How to become a copywriter: the first steps. How to make money on copywriting on the Internet

The realities of our time are such that almost every one of us daily deals with the Internet. Someone just uses e-mail or Skype for communication, someone draws the necessary information from numerous Internet resources, and someone simply kills time in social. Networks and forums. And everyone, perhaps, at least once asked the question: is it possible to make money on the Internet and, most importantly, how much.

In our economically unstable situation, the reasons for finding the answer to this question may be sufficient. And most importantly, many have heard that earning on the Internet is real, and there are examples of real people who have achieved success on this path. But, as a rule, the first attempts fail. Or we are inexperiably communicating with scammers, or we are offered a payment that does not justify the time spent on doing the work. And at this point, many despair, realizing that any decent earnings on the web - no more than a myth.

Is there a prospect?

Undoubtedly, there is. Nowadays the Internet has become a source of constant, and very stable, income for thousands of people around the world. They are developers, web designers, programmers, creators of video, advertising, journalists. But, as a rule, they are specialists of a rather high level, who have come a long way before their work has yielded very tangible results. And we will not talk about these professions today. Because, first of all, I would like to talk about how can and can anyone make money, not only very far from programming or web design skills, but also unable to rank itself even to the army of confident Internet users, except that beginners .

Can I start earning from scratch? Are there any options for those people who, for whatever reason, are looking for a home-based job or a part-time job? There is. And there are several options, as always. We will not dwell on earnings on clicks, referrals, captcha, or social networks. There are enough such proposals today, some of them seem questionable, others may be worthy of attention. Nevertheless, I propose to consider the most reliable and interesting, and most importantly, simple, from my point of view, option - writing articles for order or for sale, or, as is often said now, copywriting. And also learn how and where you can start earning writing texts, without having such experience behind the shoulders in principle.

What is Copywriting?

In fact, the profession of a copywriter and a journalist has a lot in common. Both of them are engaged in searching for information on a given topic and interesting presentation of it in the form of articles that attract readers. But there is, of course, a difference - there is a specificity in each of the professions. Copywriter, for example, there is absolutely no need to go in search of information about the city or take an interview. All the necessary information he draws exclusively from the World Wide Web, without departing from the computer monitor. But in order to understand who the copywriter is and what his duties are, you need to start with the concept of "copywriting," to find out what is meant by it today.

So, copywriting is called professional activity, associated with the creation of presentation and advertising texts. In other words, with the writing of materials that are popularized in a direct or veiled manner, companies, services, goods, ideas or individuals are advertised. However, this is only a classical definition. Applicable to the Internet today, copywriting is understood as writing any articles for websites or creating texts to order.

And if we proceed from this concept, it is easy and easy to come to an understanding of the profession of a copywriter. This is the person who writes reviews for online portals, including online stores, texts to order. But there are still related specialties, which, as a rule, is owned by a similar specialist - this is rewriting, seo-copywriting. Speaking of copywriters, many also imply these skills. And before talking about how to make money on copywriting, so as not to get confused, let's find out what distinguishes these specialties.

A rewriter or a copywriter?

At first glance it may seem that these professions are not much different. But only at first glance. The copywriter, as we have already said, is the person who creates the texts on the instructions of the customer. It is the creator. That is, a specialist writes an article based on his knowledge and his vision of the topic. If he is not familiar with the topic well, he will have to thoroughly understand it, having studied, perhaps, information from several sources on the Web, and then draw his own conclusions. And then the question arises: should this person have a writer's talent? No, just a writer, a writer is absolutely not necessary.

A copywriter must possess creative thinking, because, above all, he is an expert in creative, "advertising" thoughts, who are often ordered by selling texts. Write an article on a given topic, even literate and beautiful, can, perhaps, many. But it is the copywriter who will be able to write the selling text, correctly placing the accents. In other words, this specialist is more likely a marketer, a seller or even a businessman than a writer.

Unlike copywriting, rewriting on the Internet implies lexical modification of the given texts. That is, the author gets the original article along with the task, he must rewrite it in his own words, make it unique, while retaining the original meaning. True, it is desirable to do so, so that the article even at first glance did not resemble the original one. How can I rewrite it? It's easy to guess. We need to write a statement. Do you remember how you wrote about the school? The usual presentation on a given topic, leaving the most important, in your opinion, moments, modifying the text structure a little, replacing some words with synonyms, where possible. All. Difficult? The answer suggests itself: nothing complicated, if you practice.

