Whether you’re breaking into copywriting as a career or to sell more for your own business, one thing is clear:
Copywriting is a skill you simply can’t ignore.
But it is also a skill that takes time, dedication, and patience as you get better at it over time.
That said, there are some tricks and tips that can make your journey a bit easier. That’s why, in this post, we’ll share 7 expert strategies for breaking into copywriting to save you time, energy, and headaches.
Let’s dive straight into the list.
Breaking into Copywriting: 7 Expert Tips
This post can be read by 2 types of people:
- Those who want to learn copywriting to sell their OWN products
- Those who want to break into professional copywriting (for established companies)
The first 5 tips we have on breaking into copywriting is for both groups of people. It’s how you can learn the skills you’ll need to write better copy no matter what you’re selling.
The last 2 tips of this post are more specific: it deals with how to sell yourself.
Ready to get started? Let’s head over to our list of tips.
1) Create a Swipe File NOW
A swipe file is a collection of ads, sales letters, emails, and landing pages that you can learn from.
The benefit? You’ll see what works and what doesn’t work in the real world.
Plus, it’s an easy way to track your own progress as you build out more copywriting skills over time.
Ok, but how do you make a swipe file that you’ll actually use?
First, you’ll want to search for ads and sales letters from companies in your industry.
You can look for these online (in magazines like Entrepreneur), or even write down the name of copywriters whose writing you respect on a list somewhere. This is an easy first step that doesn’t take much time at all!
Next, you’ll want to go through each swipe file entry and break it down.
This means breaking down the headline, body of the ad/letter, etc., so you can see what works – and make a note on things that don’t work as well.
The best way to do this is in a Google Sheet. Create a tab for:
- Ad headlines
- Post titles
- Email subject lines
- Landing page hooks
Or any other type of copy you’ll eventually write.
This allows you to copy down swipe file items in multiple categories, and then analyze them all at once.
Then when you need to write copy of your own, you have a full data-base of ideas to help you win the battle of the blank page.
2) Build Your OWN Website First
We’ll talk about how to start professionally copywriting for other companies in tips 6 and 7.
Now, let’s talk about something that only a few copywriters take the time to do (but that actually pays off):
Build your own website with all the pieces of copywriting you want to master.
For example, if you want to learn how to write better blog posts – start a blog of your own.
If you want to get good at writing landing pages, create one from scratch on your website and play with it for a while.
You can also create popups or optin campaigns that will help you
This will give you a better idea of how copywriting works in action, how character lengths affect how your copy looks, and will even let you start gathering concrete data about your results.
This is an invaluable step because it lets you practice all the things you’ll need to do throughout your career – without breaking any rules or upsetting clients.
Pro-Tip: Start by building yourself a copywriting portfolio (which we’ll discuss in more detail in step 6).
3) Do Audience/Market Research
Ok, so you’ve got a swipe file and your own copywriting portfolio.
Now it’s time to get more specific about the type of copywriting work you’re trying to do: breaking into professional copywriting for established companies or selling your OWN products.
The best way to do this is to start with audience research.
When it comes down to breaking into professional copywriting, you’ll need an idea of how your target market talks online.
You can find that by building out buyer personas for each type of customer you’re trying to sell something to. Then study their language patterns on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, or in a forum related to your industry.
This will give you an idea of how they write online, breaking down word choice, sentence structure, etc.
This will help you build out the voice for your copy (and, eventually, write it), as well as figure out if there’s a market to sell them something in the first place.
4) Test Copy & Track Results
Now that you’ve got a swipe file and your own copywriting portfolio, it’s time to build out some website pages with original content.
To get started breaking into professional copywriting (or selling your OWN products), test new blog posts or landing page variations against each other on social media sites.
This will help you find out which headlines, body copy, and calls-to-action get the best results.
This will also help you hone your voice for breaking into professional copywriting or selling products on your own (to make sure it’s something people actually want to read).
Pro tip: Track these ads in a spreadsheet so you can see what gets the best results. You can then add these to your portfolio (step 6).
5) Optimize Content Over Time
Now that you’ve got your swipe file and copywriting portfolio, it’s time to start breaking into professional copywriting.
The first step is breaking in with projects for smaller clients. Ideally, those are the ones who are willing to give you feedback throughout the process so they can see how well you learn from mistakes (including their own).
This will give you a chance to build trust and show what you can do, breaking in through smaller projects with larger organizations.
That said, breaking into professional copywriting takes time.
In addition to working with as many clients as you can find, make sure that your website and social media profiles are also up-to-date – both in terms of good SEO practices and following current trends online.
This will show potential employers or clients that you’re committed to staying current and breaking into professional copywriting.
At this point, we’ve seen 5 tips for breaking into copywriting. These have been geared for people writing copy for their OWN business as well as those wanting to do it professionally.
The next 2 tips are more tailored for those who want to break into copywriting for other companies.
6) Build a Portfolio (With Concrete Results)
One of the things breaking into professional copywriting is having a great portfolio.
This means including samples that are NOT just your best work, but rather show you’re capable of doing what you claim to be able to do – whatever breaking into copywriting may mean for YOU.
For example, if you want to break into writing for a specific industry, make sure your portfolio includes samples that show you’re familiar with the terminology and conventions of breaking into copywriting for THAT industry.
If breaking into professional copywriting means writing sales pages or landing pages, include those types of examples (with results) as well.
To make breaking into copywriting even easier, you can also include a “What I Do” section on your website that explains breaking into professional copywriting.
This will help potential employers get an idea of how breaking into copywriting works for YOU and why they should hire you instead of someone else.
7) Promote Your Services
The last step breaking into copywriting is breaking through the noise and getting your name out there.
There are many ways to do this, including:
- Networking with other freelancers or people in breaking into copywriting industry
- Joining online forums specific to breaking into professional copywriting (like ours)
- Participating on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to
- Writing guest posts to get your name out there and establish a reputation
- Starting or joining an online group specifically for professional copywriters
I’ve even seen some ambitious copywriters run paid ads to their portfolio in order to drum up more leads.
However you decide to promote yourself, remember: breaking into copywriting will take a bit of time.
But if you follow these tips, the process will be MUCH shorter and, hopefully, just a bit more fun, too.