Diana Kelly Levey

Why Freelancers Should Learn How to Write Ad Copy for Freelance Clients

freelancer writing ad copy for freelance client

September 15, 2023

As a freelance writer, you likely spend most of your time creating blog posts, articles, social media posts, and other types of marketing content for freelance clients. However, another lucrative and in-demand type of freelance writing involves learning how to write ad copy —the copy and messaging that appears in advertisements.

Ad copy differs from other forms of copy in its strong persuasive element. While blog posts inform and entertain readers, quality ad copy sells them on taking action after reading your compelling words.

It requires crafting concise yet captivating narratives that speak directly to the ideal customer’s deepest desires and transform those desires into sales.

Learning to write high-converting ad copy should be a top priority for aspiring freelance copywriters today—you can earn a higher freelance income!

With the rise of social media advertising and the growth of e-commerce, businesses are hungry for skilled freelance ad copywriters who understand how to connect with consumers and drive results. Pay-per-click ads – which largely depend on great copy to convert –  have become an essential lead generation strategy for B2B and B2C businesses alike. 

Adding this service opens new potential clients and revenue streams. Best of all, the principles of writing effective ad copy reinforce core copywriting best practices that boost all your work.

Why Should You Learn How to Write Ad Copy? 

Learning how to write ad copy for social media campaigns and to show up in online search results is one of the most valuable skills a freelance writer can add to their resume and freelance writer porfolio. It immediately boosts your appeal to potential clients and opens up new freelance writing jobs that more basic content-writing gigs simply can’t provide. 

By learning the art of persuasive ad writing, you can take your freelance business to the next level—even earning over $100 an hour freelancing!

Keep reading to discover why ad copywriting should be a top priority for aspiring freelance copywriters looking to find more freelance work and offer a variety of services and skills to their freelance clients.

You’ll see there are a lot of benefits to learning how to write ad copy, including…

Increasing your value as a freelancer

The more services you can offer clients as a freelance writer, the more you increase your value and make yourself a freelancer they’ll want to keep working with. Clients want to work with versatile writers who can handle a variety of projects. If you become skilled not just at writing articles and blog posts but also at crafting compelling ad copy, you distinguish yourself from the freelance herd. This makes you more hireable for high-paying freelance clients. And who doesn’t want that?

Offering expanded services

Once you add ad copywriting to your repertoire, you open opportunities to provide additional services to existing clients beyond just blog posts in high-paying freelance niches. Many clients who hire freelance writers for content also have advertising needs across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google and more. You can meet those needs seamlessly. Clients will appreciate that you already know the ins and outs of their brand so they’d rather give you more freelance work over hiring a new freelance ad copywriter and getting them up to speed.

Becoming an in-demand freelancer

Businesses dedicate a significant portion of their marketing budgets to paid advertising. And they need talented freelance ad copywriters to produce the volume of ads required across multiple campaigns. By learning how to write ads for brands, you tap into consistent, lucrative demand from clients with money to spend. That means you can probably increase your freelance rates when you get super busy with tons of freelance ad copywriting writing work.

Working directly with businesses

As an ad copywriter, you often work directly with business owners and marketing teams to bring their advertising ideas to life. This gives you insider experience with diverse companies and industries. You become an integral part of transforming their marketing vision into words that produce results.

Sharpening transferable skills

Learning how to write ad copy requires concise, persuasive language that connects emotionally with the target audience. Mastering these techniques deepens core skills like establishing rapport, crafting hooks, and telling stories that compel action. Such talents transfer beautifully to writing other types of high-converting sales and marketing copy. You’ll notice improvements in storytelling, writing newsletters and headlines and writing stronger social media posts.

How to Get Started Writing Ad Copy for Freelance Clients

Now that you understand the benefits of learning how to write ad copy, you’re probably ready to get started, right?

The good news is that with the right strategies, you can start learning this profitable skill and begin offering it to clients sooner than you think.

  • First, immerse yourself in the fundamentals through books, courses, podcasts, and other educational resources on copywriting. Understanding principles like AIDA (attention, interest, desire action) will inform your writing. You can even learn a lot from following freelance blogs.
  • Next, study ads you encounter and analyze what makes the most effective ones compelling. Pay attention to elements like headlines, visuals, and calls to action. Jot the copy down in Notes in your phone or on documents you can refer back to.
  • You can also get hands-on practice through spec ads—writing sample ad copy for imaginary products or small projects. This lets you flex your creative muscles risk-free. You’ll have samples to show freelance clients when they ask to see freelance ad copywriting work you’ve done.
  • Consider offering discounted rates to your first few ad copy clients. This makes you more affordable for real-world experience that will quickly improve your skills and build up a portfolio.
  • Approach local business owners directly to inquire if they need ad copywriting assistance. Many will be glad for affordable help expanding their online presence.
  • In your writing, constantly focus on articulating benefits and transformations for the ideal customer. Persuade them how your client’s product or service can change their life.
  • Craft your headlines carefully using persuasive language that speaks directly to the target audience’s deepest desires and needs. Compelling headlines are key to great ads.
  • Finally, learn graphic design principles that make ads aesthetically striking and optimized for visibility. Words and images together create powerful momentum. Here’s how to create a logo.

With the right mix of education, practice, and persistence, anyone can develop the ad copywriting skills to succeed.

Next, let’s look at some tips for writing copy that converts.

Tips for Writing Effective Ad Copy for Freelance Clients

When it comes to writing compelling ad copy that converts readers into buyers, there are some key strategies to keep in mind. Use these tips to create powerful ads that deliver results for your clients.

  • First, put yourself in the mindset of your target audience. Understand their deepest wants, needs, and desires. Then, make your copy speak directly to those interests like a close friend would. Building this intimate rapport is key.
  • Always focus on articulating the core benefits and positive transformations your product or service can create for the reader. Features don’t matter if they don’t improve customers’ lives. Paint that picture vividly.
  • Incorporate power words and conversational yet persuasive language. You want the copy to feel like a trusted advisor speaking to them one-on-one instead of a salesy robot.
  • Tell a story around your product that the reader can envision themselves in. Create a persona for your ideal customer and speak directly to that individual at each step.
  • Use the AIDA formula as a checklist:
  • First, grab the reader’s Attention with a bold headline.
  • Then, spark their Interest with an appealing opening.
  • Next, generate Desire by painting the benefits.
  • Finally, prompt the desired Action with a clear call to action.
  • Craft your headlines and choose your visuals with maximum care. These elements make the first vital impression so make them irresistible to the reader.
  • Always be clear on the action you want the reader to take. Then, directly ask for it with a strong call-to-action phrase. Don’t leave it to chance.
  • Test different versions of the copy and headlines with split testing or reader surveys. This feedback helps refine what resonates most powerfully.

Writing effective ad copy requires getting inside the heads of your target audience and making a direct emotional appeal based on their deepest desires. It means using the power of storytelling and persuasive language to paint a vivid picture of the transformation your product can create for the reader. 

Follow proven formulas, carefully craft every element, including headlines and visuals, and diligently test different versions. 

With practice, these essential skills will elevate ability as you learn how to write ad copy and deliver powerful results for clients. Investing time to master such techniques will prove invaluable for any freelance writer’s career.

Guest post courtesy of Ryan Gould ,Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Services at Elevation Marketing.

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