But using them isn’t as simple as it sounds. It’s not about downloading a free template and calling it your own. It’s about learning from what other copywriters have already done – and spending your time on something better than the basic stuff.
I’ve just published a little collection of free copywriting templates you can use, developed over a decade plus of freelancing. You can find out more and download them here.
But I don’t think you should just use them. You should use them with purpose, use them to save time, and use that time to make them better.
What copywriting templates are good for
#1 Getting a better brief
Whether you’re just getting started as a freelance copywriter or you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll no doubt have met your first impossible brief. Sometimes, eliciting the right information from clients is a challenge – but it’s also a fundamental skill that good copywriters bring to the table.
I’ve worked with numerous clients who needed copy but, more than that, needed an outside perspective to challenge them and ask difficult questions. When you’re inside a business, living and breathing a brand, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. And it’s part of a copywriter’s job to refocus things and bring those details to the surface.
Put it this way: your client knows everything you need to know. But there’s not enough time in the world to tell you everything.
That’s where briefing templates come in handy: they give you a way to start conversations and focus on the important stuff.
#2 Removing the tedious stuff
There are vast amounts of copy that aren’t especially unique, don’t need to be written from scratch every time, but still suck valuable energy from your average freelance copywriter.
Things like style guides and proposals don’t add much value – and they don’t really generate much revenue – but they can take hours, even days, unless you have a head start.
Proposal templates and general style guides give you a starting point to save time whenever you need to prepare guidelines or pitch for a new project.
#3 Sparking better ideas
My copywriting templates aren’t special – and they’re definitely not better than the ones you could create yourself. Why? Because they’re not tailored to how you like to work, what you need to know, your clients, or the project you’re doing.
Instead, treat these free templates as a foundation for you to build on. The idea is that they inspire you to make changes – chop them up, cut stuff out, add things in. Making them your own is the only way to make them work.
Get (and improve or ignore) your copywriting templates
I’m not about to tell you that some copywriting templates I dug out of old folders are going to change your life. They’re not must-have, or killer, or any other unnecessarily extreme word designed to make you click.
They’re just the kind of templates newer copywriters tell me they need – and the ones I happened to have.
Instead, I’d encourage you to use these as research, steal the parts you think are useful, then build your own tools out of those bits and pieces. Develop a way that works for you – or ignore the templates completely, but use the ideas to steer your next conversation with your client.
You can go directly to the templates here:
- Elevator pitch and first discussion template to start new relationships by finding out the really important stuff first
- Copywriting style guide template to set up formatting, language and grammar rules for a brand
- Freelance copywriting proposal template to give you a head start before your pitch
- Blog & article copywriting structure template to turn masses of briefing material into a simple three-part structure
- Product-focused blog & article briefing template to make your product or service focused content feel relevant and timely
- Case study copywriting questions template to capture the vital details for a good customer success story or case study
