I know a newbie who keeps asking me where he can find copywriter entry level jobs.
I told him…everywhere.
He looked at me like I was out of my mind. His eyes got wide and drool started coming out of the side of his mouth.
Of course, he didn’t believe me.
“Well, I’ve been sending messages out to all these companies and businesses, and I haven’t heard back from them,” he whined.
“Ok,” I said, “What kind of copywriting jobs have you been applying to?”
“Uhhhhh, what do you mean?”
“Are you trying to get gigs writing content, or are you trying to write direct response copy ads, email campaigns, or something else? You know there are different kinds of copywriting venues, right?”
And then there was a long pause.
“Uh…….”
And therein lies part of the problem. He was trying to apply for anything he could get his hands on.
And while I had to commend him for taking action, he was making the same mistake I made when I got into the game.
That mistake was being undefined.
Why This Post is Mui, Mui Importante to You
I started out as a newbie once, so I can feel your pain. You’re trying to get out of the rat race life of a 9 to 5 job where you’re doing crap work that you hate.
I get it.
But if you leap into copywriting without considering where you’re going, you are going to get frustrated fast.
A ton of people get into and then out of this business every day. They’ll take a course or two, follow some sage advice on how to become a copywriter, but after that, nada happens.
Why?
For one thing, they don’t have a business mindset. And in business, it takes time and effort to launch and make money. I’m not saying you can’t start making money right away, but realistically, it will take you 2 to 4 years to generate an income you can live on.
Why does it take so long?
On average, most businesses, no matter what kind they are, require 18 to 24 months before they become profitable.
However, copywriting doesn’t require massive overhead expenses, employees, or equipment. All you need is a laptop, internet, printer, and a comfortable chair to work out of your home. So, you will have more time to focus on your copywriting.
I’d say if you jump into it hard and fast you can start making money right away, with the potential to go full time in 12 to 24 months. (But that’s just my estimation.)
Also, you’re going to have to apply for or approach a ton of clients. It’s not uncommon to send out hundreds of pitches to companies a month.
Once you build your reputation up, it gets easier because some clients will come back to you again and again. Yes, you will still have to prospect for clients, but not as much as when you are starting out.
Take This Step Before Applying to Copywriter Entry Level Jobs
Before you decide to apply for gigs, you need to focus on yourself first. As Socrates used to tell his students, “Man, know thyself.”
The first step you should take would be to assess what kind of businesses you want to approach.
Why?
Because there is no way you can be an expert at everything. (If you want to do that, build yourself a marketing agency and hire a bunch of people.)
You could pick 2 or 3 areas, but you might spread yourself thin.
Let me give you a list of the most popular copywriting niches so you can see what I mean:
- Finance
- Digital Marketing. …
- Alternative Health
- Education.
- Real Estate.
- Technology Writing
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
- CBD Products
But wait a second. You can’t just wander out there and tell everyone that you’re a finance writer or a tech writer.
You have to be more specific.
For example, finance copywriting is a massive arena, and you want to pick your battles carefully. You must figure out what kind of finance writer you want to be.
Here is a breakdown of some of the different kinds of copywriting you can do in the finance sector alone:
- Cryptocurrency*
- Stock Trading
- Precious Metals
- Personal Finance
- Business Accounting
- Fintech
* This is a red hot market for writers. It is a specialized, complex topic, and exploding across the financial world and there are lots of gigs for content/blog writers.
Each one of these could be broken down further. Take cryptocurrency for example:
- Blockchain
- Non-Fungible Tokens
- Crypto Hedge Funds
- Trading
- DeFi
- Exchanges
What Kind of Copywriter Entry Level Jobs Do You Want?
Once you figure out what niche you want to write for, the next thing you need to do is figure out what kind of copywriter you want to be. Just like my newbie friend, you’re going to be shocked when you wade through all the different kinds of copywriting you can do.
Printed Marketing Materials – This is a whole universe unto itself. You can write newsletters, brochures, and catalogs are just a few things companies need on a regular basis.
Presentations and Narrations – I just finished writing and creating a 40-slide PowerPoint presentation for a company. I also wrote the narration that went along with it. If you get good at it you can make thousands off of one presentation.
Website Content – Almost everyone who has a business online has their own website. Most of the time (I’d say about 95%) have no clue on how to write an about page or a good call to action. You could easily fill that gap for them.
Educational Writing – My Master’s is in Education Technology with a strong background in eLearning and Instructional Design. There is a lot of writing to be done for online companies that are rolling out online courses. Because of the nature of their projects, these companies pay well. Also, writing for textbooks and class materials is a vital area as well.
Blog Posts – This is a gigantic opportunity because of the number of content marketing companies produce to engage their prospects and build their brands. It will help tremendously if you are knowledgeable about hot topics like cryptocurrency or digital marketing.
Ghost Writing – Books, eBooks, blog posts, speeches, I have written a lot of materials for different people over the years. You can make excellent money writing under another person’s name. However, it will not help you to build your brand or reputation very much.
