9 Months Ago I Started Freelance Copywriting — Here Are My Realistic Results
Do you want to get a fresh perspective of what it takes to become a freelance copywriter in 2024?
Read along, so you can avoid panic attacks, frustration, and cluelessness.
And instead, collect knowledge and start your copywriting career with a stable foundation.
I am here to share my story, which has been a rollercoaster.
With plenty of ups and downs, twists and turns, laughter, and fear.
This is your chance to learn from my mistakes and experience so you can achieve your freelance dreams as quickly as possible.
Will you take the chance?
Good.
First of all, you will never expect how much copywriting can teach you about yourself and your life.
As Robert Green would write:
“In the process of mastering a skill, you will learn more about yourself than at any other time in life. You will uncover your weaknesses, your insecurities, your strengths, and your inspiration. Mastery is not a function of genius or talent, it is a function of time and intense focus applied to your chosen field of knowledge.”
Where It All Began
Let me take you back to the last month of 2023. It’s a cold winter in Eastern Europe. I’m all alone in my one-bedroom apartment, and I got this storm of thoughts going through my mind:
“How to escape my 9–5 job?”
“How can I travel the world and experience life?”
“How can I finally become great at something?”
“How to become a better version of myself?”
These and a million other thoughts were racing through my mind like Lewis Hamilton in F1.
I felt that these thoughts had a meaning. I saw them as the first step for something greater.
But these questions were not the ones that were on my mind.
Right next to it I had an army of terrible habits and unproductive priorities that were dragging me down into misery without me noticing it:
Too Much Social Media
Weed
Parties
Negative Self-Talk
Chasing Women
And the fact that I just got out of a long-term relationship, and for the first time in my life I was responsible for my own decisions without anyone looking over me, was not helping it.
Sitting there in between my two states of mind, I realized:
It’s me against myself.
or
“I look in the mirror, my only opponent.” –Jay-Z
I closed my eyes and imagined my future.
There were two outcomes:
One was my dream life that is filled with financial independence, skillful confidence, and the ability to take care of myself and my family.
The second was a living nightmare, which was filled with financial struggle, pure hedonistic pursuits, and regret of growing old and not mastering anything.
I knew what I had to do to start working towards my dream life.
I went to the number one place where people go when they want to change their lives — YouTube.
And started looking up all the different side hustle ideas.
Eventually I stumbled upon copywriting. I gave it a try.
Soon I realized that it’s a fantastic match.
As I have been writing my whole life before. Whether it has been journaling, stand-up comedy jokes, or poems and rap songs.
Combine that with my passion for human psychology.
And we got a perfect synergy!
The First Steps in Copywriting
I started off slow.
I would study for 30 minutes of copywriting courses every day and call it quits. After a few courses and YouTube videos (which I found on the internet for free), I felt like it’s time to move on to the next stage.
I started to understand the basics of copywriting. I learned about PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solve), DIC (Disturb-Intrigue-Call to Action), and HSO (Hook-Story-Offer) and a few marketing tricks.
That was all I needed to begin generating my own emails and rewriting ads that I found on the web.
After 2 weeks of practice and additional copywriting courses, I was ready to get my first client.
I started reaching out to businesses. Many, many businesses.
I began with 25 cold outreaches.
Cold outreach is when you build rapport and try to offer your services to a complete stranger.
And my platform of choice for it was Instagram.
The next morning, I increased the amount of outreaches to 50 a day.
And in just a few days I reached out to 300+ accounts, which for some salesmen sounds like a warm-up before lunch break, but for a new guy in this field it was something completely new.
What did it turn into?
Short answer: Nothing much.
Long answer: Out of these 300 people that I reached out to:
approximately 285 either did not open the message or left on read
10 replied with an emoji (very dad-like behavior)
5 of them were open for a conversation
What did I get from these conversations?
Conversations #1 and #2: Lead to nothing. It began with me trying to build rapport, and once I offered my copywriting services, I got ghosted like those Indians who are asking for your naked body parts on Facebook.
In between these 300 outreaches, I already started losing hope for a moment. And these two ghosted interactions did not motivate me either.
