How To Start Your Own Freelance Copywriting Business

Discover the six essential copywriting theories and the mindset you need as a foundation for applying techniques, understanding why they work, and confidently experimenting.

Understand that the most important copywriting theory is that people care about themselves; write for the reader, put yourself in their shoes, and center messages on their needs.

Prioritize honesty to build reader trust in freelance copywriting. Make realistic claims, address objections, and use an honesty filter to craft credible, compelling copy.

Learn to tailor copy by speaking to one person, not a crowd, using a single persona. Create a persona representing your target market to craft direct, one-on-one copy that resonates.

Conquer self-doubt and push through this course to learn copywriting and freelancing. Start by delivering value to clients, charging $50 per hour, and leveraging your outside perspective to boost success.

Learn the three essential copy elements—headline, body copy, and call to action—and how a strong headline grabs attention, body copy persuades, and a compelling call to action drives action.

Craft headlines that clearly communicate the reader’s benefit, target the right person, and stay relevant to the copy so readers are not tricked into reading.

learn to create effective headlines by blending self-interest, news, and curiosity; promise specific benefits, address reader objections, and spark curiosity through a new technique and storytelling.

Explore real world examples of headlines across email, Kindle books, newspapers, and Buzzfeed. Learn how headlines grab attention, spark curiosity, and drive readers to open, click, and read.

Explore real world examples of body copy across emails and websites, highlighting how body copy and headlines shape articles and other online content.

Discover how to write like you talk and keep copy easy to read by avoiding institutional jargon, using casual, simple language, and treating readers as one-on-one conversations.

Overcome writer's block by starting with a no-judgment first draft, then refine through multiple edits and reading aloud to produce powerful copy.

Learn to craft strong calls to action that move readers toward your goal—sign up, call, or buy—through clear offers, step-by-step instructions, and irresistible guarantees.

Discover how to grow a freelance copywriting career with Elance or oDesk, tailored proposals, and a contract-driven, professional approach backed by a strong portfolio and testimonials.

Learn to build a professional website for your freelance copywriting business with a simple, step-by-step approach that requires no coding experience.

Learn to build a free, professional portfolio site with WordPress dot com, compare it to WordPress dot org, and set up a domain, verify your email, and choose a theme.

Customize your WordPress site by updating the site title and tagline, cleaning widgets in the footer and sidebar, and swapping themes before saving and publishing.

Create your first WordPress page, set it as the front page, and customize the menu to showcase copywriting services while removing comments and social buttons such as shares and likes.

Upgrade from wordpress.com to a professional dot com domain for about $18 a year and host your site under the new name.

Explore starting points for building a WordPress.org site with professional themes, hosting on SiteGround, and registering a domain with Namecheap to create a professional freelance copywriting site.

Explore a curated listing of copywriting books for beginners to advanced readers, covering sales letters, headlines, psychological triggers, and freelance client attraction and pricing strategies.

Deliver value tied to your client's income to command higher fees. Move away from low-paid tasks and pursue an autobiography, a website, or a marketing campaign to maximize value.

Schedule focused writing time as a daily habit, ideally first thing in the morning, to boost productivity. Create a ritual, minimize distractions by turning off your phone, and write regularly.