What Does A Copywriter Do? 16 Ways To Make Money Copywriting

Summary

This video by Alex breaks down 16 services freelance copywriters can offer to increase their income. It explains the roles of a copywriter, covering essential services like ads, email marketing, landing pages, and sales pages, along with additional content writing services such as blog posts and social media captions. Alex also discusses marketing support options, including community management, funnel building, and marketing consulting. The video aims to help copywriters determine their scope of work, expand their services, and improve client relationships while boosting their income.

Takeaways

• 📝 Copywriters offer various services beyond just writing, including marketing and consulting, to expand their business.
• 🎯 Copywriting focuses on creating content aimed at conversions, such as ads, email marketing, sales pages, and landing pages.
• 💡 The most important skill in writing ads is crafting compelling headlines to grab attention quickly in the 'scroll' era.
• 📧 Copywriters can write different types of emails, but they don’t need to manage technical tasks like email-sending software unless desired.
• 🌐 Writing landing pages, homepages, and About pages are critical for building brand trust and authority, even though the copywriter doesn't need to develop the web page itself.
• 📹 Video scripts are essential in both promotional and sales videos, with the growing dominance of video marketing across platforms.
• 🛍️ Product descriptions should focus on benefits, not just features, to engage customers effectively in e-commerce settings.
• ✍️ Content writing, such as blog posts, newsletters, and social media captions, focuses on engagement, education, and brand awareness, unlike conversion-focused copywriting.
• 🔍 SEO copywriting is a specialized skill that can be added to services, though it’s not necessary unless the copywriter is proficient.
• 🤝 Marketing consulting, community management, and funnel building can be valuable services for clients seeking a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Q & A

What are the key responsibilities of a copywriter, according to the video?

A copywriter's key responsibilities include writing ads, email marketing, landing pages, sales pages, homepage and website copy, About pages, product descriptions, and video scripts. The focus is on writing persuasive, conversion-focused content.

How does the role of copywriting differ from content writing?

Copywriting focuses on crafting words with the primary goal of conversion, such as getting the reader to take a specific action. Content writing, on the other hand, focuses on engagement, education, and brand awareness, with less emphasis on direct sales.

What types of emails might clients ask a copywriter to write?

Clients might ask for various types of emails, including autoresponders, indoctrination sequences, sales emails, content emails, affiliate emails, and re-engagement emails. The primary goal is to market something or build rapport with the audience.

What is the purpose of landing pages in copywriting?

The purpose of landing pages is to convert visitors into leads. They are typically used to motivate prospects to provide their contact information, often in exchange for a lead magnet or free offer.

What is a sales page and why is it important?

A sales page is a critical part of a marketing funnel designed to convert prospects into paying customers. It is one of the highest-paying services for copywriters, as it requires persuasive writing that taps into psychology and persuasion.

What additional services can copywriters offer beyond writing?

Copywriters can expand their services to include marketing consulting, funnel building, SEO writing, social media captions, blog posts, newsletters, content video scripts, and community management.

Why is mastering headlines crucial in copywriting?

Headlines are crucial because they are the first thing readers see, especially in digital ads. In the age of scrolling, capturing attention with a compelling hook in the headline can determine the success of the entire copy.

What are video sales letters (VSLs), and how do they differ from written sales letters?

Video sales letters (VSLs) are similar to written sales letters but delivered in video form. The copywriter’s job is to write the script, focusing on persuasive storytelling that encourages viewers to take action.

What role does SEO play in copywriting, and should all copywriters learn SEO?

SEO plays a role in improving the visibility of a website, but not all copywriters need to master SEO. While knowing the basics can be helpful, copywriting and SEO can be separate skills, with some copywriters choosing to specialize in one or the other.

What advice does the video give to new copywriters regarding the scope of services they should offer?

New copywriters are encouraged to choose the services they enjoy and feel confident offering. While starting out, it's okay to offer a broader range of services to build client relationships, but over time, copywriters can narrow their focus to specialize in copy and consulting if that aligns with their goals.

