Want to know the SINGLE biggest difference between a side-hustle copywriter who is overworked, underpaid, and stretched too thin… versus a 6-figure copywriter who is excelling, thriving, and absolutely dominating their niche?
Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.
I’m SO excited to dive into today’s blog because this is literally what I help my students do each and every day.
So whether you’re a brand new copywriter who is literally just getting started… (or maybe hasn’t quite started just yet). Or you’ve been freelancing for a while now, but you want to learn how to break that 6-figure mark…
This article is for you.
You’re going to walk away with the next steps you need to make THIS YOUR YEAR.
But first, if you’re new to the crew—welcome!
My blog is here to teach you everything you need to know in order to ignite a successful and rewarding copywriting business. In this article, I’m going to tell you exactly how to build a 6-figure copywriting business from scratch…
Now, today’s training is just a small teaser of a much more in-depth FREE MASTERCLASS that I offer where I train on…
- Why copywriting is a skill you NEED to learn (even if you don’t want to be a freelance copywriter).
- What businesses today are actually looking for.
- How you can get paid top-dollar for your skills and expertise.
- Why having a complete and cohesive portfolio is essential for igniting your copywriting business
- The five steps you need to do to begin building your own killer portfolio.
- My 4 tips and proven methods for landing your absolute dream clients.
- Plus… how you can become AI-proof as a highly sought after, highly paid copywriter…
If you’re interested in watching the full masterclass here.
But for now, let’s dive into today’s topic.
Building A 6-Figure(+) Copywriting Business
Now, it goes without saying that a lot of factors go into building a successful copywriting business…
Things like:
- How much time and effort you dedicate to learning and improving your skills
- How well you receive and implement feedback from clients
- And of course, how many projects and clients you’re willing (and capable) of taking on at once
Of course, the longer you do this—and the better you get—the more money you’ll be able to charge…
But let’s be honest, that can take YEARS. Especially if you make the same detrimental mistake that I see soooooo many brand new copywriters making…
Which is… you try to DO IT ALL.
This is the very first thing you need to do if you want to build a 6-figure copy business from scratch, or take your current business from side hustle to 6 figs.
You need to stop trying to do ALL the things.
“Oh! You need a sales page, 10 Facebook ads, 25 emails, a webinar script, and 15 social media captions, blog posts, project management, shoe shining? No problem…”
NOPE. Stop doing that ASAP.
Because here’s the thing… taking on a wide range of different types of projects is absolutely a great way to get your foot in the door in the beginning…
And I do suggest dabbling across a variety of jobs and niches when you’re just getting started to see what you enjoy…
But once you’ve gotten to a certain point, you need to narrow in what makes you and your services so unique—and then offer that service.
In other words: Get highly specific about your offer.
When you specialize, you become an expert in that field and can charge more for your services…
So – how do you specialize, accurately present yourself as the expert and pitch to your dream clients?
Well, first, you need to crystalize your USP or Unique Selling Proposition. Aka your 10-second personal sales pitch that communicates what you do!
This is really important, because “Hi, I’m a copywriter and I can write copy for you…” is not a personal sales pitch that comes across as “expert level”. And it’s likely not going to land you the type of clients you want.
A specialized USP statement needs to be broken down into 3 components:
- What you offer
- Who you serve
- How you do it
Let’s break each of those down:
1. WHAT do you offer?
Will you offer copy, content, or both?
Then go a step further to nail down exactly what your ideal niche is.
Or in other words… what would you like to be your area of expertise? Think about the things you already like to learn, read, and write about…
It could be personal development, online education, beauty, health and fitness, and the list goes on.
Ask yourself what you truly enjoy researching, learning, and writing about and THAT’S what you should pick as your starter niche.
You don’t have to be an EXPERT on the subject – it just needs to be something you are INTERESTED in learning and writing about. And don’t worry…
Picking your niche isn’t a lifelong commitment.
You can pivot at any time, so don’t get too hung up on this…
2. WHO do you serve?
Similar to getting specific on what you offer… you want to get crystal clear on who your ideal client is…
Do you want to help coaches, entrepreneurs, authors? Female-led brands? Local businesses? Natural and sustainable products? SaaS sites? E-commerce companies?
Think about it—if I’m a well-established wellness brand that needs bomb sales copy, chances are I’m going to go out there and look for a copywriter who specializes in writing bomb copy in the wellness space…
I’m not just going to hire anyone who calls themselves a copywriter because I want the right fit for me.
Now, this doesn’t mean you won’t—or can’t—take on clients outside of your ideal client. It just means that you’re stating to the world EXACTLY WHO you’d prefer to work with (and where your specialty lies).
This helps your ideal customer self-identify with you, and not only makes them more likely to hire you over a generic copywriter… but also be more willing to pay you more for your services.
And even if that brand doesn’t hire you right out of the gate, if you approached with a highly specific USP statement that resonates with them, they are WAY more likely to remember you in the future should any copy needs arise.
I have students who have landed epic clients this way.
Okay, the last component of your specialized USP statement…
3. HOW do you do it?
So what services will you offer?
This is where you get even more specific about your offer… So say you write sales copy.
Well, there’s a whole list of assets that fall underneath that category.
So think, will you write: Sales Pages, Webinars, Facebook Ads, or will you only offer Email Marketing?…
When I first started my freelance copywriting business, I specialized in emails because that’s one of my favorite things to write. So, pick what you love and continue to hone that skill until you become an expert in your niche. THEN you can start advertising yourself to clients as the must-hire specialist.
Specializing in one area really gives you the chance to learn and excel at it. Which spoiler: Allows you to charge more for your services!
Now I know exactly what you’re thinking about this whole USP statement thing…
“Wait, I can’t narrow it down that much. Won’t it be super hard to find clients or get work if I’m so specific?!”
I KNOW it’s scary and can feel like you’re cutting yourself off from tons of opportunities…
But trust me, getting specific is what HELPS you find and land high-paying clients. It doesn’t mean you don’t write other things, you just have a specialty to help you stand out as a specialist.
I get generic pitches from freelancers looking for work literally every single day. And how many of them do you think I’ve ever hired?
Yep. None.
Here’s an example of two different pitches and tell me who you’re more likely to hire:
- “I’m a copywriter and I can write copy for you.”
- “I help coaches craft website copy that is clear, effective and personal to help them attract more leads and sales.”
It’s pretty obvious which one of these would stand out the most to a potential client.
So don’t be afraid to polarize and be specific…
Polarity = POPULARITY.
The more specific you can be in your offer statement, the more likely you are to get noticed, get hired, and get paid more. Period. And THIS is exactly what will differentiate you from your competition.
It’s what will allow you to build a super successful copywriting business from scratch.
And it’s going to be your fast track to being able to turn your side-hustle into a 6-figure business way faster…
Alright, Posse! I hope this article gave you the inspiration, motivation, and practical steps you needed to start on the right foot.
Remember: 6 figures won’t happen overnight. And it doesn’t happen without hard work and dedication. But if you follow the suggestions in this blog, you’ll be on your way.
And if you want to watch the FULL 2-hour Masterclass, where I go even deeper into this topic… you can click the link.
Happy New Year, Posse!
Until next time, I’m Alex – ciao for now!
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