Finding the Best Copywriting Course: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
- Krista Frahm
- Jun 14, 2023
- 14 min read
Updated: Apr 23
Have you been learning about copywriting, but aren’t sure where to begin?
Maybe you've been bombarded with copywriting course ads, but you’re feeling a bit skeptical.
Perhaps you want to switch gears from a different industry—such as teaching, healthcare, law, or IT—into a more flexible copywriting career.
If you nodded yes to any of these, you've landed exactly where you need to be.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll make your path to becoming a copywriter clear and manageable. You'll know how to choose the best copywriting course on the internet (for you) out of the seemingly endless list.
When you find the right course match for your situation and goals, then you’ve found “the best” copywriting course on the internet.
We’ll explain copywriting, highlight some course options, and share how you can maximize your learning from your chosen course. Plus, you’ll gain strategies for ongoing skill development beyond the course so you can continually hone your copywriting skillset and build your career.
By the end of this guide, you'll transition from feeling overwhelmed or confused about selecting a copywriting course, to feeling knowledgeable and confident.
Let’s dive in so you can find the best copywriting course online.
Psst... welcome! Some of the links on this website are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you click the links and then purchase. I only recommend things I believe in and/or have purchased myself.
Before You Can Find The Best Course, Understand Copywriting You Must
In an era of constant digital communication and marketing, the power of words cannot be overstated. That's where copywriting comes into play. It’s a career that masterfully blends creativity, persuasion, and strategic thinking.
Copywriting, at its core, is the art and science of crafting compelling content that prompts readers to take a specific action.
This could mean…
Persuading a customer to purchase a product
Influencing an audience to subscribe to a newsletter
Encouraging readers to share a piece of content with their networks
Copywriting isn't just about putting words together — it's about understanding your audience's needs and desires and tailoring your message to resonate with them.
Effective copywriting is a cornerstone of successful marketing and can profoundly impact a company's brand image and revenue.
Better copy → higher conversion rates → a larger customer base & more sales.
Good copywriting connects with an audience AND spurs them to take action.
Learning copywriting opens a world of opportunities for you.
Businesses need skilled copywriters who can convey their messages in an effective and compelling way. Also, getting started with copywriting doesn't require another degree or the mountain of associated debt. It's a skill that can be honed through the right training, practice, and, a passion for writing.
One of the most appealing aspects of copywriting is its accessibility. Regardless of your previous profession (be it teaching, healthcare, food service, the beauty industry, or literally anything else) you can switch to copywriting.
There are copywriters for every industry and with every background. You’ll find “your people” and write for businesses that you’re passionate about.
So, whether you're a seasoned professional seeking a career shift or a beginner ready to dive into a flexible, remote career in copywriting, the right course can set you on the path to success.
(Also... if you're a mom and want specific pros and cons about starting a copywriting career, read this blog too. I don't hold anything back.)
The Importance of Choosing the Best Copywriting Course (For You)
In your quest to become a copywriter, enrolling in a course designed to provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge is an excellent first step.
Naturally, you want to find *the best* copywriting course possible if you’re going to launch into a new career.
A well-structured copywriting course offers more than just the basics of writing because copywriting is not like your typical English class writing assignments. (In fact, you’ll have to break some of those habits that got you A’s in school in order to be an effective copywriter. It seems strange, but when you get into the right course it will all make sense, I promise.)
Excellent copywriting courses equip you with the critical tools and techniques that you need in order to create persuasive, compelling copy that converts.
A comprehensive course digs into essential aspects like…
Creating gripping headlines
Understanding audience psychology
Writing compelling CTAs (Calls to Action)
Mastering the art of storytelling in copywriting
How the copy you write fits into a larger marketing strategy
Choosing the right copywriting course is a game-changer for your writing journey. The best courses provide you with a strong foundation, building upon your existing writing skills while introducing you to the unique aspects of copywriting.
You’ll become a proficient copywriter who understands how to tailor content for different mediums — from blog posts and social media captions to email marketing campaigns and product descriptions.
A great copywriting course polishes your writing style and equips you with the necessary strategic thinking that sets successful copywriters apart.
With so many copywriting courses available, how do you determine which course is best for you?
Here are a few factors to consider when choosing a course
Niche Experience
Does the instructor have experience in your niche or do they have connections to it? A good example is a copywriting course created by an RN for other RNs or by an SLP for SLPs. If you're not trying to break away from medical topics, this may be a great choice!