Outlines

00:00

💡 What Services Should a Copywriter Offer?

The video opens with an exploration of the various services a freelance copywriter can offer to increase revenue. The speaker highlights how copywriters have a diverse skill set that includes marketing knowledge, psychology principles, and writing expertise. They share personal experiences, emphasizing that freelance copywriters can choose to expand beyond just writing to build client relationships and gain experience. The question of where to draw the line in offering additional services is posed, as many clients expect copywriters to wear multiple hats, from content writer to marketing strategist.

05:02

✍️ Common Copywriting Roles and Responsibilities

This section introduces the main topic of the video—breaking down the common roles a copywriter fulfills and the additional services they can offer. The speaker addresses two common questions: 'What does a copywriter do?' and 'What services should they not offer?' They encourage viewers to identify which services resonate most with them and outline how expanding services can benefit both the copywriter and the client. The speaker builds anticipation by promising a detailed breakdown of 16 ways to make more money as a copywriter, starting with core copywriting services.

10:02

📈 Core Copywriting Services Explained

In this third section, the speaker delves into the main category of copywriting services, focusing on tasks that clients typically expect copywriters to handle. These include writing digital ads, email marketing campaigns, landing pages, sales pages, and more. Emphasis is placed on the importance of crafting compelling headlines, especially for ads and emails, where capturing attention quickly is crucial. The speaker explains that while copywriters are responsible for writing these materials, they don’t necessarily need to manage the technical side of implementation, such as loading emails into client software.

Keywords

💡Copywriting

Copywriting refers to the process of writing persuasive text intended to drive conversions or sales. In the video, it is described as a core skill for freelance copywriters, focusing on crafting ads, emails, and sales pages to compel readers to take action. This term is central to the video as the speaker outlines various services a copywriter can offer.

💡Content Writing

Content writing involves creating engaging, educational, or informative text, often with a focus on brand awareness rather than immediate conversion. In the video, the speaker contrasts this with copywriting, explaining how content writing can include blog posts, social media captions, and newsletters. While the primary goal isn't conversion, it still plays a crucial role in building trust and engagement with an audience.

💡Email Marketing

Email marketing is the use of emails to promote products or services, nurture customer relationships, and drive conversions. In the video, email marketing is listed as a core copywriting service, with examples like autoresponders and sales emails that help build rapport and move leads through the marketing funnel. The speaker emphasizes that writing effective email sequences is an essential copywriting task.

💡Sales Pages

Sales pages are long-form web pages designed specifically to convert visitors into paying customers by presenting persuasive content. The speaker highlights sales pages as one of the most important and lucrative services a copywriter can offer, noting that they require mastery of persuasion and psychology. These pages are described as the 'moneymaker' for clients and copywriters alike.

💡Landing Pages

Landing pages are shorter web pages aimed at capturing leads by asking visitors to provide their contact information in exchange for a lead magnet or offer. In the video, the speaker explains how these are typically used for lead generation, and emphasizes the importance of writing compelling headlines and hooks to increase conversions from clicks to leads.

💡SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves optimizing content so it ranks higher in search engine results, increasing a website's visibility. The speaker discusses how SEO can be combined with copywriting to create content that ranks well while also converting users. However, they stress that SEO is not a requirement for all copywriters unless they choose to specialize in it.

💡Video Sales Letters (VSLs)

Video Sales Letters (VSLs) are video-based sales presentations that aim to convert viewers into buyers by presenting persuasive messaging in a visual format. The speaker explains that VSLs are similar to traditional sales letters but delivered as a video. Copywriters are responsible for writing the script, ensuring the message is clear and compelling, but they are not involved in video production.

💡Promotional Videos

Promotional videos are short, targeted videos aimed at promoting a product, event, or marketing initiative. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the growing importance of video content in marketing and highlights how copywriters can contribute by writing video scripts, titles, and subtitles that enhance viewer engagement and conversions.

