Can you actually earn money as a copywriter at present?
With AI content material writers, being profitable as a copywriter may appear unlikely – particularly in the event you don’t have any expertise.
However there are nonetheless loads of copywriters making six and even seven figures.
Even a fast look at platforms like Upwork proves that loads of corporations nonetheless pay over $100 per hour for expert-level copywriters.
The largest distinction at present is that copywriters should be glorious on the ideation facet of copywriting.
The very best paid copywriters aren’t simply stringing phrases collectively.
First, they establish the issues readers face.
Then, they discover and/or curate distinctive knowledge, examples, and insights that illuminate precisely what readers have to do to beat these challenges.
On this publish, I’ll define precisely how one can change into a extremely paid copywriter in a matter of weeks.
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How A lot Cash Can You Make As a Copywriter?
Most individuals take into consideration how a lot you may make as a contract copywriter.
Although freelancing is simply step one within the recreation.
After incomes some cash as a contract copywriter, you need to use your copywriting expertise to construct a private model and, finally, a enterprise.
Right here’s a extra detailed have a look at the completely different ranges of scale you may obtain by turning into a copywriter.
Degree 1: Freelance Copywriting
The primary stage of being profitable as a copywriter is freelancing, although the precise area of interest you choose considerably impacts your incomes potential.
I requested ChatGPT to summarize the common incomes potential as a contract copywriter for numerous niches, and right here’s the information supplied:
The excellent news about freelance copywriting is that you would be able to begin being profitable comparatively rapidly. In the event you comply with the step-by-step directions on this publish, it’s best to be capable to begin incomes cash inside a matter of weeks.
Degree 2: Influential Private Model
As you’re freelance writing, use your writing expertise to begin constructing your private model.
Rising a following on LinkedIn or X can take a while, however when you construct momentum, there are many methods to earn further revenue out of your writing by selling merchandise to your new viewers.
First, you may earn cash as an affiliate marketer by selling different merchandise to your rising viewers and incomes a fee on something your viewers purchases.
You too can change into an influencer marketer, the place manufacturers pay you to advertise their services or products.
It takes years to construct a following the place you’re incomes a considerable quantity from model offers, however manufacturers are sometimes keen to pay the appropriate creator wherever from $500 to $2,000 per publish:
Right here’s a quote from Ahrefs’ influencer marketer concerning their typical price range for influencer advertising and marketing:
Degree 3: Solopreneur
Selling different services and products is an effective way to make more money for minimal further effort, however a a lot increased leverage alternative is providing your individual services and products to your viewers.
Listed below are just some examples of solopreneurs who’re incomes over $1 million per 12 months – and so they all grew by way of their followings on LinkedIn and/or X:
My enterprise accomplice, Charles Miller, constructed a following throughout LinkedIn and X and has revamped seven figures offering programs, teaching, and LinkedIn content material companies to my viewers.
You’ll be able to be taught extra in regards to the course and group we run collectively, Copyblogger Academy, that helps copy creators construct and monetize an viewers on LinkedIn.
I share this to indicate you that freelance copywriting isn’t the one method to earn money. You can begin with freelance writing to rapidly earn money after which use your copywriting expertise to construct your individual viewers and both scale it right into a advertising and marketing company or supply your individual merchandise.
How To Make Cash As a Copywriter
I do know loads of corporations nonetheless hiring freelance copywriters, and that is the step-by-step course of you need to use to land your first consumer in just some weeks – even when you have no prior expertise.
Step 1: Determine Your Area of interest
Nice employers rent specialists. For instance, in the event you’re a SaaS firm hiring a SaaS content material author, which of those profiles would you select?
In the event you’re like most SaaS content material entrepreneurs, you’d most likely select the SaaS content material author over the generic freelance author.
So choose one area of interest and make your self the definitive professional in that individual area of interest.
Listed below are a couple of examples of niches you may choose to ascertain your self as a specialist in:
- LinkedIn ghostwriting
- Weblog writing
- Gross sales web page copywriting
- E-mail copywriting
Even inside every class, you may area of interest down even additional to focus on creating content material for a selected avatar or business.
For instance, you may focus on writing for:
- DTC corporations
- SaaS corporations
- Coaches
- AI corporations
In the event you’re having bother selecting only one, bear in mind that you would be able to all the time increase and add companies after you’ve constructed a buyer base.
For instance, you can begin with weblog writing for SaaS corporations after which increase to additionally supply e mail advertising and marketing.
But in case your preliminary positioning is just too generic, you’ll possible discover getting your first few shoppers tough.
Step 2: Create A Piece of Content material
Most individuals create a web site or optimize their LinkedIn profile after choosing a distinct segment.
I want to take motion and simply begin creating content material.
Utilizing the method I’m about to put out, you’ll be capable to land your first consumer after which come again and optimize your LinkedIn profile and create a web site.
However touchdown your first consumer will provide you with the momentum you’ll want to keep motivated.
