How To Become A Freelance Copywriter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a freelance copywriter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A freelance copywriter writes content and advertising concepts for commercial use, but they are not employed fulltime by a company or an agency. They work on a project-by-project basis or at an hourly or daily rate. Their role involves conducting research and interviews, writing content for publications and websites, using search engine optimizing principles to ensure a wider reach, and sourcing for images and other visual content.

Freelance copywriters work closely with designers, public relations professionals, and marketing personnel to help them execute their mandate efficiently. They can work directly with clients or through advertising agencies. A successful freelance copywriter must be highly creative, imaginative, analytical, detail-oriented, communicative, and organized.

Freelance copywriters usually set their own working hours. Depending on the projects they are handling, they may work during the night and over the weekends.

ScoreFreelance CopywriterUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $69,978

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%

Asian 4.90%

Black or African American 5.88%

Hispanic or Latino 7.57%

Unknown 5.58%

White 75.72%

Gender

female 53.67%

male 46.33%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a freelance copywriter

Explore freelance copywriter education requirements

Most common freelance copywriter degrees

Bachelor's

81.7 %

Master's

11.3 %

Associate

4.2 %

Start to develop specific freelance copywriter skills

Skills	Percentages
Web Content	21.68%
Blog Posts	7.74%
Copywriting	6.68%
Creative Concepts	5.54%
Brainstorm	5.18%

Complete relevant freelance copywriter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New freelance copywriters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a freelance copywriter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real freelance copywriter resumes.

Research freelance copywriter duties and responsibilities

Manage proposal process from RFP (request for proposal) receipt to writing and editing various contributions to final RFP submission.
Provide copywriting services to clients using proven direct response marketing elements to optimize conversions.
Experience with brand development, copywriting, advertising, and integrate social media marketing communications.
Participate in brainstorming sessions to cultivate creative solutions to advertising opportunities with uniquely clever messages.

Prepare your freelance copywriter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your freelance copywriter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a freelance copywriter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable freelance copywriter resume templates

Build a professional freelance copywriter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your freelance copywriter resume.

Apply for freelance copywriter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a freelance copywriter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do freelance copywriters rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Freelance copywriter reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Creative freedom (in the right company) to conceptualise ideas and craft clever word pairings.

Cons

Clients tend to bin the greatest ideas and go with something generic Clients think they are copywriters Colleagues think copywriters only deal with words. Not concepts. The advertising landscape is becoming more visual and interactive so words are playing a smaller role.