💡Community Management

Community management involves engaging with and managing interactions between a brand and its audience, often through social media, email, or membership sites. The speaker suggests that copywriters can offer community management services to showcase their communication skills and build stronger relationships with clients by handling customer support and engagement.

💡Funnel Building

Funnel building refers to the process of creating a series of web pages designed to guide potential customers through the buying process, from awareness to conversion. The speaker explains that copywriters with a technical aptitude can offer funnel-building services, allowing them to not only write but also design the entire customer journey, which adds significant value for clients.

Highlights

Copywriters are a unique blend of marketing experts and psychology enthusiasts, with a flair for persuasive writing.

The flexibility of being a freelance copywriter means you can choose which services to offer or decline.

There are 16 ways to start making more money in your copywriting business by offering diverse services.

Digital ads are crucial for generating clicks, and mastering compelling headlines is key to success in the scrolling era.

Email marketing includes autoresponders, sales emails, and more, but copywriters only need to write these emails, not manage them.

Landing pages are focused on converting clicks into leads, often by offering a free lead magnet in exchange for contact details.

Sales pages, the 'moneymakers,' require a deep understanding of psychology and persuasion to convert prospects into customers.

Homepages build trust, authority, and provide next steps, while About pages tell the story behind the brand.

Promotional videos and video sales letters (VSLs) are important for marketing, and up to 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound.

Product descriptions should go beyond basic features to highlight benefits that resonate emotionally with customers.

Copywriters can offer content writing services like social media captions and blog posts to engage and build brand awareness.

Content videos and SEO strategies add value by driving engagement and increasing visibility in search engines.

Offering marketing support like community management, funnel building, and consulting can make copywriters invaluable to clients.

Copywriters can become 'unicorns' by writing, strategizing, and implementing marketing initiatives for businesses.

A proven copywriter job description is provided to help business owners easily hire the right talent.

Transcripts

- Have you ever wondered what services you should offer

as a copywriter?

Today, I'm talking about 16 ways

you can start making more money

in your copywriting business.

(upbeat music)

Copywriters are a rare breed of freelancer.

Not only do we have extensive knowledge of marketing,

but we geek out on the principles of human psychology

and yes we have a flare for the written word

in a way that allows us to sell

in a cool and sophisticated way.

And because of that,

we tend to sort of be good at a lot of things

or at least that's what your clients probably think.

If you think about it,

sometimes the actual role of a copywriter

can be a little fuzzy at times.

With clients expecting you to be a copywriter one day,

a content writer the next day,

and a full-blown marketing strategist the day after that.

So the question is this,

where do you draw the line?

As a copywriter, what jobs should you actually be doing?

Well, the great thing about being a freelance copywriter

is that you can offer whatever you want

or whatever you don't want.

So when I first started my business,

I often added additional services above

and beyond copywriting to get my foot in the door.

But today, any clients who hire my agency get copy

and consulting, and that is it.

So while your goal might be able to get

to the point where all you do is write words

and documents and send those documents over to your client,

it's entirely possible to expand your job scope

to gain experience and build client relationships.

So in this video,

I'm gonna be breaking down the common roles

and responsibilities that a copywriter fulfills,

but I'm also going to share the additional services

you can take on as a copywriter,

to not only better serve your clients

but to also put more of that money in your pocket.

Hey, Posse! What's up?

It's Alex coming at you this week

with another video by request.

So my DMs are typically full of messages from my community

and I often get asked these two questions.

The first typically comes

from people who haven't taken the plunge

into copywriting just yet

and they are wondering what does a copywriter do?

And the second comes from relatively new copywriters

who are dealing with clients who expect them

to be a Jack of all trades.

And they're wondering,

what exactly should they be doing and not doing?

So if you fall into one of those two categories

then give me a thumbs up below

because this video is for you.

And if you're new to the crew, welcome.

I put out a new copywriting, marketing,

or mindset video every single week.

