Five Tips to Ensure Success as a Freelance Digital Copywriter
By Nick Usborne

Hi there — Nick Usborne here, with FIVE tips you can use to all but ensure your success as a freelance digital copywriter …

Tip #1: Focus on work you love

As an instructor and a coach, this is a topic I talk about a lot.

It’s pretty much impossible to stay motivated as a freelancer if you don’t love the work you’re doing. If you don’t feel motivated, it’s going to be a long road to achieving the level of success you’re hoping for.

What does it mean to “love your work”?

First off, you need to choose an industry that really appeals to you.

Several years ago, I did quite a bit of work for a company in the self-improvement industry. They sold self-hypnosis products.

I really liked the company and the person I was working with. And I loved their product. In fact, I used a couple of their programs on myself with pretty good results.

Every day I sat down to work on their programs, I felt good. I was pumped … motivated.

The outcome? I wrote more controls for that client than I have for any other. In other words, the sales pages I wrote for them resulted in more sales than any previous versions written by other copywriters.

Once you’ve chosen an industry that appeals to you, the next step is to decide on what kind of writing you love the most.

Are you a natural-born sales copywriter? Or are you better suited to writing editorial content? Or maybe you feel a natural affinity to writing short-form copy for social media?

Choose an industry niche that you love. Pick a writing style you love.

Do those two things and you’ll dramatically improve your chances of success.

Tip #2: Be a tough boss of your own freelance business

For many of us, starting out as a freelancer is our first time working for ourselves. There’s no boss to tell you what to do or keep you accountable.

As a freelancer you’re absolutely free to spend the day in your pajamas, watching reruns of your favorite soaps.

But … that’s not going to get you anywhere.

You need to step up as the boss of your own freelance business. Set yourself a schedule. And stick to it.

Maybe that means you work from 9 to noon, take a break for lunch, and then work again from 1 to 5.

Choose the hours that work for you. Create a schedule that works for your own life circumstances. Then stick to that schedule, as if you had a really tough boss looking over your shoulder.

Next, put aside a fixed amount of time for marketing your freelance business and prospecting for new clients. That may take two hours a day, five days a week.

Make the commitment and then put in the hours.

The tougher you are as your own boss, the faster you’ll achieve the level of success you want.

Tip #3: Celebrate every win, and practice self-compassion

Being a tough boss doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be kind to yourself as well. You absolutely should.

When something goes well, celebrate that moment. Tell your family and friends.

In my case, I have a file where I collect my own success stories and testimonials from clients, past and present.

Each time I add something to the file, I pause and enjoy the moment.

And if I’m having a tough day, or just feeling down, I might dip into that file and do a little reading.

It feels good to remind yourself that you’ve done good work, and have been recognized and applauded for the contributions you made.

On the other side of the coin, if something goes badly, don’t be too hard on yourself.

Maybe you didn’t land a project you’ve been working really hard to get. Or maybe you did some work for a client, and it didn’t achieve the results you were both hoping for.

That’s okay. None of us produce winners all the time. When things don’t work out, don’t let that drag you down.

Recognize the moment, learn from it if you can … and then move on.

Don’t beat yourself up. A little self-compassion is a good thing!

Tip #4: Join one or more supportive communities

One of the toughest parts of building a successful freelance business is being alone. Nobody to cheer you on. Nobody to console you on your bad days.

But you don’t have to be alone.

One of the great things about the digital world is that we are surrounded by virtual communities.

You could join a group of like-minded digital copywriters on LinkedIn, Facebook, or some other social media site that supports groups.

Or you could pick and choose among other freelancers you know and get together on Zoom once a week.

The benefits are numerous. Once you join a group of fellow freelancers, you have people you can lean on. They’re there for you, and you’re there for them.

In addition to being a support system, your group can be a source of referrals and practical help with projects you’re working on.

It can be tough being a solopreneur, and I strongly encourage you to find a group you can join.

Tip #5: Keep learning and choose professional-grade training

Stay curious and keep learning. The online world is in a constant state of change.

Stay abreast of what’s new. Clients love it when you’re up-to-the-minute in your area of expertise.

Just as important, when you want to take a deep dive into a new area of study, be sure to choose professional-grade training. There are plenty of quick-and-easy learning options out there, but they won’t deliver the career-changing results you’re hoping for.

Always stretch yourself, and always choose learning options that can make the biggest difference for you.

Wrapping it up …

Being a freelance digital copywriter is a real adventure, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Follow these five tips, and you’ll be able to even out most of the toughest kinks along the way.

Above all, love what you do and keep smiling!