What does a professional copywriter do?
How much of a freelance professional writer’s job is actually writing? And what kind of writing is involved, is it all social media posts, blogs, or something else entirely? Explore some of the ways in which professional copywriters work and ask yourself the right questions to figure out the most appropriate path for yourself.
A freelance professional copywriter could work in a number of ways:
• Full-time freelance professional copywriter, whose entire income comes from this job.
• Part-time or project-based freelance professional copywriter; this could be in addition to your day job, or part of a compound career.
• Industry-specialist copywriter, who works specifically in 1–2 chosen industries, such as healthcare, food, engineering, or education. It’s likely that you would have experience and knowledge in the industries of your choosing.
• Genre-specific copywriter, who specialises in 2–3 specific types of writing; for example, you could choose to focus on Search Engine Optimised content writing only, or you could become an expert in social media copy, technical copywriting, or long-form content only.
These options are not mutually exclusive, so it can seem confusing when you want to get started. It’s important to think about what you want to do as a professional copywriter, so start with these questions:
1. Will you be doing this full time or part time, and will this change in the medium to long term?
2. Will you focus on any specific industries? Is this based on your interest, economic viability, or experience?
3. Will you focus on any specific genres? Do you need any additional training in the genres you’re choosing?
4. Will you work independently, or as a collective with other freelance writers, designers, and creative professionals?
Read the rest of this series
A freelance professional copywriter’s skills
Who can become a freelance copywriter?
Why become a freelance professional copywriter?
Or, learn with us.
