If you’ve watched the drama series Mad Men, you’ve seen copywriters at work. In the show, employees at a 1960s ad agency pen witty taglines for brands like Jaguar, Lucky Strike, and Coca-Cola, helping clients reinvigorate their images and become household names. But copywriting isn’t all glitz and glamour (and sipping scotch in the office).
Today, copywriting encompasses everything from penning marketing emails to drafting branded blog posts, and copywriters don’t need to work for ad agencies like Sterling Cooper to earn a living copywriting. They can also work as freelancers or work full-time for brands.
If you have a knack for writing, there are a number of ways you can make money copywriting. Here’s a guide to get started:
What does a copywriter do?
A copywriter writes text that helps sell or promote a product, service, or brand. Copywriters create marketing materials, including advertisements, blog posts, press releases, product pages, social media posts, emails, and video scripts.
Copywriters can work in-house for brands, for marketing, branding, or advertising agencies, or on a freelance basis. Along with writing duties, copywriters might collaborate with strategists, editors, and clients to develop materials that are on-brand and effective.
Copywriting vs. other types of writing
Many copywriters also write other things, from screenplays to magazine articles to novels. When you’re transitioning from other types of writing to copywriting, one of the biggest differences to keep in mind is voice.
Copywriters’ duties include familiarizing themselves with a company’s brand voice, tone, and values, and employing them across multiple channels to create content that is cohesive and authentic to the brand’s identity. In essence, copywriters use the voice of the brand, rather than their individual voice.
Cassandra Landry, a writer who’s worked as a journalist, brand strategist, and literary reviewer in addition to working as a copywriter for brands and agencies, distills this distinction.
“To me, the biggest difference is the presence of the capital-S self—specifically my perspective or voice as a writer,” says Cassandra. “When you’re copywriting, especially in brand scenarios, that self recedes to the background, or disappears completely, in service to the goal of that particular copy. You’re allowing the brand to speak through you, not host your perspective.”
Key skills for successful copywriting
Here are some of the key skills copywriters use to create compelling copy that engages readers:
Concise writing
Marketers have only a few seconds to capture someone’s attention, so clarity and brevity are essential writing skills for copywriters. Copywriters need to get the brand’s message across as quickly as possible.
“No one seeks out an ad or thinks twice about the subject line of an email from a brand,” says Christina Semak, a copywriter who works in formats ranging from banner ads to TV commercials to social content.
“Great copywriters know how to distill the message into something digestible,” Christina says. “They have an instinct for knowing which information to cut and which information to keep in any given piece of content.”
Collaboration
Even if putting words on paper is ultimately a solo job, copywriters rarely work alone. For any given project, they might collaborate with clients, cross-functional team members, strategists, subject matter experts, and content editors.
They might need to capture input from multiple stakeholders and implement rounds of feedback to reach consensus or approval of their work. They also need strong communication skills to keep stakeholders in the loop about timelines and progress.
SEO
Web copywriters use search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to help their content rank highly on search engines like Google. SEO copywriting involves writing appealing page titles and descriptions that encourage users to click on them from their search engine results page (SERP). It also involves incorporating keywords—terms or phrases that your customers often search for—into page copy. To be successful with SEO, copywriters need to write in a way that is genuinely helpful for people.
Marketing knowledge
Copywriters need to understand their client’s broader marketing strategy for context about their target audience and how the brand plans to reach them. They need to become fluent in the brand’s differentiators, positioning, and key messages in order to write copy that aligns with the brand’s point of view.
Copywriters also need to develop subject matter expertise about the products, services, and brand-relevant topics they write about. They might also need to stay abreast of general marketing trends and best practices so they can write effective email subject lines, calls to action, social content, and more.
Most importantly, they need to steep themselves in research and competitor language so that they can develop copy that is unique.
“Copywriters are creatives, but then they also have to have a strategic side,” Christina says. “They need to dig into marketing research to find interesting or unique insights that no one else is talking about.”
Adaptability
Copywriters need to be able to adapt their voice and tone to the brand or specific project they’re working on. A newsletter for a wellness company, for example, might sound very different from a video ad for a candy company.
Sometimes, copywriters need to draft different copy for different audience segments within a single business, or for a sequence of ads communicating the same message. This requires finding multiple ways to say the same thing.
“A good example of that iterative agility is writing variations of an email subject line that appeal to different audiences but still remain true to the core brand voice, or adopting different tones in your own work across different projects or clients,” says Cassandra. “You’re essentially a stand-up comic or a poet trying out 20 different lines so that you can get to the heart of the thing, even if the heart is a metric like clicks or opens or purchases.”
Creativity
Consumers see copywriting everywhere—from billboards to Instagram ads to website pop-ups. To make your work—and the brands you’re writing for—stand out, you need to think outside the box.