But I kept on pushing. And the moment when I made that decision to go against the resistance, it started paying off. Shortly after I kept on outreaching, I received more conversations.
#3 Conversation: Was for a clothing brand. And after a few sentences, they gave me a task to write their about us page. Which I did in one sitting with my eyes lit up as I was a kid at the candy shop.
How was the copy?
They enjoyed it. (At least that’s what they said.) and afterwards, when I asked for a follow-up gig, they ghosted me. (So they did not enjoy it that much.)
#4 Conversation: Was a fitness influencer who gave me great insight into relationships and self-development, which I still think about to this day. And it was:
“Ok yea lil bro focus on yourself, grind, earn money, build a life for your future self… you’ll attract the right woman once you become what you need to be”
Did it turn into a copywriting client? No.
But I’m not too sad about it.
#5 Conversation: Surprised me. While I mostly reached out to accounts that have 1–15k followers, from time to time, I would try my luck with 500k+ big shots, and this one gave me a reply.
Did I get a gig with a big shot 500k+ followers client? No.
But once again, it inspired me to push further. The man explained the importance of working for free to put the reps in and focus on the process.
Although that is a lesson that can be found on Google, it resonates with you stronger because when it is personally written by someone in a position that you want to be in, it holds 10 times the value.
Landing My First Client
After no success with cold outreaches (if we’re not counting the motivational quotes), I moved on to warm outreaches.
Which is when you write to someone who you know personally. (It helps if they know you back)
I wrote a warm outreach template, opened up Instagram, and went to work.
And if with cold outreaches it took me 300 messages, tens of hours prospecting, coming up with attention grabbing messages, and lead to exactly 0 clients…
Warm outreaches brought me my first client in the first 30 minutes!
How did I do it?
PRO TIP: I used this technique where instead of asking your friend, “Do you need copywriting?” (Even if you know, they might need it.) You would rather ask, “Do you know someone who might be looking for copywriting services?”
It takes away the difficulty of saying no. And if the person does not need it, they probably know someone who might need your copywriting services.
With this easy technique, in just 15 messages I stumbled upon my first ever real copywriting client.
I prepared. Did the market research. Created an avatar. And even came up with potential ideas that could drive the business to the next level.
We arranged a Zoom meeting and started working together.
I was so excited (and anxious) about my first real copywriting experience. I didn’t even want any money. So I offered the client my services for free.
I started off with writing a three-email sequence for an upcoming event. Which, out of approximately 40 people that received the emails, brought in 1 extra customer.
And that is the exact reason why I did not ask for any money.
After the first gig, we had another meeting. And another one. We became partners.
As the confidence grew, I kept on looking for more clients. kept on taking courses. Got more gigs.
I felt good about my copywriting progress. I drastically increased the time spent on:
Outreaches
Courses
Exercises
Free Value Gigs
Copywriting became my life.
In a span of three months, I went from studying copywriting for 30 minutes a day to putting in 4–8 hours of copywriting every day.
I combined it with going to the gym six times a week. And due to that extreme schedule, I was sleeping for only six hours every night.
I did not feel tired. I felt like I was on fire!
Until one day…
The End of it All?
I encountered my first ever burnout.
For you to understand the magnitude of my burnout, here are the 5 most common symptoms of a burnout:
Chronic Fatigue
Detachment or Cynicism
Reduced Productivity
Insomnia
Irritability
I had 4 out of 5. The only symptom that I did not experience was insomnia.
I exhausted myself so much during the day that I could pass out at any time.
And you know what was the craziest part of it all? Although I was in pain and misery, I felt proud about every moment when I pushed myself to the fullest.
I felt so good about working towards a greater future without realizing what damage it does to my present.
I could say that my EGO was happy, but my body and soul were on the brink of collapse.
It got to a point where I would write a copy with tears running down my eyes.
I felt stressed, irritated, and wanted to give up on copywriting. Every day I hated it more and more.
And then, after a few more days of crying and keyboard mashing, I decided to quit copywriting.
I called my parents out of desperation and told both of them about my frustrations. Even though I never showed vulnerability to my parents before.
My parents were not the only ones who got a piece of my frustration.
I told my friends how copywriting is not for me.