So, how do you get your first consumer?
As a substitute of constructing a writing portfolio, create content material in your dream consumer.
Then, you’ll ship that piece of content material to your dream consumer and provides it to them to publish. This content material may very well be a collection of emails, a weblog publish, or a LinkedIn publish.
The important thing to creating this strategy work is to make sure that it’s so distinctive and useful that it makes them appear like a real thoughtleader.
And that may be laborious.
Ideally, create a novel piece of content material with knowledge.
This knowledge ought to reply a burning business query.
For instance, a buddy of mine needed a brand new content material advertising and marketing consumer.
Her dream buyer was an influencer advertising and marketing SaaS platform.
As a substitute of simply writing a generic publish about influencer advertising and marketing, she studied each LinkedIn publish Anthropic sponsored after which created a weblog publish highlighting insights from that knowledge.
For instance, she recognized that:
- A lot of the sponsored posts underperformed the creator’s common by about 26%
- Most of their creators had been macro moderately than micro creators
- Most creators had been solely employed for 2 sponsored posts
These insights had been beforehand unknown and are extremely helpful to the influencer advertising and marketing group.
So, when she gifted the weblog publish to a SaaS firm, the corporate instantly employed her on a month-to-month retainer.
She didn’t have a flowery web site or writing portfolio.
The publish was merely helpful sufficient to them and aligned with their objectives, which made it a no brainer to rent her on a month-to-month contract.
Even when that consumer had turned her down, she may have pitched it to different rivals with influencer advertising and marketing platforms.
The consumer additionally reworked the information right into a LinkedIn publish that carried out very properly:
As you may see, this identical knowledge may be used in the event you’re making an attempt to supply LinkedIn ghostwriting companies. You can additionally use this knowledge to supply e mail advertising and marketing companies.
In brief, this knowledge works for any kind of content material advertising and marketing as a result of the insights from the information are attention-grabbing regardless of the type of content material.
So, how do you create a novel or attention-grabbing piece of knowledge?
How To Collect Fascinating Information
Many knowledge research exist, however most don’t reply burning questions.
For instance, let’s say the subject you’re writing about is Linkedin influencer advertising and marketing.
Listed below are some examples of statistics that don’t assist influencer entrepreneurs enhance efficiency:
- 40% of customers have a profile on LinkedIn
- Greater than half of LinkedIn’s members’ households earn over $100,000
- There are greater than 234 million members within the US alone
Then again, these statistics from Anthropic’s influencer advertising and marketing program would assist an influencer marketer enhance efficiency:
- Sponsored posts underperformed the creator’s common by about 26%: The lesson is that it’s best to underproject efficiency by about 26%.
- Most of their creators had been macro moderately than micro creators: The lesson right here is that macro creators could be a greater funding than micro creators when you have a B2C fashion product like Anthropic.
- Most creators had been solely employed for 2 sponsored posts: The lesson right here is that the most effective offers aren’t all the time doing long run partnerships with creators.
To create attention-grabbing knowledge research that reply burning questions, use this immediate in a platform like ChatGPT:
“What are some hotly debated matters in (business) the place I may create a knowledge examine that might give (professionals) the insights they should generate a greater ROI from their (business) efforts?“
Right here’s an instance:
ChatGPT additionally provides you some good concepts on how you can accumulate the information.
Typically, you will get a VA to make use of free or low-cost instruments to comb by way of and accumulate the information.
For instance, within the LinkedIn influencer advertising and marketing knowledge examine, my buddy used a free Chrome plugin referred to as Creator Match to extract the entire knowledge on the influencers they labored with:
In the event you don’t have time to manually accumulate the information, you may also use a VA on Upwork to assemble the information for you.
You too can ask ChatGPT for some suggestions on how you can accumulate the information:
When you end amassing the information, it’s essential to extract insights from the information to assist your dream consumer’s prospects enhance efficiency.
In the event you’re having bother with this step, you may all the time ask ChatGPT to research the information and extract insights for you.
For instance, right here’s a immediate you may plug right into a instrument like Manus or Perplexity to extract influencer insights:
“Right here’s the uncooked knowledge for my influencer advertising and marketing case examine. Are you able to please analyze the information after which extract insights that might assist influencer entrepreneurs enhance the efficiency of their campaigns?“
Typically this immediate works, however you may additionally should do your individual evaluation.
After you have the information and insights, all you’ll want to do is optimize the insights into the content material format you’re planning to make use of (e.g., LinkedIn posts, emails, weblog posts, and so on.).
Step 3: Pitching The Content material
After you’ve created a bit of excellent content material, pitching manufacturers is pretty simple.
An important factor is to pitch the appropriate individual on the appropriate platform.
In the event you’re doing any content material writing (e.g., e mail advertising and marketing, weblog content material writing, and so on.), the most effective individual to contact is probably going the content material advertising and marketing supervisor. If it’s a smaller firm and there isn’t a content material supervisor, pitch the advertising and marketing resolution maker (e.g., CMO, Head of Advertising and marketing, and so on.).