Seo-copywriter

And finally, seo-copywriter. What kind of expert is this? Here the differences are small. From the copywriter, he differs in that he knows how to correctly and organically enter the given keywords into an article that he creates by order. If you look at the concepts, then seo-copyright is editing and creating articles for websites, that is texts that are optimized for search engines. What is it for? I think everyone knows that most of the sites on the Web are commercial, that is, they exist in order to sell goods, services, etc. Internet users, before they buy the desired product, look for information about it. Using search, entering into the search line those very keywords (for example, "to buy a refrigerator"), each of us receives a multitude (sometimes millions) of answers. And the most relevant (relevant) query from them are usually on the first page of issue. It is on this page that commercial and not just resources try to get through the optimization of texts.

In practice, almost every professional copywriter can optimize articles for search queries. It's easy to guess that these skills are rated higher than just writing texts to order.

How to become a copywriter

About what qualities should have a copywriter, we said. But what kind of education should he have, what skills do they have at the beginning, can they all become good specialists? It's wonderful, of course, if you have a diploma of a philologist or journalist, it will be easier for you to take the first steps. But the copywriter is one of those modern professions, where not diplomas are judged, but skills and experience. And if you do not have the appropriate education and even higher education in principle, but at school in the Russian language you had a five or four, you can very well become a successful reenter or copywriter. This is the profession where the year of experience means a hundred times more than several years of study. And if you are on maternity leave or retired, are in search of work or just want to get additional income, you can quite master this specialty. And even an advanced Internet user is not necessary, enough initial knowledge to get to work.

The only thing that is important, the copywriter must be literate. It is clear that school knowledge is forgotten over time. No problem, you will have the opportunity to update them, remember the rules of spelling and punctuation, there are enough directories and manuals on the Web. These resources, as a rule, are the constant companions of many copywriters.

But in this profession other qualities are significant. From the very beginning, one can not do without discipline, without the ability to organize your day, without the desire to earn. And, of course, we need decisiveness - as in every case, it is necessary to take the first step.

And now about how to start and how to make money on copywriting. Where to search for customers, on what topics to write, where to sell the first articles? Opportunities in runet are enough - these are the numerous freelance exchanges, and article stores where you can post texts for sale. However, the novice immediately orient, using these resources, will not be easy. Need to practice, find regular customers. All this can be done only by cooperating with one of the copywriting exchanges. In addition, the exchanges regulate the relationship of customers and performers in a legal manner and guarantee the payment of your labor, which reduces the risk of an unsuccessful attempt to zero.

There are a lot of such exchanges today, with every year there are new ones. And it is difficult for a newcomer to choose the first job. My opinion: you need to start with a proven resource that has a good reputation and is included, at least, in the top three among your own kind. Therefore, I propose to consider all the nuances of the work on the example of the eTXT exchange. Reviews this resource receives mostly positive, both from employers and authors, has a consistently high rating and a very good reputation.

In addition, anyone can start to work as a copywriter, on this exchange one does not need to pass a certification test in order to register. What, in fact, is needed for a beginner, a person without experience writing texts. And this does not mean at all that copywriters here do not have qualifications, quite the opposite, but tests are conducted only at will, often not in the first days of work, to increase their earnings in the future.

How to make money on the copywriting exchange, how to start

In order to start working, you just need to register. Registration on the exchange of copywriting eTXT - the procedure is quite standard, not unlike that on other sites. Fill in the box with a name, surname, come up with a username and password, specify an email address. Then choose the status of "executor", since the author of the articles on this exchange has this status, indicate the types of work that you want to perform: copywriting, rewriting, seo-copywriting, translations. The last point can be indicated if you are proficient in a foreign language. If so, this is a big plus. Earnings in translating texts are usually much higher. Be sure to note what language you speak.

