Hello all,
I am a young wife and mother who is seriously considering opening a freelance copywriting business out of my home. I have no experience, and the university English degree I am working on part time is far from finished...yet I love to write and I am reasonably confident in my abilities. I've read Peter Bowerman's book The Well Fed Writer and my mind is aswirl with possibilities.

What I wanted to ask is, is it feasible for someone with no job experience in marketing or writing to try to be a copywriter? (I'm a secretary right now.) If yes, where is the best place to begin?

I would especially appreciate any advice at all from my fellow Canadian writers. (I'm curious what a rookie copywriter in Ontario normally charges at the beginning.)

Thanks!

Hi Laura,

I'm a rookie copywriter (amongst other things!!), and I haven't had any problems signing clients up - it's simply a matter of confidence.

I know my copywriting is nowhere nearly as good as the guys on here, but what I do know is that my writing is 10 times better than what my clients can do for themselves. Most people are muddle-headed and foggie-minded at best with their writing, and they have no idea whatsoever how to create and write a message that has all the pertinent information in it.

I'm quite a left-brained person with a secret, creative, right-brained side that's aching to get out. Currently I am approaching my writing jobs from mainly a structure point of view - get the headline in, be specific about the benefits, make sure you include all of the relevant information and a call to action. Obviously, there's some craft and creativity in there, but I'm focussing on that stuff for now. It's not perfect, but it's enough because the clients don't have the faintest idea about how to structure a piece, never mind persuasive, emotional writing. I might be putting myself down a bit here, because I do have a pretty good idea of how to stress the message rather than allowing it to be like a limp piece of lettuce, but I recognise I have a long way to go.

Your english degree probably won't help you much with copywriting I'm afraid to say - although obviously all writing experience is good. There can be a major problem with being overly academic - marketing, selling and copywriting do not lend themselves to 100,000 word vocabularies or overly stylised writing. In fact, if anything, you have to get totally out of the mindset of a "proper" writer, and write for clarity, brevity and simplicity at the level that the target market can deal with (usually age 12 equivalent).

My particular target market is professionals and consultants, so I can afford to use the occasional 3 syllable word, but using unusual words like "aswirl" will not help you a lot when writing to sell. In my humble opinion, 85% of it is helping the client craft the right offer to the right people at the right time, and writing enough to persuasively present the more important facts and figures.

In this respect, copywriting differs considerably from creative writing - and ne'er the twain shall meet!! Also, you must have a good grasp of marketing and psychology in order to understand what will and won't make people buy/click/read. I don't have any background in sales, but it would seem that a lot of copywriters are ex-sales people, and this certainly seems to help because they have been at the coalface and know which buttons to press.

However, NIL DESPERANDUM. You do not need academic qualifications to be a copywriter - you mainly need to show that you understand your client's problems, pains and situations and how your writing can help them. I don't have any qualifications in copywriting, and no one has ever asked to see any (do they even exist?), so they must base their decisions on the fact that I exude confidence in my ability to help them.

Also, don't despair on the marketing knowledge front. There are so many books and websites available to educate you in this, it's never ending. I do have a degree in Business Studies, but it's pretty outdated, and most of what I know now is a result of taking some pretty simple exams for an Institute, but my knowledge is mainly from reading, learning, testing and interacting with people (such as this forum) and just constantly thinking about marketing, experiencing marketing in my everyday life and then applying what I think should be done differently.

You may have noticed up there that I said "constantly thinking about marketing". I think this is key - marketing and the art of the "bleeding obvious" are my forte and passion. I think about it all the time because I have a brain that needs to be constantly entertained by creating solutions to problems. If you do not have this level of passion towards marketing, selling and solving problems, then I would venture to say that you won't find copywriting very fulfilling. If it's not fulfilling, then you won't put your heart and soul into it, and you will probably not succeed.

Therefore I issue this warning: if you are a creative writer who would rather be reading and writing stories like Jane Eyre and Persuasion, then copywriting is not for you. Do what you do best, and get into it via short stories to cruddy magazines, but don't waste one more minute of your precious time cogitating the financial rewards of copywriting.

If, on the other hand, you love marketing and get a buzz out of selling, and you like writing simple, direct pieces that are heavy on pertinent details, and light on prosaic superlatives, then copywriting could well create a great income for you.

I hope this helps.

Jane

PS I didn't think I was any good at selling, having spent 12 years as a computer nerd, but I seem to be doing OK at it. If I can do it, you can!!

Laura

Jane hit the nail on the head...

Your letters will be better than most others can write for their own business. Stand tall, be confident and more importantly ... get your first customer and break that ice.

