Copywriter Career Paths: Agency vs. In-House vs. Freelancing

Copywriting is becoming an increasingly desirable career.

If you have a gift for writing eye-catchy headlines that stops readers from scrolling, or you just like writing informative and engaging articles to help increase web traffic, there are plenty of opportunities available.

But where do you start?

Well, from my own experience, there are three routes you can take. You can either work as a copywriter in a marketing & advertising agency, as an in-house company for a company or you can freelance.

And, I have done all three.

Here, I share the pros and cons of each career path, and in the end, I will summarise my own journey and share my perspective.

Agency Copywriter

Every marketing & advertising agency in the world has a copywriter. If you’re young, eager and have examples of eye-catching work, then working for an agency is a great place to start.

Agencies are essentially an external marketing agency that is hired on either a contractual, ad hoc or one-off basis.

There are agencies that specialise in content marketing, branding, SEO article writing, website development & design and social media marketing.

Many firms, big or small, use the service of an agency to outsource the development of  marketing campaigns.

The Pros

• Work colleagues: When working for a marketing agency, you get to work with highly talented designers, creatives and web developers under the leadership of creative director and art director.
• Variety: You will get to work with different companies, which means no two projects are the same.
• Ethos: Most agencies provide a thriving working culture to help you get your creative juices. Most agencies even have a break room where you can play video games, pool or table tennis for a well-earned break.
• Faster Career Progression: You will learn new skills and knowledge quicker as you work on different projects. And, if you deliver good work on a consistent basis, you will be recognised for it.
• Casual Dress: You can come into work wearing t-shirts and jeans, or whatever you feel comfortable in.

The Cons

• Inconsistent Work Flow: Some agencies will go through peak periods where it is super busy and then go through a quiet period where there is little or no work.
• Long Hours: With an inconsistent workflow, projects will usually come all at once. This leads to long working hours where you will know when to start, but you don’t know when you will finish.
• Higher Staff Turnover: When the long hours, copywriters and other creative working for an agency will seek other opportunities where there is a prospect of a better work-life balance, and try to negotiate better pay.
• Stiff Competition: Depending on the size and reputation of the agency, landing a role will be tough as every aspiring copywriter will want to work for them.
  

In-house Copywriter

Many copywriters, after spending time working in an agency, will want something a bit more stability.

After all, as we get older, some of us choose to prioritise a decent work-life balance. That said, you can still start your career as a inhouse copywriter too.

Essentially, when working as an in-house copywriter, you write copy for one company.

Usually, you’ll be the main copywriter and you’ll be writing for all kinds of different mediums from blogs, banners, ads, editorials, emails, brochures and catalogues.

The Pros

• Better Pay: On average, when working for a company, especially larger companies, you can negotiate a higher salary, providing that you have writing skills to back it up.
• Stable Work Life Balance: In-house copywriters work set hours and rarely have to work beyond these hours.
• Consistent Workflow: Most companies will have a set project management structure, helping you get a more or less steady workflow.
• Develop a Specialism: When you work for a company for quite some time, you develop specialist knowledge about the company, their products as well as the industry that particular company is in.
• Company Benefits: Most reputable companies will provide decent staff perks such life insurance, private healthcare and generous employer contribution pension schemes.

The Cons

• Monotony: When working for a company, you will be writing about the same brands and product range repetitively while working for the company.
• Lack Of Career Progression: Depending on the organisation, you may find it quite hard to progress up the ladder. Especially, if you are the sole copywriter, then your options to progress are quite limited.
• Slower Pace: If you thrive in an environment where it is fast-paced, then working as an inhouse copywriter may not be for you. That said, this does depend on the company culture as well.
• Higher Barrier to Entry: Most established blue chip companies will have stringed recruitment process. There will be various tests and assessments to weed out low calibre candidates. To some, especially myself, this can be quite a daunting prospect, but it is important to recognise why companies do this.

Freelance Copywriting

Freelancing as a copywriting has the lowest barrier to entry, but on the contrary, it is also the hardest route to take out of the three.

When you freelance, you have a great deal of flexibility where you can choose the projects that you want to do, but that said, coming from my own experience, it does come with a very steep learning curve.

The Pros

• Your The Boss: Being a freelancer means you are your own boss. You get to choose your own hours and what projects that you like to work. You’re not restricted to set hours.
• You Earn More Money: The money that the client pays you belongs to you and you only. When you work for a company or agency, they only give you a small percentage of the money that was made. The most successful freelancers earn up to £100,000 in one year.
• You Can Work Anywhere: There’s no need for you to go to an office, you can work anywhere. You can work at home, in a coffee shop or a co-working space. You can even work abroad or work while you travel.
• You Can Start Freelancing Today: You can make the decision and start your freelancing career today. Just set up a simple website and start prospecting to find potential clients. Each time you win a client, you expand your portfolio of work.

The Cons

• Uncertainty: Prospecting does not guarantee client work any given day. There will be days where you will experience rejection. And sometimes, there will be periods where you will struggle to get work, especially during the early stages of your freelancing journey.
• Finding Work: While the barrier to entry is super low, finding work so you can keep a float is extremely stressful. Sometimes, you will not know where you next paycheck is going to come from. Persistence is definitely the key, which flows into my next point.
• Not For The Faint Hearted: The stress from dealing with rejection and having to deal with uncertainty is not for everyone.
• Admin: You’re not just writing copy, you are running a businesses, you need to do your taxes, source your own office supplies, manage your workload and do your own admin when you work for yourself.

What’s The Best Way To Get Into Copywriting

If, like me, you don’t have a English Language, English Literature, Marketing or Journalism degree and you are working in a job that has nothing to do with writing copy, then you start by freelancing on the evenings and weekends.

Try websites like Upwork and Fiverr as well as the Problogger Jobs board to land your first gig. Before doing so, it is wise to write a handful of articles on your own personal blog so that prospective clients can get a feel of your writing style.

That said, I wouldn’t wholly rely on Upwork and Fiverr to find clients, which I'll go into more detail in another blog post, but make an effort with cold emailing companies that you want to work with as that’s where the potential is.

Once you have managed you have managed to gain a strong portfolio of work, then you can either make a decision to freelance full time or find an agency or company to work for.

Whichever route you choose to take, I hope this has provided you with some kind of guidance to help you get started.