Content and Structure
Check if the course covers all the fundamentals of copywriting, such as the psychology of selling, crafting effective headlines, SEO, and direct response copywriting. It should be structured in a way that allows for easy understanding and practical application of learned concepts.
Instructor's Experience
The instructor's expertise in the field greatly affects the quality of the course. Look for courses taught by seasoned copywriters who bring real-world insights to the table. Also, how long did the instructor write before jumping to teaching?
Practical Assignments
Writing is a skill honed with practice. A good course will incorporate practical assignments and provide some level of feedback — helping you improve your writing skills over time.
Positive Reviews and Testimonials
Consider the feedback from past students. Positive reviews and testimonials usually indicate a course's effectiveness and value. Also check places like Reddit for insights, but be careful on Reddit. Some people post who have never taken the course and provide inaccurate information. Be careful who you trust over there.
Ongoing Access to the Course Material
Choose a course that allows you to learn at your own pace. Even if you plan to fast-track your copywriting career, you’ll want to review content as you gain experience or book new projects. The best copywriting courses have lifetime access to the content and some type of community or ability to contact the instructor.
Business Basics
Learning how to write copy is a great step… but if you aren’t taught how to start a business or how to get clients then your business venture will be short lived. The best copywriting courses teach you how to start a business and begin earning money.
Price and Payment Plans
Cost is important to consider. because money doesn't grow on trees Look for courses that fit within your budget but also provide the depth of knowledge you're seeking. You’ll find a wide range of course prices and options. Don't get stuck in analysis paralysis. You'll probably end up purchasing more than one over time.
The best-fit copywriting course is a stepping-stone to a rewarding career or a step out of a career that’s currently burning you out.
They give you with the skills and knowledge necessary to become a successful, outcomes-driven copywriter who provides value to your clients and earns a good income.
The best copywriting course for you is the one that ticks the majority of these boxes and aligns with your personal learning style, career goals, and budget.
Is There Really a Best Copywriting Course for Beginners?
There are literally thousands of copywriting courses aimed at beginners online. It’s a bit mind-boggling, right?
Here’s a little secret you may not have heard yet about inexpensive courses for beginners…
😯 They’re almost always part of a marketing funnel to sell you on a more expensive copywriting course.
Now that you know that bit of marketing strategy, you can decide if you want to drop your email address into the free copywriting courses you’ve found online, knowing exactly what you’re signing up for.
🤷🏼♀️ Don’t get me wrong, marketing funnels aren’t evil. It’s how almost all online and even brick-and-mortar businesses get customers and encourage those customers to purchase more than once.
But if you’re signing up for a free or super cheap copywriting course, you should know that you’re going to find a sales pitch embedded in there somewhere.
Since there are so many free or inexpensive copywriting courses on the internet, listing them all here would be far too overwhelming.
But here are a few options for you to consider:
Filthy Rich Writer's free masterclass, which leads to the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy. This is a budget-friendly option that has proven itself over time.
Clinician to Copywriter Accelerator - Learn copywriting from an SLP copywriter with Lauren Hermann's course.
The Internet’s Best Copywriting Course, by Jacob McMillen. It's relatively affordable and he has been writing for over a decade. If you prefer DIYing, sign up for his emails and read his blogs. They're packed with excellent information.
Sarah Turner’s masterclass and her email list also have loads of excellent information. The masterclass leads you to a sales call, just FYI.
If you type, “free copywriting course” or “best copywriting course” into Google, you’ll be bombarded with free and low-cost courses. Read through each offer carefully to decide if you’d like to learn from that person and receive marketing emails from them. (You can always unsubscribe.)
The free, short courses won’t always help you start a business and gain clients so you can quit your current job. It's possible... but not super likely. They often say they’ll show you exactly how… but it’s just a broad overview of how to become a copywriter.
If you want to succeed as a copywriter, you’ll need more than a freebie course to launch your business.
The Best Copywriting Courses for Aspiring Copywriters
Below, we’ll dive into a few courses a bit more, and if you still have questions, or you have a course I should add, send me a message! I'm happy to revise the list.
Comprehensive Copywriting Academy, by Nicki Krawczyk
Nicki has been copywriting for more than 20 years and has worked for big name brands in corporate as well as writing as a freelancer. She runs the company, Filthy Rich Writer, which doesn't just focus on money, but to have rich lives as well.
