How To Get Your First Copywriting Job? (Read This!)

Finding a copywriting job is easy since there are so many of them out there. However, the tricky part is to impress the client enough to get you hired among a throng of viable candidates.

Whether you are looking for a desk job or a freelance career in copywriting, this guide will direct you on the path to ultimate success. 

Have you been trying to land your first copywriting job? If you want to get your first copywriting job, you must ensure that your cover letter and portfolio stand out from the rest of the applicants.

With several skilled copywriters applying for the same job, discovering what sets you apart from them and using it to your advantage can be your ultimate scoring point.

Now that you know how you can bag the job you want, you must be wondering, ‘How can I make the client notice me?’

There are several tips and tricks that copywriting geniuses have shared over the years to solve this dilemma. Let’s find out what made them a success and how you can be one too.

Identify The Medium You Want To Pursue

Are you looking for a remote job? Do you want to work as a freelancer? The first step in getting a job is identifying where to start looking for it.

If you wish to pursue copywriting as a freelancer, several online marketplaces allow you to connect with people around the globe and work flexible hours.

Some popular freelance mediums include:

• Fivver
• Upwork
• Guru
• People per hour

While registration in most platforms is pretty straightforward, it requires you to go through quite a few steps. Once registered, you can actively search for jobs and apply where you have a chance of getting hired. We will discuss how you can increase your chances of getting hired later in the article.

Write A Persuasive Cover Letter

Have you been applying for writing jobs but not landing interviews, even with a strong resume? Chances are, your cover letter is letting you down. As a copywriter, your cover letter should be the perfect representation of your persuasive writing skills. Therefore, take your time to get it just right.

The letter should be relevant.

When you write a cover letter, don’t throw in random words; instead, keep it specific to the job requirements. A recruiter goes through numerous applications at a time, making them feel that they are reading the same thing repeatedly.

If you want your cover letter to grab the recruiter’s attention, mention how you can add value to the job that is being offered. So instead of saying that you can do a certain job, write how you can do it better than the others. Give examples and keep your writing relevant.

It should appear professional

Include any work experiences and education that is related to the job advertised. Moreover, avoid looking like an amateur with careless grammar and punctuation mistakes. Write with clarity while paying close attention to details.

The hiring manager at Randstad Technologies, Ian Scott, looks for accuracy in a cover letter. He believes that it is a true representation of a candidate’s writing abilities.

Show your personality

Every organization has its unique work culture, which is why recruiters prefer candidates who are a natural fit for the company. If you are wondering, ‘How can I show my personality in a cover letter?’ This is where your writing style comes into play.

Everyone wants to work with people who commit to their jobs and are easy to work with. Use that knowledge to your benefit and write a cover letter that makes you appear likable, genuine, and hard-working.

Tony Pownal, the regional GM at Hudson, recommends candidates to share their personal experiences and motivations to let the recruiter know the kind of person they are.

The more personalized your cover letter is, the higher your chances are of getting your first job as a copywriter.

Provide Relevant Writing Samples

Imagine someone is looking for a copywriter for the pet niche, and you provide them with work samples you wrote previously for the automobile industry.

While your work will portray your unique writing style and your skills as a copywriter, it will leave doubts in the recruiter’s mind whether you can write just as well for the job offered.

Take the time to write a relevant sample that perfectly fits the job’s requirements. This can help you in two ways: The recruiter has the opportunity to make a well-informed decision, and they also know how vested you are as a professional copywriter in that job.

The same rule applies to online freelancing jobs too. Before sending a proposal in response to a job on Upwork, write a short (200-400 words) relevant sample so that your proposal instantly stands out from the rest. 

As a rule of thumb, the copywriter who can produce a writing sample that is most similar to what the client needs will be the one to get hired for a job. So, get busy writing if you really want to bag that copywriting job.

Keep Writing Until You Land A Copywriting Job

Remember the saying “Practice makes perfect” well, in this case, “Writing makes perfect.”

Don’t wait around to get that perfect job instead, while you are looking for your dream job, keep writing about topics you enjoy.

The more your write, the more you will learn and improve your techniques. Google search is a haven for copywriting beginners, with every bit of information that you’d need to develop your skills.

Make the most of this time and learn new tips and tricks from the web and other working professionals. Another advantage of writing on varied niches is having more samples to show prospective clients, which is always good. 

Listen To Expert Advice But Follow Your Instincts

Becoming a copywriter and getting paid work doesn’t always have to be a slow process. Old-school writers usually end up complicating the process, making it seem difficult for a newbie. It’s not their fault since they want to protect their turf desperately. 

