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Should freelance writers get a certification?
Will having a certification help you to get more jobs or higher pay?
There’s no question that in some industries a certification is a definite advantage.
In accounting, for example, being a Certified Public Accountant often means earning more money. In the IT fields, having a certification can also help with your career. And there are plenty of IT certifications to choose from.
If two similar candidates apply for the same position, a certification could provide the competitive edge needed to get the job.
Does it work the same way for freelance writers?
I wanted to find out, so I identified 11 certifications for writers. I also contacted two certified writers to find out whether certification helped them.
11 Writing Certifications
As the Internet has grown, so has the demand for writers. Along with the increased demand for writers has come increased competition. The online marketplace has made it possible for nearly anyone to offer writing services.
Traditionally, the barriers to entering the freelance writing field have been low. Most experienced writing professionals do not have a certification. Some do not even have a college degree.
Some organizations do offer writing certifications. I’ve seen writing and marketing certificates offered at some community colleges. There are also certifications offered by professional organizations.
Here are 11 writing-related certifications offered by professional organizations.
- AMA Professional Certified Marketer (PCM®) from the American Marketing Association. This certification requires a bachelor’s degree and four years experience or a master’s degree and two years of experience. The application fee is $75. The exam fee is $650 fee for nonmembers, AMA members receive a discount.
- AWAI Certifications. AWAI offers a variety of certification and training programs. Programs include the Info-Marketers Training and Certification and the AWAI Web Copy Specialist certification. Prices range from several hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars.
- CMI Online Training and Certification offered by the Content Marketing Institute. This certification requires an annual subscription to online training. You must complete certain courses. The cost of the subscription is $995.
- CopyBlogger Certified Content Marketer. This program is offered periodically by the content specialists from CopyBlogger Media.
- Marketing Certifications from HubSpot. Hubspot offers a variety of marketing certifications. Some certifications are only open to HubSpot customers or partners. Two certifications are open to everyone. The open certifications are the Inbound Certification (free) and the HubSpot Design Certification.
- MediaBistro Certificates. MediaBistro offers nine different certificates. Each certificate requires specific courses. The number of required courses ranges from five to 12 (most certificates require six courses). The cost for a certificate ranges from $1650 to $3200.
- Medical Writing Certification Commission offered by the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA). This certification requires both a degree and work experience. There is also $150 application fee, which is discounted for members. The exam costs $375.
- National Institute for Social Media (NISM) offers certification. This certification requires an associate degree (or 64 hours of college credit) or two years of social media experience. The exam fee is $295.
- NRWA Certification Program. This program is only for members of The National Resume Writers Association. It requires continuing education classes. Candidates must submit a resume sample. (It costs $75 to submit the sample). The examination fee is $250.
- SEO Copywriting Certification offered by SuccessWorks. This certification requires that you take online classes. It takes three months to complete the program, but students have lifetime access to the lessons and updates. The cost is $769 (includes the classes).
- Udemy Content Marketing Certification. This certification only costs $99. It requires you to listen to 23 lectures totaling 17 hours.
Note: There are no affiliate links in this post. I have reviewed AWAI and CopyBlogger products in the past. I am also an affiliate for some CopyBlogger and AWAI products. My relationship with these companies has not influenced this post. If you’d like to read my review of an AWAI product, click here. Here is my review of the CopyBlogger blog.
Note: The costs of the certifications listed above may change over time.
What’s Being Certified Like?
I recently connected with two writers to find out what it’s like to be certified.
Steve became certified as an AWAI Web Copy Specialist in February of 2015.
Steve has five to six years of copywriting experience and focuses on business to business copywriting. In fact, he considers himself an industrial copywriter.
Has his certification helped Steve? He thinks so.
“I think it [the certification] helps me charge higher rates and find more clients. It has also helped me become a better marketer.”
“I learned more about the writing process and how to market my services as a writer.”
Steve encourages writers to promote their non-writing related credentials as well. Steve holds some industrial certifications. He’s found that including them on his LinkedIn profile has led to writing jobs.
“Non-writing certifications can help establish your credibility in a field and give you the edge you need to get the work.”
Janice Sakata-Schultze
Janice has received a certification from Copyblogger and also has an SEO copywriting certification.