While it might be tempting to ask AI writing tools like ChatGPT to help you think of ideas or spin up different copy variations, good copywriters need to be able to do this creative work themselves. Practicing writing as many ideas as possible can help you become a better copywriter in the long term.
Plus, creating content with AI carries a few risks. First, it may not perform as well as human-generated copy, as it may fall flat with your audience and erode trust. Second, if organic search engine ranking is a goal, copy that doesn’t reflect human experience and expertise may not perform, per Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines. Finally, AI tools are known to create fake information (known as hallucinations) and may plagiarize copyrighted material.
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How to make money copywriting
There are a few routes for aspiring copywriters to make a living:
In-house copywriting
Companies hire in-house copywriters to create written content for their brands. An in-house copywriter works within internal marketing, SEO, or sales departments to develop content for advertising and marketing materials, along with the core website.
In-house marketing copywriters develop deep product expertise and often flex across channels and formats. While you might do different types of copywriting, keep in mind that you’ll be limited to working for a single brand. “If you really like working on a bunch of different brands, then going in-house could feel a bit more boring,” says Christina.
To get started with in-house copywriting, make a list of brands you admire. Check their websites and social media profiles to see if they’re hiring for entry-level positions, or use professional networking sites like LinkedIn to search for current employees you can cold email. You’ll make a better impression if you can identify specific campaigns with copywriting you admire.
Another option to get noticed by brands, especially if you’re interested in a specific niche, is to start your own blog or create a newsletter showcasing your expertise.
Agency copywriting
Some copywriters build their careers by working with marketing, branding, and advertising agencies. Depending on the agency, you can get a job as an employee or freelance copywriter.
Agencies typically focus on specific channels, formats, or strategies—like digital advertising or organic social. Agency work can be fast-paced, and copywriters may be expected to juggle multiple clients with competing deadlines. “You’re definitely going to learn a lot in an agency environment and really get to see how campaigns are made from start to finish,” says Christina, who worked at agencies including DNA&STONE and Mekanism before writing in-house for Amazon, then freelancing. “The environment is usually fun, energetic, and creative.”
That said, landing an agency job can be tricky. One way to get your foot in the door is through educational programs. Christina continued her education at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter, which offers a copywriting master’s degree. Other institutions like The Creative Circus and the Miami Ad School also offer copywriting training in advertising programs that can help you develop a network and build a portfolio of spec work—fake ads that showcase your creative prowess.
Freelance copywriting
Freelance copywriters work as contractors for clients who hire them to write a wide range of content, such as case studies, blog posts, and newsletters. Freelance copywriting is more flexible than agency or in-house copywriting but offers less stability and structure. Freelance copywriters must find clients, manage invoices and taxes, and deliver quality work.
A freelance copywriter can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to well over six figures a year, depending on the number of clients they have and the scope of their projects.
Getting clients comes down to your network. “If you don’t like reaching out to people, then being a freelancer could be tough,” says Christina. “Freelancing is all about keeping your connections strong and being proactive about finding your next gig.”
Cassandra suggests following the work of people you trust and admire, and keeping an eye out for opportunities in their orbit. “If they launch a new magazine or brand or newsletter, I’ll reach out and let them know I’m interested, and what I’d be interested in contributing,” says Cassandra. “It might not come to anything right away, but it’s worth generating the connection in the moment.”
You can create new connections, too. Christina suggests forging connections with other creatives and freelancers through LinkedIn or in groups like The Avail List.
Common copywriting assignments
- Articles and blog posts
- Website copy
- Advertising copy
- Social media posts
- Email content
- Technical copy
Here are a few possible assignments that a copywriter—whether working in-house, at an agency, or doing freelance copywriting—might take on:
Articles and blog posts
Copywriters execute companies’ content marketing strategies with blog posts and articles that contribute to brand storytelling, increase organic traffic through SEO, or function as part of a sales enablement strategy. Article- and blog post–writing requires the ability to recontextualize information in original and engaging ways.
Website copy
Copywriters can focus on website copy, working on various types of landing pages, including homepages, About pages, and product pages.
If you’re doing ecommerce copywriting, you’ll need to skillfully convey the value of your product to customers who can’t see it in real life. This type of work can also require a knowledge of SEO copywriting. In order for a product or company to appear in search results, your copy needs to incorporate SEO best practices like optimized heading and title tags.
Advertising copy
Advertising copy includes original content for billboards, subway ads, television commercials, print ads, digital ads, and more.
Copywriters who specialize in advertising need to be able to inspire people to take actions such as purchasing new products or signing up for subscription services. They might also contribute to a brand awareness campaign. For example, Chick-fil-A’s billboards featuring cows painting slogans like “eat mor chikin” don’t directly tell viewers to order from Chick-fil-A, but they help build a memorable, recognizable brand for the fast food restaurant.
Social media posts
Companies hire copywriters to create social media content that engages their audience on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Most of the time, you’ll need to adjust your copy for each platform.