So subscribe below to get more videos like this one

and don't forget to hit that bell to be notified

when my next tutorial goes live.

So if you've ever wondered what a copywriter actually does

or what freelancing services you can offer

to clients as a beginner copywriter,

here are 16 ways you can start making more money

in your business.

So take out a pen and a piece of paper

and get ready to write down the ones

that you vibe with the most.

And if you're a business owner looking to hire a copywriter,

stick around to the end,

because I'm gonna share with you

my proven copywriter job description

to make your search for a copywriter

as easy and seamless as possible.

Okay.

So I've broken down these services into three categories

and the first one is of course copywriting services.

Okay.

So this first category is the list of services

that actually fall under a copywriter's job description,

in my opinion.

So this is what savvy clients who actually understand

what you do may ask you to do for them.

Now before you get too overwhelmed

with the list I'm about to go over,

please keep in mind that this is your copywriting business

and you do not have to offer all

of these assets if you don't want to.

So the first is ads.

So this can include digital ads,

like the ones you see on Google, Facebook, or Instagram,

video ads like the ones you see right here on YouTube,

or even printed ads that you might see

in newspapers or in direct mail.

Now the main purpose of digital ads of course

is to get the click.

Now with ads, in fact, with all forms of copywriting,

it is very important to remember

that your headline or that first few sentences of text

are the most important thing to get right.

Because in the age of the scroll,

you have to master the art of crafting compelling headlines.

All great ads grab attention with a powerful hook.

All right, next up is email marketing.

Yep. It's exactly what it sounds like.

Emails sent out to a list of subscribers

with the sole purpose of marketing something.

Although great email campaigns should also add a lot

of value and focus on building rapport with the list.

So depending on your client's needs,

they may ask you for many different types of emails,

like autoresponders or an indoctrination sequence,

sales emails, content emails, affiliate emails,

or re-engagement emails.

As a copywriter,

you can add all of these to your list of services

but as a copywriter, your job is only to write these emails.

You do not need to be the one to load these emails

into your client's email-sending software,

unless you want to.

I have never offered to do this for a client

because it is tedious and technical.

And trust me

you do not wanna be the one who accidentally sends a draft

to an entire list.

All right, next up is landing pages.

It's like a sales page, but shorter,

and used for the purpose of lead generation.

So the number one job of your ad

is to convert more eyeballs into clips,

and the number one job of your landing page

is to convert more clicks into leads.

You wanna motivate and inspire a prospect

to enter their information,

typically their first name and email

in exchange for a free high value promise

or what is more commonly referred to as a lead magnet.

All right, next up is sales pages.

Yep. The big one.

This is what I like to call your moneymaker

because not only is this the page

that's gonna make your clients the most money

and profit in their business,

but it is also the page that you'll get paid

the most money to write.

The copywriting magic need you to turn prospects

into paying customers is where persuasion

and psychology and major writing swagger comes into play.

In my opinion,

all copywriters need to master this skill

because it is what sets us apart from other content writers.

Now, if you're a copywriter or a business owner

looking to write a high converting sales page

that will get you paid

and keep your clients and prospects coming back for more,

then make sure to check out

my "Five-Day Write and Ignite Challenge,"

where I teach you the exact proven sales page formula

that I have used to make millions.

And you can learn more about that in the description below.

All right, next up are homepages and website copy.

So this is what I refer

to as branding copy or authority copy.

Well, conversions are still really important

on your main homepage.

Your brand message is everything.

Your homepage is that first thing people see

when visiting your website,

so you have to make a good first impression.

The goal of a homepage is simple.

To create trust,

build authority, and offer next steps.

All right, next up are About pages.

So with more and more audiences seeking out products,

coaches and businesses that share the same values

that they have,

well written About pages are a great opportunity

to share a brand story, vision, mission, philosophy,

and what makes them different.

It's your way of answering the question,

yeah, but who are you really?

