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Working as a Finnish copywriter is a great opportunity to collaborate with big and growing brands, and get invaluable experience in advertising and marketing.
With a proactive and energetic approach, you can also work as a Finnish freelance copywriter, which gives you the ability to taste and enjoy remote working abroad, often called laptop lifestyle or digital nomadism.
The road to that status is rocky, at best, and has taken me few years to accomplish. But so well worth it. You can do the same if you like the idea of writing content and copy for a living. For a good, wealthy living.
Learning the essentials skills of SEO, translation and copywriting, will you give a set of skills worth of gold. I’d be surprised if you could somersault directly to working as a Finnish copywriter. You need to learn how to walk before you run.
It means accepting a job, learning to use WordPress and other modern tools, and starting by writing content, proofreading and editing typos.
Soon enough you can familiarize yourself with SEM, search engine marketing, and learn how Google Ads works, along with the digital marketing jargon, like PPC, ROI and ROAS.
Page by page, you can improve your skills, build your own website as a side hustle, and use every insight that you gain from your work.
A successful Finnish copywriter is also easy to work with and available to answer any questions. As an independent agent you must hone your communication skills beyond cultural boundaries.
From my own experience, I know that Finnish culture is lacking in some social aspects, and native speakers need some adjusting to appear more open and courteous.
The name of the profession might give it away, Finnish copywriter writes copy in Finnish.
The main demand for a professional writer is on web, as thousands of businesses and websites need localization and content with good understanding about marketing and persuasive writing.
That also includes editing and proofreading as a part of the job, because most entry-level content writers’ texts need quality control. Finnish copywriter needs to know literary translation, creative writing and transcreation to excel.
It’s incredibly beneficial to understand funnel creation, how to write a release, launch a publication, and quickly answer questions during any project.
Knowledge of design and products will help the copywriter to collaborate seamlessly with other marketing experts in large projects and marketing campaigns. In practice, especially for a freelance copywriter, that means daily video meetings, calls and emails.
Are there Finnish Copywriters? Look for yourself!
Best part of writing as a remote job is the daily rhythm that allows you to do things in whatever order you want. If you prefer a sunny walk in the morning, go for it.
Or finish everything early before noon, and do whatever you want afterwards. I’ve noticed to do my best work early in the day, and leave everything else for the afternoon.
Finnish copywriter can work in any media, be it print, TV, stream, radio, social or websites. Community manager could be a great role if you have a knack for engaging with followers and clients on day-to-day basis.
Each position has its nuances, and every Finnish copywriter has their own area of expertise. Some positions are more direct ‘while others correlate more indirectly with improved sales.
If you are applying for a copywriting position in an advertising agency, there are some serious requirements.
You need to have a degree in literature or marketing. You need to have marketing experience, and knowledge of the modern tools and platforms. You need to have references and a portfolio of your best work.
That might seem like a lot, but you can bypass all of it by getting in first as an intern or entry-level content writer. If you study hard, produce great writing and learn optimization and user experience as you go, you can become a good candidate for any future positions.
Another method is more daring and demands a high tolerance for uncertainty. That is entrepreneurship as a copywriter – taking what you know now and hunting down clients to get you an income.
Which is also the real litmus test. If you cannot sell yourself, how could you sell for others?
This trajectory, if you keep at it, will teach you everything you need to know to get clients, improve your skills in record time, and scale up over the years to levels that are unattainable for any in-house writers. Will it be easy? No.
“You cannot fail, if you don’t give up.”
Sometimes your tasks might ask for an English to Finnish translation. If you are smart and strategic, as I know you are, you skip verbatim, literal translation, and become a transcreator, someone who translates concepts and ideas to another language, not just words.
I know it sounds fancy, but it’s quite obvious. I’ve seen a lot of crappy translations where the writer simply translates idioms and expressions directly, completely leaving it up to the readers to guess their meanings.
This is also occurring often in Finnish to English translations. You need to know the intricacies and nuances of a given language to write great copy.
That being said, being a bilingual copywriter can be a really valuable asset to have.
For one, he could, write a search engine optimized article that ranks high in Google about the given keyword or search phrase future clients might use to find information about such services!
It is paramount to know SEO with copywriting. And from my experience people usually know one and very little of the other. Modern, successful copywriter need to be an expert in SEO as well. And it’s not that difficult, really.
Another great way to get clients is to write a newsletter that leads will opt-in by downloading some lead magnet that provides the readers with real value they can implement right now on their online business.
This sort of creation takes time, of course. But if the Finnish copywriter is able to optimize the SEO and the whole sales process structure well, then the business will thrive over time.
And being such a niche topic, Finnish copywriting has low competition and high demand. For now. Start reading those Boron letters before this opportunity passes!
Hey obviously not! Look at me!
Jokes aside, you don’t need formal linguistic training to become a successful copywriter. While formal education in writing certainly helps, it’s not a requirement to get a writing gig or advance into lucrative copywriting.
It could even be a benefit! Because maybe you know this secret: Most people hate ads. And if you go to a school to learn how to write ads like everyone writes them, guess what – people will hate your ads, too!
What I’m saying is that if you get a different angle, like blog writing, for your copywriting career, you might do much better. Might.
Everyone sucks when they start anything. You won’t probably produce memorable proverbs when you first start creating content.
It will take time to study and learn advertising and public relations, and consistency in producing written text.
But then again – for effective copy you need to learn to use a friendly gab. Technical writing and engineer-speak turns most people off.
Under this headline, I need to make a confession first:
Years ago, I offered Finnish translation and localization services on Fiverr, and actually did few gigs. For a low pay and low motivation. And stopped it after couple of months.
Fiverr is a digital sweatshop for exploitation – for most parts. While that’s my honest opinion, I’m sure some people can make a good living from it. Especially in parts of the world where 5 dollars minus 1 for Fiverr fees can actually get you something.
