successful copyrighting career from home

or anywhere else in the world let's

start with step number one step number

one is learning how to use AI now people

ask me all the time will AI replace

copywriters my answer is no not yet at

least and that's because at this stage

AI cannot write the same way that a

human does it lacks creativity and

empathy and the output often sounds

robotic however it's only a matter of

time before AI tools like chat gbt will

be able to write just as good if not

better than human copywriters and I

actually don't think it's AI that we

should be worrying about this stage is

actually other copywriters that already

know how to use and leverage AI tools

like chat gbt to write copy faster

easier better and without writers block

so if you're someone that doesn't

understand or know how to use AI tools

to enhance your writing so you can be a

more productive more effective

copywriter then I think you're going to

be overtaken by the writers that do take

the time to learn how to use AI tools so

something you absolutely must do this

year is learn how to use AI to leverage

its power to make you an even better

copywriter now if you haven't done that

yet you can always check out my free AI

copyrighting course I'll provide a link

in the description below so you can

check that out and learn how to write

effective prompts so that you can use AI

to write better copy step number two is

to choose a profitable writing Niche so

why choose a niche a lot of new

copywriters ask me that why can't I just

write for anyone for any Niche for any

business out there that wants to hire me

that is a great question you can

absolutely do that right for anyone but

in my experience Niche copywriters who

write for one particular Niche are more

in demand they earn more money and

they're able to attract higher paying

clients and that's because clients often

see Niche writers who have experience in

writing for their particular industry

has more impressive and higher skilled

than generalist writers that may not

have written for their industry listen

every client that I've spoken to in the

past has asked me have you written for

my industry can you show me examples of

writing you've done for my industry and

that really is your best sales tool so

if you choose to specialize in one Niche

preferably a profitable Niche one that

you already have knowledge interest or

experience in then you'll find a lot

more success in doing that than trying

to write for just anyone it will allow

you to stand out as a writer with the

industry experience and will allow you

to write for topics that you may already

be knowledgeable about interested in or

passionate about so definitely think

about what niches you would most like to

write for I also want to share with you

five booming and profitable writing

ations for you to explore let's start

with the first one which are the finance

industry the finance industry is a

billion doll industry it's made up of so

many different types of companies all

looking to hire copywriters to help them

write for their products and services so

definitely consider the finance industry

here's an example of a copywriter who

specialized in this industry you can see

on her website it says expert copywriter

for personal finance Brands personal

finance is just one of the sub niches

within the huge Finance industry you

could also choose to write for

accounting firms for financial planners

for investment bankers list goes on and

on definitely consider Finance industry

if that's something you're interested or

already knowledgeable about that's good

the next industry is software as a

service also known as the SAS industry

and this is actually a $140 billion

industry if you think about it there are

countless software companies in this

industry you may have heard of companies

like Zoom which is the you know Web

video conferencing platform is a

software industry software as a service

so is mailchip which also helps people

create and offer newsletters so those

are just two examples of software

businesses out there that you could

potentially write for there are

countless right it's $140 billion

industry so if you're interested in

software or knowledgeable about software

you might consider writing for that

Niche the health and wellness industry

is is's another booming Niche it's worth

over $5.6 trillion so it's one of the

biggest industries out there within it

there are countless companies that would

need the help of copywriters to write

advertising or marketing materials to

promote their products and services

within this Niche you've got all of the

sub niches like gyms and personal

trainers you've got nutrition you've got

all the different Health apps that we

see in the App Store and the list goes

on and on I'm sure you can think of a

few yourself so if you're someone who is

health conscious and health-minded and

has some experience you might consider

writing for the health and wellness

industry the real estate industry is

valued at

$326 trillion another ginormous industry

that's going to be very profitable if

you think about all of the building

companies the real estate agents the

housing communities all of the companies

that operate within the real estate

industry and all the materials that they

need help writing you can see this is a

really lucrative opportunity for any

writers out there that want to write

about real estate real estate investing

they want to help sell condos or

apartments or assist with agents I mean

the list goes on and on it's a great

opportunity for any writer that would

like to write for the real estate

industry the e-commerce industry is

actually a $9 trillion industry within

that industry you've got over 12 million

e-commerce companies all looking to get

help with writing content or copy for

their websites for their product for

their brands now this industry exploded

during Co where people couldn't leave

the house and they were required to stay

indoors and that's what a lot of people

did their online shopping right it's an

absolutely booming industry so if you're

someone that would like to write for

e-commerce businesses and Brands this

could be a lucrative opportunity for you

step number three is to specialize in

one type of copyrighting now you might

be thinking I don't know what type of

copyrighting I want to specialize in

things like landing pages websites email

campaigns sales Pages video scripts I

mean the list goes on and on I recommend

you try all the different types of

copyrighting even if you don't have any

clients yet so that could literally mean

picking up you know a book that you read

and you liked and writing about that it

could write a sales page about it WR an

email campaign about it WR anything

about it right it's easy to just pick up

products even in your own home or

products that you see online and then

try to write copy different types of

copy to promote that product or that

service right you can just practice by

doing that and after a while you're

going to naturally feel more comfortable

and more skilled and more confident at

writing a certain type of copy for me in

the beginning was actually sales pages I

really enjoyed writing sales learning

Pages for coaches and Consultants within

this self-development industry I only

found that out by practicing writing a

lot and also had knowledge and

experience in that industry so for you I