So as a copywriter,

you can offer this to anyone

who doesn't already have an About page

or you can offer to revamp any About pages

that are dull and less than inspiring.

And in case you were wondering your job

as the copywriter is to simply write these pages.

That goes for landing pages and sales pages and websites,

not actually build them.

All right, next up are promotional videos

and video sales letters.

So remember what I've been saying to you guys over

and over and over again, that video is the future?

In fact, 87% of video marketers say

that video gives them a positive return on investment.

So it's safe to say that yes

video marketing is indeed where it's at,

says the girl who spends hours

and hours making video content every week.

Promotional videos are used for the purpose

of promoting a specific marketing initiative,

event, or product.

They are typically short and sweet and get to the point.

The copy part of promotional videos

will include the videos titles, subtitles,

or any copy that's used

in the visual elements throughout the video.

And of course the script.

And it's really important to remember

that although copy is only part

of what makes a great promo video,

up to 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound.

So make sure that the copy you have in your script

that shows in the subtitles

is essential to boosting your conversions.

So another type of video marketing

that requires some major copywriting skills

are VSLs or video sales letters.

So video sales letters are similar

to a written sales letters

except they are written scripts rather than a written page

and they are showcased in video form.

And again, your job as the copywriter is just

to write the script, not to produce the actual videos.

All right, next up are product descriptions.

So product descriptions refer to that short little blurb

of text that describes what a product is,

what it does, and why someone should buy it.

They're typically used in e-commerce stores where copy space

for products is very limited

but a common mistake that I see made all the time

is boring product descriptions

that just describe the product.

You know, all features and no bennies.

So great product descriptions need to go deeper

than the boring left brain need to know stuff.

You want customers to read your product

and think, "Wow, okay.

That is something I really need,

it is interesting, unique, smart, funny, I gotta get it."

All right.

Now that covers all the basics of copywriting services,

so let's move on to a different service package

you can consider offering to your clients.

And that is content writing.

So as a professional copywriter,

you'll find that a lot of businesses will ask you

to do some content writing for them as well.

And just like picking

and choosing your copywriting services,

you can and should use your own discretion on whether

or not you'll offer content writing to your clients as well.

While copywriting is the art of crafting words

for the sole purpose of conversion,

content writing focuses more on engagement, education,

and brand awareness.

And there are various forms of content writing

that you can choose to include in your services

but today I'm gonna cover the five big ones

that will be most beneficial to your clients.

The first, social media captions.

Social media is a huge part of most brands

and businesses marketing strategies these days.

And if it's not already, then it definitely should be.

Because social media is where the majority

of the population is hanging out on a day-to-day basis.

Globally over 3.6 billion people use social media.

And that number is expected to increase

to 4.4 billion by the year 2025,

And handling your client's social media captions

and content is a great way to get your foot in the door

with a client that you just really wanna work with.

Just remember that the main purpose

of social media is to connect and engage with the audience.

So you should always be providing value

in the form of education, entertainment, or inspiration.

All right, next up are blog posts.

I mean, come on, everybody knows the power of blogging.

Blogs are one of the best ways to get ranked

in Google searches and optimize your SEO.

But the thing is most busy business owners

just don't have the time or energy to pump out blog posts

on a consistent basis.

And that's where you can step in

and offer this as a service.

As a minimum you could at least do one blog post a week

and then of course you can go up from there.

All right, next up are newsletters.

So these are weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly emails

that get sent out to a list of subscribers.

The purpose isn't necessarily to sell

or promote anything directly

but to rather build rapport, trust, and credibility,

and most importantly create a sense of community.

Because one thing is certain in this day and age,

customers don't stick around with brands

they don't feel connected to on some level.

So if your clients don't already send

out consistent content rich newsletters

to their mailing list,

they are missing out on a huge opportunity

to cultivate a loyal following,

and who can help them with that?

Yeah, you got it.

All right. Next up are content videos.

Content videos are an awesome way

to build a loyal following and brand.

I know because I grew my entire business

with content videos like this one.

