Being a Freelance Copywriter Rescues Me from Repetitive Work, and Makes Me Strong in the Face of Adversity
By Nick Usborne

Barely a day goes by when I don’t give thanks for being a freelance digital copywriter.

I can’t imagine a better way to make a living and support my family.

Best of all, after over 40 years as a professional copywriter, I’m still enjoying my work.

That’s pretty amazing.

And here’s the thing … I’m still enjoying it, because I’m never stuck doing the same old thing, over and over again.

I know a lot of people have jobs that are repetitive, but I’m not sure I could do that.

My brain starts screaming in frustration if it isn’t given something new and interesting to work on.

With the Web, there are so many different ways for me to apply my skills.

Back before the Web, when I was writing a lot of direct mail, I was getting pretty close to burnout.

How many direct-mail packages can you write before your brain gets into the “screaming in frustration” phase?

In my case, I was getting close.

And then I was rescued by the arrival of the Web.

I wrote my first website in 1995 and switched from print to the Web full-time in 1997.

At last, I had found a place to exercise my copywriting skills where I would NEVER get bored.

And it keeps getting better and better, because there are so many different project types available to digital copywriters.

Like writing …

• Website homepages
• Blog posts
• Sales pages
• Landing pages
• Emails
• E-newsletters
• Social media updates
• Chatbot scripts
• Video scripts
• Product reviews
• Buyers’ guides
• Checkout pages

And that’s not even the full list. But I hope you see what I mean. Whatever kind of projects you enjoy best, you’ll find a lot of different options online.

Learning new skills keeps me engaged and sharp …

This is something else I’m super-grateful for.

I get to keep learning!

First, I was writing web pages and emails. Then I tried my hand at e-newsletters and blog posts. After that, I dove headfirst into writing for social media. And I love writing scripts … video scripts and chatbot scripts.

The thing is, the more writing skills you develop, the better you get as a writer across ALL project types.

For example, writing for social media taught me the skill of short-form copywriting. It forced me into learning how to write powerful copy while using a lot fewer words than I was used to.

I then discovered I was using that “short-form copywriting” skill in other places too … like when I was writing emails. And on some website projects too.

The point being, the more your mind is challenged by different project types, the better you become as a writer overall.

As a digital copywriter, I’m riding a huge wave of growth right now …

It’s good to know you’re learning new skills, and staying sharp by working on a rich variety of challenging project types.

But … what about the opportunities out there?

Is there a market for online writers and copywriters? If you learn the skills, will you be able to find clients who need those skills?

Well … although COVID has had an overwhelmingly negative effect on most of our lives, one of the more positive side-effects of the pandemic has been a massive acceleration in the growth of e-commerce.

The numbers tell us e-commerce has packed about 10 years of growth into the last 12 months alone.

For some companies, this means expanding an existing online presence. For literally millions of other companies, they are having to build their online capabilities from a standing start.

This rate of growth has been good for companies that provide technology services to online businesses.

And it’s also huge news for you.

As digital writers and copywriters, we are looking at 10 years’ worth of opportunity packed into those same 12 months.

All those companies need writers, for all of the project types I listed above.

This is HUGE time for us.

Put simply, the faster the world changes, the better it is for digital copywriters …

We’re incredibly fortunate.

As digital copywriters, we have a skill set that always seems to be in high demand, in both good times and bad.

You can set up in business for almost zero dollars, because most of us already have a computer and smartphone.

You can work wherever you like. Trade-in your desktop computer for a laptop and you can work anywhere in the world that has an internet connection.

You can stay fresh and engaged by embracing change in the world of online business. Try new project types. Expand your skillset, and your horizons.

And you can tap into the massive rate of growth we are experiencing in the online world right now.

Do you have any questions about the opportunity for web writers? Share with us in the comments.