Copywriting: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering copywriting
Copywriting clients usually come with a page, ad or email that is not working and a clear idea of what they want to say. Show that you understand the offer, the reader and the action before you write a line.
What customers ask
- Can you write for my industry, and what have you written for businesses like mine?
- How many rounds of changes are included?
- How do you match my voice if I do not have a style guide?
- How long will the first draft take?
- Do you write headlines and calls to action, or only body text?
- Can you rewrite what I already have, or do you start from scratch?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask what the reader should do next and what they do now, then repeat both back in one sentence so the client knows you understood.
- Show two or three samples from the same industry, each with the goal it was written for, not just the finished text.
- Put the exact list of pieces, the revision rounds and the research into the quote, so the client compares like with like.
- Mark up two or three lines of the client's current page or ad, say what you would change in each, and why, before they hire you.
- Send a one-page outline or three headline options before the full draft, so the client approves the direction early.
- Name the source for every fact you add, and ask the client to confirm product details before anything is published.
What to put on your profile
- Before and after examples of copy you rewrote, with the goal of each one stated.
- The industries and formats you write for, such as landing pages, email sequences or print brochures.
- A short note on your process: intake questions, drafts, revision rounds and final delivery.
- Sample pieces written for practice and labeled as samples, where you cannot show client work.
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer to review the client's next email or ad after launch, and suggest one test at a time.
- Suggest updating the copy when the offer or the product changes, so the text stays accurate.
- Offer a plan for the other pages that use the same message, such as the homepage after a landing page is finished.
Licenses and permits
Copywriting is not commonly licensed, so you usually do not need a license to offer it. Check with your state or local licensing agency for business registration and any local rules, and keep signed agreements and invoices in order.
Questions
Do I need a license to write marketing copy?
Usually not. Confirm with your state or local licensing agency, since rules for running any business vary by place.
How do I show I can write for a specific industry?
Show samples from that industry, or write a short sample for a page the client already has and explain your choices. Clients trust examples they can read more than claims.
What should the contract cover?
The list of deliverables, revision rounds, deadlines, payment terms and who owns the copy after payment. Have a lawyer review the ownership terms if you are unsure about them.
Pro reviewers
Pros who offer copywriting remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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