If the individual is lively on LinkedIn or Twitter and you might be additionally lively on that platform, you may ship them a message on that platform. Nevertheless, in the event you by no means use social media, you may appear like a bot, and also you possible received’t obtain a response.
As for the message itself, make it only a easy, private observe and embody your content material within the message.
For instance, that is the precise message my buddy despatched to her dream consumer:
And, you may see that it was a profitable pitch:
That single message become an amazing consumer. Nevertheless, even when that model hadn’t responded positively, my buddy may have pitched this text to some other influencer advertising and marketing platform.
Step 4: Construct a Private Model
When you land your first consumer, how do you get extra shoppers and finally scale your revenue?
Probably the most fundamental possibility is to ask your current shoppers for referrals.
Nevertheless, referrals aren’t a scalable answer because it depends in your present shoppers to behave.
As a substitute, begin constructing your private model and focus on (and present!) the outcomes you obtain for shoppers.
As you earn followers on a social platform, you’ll appeal to potential shoppers so that you just by no means should do any chilly outreach once more. As a substitute, folks will know of you and attain out to you for companies.
- Profile Optimization: Optimize your profile by stating who you assist and what you supply. Add a clear headshot and banner picture with a screenshot of outcomes/testimonials.
- Interact: Interact together with your splendid prospects and different business influencers (particularly those that have massive followings).
- Publish Constantly: Publish constantly (ideally every single day) on the platform. Nevertheless, make it possible for the content material you’re posting gives useful insights.
In case your shoppers have a following on LinkedIn, ask them to publish a few of your outcomes or content material on LinkedIn. This can provide you a major enhance in visibility and credibility.
If you need extra inspiration on what to publish or how you can interact with different accounts, take a look at our information to non-public branding.
Step 5: Scale
When you begin constructing your private model, you’ll earn extra inbound leads and attain a degree the place you may’t sustain with demand.
At this level, you’ll have a couple of completely different choices to scale.
The obvious possibility is to easily improve your pricing. It is a wonderful means to earn more money with out altering any of your programs or processes.
Nevertheless, there may be normally a cap to how a lot you may cost for copywriting, except you’re employed out a income share settlement (which is difficult for weblog writing or LinkedIn ghostwriting).
Alternatively, you may scale it right into a advertising and marketing company, although remember that:
- Hiring new folks to do the work is a wholly completely different talent set from copywriting
- You’ll initially see a decline in revenue as you rent new folks.
But beginning a advertising and marketing company and easily elevating your costs aren’t the one methods to scale your revenue.
In the event you’ve constructed a private model, you may create completely different revenue streams.
First, you may monetize your viewers by way of affiliate offers (e.g., incomes a fee on individuals who purchase merchandise you promote).
Another choice is to achieve out to manufacturers you’re employed with and supply to do influencer advertising and marketing offers.
Right here’s an instance of an influencer advertising and marketing deal:
Internet online affiliate marketing may be very passive, however doesn’t have very excessive returns.
Influencer advertising and marketing has a a lot increased return, however it isn’t very constant revenue and requires extra lively effort.
As a substitute, most copywriters discover the most effective return on funding from creating and promoting their very own services or products.
For instance, my enterprise accomplice Charles Miller and I supply Copyblogger Academy, a course and group for aspect hustlers and entrepreneurs constructing their companies by way of digital advertising and marketing and private branding.
You can simply supply a course or group for individuals who need a do-it-yourself model of your service.
One other glorious choice to monetize your following is to begin a enterprise that solves a ache level your viewers feels.
For instance, Ankur Nagpal famously began his fintech enterprise, Carry, with a single Tweet:
Creating an organization out of your following might be the most effective monetization possibility when you’ve constructed a considerable (or a minimum of loyal) viewers.
But constructing a enterprise requires a really completely different talent set from copywriting. In the event you don’t have this talent set, you may accomplice with a gifted operator and have them run the enterprise when you use your private model to drive the leads.
Get Extra Assist From Different Copywriters Constructing Their Careers
That is the precise step-by-step course of to earn money as a copywriter in 2025, however it nonetheless requires laborious work and is time consuming.
If it feels overwhelming or you have got questions alongside the way in which, having a group of different likeminded people could also be precisely what you’ll want to push by way of the more durable instances.
This is the reason we created Copyblogger Academy.
It’s a course and group for copy creators constructing each their companies and private manufacturers. Inside, you’ll have entry to varied programs on digital advertising and marketing, from search engine optimisation and content material advertising and marketing to non-public branding and e mail advertising and marketing.
Better of all, you’ll be capable to ask the group for suggestions and their enter on concepts.
Join Copyblogger Academy at present and thank your self later after you’ve constructed your private model and scaled your revenue as a replica creator.
