Freelance copywriting

[flossie232]

Years ago I used to do a bit of freelance copywriting for a bit of extra cash. Essentially it was working for a content mill, producing short articles on a number of subjects, most of which I could cherry pick myself. The money wasn't great but it all helped and i actually enjoyed doing it.

I've been looking at getting into this again but there are so many options online now that it's hard to spot the genuine opportunities from the spammy ones. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

I wouldn't bother. The industry has been taken over by AI.

That's completely untrue @happyinherts and as someone who actually works in a related field, and who employs copywriters, it is completely unhelpful (but very typical of Mumsnet).

Really, why do folk do this?

I would actually recommend searching for roles in copywriting. There are a few live on Indeed.com. There are some with hourly rates, some with day rates.

but first before all of that...get your portfolio together. You'll always be asked for it, so go and find the content mill articles if you can.

Also come up with a way of explaining how you approach a piece of writing - what is it that you do? Do you begin by researching or looking at keywords, or is it more tone-of-voice writing? Do you engage with call to actions, or are you looking to provide informative articles that help with ranking positions? Explaining your work could again be key to getting hired by people looking for copywriters.

AI is here, and I'm not totally decrying the previous poster, but all I would say is, get informed on it, what it can do to help speed up your work, but also where you can add a point of difference. Those who understand it, will get employed over those who don't.

Good luck!

Content mills like Demand have gone the way of the dinosaurs - although it happened long before AI, really, it was because Google started to penalise that type of article, and the monetisation options didn't really work anymore.

So both of the above posters are correct, really. You're unlikely to find much work that you can sign up to via an account, pick random topics and get paid £25 for an article, doing as many as you like, but there is still good money to be made in copywriting if you're interested in exploring that as a wider topic.

If you preferred the content mill style of researching and writing; SEO writing might be an interesting avenue to explore, although it's another one going through a big change due to AI/search engine rankings.

A portfolio and a way of marketing yourself will be essential if you do want to get some freelance writing work. It'll likely be less easy to pick up than the content mill work was, but better paid.

It's could be worth signing up for the free, weekly newsletter Freelance Writing Jobs. It's edited by a freelance journalist – so she picks legit opportunities rather than including every single 'writer wanted' ad she comes across (and in fact you can subscribe to receive it ahead of the free version)

https://www.sianmeadeswilliams.com/freelance-writing-jobs

I live for the idea that AI will do my work for me. Unfortunately I've tried dozens and dozens of times to pawn jobs off on Chat GPT and not ONCE has it produced something even close to being useable

@JacquesHarlow "Really, why do folk do this?!

Because I've been working in copywriting for 20 years. A lot of my clients have resorted to AI. Chat GPT is their best friend now - they just tweak the content and that's it.

I have expressed my opinion. Why do folk have to be so rude about it. Typical of Mumsnet.

A lot of my clients have resorted to AI

I am genuinely sorry to hear this.

I am still hiring copywriters and will be doing so for the foreseeable, because they have demonstrated very clear and tangible value to me.