I explained to my colleagues how emails and sales funnels are not something that I’m passionate about.
And very quickly I went back to my previous hobby, which was stand-up comedy.
Which at that time, I told myself:
“Yeah, that’s what I was really born to do.”
“This is way more fun than copywriting.”
“Stand-up comedy matches my personality and interests way better.”
But in reality, what I did was fall victim to “Shiny Object Syndrome” (SOS). Which describes the tendency to jump from one project, idea, or interest to another, especially when faced with difficulties, seeking excitement or novelty rather than persisting through challenges.
I really believed that stand-up comedy was the thing that I actually wanted to do. Not because I missed it, but because I got frustrated with copywriting.
What happened next?
I spent the following 2 months focusing on stand-up comedy. And once again, I fell for the same problem…
I turned it into my life. I rushed it. And did not take any breaks.
Everything that I did was one way or another connected to writing and performing jokes.
Even after a 6-month break from stand-up comedy, I stepped back on stage and did wonders. It was all engraved in my muscle memory. It felt like I never left.
But something did not sit well with me…
The promises and time that I dedicated to copywriting were sitting at the back of my mind.
I tried to hide it, but I knew that the freelance copywriting business is something that lines up with my future goals way more than stand-up comedy ever could.
Then all of a sudden, I received a message that changed the trajectory back to copywriting and kicked off my dream of having a freelance career to new heights.
The Comeback
Do you remember those 15 warm outreaches that I mentioned?
Yes, well, I opened up Instagram, and there was a message from my friend. To whom I reached out many months ago. He offered me to write website copy for a business.
It was a massive gig.
Especially for someone like me, who had little experience.
Was that something that I have done before? No.
Did that scare me? No.
Did I know that I would be able to do it? Absolutely.
So I said yes.
I took out my dusty copywriting notes. I thanked myself for not burning them along with my copywriting dreams. And began studying copywriting like I never left.
It was a hefty gig that took me approximately 8 hours, but the beauty of it was that I was able to do it at any time in any place. And seeing the finished result on the website made me feel proud about myself.
I did not care about the money. I was happy to finally be able to work and test out what I’ve learned so far in the previous half a year.
But knowing that you get rewarded for your efforts and time that you have invested to create a benefit for a business was all I needed to feel.
Plus, getting paid in cash was just a cherry on top.
It was a magical feeling to receive the first payment.
The moment when you realize that YOU made this MONEY with your MIND and WORDS.
That’s when I finally saw that I had the opportunity to make a living out of it.
I got another gig from the same client, which I delivered with confidence and understanding.
After the second gig, soon after I received another offer from the same warm outreach, and this one took me away.
I did not expect anything. My focus was on the opportunity to learn more and continue developing my copywriting skills. That’s all I cared about.
We arranged a call in which the client explained the gig, and when it came to the rates, well, it allowed me to make the same as my 9–5 job’s salary with 3 or even 4 times less work.
So it allowed me to combine my copywriting side hustle and my 9–5 job.
It really took me 8 months of studying, 15 warm outreaches, and 3 paid gigs to double my monthly income.
For how long?
Will have to see.
It's mind-blowing to see how the universe gives you results as long as you stay persistent.
As for me, the goal post has been moved higher, and there is no stopping anymore.
Happy Ending
This small but very important success story is one of many.
It taught me that it’s important to:
Avoid Burnouts
Stay Consistent
Look for answers within other people
Focus on the development of skills, and money will follow
Sometimes the best way to love something again is to lose it
And much more.
My results might not be one of those 10k a month stories, but they are realistic. And they are mine.
It is something that has been created by my own efforts and time, and I love every bit of it.
It does feel like just the beginning of something greater, which motivates and excites me ever further!
Hope it does for you too.
So hopefully this story gave you a fresh perspective of what it took me to get to a point where I call myself a freelance copywriter.
And I believe that you will put this perspective to use.
Remember that every person who truly dedicates themselves to a particular goal can achieve it as long as they take action and stay consistent.
As a bonus, if you can learn from your and other people’s mistakes, you are unstoppable.
Thank you for reading my story…
Stay tuned, because there is more to come.
Eddie