recommend as a beginner exploring all

the different types of writing and then

when you're ready choose the one that

you're comfortable in and then become a

specialist writer of that particular

field so this is where we actually

combine the niche or industry that you

want to write for with the type of

writing to make you this Superstar go-to

copywriter within that Niche what's also

encouraging is that some of those

industries that already talked about for

example e-commerce they specialize often

in a type of writing so the e-commerce

industry needs help with you know their

websites their landing pages their

emails but we often find is they need a

lot of help with email copyrighting and

some Industries are just like that for

example the software and the

cryptocurrency and finance Niche they

often need white Papers written so what

I'm getting out here is not only should

you specialize in one Niche but also

look for what are some of the most

popular types of writing in that Niche

that you could also specialize in so I

want to share with you some examples of

writers that have done this so you know

what I mean the the first one is from

Chris and Chris website reads I help

e-commerce Brands grow their revenue

with email automation so Chris is an

email copywriter for e-commerce Brands

and he's made a great career out of just

writing for e-commerce businesses

writing their email campaigns here's

another example from draft.com and they

specialize in writing technical

marketing content for software startup

companies so that's very specific right

they've built a million dooll business

just writing for those companies and

specifically writing technical marketing

content for those startup businesses so

you may think I don't want to narrow

myself and only choose one Niche and one

type of writing but the opposite is

actually true when you do that you're

actually able to create a really

successful writing business because all

of those companies see you as a

specialist writer for their Niche with

industry experience who also has a lot

of of skills in writing one particular

type of copy whether it's emails or

marketing content or landing pages you

know coaches and Consultants whatever it

might be you become the go-to highly

paid writer for that industry because

you've chosen to specialize in a

particular type of writing as well step

number four create your own portfolio

it's really important that you create

portfolio examples why that's because

they want to see examples of your work

first of all have you written for their

industry right and I've spoken about

this already in this video but clients

want to work with people that have

industry experience right and Industry

knowledge so in your portfolio you don't

need to create hundreds of examples you

only need to create a couple of relevant

examples or Niche specific examples so

let's say you've decided to write for

the real estate industry and you've also

decided that you're going to focus on

blog writing for real estate agents well

then a real estate agent is going to

want to see you know examples of blog

posts that you've written for other real

estate agents so if you can share 3 to

five blog posts that you've written

that's going to be super impressive to

that client and it's going to help you

so much more in selling your services

cuz you have proof that you can actually

right for their industry and if the blog

posts are well written or even got good

results in the search engines then

they're more likely to want to hire you

it's really important that before you go

ahead and create your portfolio examples

that you've decided at least what

industry want to write for because then

you can actually create examples that

are relevant to that industry it don't

have to be specifically you know only

emails or blog post or one type of

writing but what you should have at

least is industry specific examples any

of the industries that you want to write

for in the future so once you've created

these examples which you can do inside

of you know Microsoft Word or Google

Docs I recommend that you then upload

them online so you can share them with

other people and the best place to

upload them would be your own website

but if you haven't got a website ite you

could easily upload them to Google Drive

and then simply share that with clients

or you could upload them to LinkedIn and

then share them as portfolio examples on

your LinkedIn profile I want to share

with you quickly an example of a

portfolio so you get an idea of what a

good portfolio website looks like this

is actually from my own website

copywriting crew and in this section

here we're showing off our website

copyrighting examples right so this is

specifically the website copyrighting

portfolio for different websites we've

written for to give people an idea like

hey we can write website copy here's

examples from our portfolio which brings

me to step number five get copywriting

clients now this is a question I get all

the time from beginner copyrighters how

do I get my first copyrighting client so

there are tons of different ways that

you can Market your copyrighting

services in fact I have full videos

showing up to 10 ways on how to get your

first copyrighting client I'll provide a

link to that in the description below if

you want to check that out after this

video so instead of trying to do do

every single different client getting

strategy which I think will be

overwhelming to most people if you try

doing all of them you probably won't be

great at any of them I think what's more

important and a better use of your time

is to ask yourself where do my ideal

clients hang out online where do they

spend time online so that I can show up

in those places approach those clients

and win their business right cuz reality

is clients don't spend time on every

platform not every client is on Faceook

Facebook for example or Instagram but

they might spend their time on LinkedIn

so the more time you research a niche

that you want to write for then you'll

be able to identify where the clients in

that Niche spend time do they spend time

on Reddit or LinkedIn or upwork or

Facebook or Instagram what platform is

your client's platform of choice for

example a lot of food companies probably

spend their time on Instagram you know

luxury Brands would spend their time on

Instagram because they're on there

posting photos of their their products

or services so if you know this then you

simply spend more time marketing your

services on Instagram and that might

mean showing up on Instagram and

connecting with those companies and

sending them direct messages right

that's one example to use Instagram to

win over clients so ask yourself what

Niche am I pursuing and the best clients

in that Niche where do they spend their

time online can I then create a profile

on those platforms and then Market

myself to those clients Often by sending

direct messages now if you enjoyed this

video I'm sure enjoy my private members

only Community copy Academy it's a place

where copywriters like you network with

other writers share their work and get

valuable feedback you can also ask

questions about what to do in your

copyrighting career if you like more

information simply head over to start

copyrighting comom slopy Academy for all

the details thanks for watching this

video and I'll see you in the next one