Copywriting for freelance journalists

Date: Flexible - start any time
Location: Online
Cost: £185.00 + VAT
Trainer: Jackie Barrie

Fed up with low fees for freelance journalism?

Uncertain about your job security?

Planning for life beyond newspapers?

Wondering about adding copywriting as an income stream?

Do not fancy spending a day on Zoom or travelling to London?

The video course comprises over 60 bitesize lessons. We estimate it will take about four hours to work through. It's followed by a one-hour group webinar where you can get feedback on the writing exercises and ask any questions. You will come away knowing how to run a successful freelance copywriting business.

Among other things, you will discover:

• How to transfer your journalism skills to copywriting
• Marketing basics to help promote your clients and yourself
• What you needto know about copywriting for websites
• How to find copywriting clients and decide what to charge
• And more!

Note that you don't have to be a journalist to attend. The course also suits people who work in marketing or comms, as long as you can already write.

To get a flavour of this material (and meet your trainer), watch this free preview lesson.

If you would prefer to attend Jackie's full-day course on Zoom, you will cover all the same content as part of a group. It's highly interactive. You will also get personalised feedback about your answers to the writing exercises, and a month of email support. For more information about the live version of the course, go here.

What you will learn

"This course should be called how to get paid what you're worth and not be treated like sh*t" (Delegate quote)

The content of the pre-recorded course is based on what over 300 journalists have asked when they attended the live version.

Introduction (5 lessons)

• Getting started
• About this course
• Defining copywriting
• Writing v copywriting (part 1)
• Writing v copywriting (part 2)

Marketing basics (5 Lessons)

• Marketing funnel
• Referral schemes
• Marketing jargon
• AIDA sample
• AID-C-A

Grabbing attention (6 Lessons)

• Activity: Count the dots
• Activity: Writing headlines 1
• Activity: Writing headlines 2
• B2C and B2B copywriting
• AI and copywriting
• AI and research

Maintaining interest (3 Lessons)

• Top-down v bottom-up copywriting
• Turn it upside-down
• Summary: Maintaining interest

Generating desire (3 Lessons)

• FAB grid
• FAB grid: completed
• Selling to B2B customers

Prompting action (2 Lessons)

• Calls to action
• Eye tracking

Unique Selling Point (USP) (4 Lessons)

• USP: A story
• Activity: USP
• USP: Example
• Writing slogans

Print marketing (3 Lessons)

• Assessing print marketing
• Activity: Landscaper leaflet
• Landscaper leaflet: Commentary

Digital marketing (2 Lessons)

• Setting objectives
• Screen v print

Writing web copy (3 Lessons)

• Writing a homepage
• Activity: IFA homepage
• IFA homepage: Commentary

Beginner's guide to SEO (8 Lessons)

• Beginner's guide to SEO (part 1)
• Beginner's guide to SEO (part 2)
• Description tags
• H1 tags
• Alt tags
• Backlinks
• Beginner's guide to SEO (part 3)
• SEO summary

Managing your freelance copywriting business (3 Lessons)

• Working process
• Discovery process
• Project management process

Finding business relationships (2 Lessons)

• Finding clients
• Finding JV partners

Marketing your freelance copywriting business (6 Lessons)

• Packaging yourself
• Tips for startups
• Providing samples
• Gathering testimonials
• Your website
• 8 marketing ideas

Setting your fees (4 Lessons)

• How much to charge
• Covering your expenses
• Pricing tips
• Cross-selling and up-selling

What next? (1 Lesson)

• Next steps

Free book

At the end of the course, you can download a FREE PDF of Jackie's book: Copywriting Q&A: 101 freelance copywriting questions answered. It contains answers to the most common questions Jackie has been asked during her training and mentoring sessions.