Technical Writing – Writing for companies that need manuals, instruction books and other materials is solid work. Some projects can take up to a year to complete and you will be working with teams of technicians and professionals. In many areas, having an education in the field you are writing about is a must. If a company is looking for someone to write a manual on how their industrial water filter works, you will need a background in that area.
Advertisements and Direct Response – If you have been studying how to write compelling copy to convert mere words into sales, then you have a wide range of opportunities available to you. There are all kinds of companies that still use magazine ads, and direct mailings requiring long-form copy. If you get really good at this, you can make a lot of money. Right now, political organizations of all sorts are soliciting donations using direct mail pieces.
Email Campaigns – If you don’t know how big of a niche email marketing is, then you haven’t been checking your email. Almost 4 billion emails are sent in a year and that number is projected to rise over the next 5 years.
Add Some Skills to Really Stand Out
If you really want to stand out while applying for copywriter entry-level jobs, then you need to build your skill base.
What do I mean by that?
Simply put, you need to add other skills that are related to copywriting. Not only will this make you more attractive to clients and employers, but it will give you the means to make more money.
Here are a few powerful abilities you can easily and cheaply add to your skillset to give you an edge over competitors.
Search Engine Optimization
Man, things have changed over the last 15 years. Search engines like Google are very sophisticated in their analysis and ranking of content. Not only that, but businesses now realize the power of content online and are willing to do anything to get it posted. Because of this, the ability to write content to rank well is a vital skill that copywriters can use to make money.
Where You Can Learn SEO Cheaply
If you’ve ever read my posts on how to learn anything, you know that I’m a cheapskate. My way of thinking is that if you are interested in something, learn as much as you can for free before spending mega-bucks. That way you’ll know for sure if you are interested in it enough to study it further.
HubSpot Academy – HubSpot has all kinds of free courses that you can use and they are excellent. They have several SEO courses that run from 4 to 6 hours of videos and information.
Practical eCommerce – An SEO expert named Jill Kocher Brown has written a concise course on how to implement SEO for businesses. All of her information is in the form of long blog posts, but the information is free and well worth it.
The Definitive Guide to eCommerce SEO – Backlinko has an excellent 6-chapter guide posted on their website. It is focused on SEO as it applies to eCommerce, but it is still worth studying since it will help you broaden your understanding of how SEO applies to big companies.
Udemy – This video learning site is loaded with SEO courses. They are priced in the $20 to $30 range and well worth it.
Graphic Skills
Learning how to create graphics and edit videos will give you a massive edge when competing for copywriter entry level jobs. You don’t have to spend a lot of money learning how to use them, nor do you need to cough up big money to buy expensive programs. Below, I’m going to show you the same programs that I use in my business and where to get them.
Corel’s Paintshop Pro – Corel was in the computer graphics business before Adobe came along. (Adobe Photoshop is so incredible it’s scary. However, it is very expensive and operates through online subscriptions.)
Even though Corel’s Paintshop Pro is not as advanced as Photoshop, it is powerful enough for copywriters who want to edit and create their own graphics for their clients. And it’s very affordable, too.
I’ve been using it for over a decade and like it so much I created 2 video courses on how to use it. But you don’t need my course, Corel has produced some excellent videos on how to use the program themselves. And guess what? They are on YouTube for free!
Canva – I use Canva every day. It is great for creating eye-popping graphics on the fly. And guess what? I’ve been using the free version for years. You can create blog post banners, infographics, book covers, and a host of other images that are used for content. All you need to do in order to be able to use it is create a free account.
Content Marketing
If you are like me, you just want to write. Thant’s great if you want to churn out content for a bunch of different clients. That’s great if you want to write and then get more clients or apply for copywriter entry level jobs all the time.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could land one high-paying job with a client or company that wants you to write for them on a long-term basis?
Learning content marketing is the way to do that.
Having the skills and knowledge of being a content marketer is a huge step up for copywriters. As a matter of fact, it’s like a big promotion because with great responsibility comes great money.
Content marketing involves long-term planning, assembling a team, learning the craft of subtly telling stories that lead to sales, using different channels to distribute content and so much more.
Here’s the good news. There is such a shortage of content marketers, companies will hand you training for free. That’s right, beautifully designed courses that will teach you all the basics and even show you how to use software to automate the process. And because you’re new at it, you can use the software for free.
No kidding.
You can take a free course on it starting right now by going here: Entire Free Content Marketing Course.
Conclusion
If you get started today learning some of these skills and learn the right way to get copywriter entry level jobs, your life will be totally different in the coming months.
Bonus: If you are brand new to copywriting, you can go to Collin Theriot’s (pronounced There-ie-oh’s) Cult of Copy – Copywriting Training Wheels Page on Facebook. You’ll have to scroll down to where it says, OFFICIAL POST FOR NEWBIES WHO WANT TO GET STARTED.
If that doesn’t help you get started, nothing will.
Please let me know how you’re doing in the comment boxes below, it will make my day so special!