This course has loads of testimonials and has been around for years. We're not allowed to share the price since it may change and it depends on the payment plan you choose, but I believe it's around a thousand dollars. It's a structured, step-by-step program to help you learn copywriting and build your business.
Clinician to Copywriter Accelerator, by Lauren Hermann (speech therapist)
This course is specific to clinicians, primarily OT/PT/SLPs. Lauren takes a clinician-specific perspective and teaches copywriting. Her goal is to help more clinicians start copywriting businesses or earn money alongside their clinicial careers as copywriters.
In the live version of the course, Lauren reviewed student's work and gave individualized feedback, which is a HUGE help when learning to be a copywriter. The self-paced version has video recordings of copy reviews so you can learn from others.
Currently, the cost for the self-paced version is significantly lower than other courses. I don't know the live course price, but my guess is it's still very reasonably priced.
Write Your Way to Freedom (WYWTF), by Sarah Turner
This course teaches the mindset, skills, and systems needed to start a copywriting business. It also includes a lot of coaching from skilled copywriters and a community.
You’ll have access to 2 coaching calls with experienced copywriters on Zoom each week, plus a weekly Q&A session where Sarah Turner answers the questions that you and other students have submitted.
You have lifetime access to the course content, but the coaching calls become a paid access component after 1 year.
The only downfall to Write Your Way to Freedom… the cost.
Last I checked, the price of WYWTF was $5800 for lifetime access to the course and community. (If you choose a payment plan, the monthly cost is lower but the overall cost gets higher.)
If this interests you, start with Sarah Turner’s free copywriting masterclass.
The Internet’s Best Copywriting Course (IBCC), by Jacob McMillen
This copywriting course also covers how to become a copywriter and how to build a business.
This course is significantly less expensive than WYWTF, which is great, but it doesn’t include a community or any coaching calls. However, Jacob says he will answer questions via email if students are stuck.
The cost of this course: $997 for lifetime access. Check out his course page.
Any Course from The Copy Posse, by Alex Cattoni
Alex is a big name in the copywriting industry and has multiple offers on her website.
I don't know her personally, but I've been learning from her free content for years.
You’ll find free challenges and courses which lead to paid offers, including an 8-week course and her membership which is called “Reign”.
The best bet here is to follow along on Instagram or jump into her sales funnel by taking a free course and then see what you think about her teaching style and her offers. The online reviews look pretty solid, so I don’t think you’d go wrong here.
The Copywriter Club, by Rob and Kira
The Copywriter Club is a well-known community of copywriters with a copywriter accelerator, think tank, and membership.
The Copywriter Accelerator(TM) is for beginning copywriters who want to build a copywriting business foundation in 3 months. I’ve heard great things, but I’d be concerned that 3 months isn’t long enough to create a solid foundation, which leads you straight to the upsell to their more expensive program.
The Copywriter Think Tank(TM) is a 12-month mastermind for experienced copywriters. It’s safe to assume that many people move from the accelerator to the think tank which is 3K+. In order to stay in the copywriting community, they offer a monthly membership for copywriters of all skill levels. Last I checked, the cost is $87/month.
I've learned from their free content and podcast over the years. They have a solid reputation.
Sales Page Prep School Copywriting Course, by Dani Paige
This is an example of a specialized copywriting course.
Rather than covering ALL types of copy and copywriting basics, this course is for people who have a bit of an understanding of copywriting but want to specialize in sales page copy and launch copy.
Sales pages are the long pages on a website where the whole goal of the page is to bring the reader through a journey and have them be ready to buy the offer by the end of the page.
They can be tough to write, but they’re also a high-ticket item which means you have to write less of them each month to meet your income goals.
She does include some business basics, information about how to find clients, and monthly support calls and limited copy reviews.
Overall, this is an astounding course and has supercharged my sales page skills and writing capacity. I highly recommend this if you’re considering sales page or direct response copy.
Take Dani Paige’s free sales page course HERE
And check out Sales Page Prep School HERE
While I do think Dani Paige’s course is wonderful, I’d be misleading you if I didn’t give you a little warning about taking a course like this as a brand-new newbie…
A note about copywriting courses that only teach you one type of copy
You’ll find a whole host of copywriting courses that specialize in one specific type of copy such as blogs, emails, sales pages, or ads.
