The Reality: Can You Make Money Freelance Copywriting?

Here's the short answer: Yes! You can make money freelance copywriting. Will you make $30,000 a month with little effort and no experience like that catchy article promised you would? Probably not. Here's a realistic and gritty truth about starting a freelance copywriting business with no degree, no money, and no experience.

Like every self respecting introvert, I spend the better part of my post-college life searching for a job I could do without actually having to speak to other people. I looked into every self proclaimed side-hustle on the market searching for a real way I could make money while also being able to sit at home with my dog. Unfortunately, my degree in psychology doesn't lend itself to career paths were other people aren't involved.

Finally, I stumbled upon those jaw dropping articles sporting headlines like "How to make 6 figures in your first year copywriting" and "How I made $10k in 10 days." You know the ones. And I thought, finally, I've found it! I consider myself a proficient writer for the most part and I'd had for more experience writing research reports in my undergrad than I ever wanted to have. So, I dove in, ready to start making millions.

What is Copywriting?

Copywriting is basically what it sounds like. It's writing copy. 'Copy' refers to content or materials. As a copywriter, you'll find yourself writing blog articles for medical companies or drafting email templates for a software firm. Overall, its pretty straightforward and not too difficult once you get used to the process.

Debunking the Hype

The beef I have with most of those headlines isn't the basis of them, its the nuances. Those people may truthfully have made that much money, but touting that you can do the same with no start up costs and no experience is just plain misleading.

As you dive into the world of copywriting you'll discover two main pathways: Freelance and Contract. Contract writing is just a way of saying you're hired by a company and are on on-staff writer. These jobs typically come with a salary, constant work, and a degree requirement. Half the articles I clicked on claiming to have made boatloads of money were from writers who had a college level degree in some relevant field and they got in staff with a major corporation. That doesn't do much to help us science majors over here.

Those lucky few simply suggesting we also apply to be a copywriter for Forbes with no experience and no degree aside, there were still many out there claiming you will be buying a new car and going on a cruise in no time with 'freelance' writing. 'Freelance' meaning no contract, no company handing you assignments, and no salary. This path isn't for the weak and, unfortunately, I also don't believe its for the wealthy.

Freelance Options

Prospecting Businesses

The number one way it was suggested you start making major bucks freelancing is by prospecting companies in your area and finding places that will agree to pay you to create content for them. You pitch your skills and they come running. Once you've got a few clients, boom, you're making money.

Unless those articles were written in 1995 before the indoctrination of the importance of marketing in business, I just don't think you'll find clients with both the need and the capital to make it work.

Hear me out, I gave it a try. I really did. I shoved my un-confrontational nature on the back burner and tried to pitch the merits of content for websites and materials to business all around me. Know what I found? Any companies that have the budget to invest in marketing are already investing in marketing. They have a marketing person on staff who is writing their stuff for them and they aren't interested in paying additional money to someone else just for some content. Companies that can't afford to have an official marketing person on staff also can't afford to pay for a freelance writer.

I might just have a very underwhelming elevator pitch, but I just didn't find that angle working for me, especially not to the tune of $30k a month.

Projects

Here's where I think the reality sits for 90% of those really looking to start freelance writing. Finding work on a project to project basis is the best place I found to start. Personally, I signed up for the website called UpWork. This website, like Fivrr and others, allows people or companies needing a specific project done to advertise that project to freelancers. They set the pay range they're willing to pay and what the project will entail, then you can apply for those projects. I found this to be the most realistic way to make money freelance copywriting.

Growing Client Lists

The beginning is the toughest stretch. If you're like me, most projects you could apply for ask for a link to your portfolio. Well, I didn't have a portfolio, I was a random person sitting on their couch, watching HGTV. So...I made one. I basically wrote a few articles on random content I knew something about and posted them on a free website like this one. Then, I at least had something to link for applications.

The frustrating part when starting out is the imbalance of pay vs the amount of work. To get some street cred, you'll need to show that you have successfully completed some projects and get positive reviews from those who hired you. This means you'll have to take some jobs that eat up a lot of time and don't pay much for it. Then, you can hopefully start moving on to the better stuff.

The ultimate goal here is to get some repeat work. Do a good job, and some people might reach back out to you about their next project before posting it to the public. This is how I actually started making real money with freelance copywriting. I made some money doing projects, but it was inconsistent and frankly not worth the time it took. After a while, I did enough projects for a particular client that they asked me to join their company as an independent contractor type situation so they could just work with me directly for projects as opposed to going through the UpWork site.

At my peak, I was making a couple thousand dollars a month. It wasn't the get-rich scheme I originally hoped, but I did end up finding a way to make some real money. All said and done, it took probably 4 or 5 months before I was making anything that could remotely be called substantial.

Get Started

My best advice? Get started. Go ahead and start laying the groundwork if you want to build a freelance copywriting business. If you already have a job and you're trying to grow a career where you can eventually work from home, I'd put in the extra hours and try to get the ball rolling before you think about quitting or moving to writing full time. All in all, it just takes time and commitment to get started, especially if you are building from the ground up with no degree to wave or experience to show. Can you make money freelance copywriting? Absolutely. Just be realistic about the amount of time, work, and mediocre pay it'll take to get there.