In principle, everything, the standard procedure is passed, now you can go to your office on the stock exchange. Here you can immediately see the orders that employers offer. They are already available to you. Having opened any of them, you will find the requirements for work. This is the topic of the article, length, uniqueness, possibly, keywords, as well as special wishes of the customer. In addition, the type of work (copywriting, rewriting, seo-copywriting, translation) and its cost is indicated. Here it is customary to specify the price for 1000 characters of the finished text. But while you are a beginner, you can hardly take an order with a good payment, since you do not yet have a rating in the system. What to do? First of all, do not panic. If you spend some time to file a lot of applications, one of the customers will necessarily choose you as the executor. Of course, at first you will have to count on a price not higher than 10-15 rubles per 1000 symbols. But this time, too, will not go to waste, you earn a rating in the system, it increases every article you write. And already with a rating you can count on a gradual increase in the cost of work - the higher it is, the higher the payment of your labor.

So, I'll explain once more on the points, what your actions are, if you first went to the stock exchange. You need to register, if you wish, fill in the field with information about yourself, then enter your personal account and select the section "New Orders" directly under your name. Opens available orders, where you can choose a topic close to you for writing. Applying at the push of a button, waiting for the employer's decision and proceeding with the execution of the first order, having previously found the necessary information on the Internet, with the help of search engines.

It is clear that from the very beginning it is necessary to show patience in order to earn a reputation on the stock exchange. Otherwise, counting on getting an initial rating without qualification is not worth it. But already a small rating will make it possible to claim 20-30 rubles for 1000 to move on. Those who immediately want to receive higher pay are also offered options. From the very beginning you can try to get an assessment of your own qualification. Writing a test task to verify the level of skill, on request, is available to all users. To do this, go to the appropriate section right in the office. You will choose the task, get the requirements for it (as when receiving a paid order). But this task is not paid. The result will be moderated by the exchange. As a result, you can get a level from initial to high (from one to three stars). In order to successfully pass the tests, you need to write the text correctly and clearly and consistently state the idea. And also it is necessary to spend a couple of hours trying to get orders more profitable in the future. If you successfully pass the qualification tests, serious customers will prefer you as an executor of their assignments. And what if not? If you can not pass the test with the desired result? No problem, customers will not see your work. But you can draw conclusions, practice and take the test again at any convenient moment.

Career Copywriter

So, performing the tasks of customers, day by day you will increase your author rating. This figure affects the cost of your work in the future. And what else does the rating give? Stable employment, eventually you will have regular customers. Customers who like your work will leave positive feedback on your page, it is accepted here, and they usually influence the decisions of other customers regarding your candidacy as a performer. Many will be able to include you in their "white lists". Every employer here has a similar list; Authors included in it, can take orders automatically, without waiting for the choice of the performer. How to get to the customer's "white list"? It's not so difficult - you need to do the work well and hand it over in a timely manner.

And one more thing to stop at. The Exchange regulates the relationship of the author and the customer. First of all, it guarantees the payment of labor. When you receive an order, the customer's account is blocked by the amount to pay for your work. And when you place an order, you get paid automatically, already from the stock exchange. And all the disputable issues, if any, you can solve here, in arbitration. We have considered the question of how to make money on copywriting. And what skills can be useful on the exchange?

What other professions are on the exchange in price?

We already said that on eTXT it is possible to make very good translations. And the knowledge of various languages is in demand. In addition, there is enough work for proofreaders and editors. If you have a philological, linguistic education, then earnings on editing texts can be very good. In addition, the exchange has a store of articles. For all users in the system, writing texts for sale is available. Gradually, their cost will increase. And each article sold, as well as written to order, will increase your author's rating, and therefore, influence the cost of subsequent work.

Price of issue

And here we come to the most interesting question: how much can you earn on copywriting a beginner, how much is the work of such specialists? A good specialist with decent experience, having regular customers and a name in this environment can earn quite well. However, we are talking about newcomers, and to "grow" to such heights, will have to work hard. A copywriter of the same level after a couple of months of training can easily earn 10-15 thousand rubles a month, then more. And, who knows, maybe in six months this activity will become your main source of income.

Work as a copywriter: feedback

Of course, reviews about this work can be found very different. Someone at the first failure stops all attempts to move forward. But, probably, it's only because of ignorance, how to make money on copywriting. Purposeful people, after a couple of months, can receive orders on the exchange and 60-100 rubles per 1,000, and more, besides successfully selling their own articles in the store.

The Internet knows a lot of successful copywriters, the career of any of them can be an excellent example and an incentive for beginners. Finally I want to advise newcomers not to stop halfway. And to those who only think about the copywriter's career, to remind: the road of a thousand miles begins with one step.