Get past that hurdle and you will roll.

Thank you, Jane and Alan, for the great advice. I had a hunch that mere confidence was probably the biggest contributor to success, and you've reinforced that idea in my mind. I guess I have no excuses then--I'll have to just go for it!

I think you're right, Jane, about my English degree not being too much help. I love literature and creative writing, but many of the scholarly essays I have to read for school make me want to scream because I want to edit them so badly. A lot of academic writing is terribly long-winded. I can't stand wordy, pretensious writing and my own essays tend to end up much more casual sounding than academic, so I guess that means I might be suited to copywriting.

I think I have a fairly good grasp of marketing. My family will attest to the fact that I love to analyze tv commercials and magazine ads. The science of selling has always been interesting to me. But I fully intend to read up on the subject before I hang up my shingle. The self-taught path to education is often one of the most effective, and I plan on giving Amazon.ca a lot of business over the next little while.

Anyway thanks again for taking the time to answer my post. I really appreciate it.

I know now that I can do this business. The two main questions remaining on my mind are 1)What should I name my business? and 2)What should I charge? I have no idea about the latter. Are there any Canadian writers out there who might be able to enlighten me on the going rates? Thanks.

"...who is seriously considering opening a freelance copywriting business out of my home".

Hi Laura B.

If you wish, you can also take a more process oriented approach. You writing for money doesn't have to have a starting event to mark the occassion, does it?

(In fact, if I didn't know better, I would say you've already started.

The day you're ready is the day you start. And on that day, you'll only need one client. And then, the next one.


Peter

Hi Laura,

I'm a freelance copywriter near Vancouver, BC. Congratulations on your decision to pursue a copywriting career. I love being a copywriter and can't imagine a better occupation.

Here's a few suggestions and resources:

-Get a copy of "Start and Run A Copywriting Business" by Steve Slaunwhite. He's a successful Toronto-based freelance copywriter and he has some excellent advice on getting started. Also, Bob Bly's book "Secrets Of A Freelance Writer: How To Make 85,000 A Year," has a chapter called "Tips For Beginners: Getting Started."

-Build up your writing samples. Here's what I did when I first started out. Contact local community newspapers and magazines and ask to speak with the advertising manager. Offer your services as a copywriter. Many community papers rely on their sales reps to write the copy; something a lot of them would rather not do. Local papers and magazines don't pay well, if at all, but it gets your foot in the door and they tend to be more open to newbies.

-Non profit groups and associations are often overworked and understaffed and welcome help to write fundraising appeals and newsletters. This might be a better option if you're still holding down a day job.

Pricing is a bit of a daunting issue. Steve Slaunwhite lists his fees in his book. Obviously you're not going to charge the same as an experienced pro but it gives you an idea of the potential for a Toronto copywriter.

When clients ask me how much do I charge for a specific type of project, I need to get more info from them first. Will I need to meet the client in person or can it be done over the phone? Will I have to interview anyone? How much research will I need to do? What is the deadline? All these factors affect my quoted price.

Hope some of this info will help you out. My website also has some copywriting articles and resources you might want to have a peek at.

As for choosing a business, I would suggest just using your own name.

I'd be happy to answer any further questions you might have.

Sincerely Canadian,

Dave Coyne
http://www.dc-infobiz.com

Laura,

First, Jane has it DEAD-ON. Period.

But here are my suggestions ...

- I'm in Ottawa. And I can tell you that the market in Canada sucks for direct response copywriting. Always a few steps behind the Americans, and too conservative for my taste. I decided to fish where the fish swim, and the American market is filled with them.

- Now, what David mentioned is excellent. Steve Slaunwhite's book is perfect. It's from Self-Counsel press, and available in most Chapters, Grand & Toy, and some Staples/Business Depot stores. (I also recommend Bob Bly's "Selling Yourself as a Six-Figure Copywriter at http://www.selling-yourself.com/success .)

- Find and focus on a niche. Be copywriter that specializes in something you have an interest in, experience with or passion for. When I started out, I only did copy for cosmetic surgeons. Trust me on this. Why? Because a client in, say, computers, would rather hire a copywriter who specializes in computer with little experience than a general one with lots of experience but little knowledge of computers, of their needs, of their market, etc.

- Do free jobs or jobs at a huge discount in exchange for portfolio additions. Build your portfolio that way. Your portfolio is your key to getting real busy and commanding higher fees. Even write copy for mock companies -- state that they are fictitious companies, of course, when asked. But here's the thing: if you give them something to chew on.