Freelancing is the future of work, and copywriting looks like it’s the future of advertising. Freelance copywriting, therefore, can be a career that grows with you through the next few years.
If you’re thinking about launching a full-time career in copywriting, you may be asking what courses can help you get started or get better as a writer. Some people are looking at entire degrees in copywriting, others at university-level certificates, and several at short online copywriting courses.
To be clear, you do not need a degree, certificate, or course to become a copywriter. All you need is a client that will pay you to write for them. Courses can help improve your skills, though, as well as give credibility to your pitch.
I’ve listed five well-known copywriting courses below and included a few thoughts on each.
The CNN Store sells this course, which includes 63 short lessons spread across an hour and a half of videos. The course begins with a quick overview of fundamental topics such as developing a mental image and using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to understand customer psychology. The course goes for $24, and you get a lifetime access. CNN’s Copywriting Mastery Bundle provides a broad but shallow overview of copywriting as a career and is best suited to people who are just now exploring copywriting. For that, the price seems very affordable and the content looks helpful. I doubt that the course would grant much credibility on a writer’s resume though.
Founded by New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller, StoryBrand is a marketing company that relies on the power of story to help their clients sell products and services. Miller and well-known copywriter Ray Edwards teach the StoryBrand courses in the copywriting certificate program. Their curriculum requires you to spend two days at an in-person seminar, which costs nearly $5,000. I’m a long-time fan of Miller’s thinking and writing, and I believe wholeheartedly in his approach. That said, I will never spend $5,000 on a 2-day course.
Offered by Northwestern University through Coursera, this specialization includes four courses and a capstone project. Each course requires 1-3 hours of study each week and lasts three weeks. The capstone project takes 3-4 hours per week and lasts four weeks. The program costs $49 per month, and students get to enjoy lecturers from the Northwestern faculty and beyond. This course sequence explores subjects such as interactivity, gamification, content trends, social media, and analytics. In the capstone, learners develop a content strategy for a fictional start-up company. If I were choosing any course listed, I’d pick this one. It’s affordable, deep, and interactive.
American Writers and Artists, Inc (AWAI) claims their course is “written by the industry’s top copywriters who have generated billions of dollars of sales from their copy.” Certainly, they offer a large catalogue of classes, and they’ve been around since 1997 so they’re doing something right. The $495 price tag could be well worth the money, but I’m deeply suspicious of AWAI. Their claims about their alumni’s success seem grossly overblown. I can definitely imagine a skilled, hard working, and well networked copywriter earning a six-figure salary. I cannot conceive of anyone raking in a million dollars a year as AWAI claims. Plus, the reviews online are mixed at best. You may find AWAI works for you, but I’d go into this one eyes wide open.
If you’ve got the time, money, and stick-to-it-iveness for a master’s degree, the University of Missouri may be the place for you. Sites like USA Today and College Factual regularly rank Mizzou’s journalism program among the country’s best, and the school offers an online master’s degree. Students must complete 37 graduate credits at about $500 per credit. Mizzou is one of the few schools that offers a concentration in strategic communication. Earning a master’s degree means making a serious investment of time and money. But if it’s your goal, Mizzou is a great place to start looking.
Work is changing. More and more people believe it’s better to build your own sandbox than to play in someone else’s, and copywriting is a great gig for writers looking to engage in commerce and earn a living. Taking a course or certificate may help you improve your work and generate more income for your family. Choose the right program for you, and get started learning more.
Good luck.
Holland Webb is a full-time freelance copywriter and digital marketing strategist living near Greenville, SC. His clients are leaders in the online retail, higher education, and faith-based sectors. Holland has written for brands such as U.S. News & World Report, iLendX, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, MediaFusion, Modkat, Great Bay Home, IMPACT Water, and BioNetwork. He is a featured writer on Compose.ly, and his monthly copywriting column appears on Almost An Author. You can reach him at hollandwebb.com or at hollandlylewebb@gmail.com.
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Informative as always, Holland.
Thank you.
Thanks, Easterly! 🙂