But the truth is, you can start making money writing copy much faster than you think. The typical route that experts recommend is 

• Learn copywriting
• Earn a related degree
• Spend a long time building a portfolio
• Ask people for work, offering discounts 

The problem with the above tips is that they are all time-consuming and not always as effective. The more real work you do, the faster you learn while being profitable.

So instead of investing a ton of energy and time on things clients don’t usually care about, you can learn the skill of copywriting as you go.

A minimal number of great writing samples are enough to impress potential clients. It makes sense to follow expert advice but don’t be afraid to follow your instincts and make career decisions according to your abilities.

Quick Recap On How To Get Your First Copywriting Job.

• Ascertain the medium where you want to work and apply for jobs accordingly.
• Write a stellar cover letter that is persuasive, relevant, appears professional, and shows your unique personality.
• Provide a work sample that is similar to the job description.
• Keep writing to improve your copywriting skills. Your work samples will help you approach potential clients.
• Trust your gut and create your own career path.

How Hard Is It To Get A Copywriting Job?

A common perception about copywriting is that it’s a difficult job to land, and this opinion isn’t far from the truth. Most people enter this arena with no formal training and zero experience, making it even harder for them to get selected for decent copywriting jobs.

That being said, many people rely on second-hand information (speculation) to reach this conclusion instead of basing their views on actual experience. “I know copywriting is hard because my friend tried doing it but failed miserably.” Sounds familiar?

Conjecture is not a reliable source of information when deciding whether a job is right for you or not. If you acquire proper training in writing sales copy and have a good few years of experience under your belt, landing a copywriting job isn’t hard at all. 

Moreover, when you compare content writing with copywriting, the latter requires more expertise and knowledge of writing techniques. For this reason, there aren’t as many talented copywriters.

Therefore, if you are determined to make your mark, your chances of getting hired as a copywriter are higher if you acquire the right skill-set.

Can You Land A Copywriting Job Without Any Experience?

Like any other career, professional knowledge about copywriting and experience in the field is important when you apply for a job. Do you think graphic designers can get hired for a design job without learning design principles and building a portfolio? Probably not. 

You aren’t the only applicant when you apply for a particular job. In fact, there are several others like yourself who want to land that job; therefore, you need a competitive edge to get noticed by recruiters.

What sets you apart from the rest is your level of expertise in writing sales copies and the years you have worked as a professional writer. Since most applicants for a copywriting job would have both, your chances of getting hired without any experience are very low. 

A hiring agency will select the most suitable candidate who meets all their job requirements. So if you don’t possess even one of them, it will be easy for your cover letter to get overlooked.

Thus, when you apply for a copywriting job, make sure that you meet the level of expertise the agency is looking for.

The more experience you have writing sales copies, the higher your chances of getting hired!

How To Utilize Social Media To Find Your First Copywriting Client? 

Writers often struggle with finding copywriting jobs, and that’s why the ordeal seems daunting at first. But when you think about the fact that every business on the planet needs writers, it shows how vast your market truly is.

Every business is looking for motivated and good writers but does not necessarily require the most experienced or established ones.

The real question is: how do you find companies that need copywriting services? The answer is pretty simple: look for them!

However, that’s easier said than done. There are several ways to connect with businesses searching for a copywriter, and social media is one of them.

• Build a strong social media presence

In this digital age, it’s hard to ignore the endless possibilities that come with a strong social media presence. Use your networks and online forums to let people know that you are open to copywriting work.

The more active you are on social media, the higher the chances of a client remembering your name when he has a job opening.

• Approach prospecting clients

One of the biggest mistakes that most copywriters make is posting their profile and waiting for clients to come to them. As a writing genius, you should use your creative skills to pursue clients and score jobs that you are interested in. 

Figure out the niches that you find interesting. What kind of work would you feel most excited about writing? Once you have figured out which companies you’d like to align yourself with, start doing some homework. 

Study their website, strike up a conversation, show your enthusiasm for the job, maybe provide some useful marketing articles related to the market, and finally make your pitch.

A pro tip for using social media to land your first client is to message an individual or brand directly when you see a job posting, instead of replying or commenting on the post.

You should use social media to first build a relationship with brands you want to work with and then offer your services.

• Use your blog to showcase your copywriting skills

While social media is a good platform to engage with brands, it doesn’t allow you to showcase your writing abilities. That’s where your expertise with a blog comes in. Creating and running your blog based on the industry you want to secure a job in shows your writing abilities and your industry expertise.

You can link your blog to your social media accounts to attract clients and show them what you are capable of.

Final verdict

Now you know exactly how to land your first copywriting job. The tips and tricks we have highlighted in this article will take you from ‘looking for a job’ to ‘making money’ quicker than you’d expect.

Well, that’s it for now. I hope you found this post helpful and valuable. If you want to ask something, please use the comments section below.