These courses can be incredible as long as you know which type of copy you want to write and will enjoy writing. However, if you’re brand new to copywriting and aren’t sure what arena you’d like to write in, I recommend taking some general courses so you can learn all the different types of copy.
By understanding all types of copy, you’ll be a stronger writer overall and be able to provide strategic recommendations to your clients. Blogs and emails don’t live in isolation… they’re all part of the digital marketing ecosystem.
The sooner you learn all about it the sooner you will become a proficient and well-paid copywriter.
These specialized courses are more beneficial once you understand the foundational knowledge and know for sure which type of copy you want to specialize in.
I invested in Sales Page Prep School after I’d been writing for a few years and knew I wanted to commit to sales pages and direct response copy. But if I had started there I’m not sure my business would’ve been able to get off the ground.
How to Make the Most Out of Your Copywriting Course
Once you've chosen a copywriting course, the real journey begins. It’s normal to feel a whole range of emotions as you step into this new career, especially if you’re transitioning from a different career where you’ve become an expert.
Here's how you can squeeze the maximum benefits out of your chosen course and beyond:
Active Participation
Get involved in every aspect of the course. Watch all the lessons (in order), take part in discussions, and ask questions, even if you feel like they’re dumb questions. Active participation will enhance your understanding and ensure you get the most out of the copywriting course you invested in.
Regular Practice
Copywriting, like any other skill, improves with practice. Use the assignments and exercises in the course as opportunities to practice. Beyond that, create a habit of writing daily. It could be writing ads, creating content for imaginary products, or even rewriting existing copy to make it better.
Implement Feedback
Instructors or peers often provide valuable feedback on assignments. Take their critiques constructively and implement them in your subsequent work. It's one of the fastest ways to improve your writing skills. Don’t worry if you hear the same feedback over and over again. Soon, you’ll integrate it into your practice and your writing skills will grow.
Network in Your Copywriting Course Community
Many courses offer the chance to network with instructors and fellow students. Utilize these opportunities to build relationships and learn from others' experiences. You may even get work passed on to you from writers who have full schedules.
Utilize The Resources
Make the most of all the resources provided in the course, such as reading materials, templates, samples, cheat sheets, etc. These resources can serve as excellent reference points when you are working on real projects.
Hopefully you choose a course that provides lifetime access, but if you don’t, make sure you schedule time regularly to complete the coursework before your access is revoked.
You can also continuously improve your copywriting skills beyond the copywriting course by doing the following:
Read Regularly
Reading helps you understand different writing styles and tones. It also expands your vocabulary. Include various forms of copy in your reading list - ads, blog posts, newsletters, etc. Analyze how they persuade the reader and learn from it.
Write Regularly, Even If You Don’t Have a Copywriting Project
Regular writing sharpens your skills and helps you develop your unique voice. You can start a blog, volunteer for a local nonprofit, or write your own marketing materials to make sure you write daily.
Engage in Copywriting Challenges
Several websites and communities run copywriting challenges, which can range from writing persuasive headlines to creating compelling product descriptions. Participating in these challenges can help you apply what you've learned, test your skills, and see how others approach the same task.
Follow and Study Successful Copywriters
Identify successful copywriters and study their work. Consider how they use language, persuade their audience, and structure their content. Subscribe to their newsletters, read their blogs, and follow their social media accounts.
Remember, a course provides the foundation, but continuous learning and practice pave the way for success in the dynamic field of copywriting. Copywriting trends and techniques evolve regularly.
If you joined one of the best copywriting courses on the internet, the content should be updated semi-regularly to reflect new copywriting trends and practices. Keep updated by reading industry blogs, attending webinars, or taking advanced courses. It's a journey of constant growth and development.
The Best Copywriting Course (for you) Recap
In this comprehensive guide, we've discussed copywriting and the possibilities it offers as well as how to choose the best copywriting course for your situation and goals.
We've also armed you with practical strategies to make the most of your chosen course and tips for ongoing skill development beyond the initial course material.
Remember, starting your copywriting journey doesn't need to feel like an impossible task. With the right course tailored to your unique needs and aspirations, it can be a fulfilling adventure that includes both personal and professional growth.
Don't hesitate to invest in your copywriting education — it's a critical step towards mastering the art of persuasive writing and launching a successful career.
Choose the best copywriting course that resonates with your ambitions and kick-start your journey to becoming a skillful copywriter. We're cheering for you every step of the way!
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