For example, a shoe company might ask for quippy, short posts on X about the difficulty of finding knee-high boots with enough calf space or breaking in new pumps. However, on LinkedIn, a platform geared to professionals, the same company might ask for longer posts that weigh in on industry news or explain how it sources materials.
Email content
Businesses of all sizes use email marketing campaigns to reach their audience with newsletters, promotions, automated emails that re-engage shoppers, and more.
Email copywriters draft eye-catching subject lines, concise and engaging body copy, and clear calls to action (CTAs) that direct readers toward the next step, whether that’s clicking on a blog post in a newsletter or viewing products in a summer sale.
Technical copy
Technical copywriting involves communicating information about specialized topics in the form of documents like user manuals, white papers, industry and trend reports, and case studies. The audience can range from first-time customers to highly specialized workers.
Technical writers need to be detail-oriented and must understand complex problems and communicate them to audiences in simple, clear language. Depending on the assignment, they may also be subject matter experts on the topic on which they are writing.
4 tips for making money copywriting
Follow these tips as you develop your copywriting career:
Lean into networking
“Networking is the single most important piece of landing writing gigs of any kind,” says Cassandra. “It’s difficult advice to hear when you’re starting out and feel like you know no one, but it really is one of those things that resolves with time and consistent effort.”
Join online forums and social media groups relevant to your industry. Offer to take an expert copywriter out to coffee to learn about their experience creating content for paying clients.
While forging new connections is important, it’s also important to maintain connections with people you already know. “You really never know when an old colleague or source will pop back up at exactly the right time, so it’s very much worth keeping in touch with people after you move on from jobs,” says Cassandra.
In addition to helping you find work, Cassandra explains that referrals from people you know heighten the odds that the project will be in your wheelhouse: “It will line up more organically with your taste, or style, or specialty, specifically because someone either thinks of you when they come across an opportunity, or you’ve sought out something that naturally interests you.”
Set realistic goals
Landing copywriting gigs most often requires showcasing your previous work. This is an obvious hurdle when you’re first starting out. One way around this is to build a portfolio of spec work in the copywriting area you’re most interested in (whether that’s ad copy or blog writing, for example).
You probably won’t land a job at a prestigious agency or score a gig as a highly-paid copywriter at a tech company right away. Start small by reaching out to local businesses and offering to write content to build your portfolio.
You can also send emails to copywriters, content creators, and brands in your industry with an offer to write a guest post for their website. Keep your eye on job boards and explore freelance copywriting marketplaces for entry-level projects.
Be realistic with your prices, too. Copywriters often charge by the word or by the project, and expert copywriters can charge high sums for their work. Set rates that reflect your level or experience, and increase your prices as you gain expertise (and can attract larger clients who can afford to pay you more).
Monitor and showcase results
As you gain experience, track the outcomes of your copywriting services. Aspiring copywriters should assemble a collection of compelling writing samples alongside information on how clients have benefited from their services, ideally with metrics like click-through rates, social media shares, and conversion rates for sales or subscriptions.
These kinds of action-driven metrics are a great way to earn a stellar reputation, especially when paired with personal testimonials from clients who have had a positive experience with your work. Showing these positive outcomes can give you the social proof you need to attract potential clients searching for skilled copywriters.
Be patient and practice often
It can take time to start earning money copywriting. Continue developing your copywriting skills while searching for your first clients by writing as much as possible, even if you’re only creating content for your own website, newsletter, or social media profiles.
As Cassandra points out, sometimes the hardest part about writing is getting started. To give yourself a jumpstart, Cassandra suggests writing morning pages, a practice popularized in author Julia Cameron’s 1995 book, The Artist’s Way, in which you write three stream-of-consciousness pages at the beginning of every day.
Make sure to keep your eyes on other people’s writing, too. “I know the most common advice is to write as much as you can, and that’s true, but I think it’s more important to read as widely as possible,” says Cassandra. “Exposing yourself to as many different sounds and voices and perspectives and framings gives you something to work with when you need to inhabit a voice or tone that’s different from your own.”
As you start landing jobs, proofread your work, and consider reading it out loud. Stay open to feedback from your editors, managers, and clients; your copywriting skills can only improve from their feedback and the revision process.
How to make money copywriting FAQ
Can you really make money copywriting?
Yes, you can make money copywriting if you take the time to hone your craft and make connections with brands, sales teams, marketers, managers, and clients who can offer you copywriting work.
How do I become a paid copywriter?
There are several ways to become a paid copywriter, including starting at an entry-level position in a marketing or advertising agency, networking with potential clients and managers in your industry, and assembling a portfolio of writing samples and pitching yourself to businesses.
How do beginners start copywriting?
Beginners can launch their copywriting career by offering copywriting services to local businesses until they amass a solid portfolio of writing samples that have performed well for clients. Consider learning the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) and applying those skills to your website to attract new potential leads.