Should you buy Finnish copywriting services from there? Maybe… but expect mediocre results. It’s better that you make your way to Upwork to find real talent.
Or, if you are an aspiring writer, should you start selling copywriting on Fiverr? Why not! In the beginning you should care only about learning, applying and results. Money comes later.
Like art, say paintings, there are only few masterpieces for every 1,000 good or average paintings. Even if all the painters have years of experience.
Same goes for great copy. That’s why it’s a great idea to start learning by copying the old masters. And be wary of the bottomless pit of soul-emptying marketing jargon.
Most businesses don’t care to talk about brand value. They want to have better ads, get more traffic and get more sales. Measurable money in, money out. Easy.
So, when talking with prospects, don’t make your job harder than it needs to be. Avoid high-level terminology, and explain terms that are simple to you, like CTA.
If you see blank stares after dropping an acronym in your presentation, take a moment to explain the mystical words.
As a Finnish copywriter with 7 years of experience, I am confident to write about commercial and optimized writing.
In fact, I started Scriiv already back in 2016, if my memory serves me right, primarily as a one-man writing agency, on the side of my full-time job as a professional writer in an international business. I have both Finnish and English clients, and I have worked with construction and marine industries.
I also helped a Finnish politician to get elected in the local council with PR, video editing and by boosting Facebook videos.
I’ve helped eCommerce shop to raise awareness to start using a new app for ordering sanitation products by SEO, Facebook video ads, carousel posts and content writing. And more, but enough about me.
This headline made me chuckle while writing it.
I remember a case where I was interviewing a Finnish-Italian kid for a job, that required high knowledge about Finnish language, and deep cultural understanding.
The cocky kid spoke broken Finnish and thought the job is about something else. We parted ways with silent smiles.
Why I’m bringing this up is that half-ass effort leads to zero result. Finnish is a particularly tricky language where verb conjugations and other grammatical monsters can instantly flip the meaning of any expression and get you in trouble.
The worst translations for content and copy I’ve witnessed are done by machine. While machine learning makes them gradually better, fractional website content is always full of blatant translation errors.
English to Spanish or German works quite well, because these languages are related in vocabulary and grammar. Trying that in Finnish makes people leave the website as fast as their mouse can take them.
Most authors who write novels and poems stay poor. Sorry to be frank, but writing as an art form is a very difficult route to riches.
On the other hand, if the writing is commercial, and applies proven methods to influence and persuade people to give money, then we are talking about a skill that is worth something. Let’s forget cultural merits for a second.
An experienced Finnish marketing consultant can pocket thousands per client per month if the results are worth it. And what’s best, these are skills you can learn.
They are not Einstein-level hieroglyphs that only the most devoted acolytes can understand after painful initiation rites. Copywriting is simply a skill like anything else, and you will become better at it if you keep studying, applying and testing.
All companies that get clients from the web, need someone to write blogs, email sequences, marketing material and do testing for them – Always.
Copywriter has a specific set of tools and skills that allow the professional scrivener to carve out powerful language that makes the content marketing stand out.
As a professional marketer, a copywriter can also do SEO audits, run remarketing campaigns with knowledge about pixel tracking, tags and cookies.
A copywriter can also help businesses with smart branding that communicates the right values to the right audience without quasi-religious pomp.
Many companies do not have any effective strategy or business plan in place. copywriter, as a business consultant can help them with that, too.
There is a screaming demand for Finnish copywriters! But some businesses don’t even know they need it. They might misdiagnose low results with not using enough money for PPC keywords – and keep banging their head on the wall.
Therefore, a just and fair Finnish copywriting expert makes it his mission and vision to educate, enlighten and enable businesses to see the opportunity that great copywriting presents them.
He can mould content management systems to enhance the user experience. He can create the first post on the LinkedIn business page that has been empty for years. He can blow out the dust and make anew!
He can spellcheck the grammar on the website, giving an instant boost in readability and authority for the business.
He knows how to buy media and work with SaaS, chat with clients confidently and lead the advertising campaigns to more profitable waters.
And stand like a beacon of light on the proverbial promontory to shine the good message of copy around him.
Beyond creative writing, he is a creative thinker – an abundant source of out-of-the-box solutions that stun and charm even the stingiest stewards to open their chests of gold to him, in return multiplying the wealth for everyone.
But remember: Purpose of copywriting is to sell. Nothing else.
As you might have noticed, the tone of voice here has somewhat changed from a little more formal approach to more conversational and humorous towards the end.
Finding the right tone and style makes a big difference. Don’t be stiff and serious when you write. Listen to classical music, take moments with your eyes closed and just write whatever comes out.
Finnish copywriting, like any copywriting, is really about creating a connection with the reader. This does not happen by stating cold facts and listing technical features.
Paid marketing strategy works, when it stems from friendly and happy writing.
Due to different media consumption habits, script writing is becoming the main domain for many copywriters. Short videos mean better sales. Greatly written video shorts means fantastic sales, be it on YouTube or TikTok.
Beyond that, SEO writing and cultural adaptation are key elements in modern copywriting.
More and more writers have to also carry the challenge of internationalization to cover their own language as well as English.
For most part, a Finnish Copywriter can manage the translations, but if more languages are needed, such as Swedish, again language localization has to be done by a professional. Or at least a native speaker.
In this state, a copywriter is morphing into being a Finnish marketing consultant for internationalization, who has to master and manage multiple language at the same time.
Many companies are leaving money on the table by not taking the necessary steps to internationalize, barring them from more clients due to the language barrier.
First step to start that process is the translation and creation of English copy with professional support. Click the link below to send me a message.
Curious about marketing to gamers? Let’s craft your message together to get better results.
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