What the hell do copywriters actually do? I can’t believe there are so many people are claiming monthly income in the 6 figures doing copywriting.
This really spiked my curiosity and after a month of research, I finally understood what you would do as a copywriter and why they get paid so much.
What do you do as a copywriter Well, to put it simply, copywriting is the art of crafting words for the sole purpose of conversion, Yes you heard right conversion which basically means crafting words that will make your reader take a specific action you have previously planned for.
The goal for copywriting may be to increase conversion rates, but the best kind of copy out there uses storytelling, creates an emotional resonance, and builds brand value while guiding the prospect through the valuable buying experience.
Some examples of the specific action could be:
- Click a link
- Call this number
- Sign up for an email newsletter
- Buy a product
Where is copywriting found?
You can find copywriting almost everywhere on sales pages, websites, emails, promotional videos, direct mail, flyers, catalogs, and advertising campaigns, and much more.
What Topics should a good copywriter know about?
When I asked myself what are the topics that copywriters are well informed about I was left blank, but after some research and listening to interviews I came with a list of topics that they immerse themselves in to help them out with their copywriting skills.
Anthropology
Yes, the scientific study of humanity, you can be sure that almost every copywriter has read Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B Cialdini Ph.D. this is a classic book on the psychology of persuasion and to be honest, is a must-have under your copywriting belt since its makes a good foundation on human behavior and many studies to support it.
Old School Copywriting
You cant evolve until you learn from the masters, and there are a few these copywriters are know to have generated millions of dollars with simple but accurate copy converting readers into buyers. you can see their craftsmanship in the Long Form Sales Letter.
A/B testing power
A great copywriter has observational skills and one of the things they pay attention is to testing copy, why? a copy is tailor-made to audiences, and not all copy will convert as well for each audience so being able to test it out is a must dominate skill.
Who are the top Old-school Copywriters?
We all know that every industry has its fathers, like for the automotive industry there was henry ford and in today’s update Elon Musk with tesla.
And the copywriting industry could not be without its fathers. people that took words and turn them into millions and impacted hundreds of millions of people. So here is my list of the best old-school copywriters of all time in no particular order.
#1 Dan Kennedy
He’s an expert on creating purpose message-driven marketing plans. Not only is he capable of creating great copy for any industry service or product he also is a master of coherent messaging.
Dan Kennedy’s books
The No BS series
- No B.S. Brand Building
- No B.S. Guide to powerful Presentations
- No B.S. Direct response for social media
#2 Claude Hopkins
He is one of my favorite copywriters, just because I understand that science is a process and this guy uses science to explain this on his book
Claude Hopkins Books
#3 David Ogilvy
If you haven’t heard about the Ogilvy advertisement agency you probably havent been around to much in this industry its one of the biggest agencies in the world probably has offices all over the world.
David Ogilvy’s Books
#4 Eugene Schwartz
He not only was a copywriting legend but also a great strategist since he pushed very hard his products on to a market that he knew that needed the solution.
Eugene Schwartz Books
#5 Gary Halbert
This guy is a top copywriter he even got arrested because of his copywriting skills, And if you get arrested for producing awesome copy he generated a sales letter that sold so much that the supplier could not fulfill the orders he capture.
Gary Halbert’s Books
- The Boron Letters”>Boron Letter
- How to make maximum money in the minimum time
- The Halbert Copywriting Method Part III
After you read some of these books you will understand why copy is so important and how it can help you make money doing the same.
How much money do copywriters make?
First of all, I want to clarify the obvious and the truth is that 95% of copywriters are not and will not make much money. and this applies to almost any industry there are a bunch of copywriters banking millions of dollars every year but it is barely 0.9% of the whole copywriting industry.
There is a difference between salary and commission base copywriters, just to make sure you understand the salary of a copywriter in a company could go from 45 thousand a year for an entry-level copywriter to 65 thousand a year for a seasoned veteran.
How much money do freelance copywriters make?
Well, this question takes us back to the top where you can divide the freelancer pie in percentages, please understand that these are estimates and are not to be taken as exact numbers.
38% Can make up to 100.000 thousand dollars a year.
9% Can make up to 150.000 thousand dollars a year.
13% Can make up to 500.000 thousand dollars a year.
And the 0.9% Makes over 1.000.000 dollars a year.
Now you have a better understanding of how much can a copywriter earn and how much work will it take you to make it into the 1%
Best Copywriters You Can Hire Today
Joe Coleman
You can try and contact him directly on his LinkedIn profile
Laurence Blume
You can hire your to own freelance copywriter Laurence Blume
Brian Clark
Founder of Copyblogger need i say more Brian Clark
Demian Farnworth
Great content manager Demian Farnworth
Conclusion:
Doing the job of a good copywriter is not easy and we suggest that you start with the basics we hope this information was of value for you and hope you share this post.