Janice has three years of copywriting and content writing experience. She specializes in writing blog posts, articles, emails, and optimized web content for the travel and tourism industry.
Has her certification help Janice find work? She says it has.
Since getting her certifications, she has gotten “about 80% of my inquiries for work through one of those channels.”
Why get certified? Here are Janice’s reasons for getting certified:
“I didn’t have a background in marketing, copywriting or journalism, even though writing has been my passion since grade school. I’ve been an educator for the past two decades, and I thought that certification would lend some credibility to my freelance writing business. I also wanted to position myself as a marketing expert and consultant to potential clients.”
While certification may not be for everyone, it seems to have worked out for these two writers.
What to Look For
If you’re thinking about a writing certification, make your choice carefully. Not all certification programs are the same.
Certification programs can be quite expensive. Many also take a significant amount of time to complete. So, it’s important to choose your certification program with care.
Exactly what should you look for in a writing certification program? Here are some things to consider:
- Experienced teachers. Look for programs offered by those with real-life experience in the field.
- Time to complete. If you are going to pay for a certification program, find out how much time you will need to spend.
- Ease of getting certified. If a certification is too easy to get, having it may not impress potential clients.
- Pass/fail rate. A certification program with a high fail rate may require you to take (and pay for) the exam more than once.
- Reputation. Does the certification come from a reputable authority?
Your Turn
Are you a writer with a certification? If so, I’d love to hear from you.
Which certification do you have? Was certification worth it for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
18 responses so far ↓
1 Dava Stewart // Apr 17, 2015 at
hmmm….I’m not sure. I have a degree in English with a concentration in writing. Would that be considered in the same league as a certification? There are few ways having a degree has helped — it gives me confidence. I know that I know how to write if that makes sense. Also, the technical training (advanced grammar classes, an excellent class on the history of the English language, a writing for business course, etc) gave me a solid base of knowledge. Obtaining that degree also helped me learn how to build a cohesive argument, which is useful as a freelancer.
On the other hand, there is no reason I couldn’t have learned all of that (except the confidence part) on my own. I don’t have a certification in SEO or social media marketing, but I’ve studied those things extensively enough to have a degree of expertise.
In the end, if the certification will give you access to marketing channels you wouldn’t otherwise have, or if you need a shortcut to learn certain things, then it seems like it would be worth it. For myself, I can’t see it making a big change in my professional life. But maybe that’s wrong and I should look into it. HAH! Was that wishy-washy enough?
2 Laura Spencer // Apr 17, 2015 at
Hi Dava,
No, that’s great. I love that the post has generated discussion.
BTW, I’m sitting on the fence about this too.
I can see how having one might give you access to new marketing channels. On the other hand, if you have a strong portfolio and some regular clients, it may not be needed.
I thought it was interesting that both of these writer started in other fields and used the certifications to jumpstart a career change.
3 Sharon Hurley Hall // Apr 17, 2015 at
Interesting findings, Laura. I don’t have writing certifications, but have lots of OTJ journalism experience across a range of publication types, as well as English and Linguistics studies as part of a Modern Languages BA and a Masters in Media and Culture. I think Janice’s point about getting contacts and referrals by doing a course is interesting, though I think our published work can achieve the same aim. My CrazyEgg articles have brought several new clients and opportunities my way.
4 Laura Spencer // Apr 17, 2015 at
Hi Sharon,
I think this is definitely an area where “your mileage may vary.”
Of course, if one takes classes anyway (as I know I often do), getting this sort of credential might be worth considering.
In my opinion, though, this is not a substitute for a strong portfolio.
5 Sharon Hurley Hall // Apr 18, 2015 at
Most clients care about your writing ability so if you can show them samples that match what they are looking for or at least highlight your ability to cover related topics well, that’s probably most important.
6 Ashley // Apr 17, 2015 at
I also recently came across a certification that Jon Morrow offers for bloggers. I just hunted all over and can’t find the link, (He has several websites and I can’t remember which one offered the certification.) It was a few hundred dollars, I think. I’m not in that program, but I imagine it’s a good one.
I’m definitely going to check out the freebie one you mentioned!