And yes, like promotional videos,

all content videos start out as a script

or at the very least a loose outline

because even though they are personal and conversational,

you still wanna make sure your content videos

are informative and valuable

and follow some sort of a framework.

Not to mention the need to craft compelling headlines

and convince viewers to watch, like, and subscribe.

So as a copywriter,

you absolutely can add content video scripts

to your list of services.

All right, next up is SEO, aka Search Engine Optimization.

So essentially SEO is focused on improving the visibility

of your website

by getting it to rank higher in the search engines.

Now, I get asked this all the freaking time,

"Alex, do I need to know SEO as a conversion copywriter?"

And my answer is no.

I mean, I straight up tell my clients

that I am not an expert in SEO.

I literally know nothing about it

except the general basics of how it works.

And it's not something that interests me enough to study

and become a master at.

So I always recommend

that my clients work with an SEO specialist

if they are looking to optimize their website in that way.

But, but, but 'cause I know a lot of you SEO experts

are thinking what no, Alex copywriters should know SEO.

That doesn't mean you can't add SEO

to your list of services if you know what you're doing.

SEO copywriting is common in particular industries

and niches so do your research

and find out if it's something you wanna consider mastering.

I mean, killer SEO strategies with high converting copy

kind of sounds like a winning combination if you ask me.

So if you wanna take things one step further

and add SEO to your list of services

you can definitely do that,

but you'll wanna make sure that you know more than me,

just the basics,

if you're calling yourself an SEO copywriter.

The good news is the best SEO secret

in the world is to write copy

and content that is valuable, creates authority,

and gets people to stay

and engage with your page or website,

which as a copywriter you already know how to do

so you are one step ahead.

All right.

Now the third category of services you could offer

as a copywriter is number three, marketing support.

So if you really wanna beef up your packages

and the money you have coming in,

you might wanna consider offering marketing services

to your clients as well.

Offering additional marketing support

can make you invaluable to your clients

because they're basically getting a unicorn,

someone who can write, strategize, and implement

and that is very, very hard to find.

Of course,

there's a whole slew of services

that you could offer under this category,

but let's just cover three

that copywriters could easily add to their list of services.

So the first is community management.

So a major part of writing

in business comes down to communication with your followers,

subscribers and customers via email, membership sites,

and social media.

Customer support was the very first role

I had at Mind Valley.

So if you're looking to get your foot in the door

with a brand you'd absolutely love to write copy for,

why not offer community management

as a service to showcase your writing ability.

All right, the next is funnel building.

So if you have a more technical flare and you're familiar

with online tools like GRU funnels, ClickFunnels, Kajabi,

or all the others,

you can absolutely add funnel building

to your list of services.

So this is where you essentially create the pages

and sales funnels that you are writing.

Now, this is a highly valuable service

that you can offer your clients

because it will save them time

from having to hire someone else

or spend hours trying to do it themselves.

All right now, lastly marketing consulting.

So this is something that you might start to offer

after you've been in the game for a while

and have developed a pretty solid understanding

of the world of marketing.

A marketing consultant is an advisor

and strategist who works with the companies

to create and design marketing campaigns.

So as a marketing consultant

you could help create detailed marketing plans,

determine a business's marketing message

and identify the right marketing mediums

to most effectively get that message out to the masses.

Now remember as a copywriter,

you are really the best of both worlds.

Word nerd meets marketing master.

So pick and choose the services that resonate

with you the most

and never forget the value that you bring to the table.

And as promised in just a few seconds,

you can grab your free gift, my copywriter job description.

I will see you next week until then I'm Alex, ciao for now.

(upbeat music)

All right guys,

if you enjoyed that video

make sure to check out the next one from me right here.

And you can click right here to get a free gift.

Are you a content writer who wants to start copywriting?

Do you know the difference between the two?

Can you do both?

Which one is right for you and where should you start?

If you've asked yourself any of these questions,

this video is for you, so keep watching.