• What is Copywriting?
    • Why Copywriting is One of the Most Enjoyable, Flexible Careers
    • Answers to Your Top Questions About Copywriting
  • Blog
    • Most Popular
    • Mindset & Professional Development
    • Portfolio
    • Business Development
    • Book Recommendations
    • Pitching
    • Copywriting Tips
    • Terms to Know
  • Podcast
    • Latest Episodes
    • Top Episodes for New Copywriters
    • Student Stories
  • Copywriting Course
    • Learn About the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy
    • CCA Student Sign In
    • CCA Next Level
  • CCA Reviews
    • CCA Student Wins
    • Videos: CCA Student Reviews
  • Store
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • About Nicki Krawczyk
  • Contact Us

Filthy Rich Writer

Tips, tools, & training for new and aspiring copywriters.

Tips, Tools and Training for New and Aspiring Copywriters

  • What does “Filthy Rich” mean? It means having a job you love, being good at what you do…and making great money doing it!

How Much Experience Do You Need to Become a Copywriter?

By Nicki Krawczyk 2 Comments

How much experience do you need to succeed as a copywriter?
The concept of “experience” for copywriters can be a bit tricky: Adequate experience for one project might not be enough for another. And just what constitutes ”experience”, anyway?  Is it years? Types of projects? Let’s break it all down.

Experience is made up of a combination of knowledge and practice. You gain a base level of knowledge first through training, you practice by writing copy for spec ads and small clients, and your knowledge naturally increases as you practice.

At the most basic level, you need enough experience to be able to help your client. And when I say help, I mean really and truly provide useful service.

That means that clients who have less complicated needs and less general marketing expertise will benefit from you first. Even without a great deal of experience, you can be of service to most small businesses.

As you acquire more experience, you can broaden your client base to include solopreneurs (who tend to be more savvy about marketing than typical small business owners), design studios, and then in-house agencies and ad/marketing agencies.

So, how much experience do you need? Not a ton for your first group of clients.

But also, as you build your experience, you need to make sure you stay focused on building your portfolio and populating it with great work across a broad range of clients and media.

Your portfolio proves that you know what you’re doing. It showcases your skills and talent without you having to lift a finger. Even if you don’t have much experience, clients and hiring managers may be willing to take a chance on you if you’ve got a portfolio that shows that you’re a superstar.

If, however, you’re trying to land an ad agency job, you need more than just a few months’ worth of experience. But you don’t need more than that to start landing clients and start building your career so that that ad agency job can eventually be yours.

Your turn! What’s your biggest “experience” stumbling block? Let us know in the comments below!

Last Updated on January 4, 2023

Filed Under: Business Development, Pitching Tagged With: land work

Interested in Copywriting? Get our Free Video Training!

Plus, get on the list for updates, freebies, and more :) 



About Nicki Krawczyk

Nicki is a copywriter, copy coach and the founder of Filthy Rich Writer. She's been writing copy for more than 20 years.

Comments

  1. David Hidalgo says

    March 1, 2016 at 8:10 am

    Hi Nicki,

    Would you say it is a good idea to take for example your course and using the practice examples we create in our portfolio?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Nicki Krawczyk says

      March 1, 2016 at 3:27 pm

      Hi David,

      Yep – in the course we encourage you to create “spec ads” – basically, ads that you create as if you were creating them for a real client instead of on your own. (Our whole Academy is about writing copy, of course, but one of our deep-dive courses is devoted solely to how to create spec ads.) They’re a great way to build your portfolio before you’ve get paying clients.

      Thanks for commenting!
      Nicki

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Click here to subscribe

Break Into Copywriting

Sign up to get our FREE video training, special resources, and more!



Click here to subscribe

Comprehensive Copywriting Academy

Join the copywriting training program that's helping people just like you build successful copywriting careers!

Comprehensive Copywriting Academy from Filthy Rich Writer

Portfolio Tips

3 Copywriter Portfolio Examples That Wow Clients
Do You Need to List Your Copywriting Services on Your Portfolio Site?
Should I Put Prices on My Website? What Copywriters Need to Know

Orange square with text reading award winning designs and free domains Squarespace
View our Affiliate Link Disclosure here

Recent Articles

Freelance Copywriter Benefits: How to Build Your Own Benefits Package
5 Books to Read Written by Copywriters
How to Give Copywriting Feedback
Setting Boundaries as a Copywriter
Self Edit Your Copywriting: Why It’s a Must & How to Do It
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 Filthy Rich Writer | About Us | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy| Business Affiliates