Freelance Copywriting Business
Build a copywriting business that survives AI, taught by a copywriter of fourteen years who is blunt about what has stopped being sellable and what now pays more.
Taught and assessed by
Tom BeresfordProfile pending contract
- Live teaching
- 20h
- Self-study
- 40h
- Duration
- 10 weeks
- Weekly load
- ~6h
What you will be able to do
- Interview a client or customer well enough to write something only you could have written
- Write long-form and short-form copy that survives a commercial review
- Price from a costed income target rather than from what competitors charge
- Position yourself in a specialism where AI has not compressed rates
- Run a first client conversation that ends in a proposal
- Write a contract and scope that prevents the arguments freelancers usually have
Who this is for
- Career changers building a freelance writing income
- In-house marketers going independent
- Existing freelancers whose rates have stalled or fallen
- Consultants who need to write persuasively about their own work
Who this is not for
- Anyone hoping to compete on volume and price, which is the part of the market that has gone
- Anyone wanting a course in using AI to generate copy at scale
What you need before you start
- Competent written English
- Willingness to have your work critiqued in front of the cohort
What you will actually learn
10 modules · 10 weeks · 20h live
What is still worth paying forAn honest map of the copywriting market after generative AI, and where the money moved to.
Covered in this module
- Work that has been commoditised
- Work that has become more valuable
- Why judgement is the product now
- Choosing where to compete
InterviewingThe skill that produces copy a model cannot write, because it depends on information nobody has published.
Covered in this module
- Customer and stakeholder interviews
- Questions that surface specifics
- Listening for the phrase you will use
- Recording and mining transcripts
Structure and argumentMaking a piece of writing do a job, rather than merely reading well.
Covered in this module
- Establishing the single job of the piece
- Ordering an argument
- Proof and specificity
- Cutting
Long-formLanding pages, case studies and long-form sales writing, critiqued in open review.
Covered in this module
- Landing page anatomy
- Case studies that are not testimonials
- Objection handling in copy
- Open critique
Short-formEmail, ads and headlines, where constraint exposes weak thinking fastest.
Covered in this module
- Subject lines and open rates
- Writing to a character limit
- Headline testing
- Open critique
PricingWorking out what you must charge, then learning to say it without apologising.
Covered in this module
- Costing your year honestly
- Day rate versus project versus value
- Raising prices with existing clients
- Walking away
Positioning and specialismChoosing a niche narrow enough to be memorable and wide enough to eat.
Covered in this module
- Why generalists compete on price
- Choosing a sector
- Proof of expertise
- Saying no to adjacent work
Finding clientsThe repeatable acquisition work that separates a business from a series of lucky breaks.
Covered in this module
- Outbound that is not spam
- Referral systems
- Content as proof
- What does not work
Contracts and scopeThe paperwork that prevents most freelance disputes.
Covered in this module
- Scope, rounds and revisions
- Payment terms and deposits
- Kill fees
- Chasing late payment
Portfolio review and assessmentFinal portfolio and pricing plan critiqued live.
Covered in this module
- Portfolio assembly
- Pricing plan critique
- Your first quarter
- Continuing critique groups
Dates and timetable
Freelance Copywriting Business runs as a live cohort over 10 weeks. Pick the start date that fits — every cohort gets the same tutor, curriculum and assessment.
| Starts | Live sessions | Cap | Status and action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ends | Tuesdays 19:00–21:00 UK, 10 weeks | 22 | Choose this date → |
| Ends | Tuesdays 19:00–21:00 UK, 10 weeks | 22 | Choose this date → |
How you are assessed
A portfolio of three assessed pieces produced during the programme — one long-form, one short-form, one written from a real interview — plus a costed pricing and positioning plan. Marked by Tom Beresford against a published rubric covering craft, commercial judgement and specificity. Written feedback with one free resubmission.
Our accreditation applications are in progress. We do not display an accreditation mark before it is granted — see the current status.
After you pass
- Contract, scope and proposal templates
- Open critique sessions that continue for members
- Practitioner directory listing on passing
Is copywriting still a viable career after AI?
Yes, but a smaller and more specialised one. Generative AI has permanently removed the low-rate, high-volume end of the market. Work that depends on interviewing real people, understanding a market and taking responsibility for a commercial result has become more valuable rather than less.
The honest framing we use on this programme: if your offer was competent generic copy at a low rate, that offer is gone and no amount of positioning will bring it back.
What has grown is work where the client is buying judgement — someone who will tell them the page should say something different, and be right. That is not a prompt.
What do UK freelance copywriters charge?
Advertised UK rates commonly run from around £300 to £800 a day, with specialists in technical, financial and healthcare sectors charging more. Generalist rates have fallen. Most freelancers undercharge for their first two years because they price against competitors rather than costs.
We are cautious with these figures because reliable published survey data on UK freelance copywriting rates is thin; the range reflects advertised rates rather than a survey.
The number that matters is your own: what you must earn per billable day to hit your income target after unpaid time, tax and holiday. That calculation is assessed on this programme.
Do you need a qualification to be a copywriter?
No. Copywriting is entirely unregulated and no client will ask for a certificate. What they ask for is a portfolio and evidence you have solved a problem like theirs. That is why this programme is assessed on portfolio pieces rather than on exams.
How is this different from a self-paced copywriting course?
Your work is critiqued live, in front of the cohort, by a working copywriter — which is uncomfortable and is how writing actually improves. You also finish with three assessed portfolio pieces and a costed pricing plan, rather than a folder of exercises nobody read.
Common questions
Will I have a portfolio at the end?
Yes — three assessed pieces, one written from a real interview you conduct. They are real work products rather than exercises, which is the point: speculative work for imaginary clients is not a portfolio and buyers can tell.
Do you teach how to use AI for copywriting?
We cover it honestly, including where it genuinely helps with research and first drafts. What we do not teach is generating copy at volume, because that is the part of the market that no longer pays.
Is my work critiqued in front of other people?
Yes, in open review. Everyone learns more from ten critiques than from one, and it is the format professional writing rooms have always used. It is voluntary for the first two weeks so you can see how it works.
Related reading
Business & Creative Craft
Programmes for turning a creative or commercial skill into a business — copywriting, interior design and digital marketing, taught by working practitioners.
CareerHow to become a freelance copywriter in the UK
What UK freelance copywriters actually sell after generative AI, whether any licence exists, and a realistic first-client route without inventing a salary.
AnswerLive cohort vs self-paced online course
A live assessed cohort is the better buy when you need a named marker and a deadline. A cheap self-paced library wins when you only needed the notes.