7 Laura Spencer // Apr 17, 2015 at
Hi Ashley,
It’s good to see you here. 🙂
I’m not familiar with Jon’s program, but I love his blogs. I imagine his program would be pretty good.
If you do follow through on the HubSpot certification, come back and let us know how it goes.
8 annew // Apr 20, 2015 at
When I started writing professionally there were no certificates as such. I remember being startled one my son got a technical writing certificate. I’ve been doing technical writing for several years without such a thing.
As you say “mileage will vary.” There’s always something to learn about writing and marketing our writing. Certificates may be most important because they give writers confidence in themselves.
9 Laura Spencer // Apr 20, 2015 at
Hi Anne,
Yes, for seasoned writers certificates are relatively new.
You make an excellent point about certificates providing confidence. I can totally see how a certificate could help with that.
Plus, some certificates do require specific training, so I think it’s possible for even an experienced writer to learn just by going through the program.
However, they can also be costly and time-consuming. So, if a writer is already keeping up with trends and technologies and also getting plenty of new business, they may not need one.
10 Heather Lloyd-Martin // May 6, 2015 at
Laura, hello!
Thank you so much for including the SEO Copywriting Certification training in your roundup. I appreciate it!
BTW, students have lifetime access to the lessons and updates now – not just three months. 🙂
Thank you again!
11 Laura Spencer // May 6, 2015 at
Thanks Heather,
I’ll clarify that point.
12 Eric Petersrs // Jul 4, 2016 at
Hey Laura! Eric from HubSpot Academy here. We now have an Inbound Sales Certification (http://certification.hubspot.com/inbound-sales-certification), Email Marketing Certification (http://academy.hubspot.com/email-marketing-course) that are also free and open to everyone! : ) Perhaps even more relevant to this post, we have an upcoming Content Marketing Certification that will be free as well: http://academy.hubspot.com/content-marketing-certification-course
13 Laura Spencer // Jul 11, 2016 at
Wow Eric Petersrs!
That’s great news for the readers. Thanks for letting us know. 🙂
14 Lorraine // Jul 22, 2016 at
Thanks for the links, Eric! I didn’t know HubSpot had certification programs as well. I’ll be checking out your courses this weekend.
I’ve been kept quite busy with client work so I’m not sure whether adding a certification would be beneficial to the bottom line, but I was honestly looking forward to Copyblogger’s Certified Content Marketer program. Copyblogger’s content is a mainstay in my bookmarks folder and I love both Brian and Sonia’s fresh perspectives.
I just hate that they tied their certification into their Authority program that requires you to keep a $399 annual membership active in order to keep your certification valid. That ongoing fee will probably force me to skip the program. Today was actually the day I received an email from them (Copyblogger) about the course opening back up soon (mine said August 1, 2016).
15 Laura Spencer // Jul 26, 2016 at
Hi Lorraine,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you found some good information about the HubSpot certifications that you could use.
16 To Earn More, Learn More // Aug 17, 2016 at
[…] discussed the question of whether getting a certification makes a difference before. I’ve even talked to some writers who felt that their certifications helped them find […]
17 Michelle // Sep 7, 2016 at
I believe the writing certifications are particularly helpful for new writers; they open doors. I chose to start writing professionally after a job layoff, when I took my severance money and signed up for a technical writing certification offered through our local university’s continuing education department. I had always enjoyed writing and knew I was fit for the work, but had nothing professional on paper to prove it. The mere fact that I was working toward the certification paved the way for conversations that quickly led me to a writing job with a small newspaper before I even finished the course. It would have been next to impossible to catch someone’s attention in that situation, had I not been able to offer the instant credibility of the certification.
Moving on now to different work, the reality is that I am still relatively green compared to so many seasoned writers competing in the industry. The certification allows me to offer concrete credibility on my resume in place of years of experience. This may not necessarily give me an edge over more seasoned writers, but it does help me toward a best-odds scenario.
18 Laura Spencer // Sep 9, 2016 at
Great points Michelle!
Yes, a certification can be a form of “proof” when one doesn’t have much experience. It’s definitely an accomplishment you can point to on your resume and LinkedIn. Who knows? In some instances it may mean you get the job.
I think potential clients may also take it as a sign that you are serious enough about your craft to make an investment in it.