The title of this podcast episode might sound dramatic, but it’s 100% true.
There are copywriting experts touting this strategy. It’s so incredibly risky and, well, Nicki and Kate don’t want this strategy to put your copywriting success at risk.
Because this strategy sounds good.
The idea is that, if you can get your copywriting portfolio to show up in search results when people Google “copywriters” or copywriting in your specific area, then clients will just come to you.
That sounds great, doesn’t it?
But here’s the thing: you can’t rely on SEO for landing clients.
On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate both get a little fiery. Because this strategy is truly dangerous. It’s a recipe for not hitting your copywriting goals.
Listen now to hear why this strategy is such a bust and where you should focus your time instead.
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Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[02:32] Copywriting “gurus” are telling copywriters they can rely on SEO to serve up clients to you. SEO is search engine optimization. So, the idea is that you can get your copywriting portfolio to show up in search results when people Google copywriters. That sounds great, doesn’t it? If someone is actively looking for a copywriter and they go to Google and you come up. That sounds fantastic.
[07:43] Today, SEO is phenomenally more complicated. The Filthy Rich Writer website has hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pages. We have an entire team working on it. And even for us to crack that top 10 on a lot of different terms, or keywords, is a challenge.
[08:15] SEO is not just the words that are in your copy. It’s not just the words that are in your content. It’s what’s going on in your code. It’s who is linking to you, who you are linking to. There’s so much that is tech based and not keyword based.
[08:50] It would be absolutely a full-time career to land clients via SEO. You would have to get SEO training in order to then orchestrate this on your own site. What are you trying to get listed for? We’re going to say it: it is going to be impossible to break into.
[11:30] Many clients don’t know that copywriting is an option. They don’t know that copywriting is a solution for the challenge that they have. If clients aren’t even searching for copywriting services because they don’t know they’re an option, how can they find you in the first place?
[12:50] You may be competing against ad agencies. Part of that ad agency’s job is to rank for SEO. These big organizations, they have more weight, more clout behind them. And so they’re going to rank higher. Their URL is stronger. It’s been around longer.
[14:10] Clients want to be pitched. They don’t want to have to go search for a solution to their need. What if the solution to their need or challenge came right to their inbox? CCA students know that the way we pitch is very different. When you show up with in someone’s inbox with ideas, with value, you are providing a solution.
[14:50] The idea of you relying on SEO to get you clients is so incredibly risky. Clients, by the way, are not going to come. You cannot afford to put control of your career and your income in somebody else’s hands, especially if you don’t even know if there are people out there.
[15:43] Just sitting back and crossing your fingers that there is someone out there who happens to be searching for a term that you somehow rank for and who will happen to click on your website and then happen to get in touch with you and happen to then hire you is the worst idea I think I’ve ever heard of trying to base a career on that.
[17:21] Where this comes from is there’s maybe a fear to pitching, CCA students know, it’s not salesy, it’s not scummy. It is reaching out with value and more. It’s not tacky. It’s not give me work. I think this word pitching can conjure up for people a lot of resistance which happens to all of us.
[17:59] SEO is certainly not the easy button. I think maybe there’s an attraction to this SEO strategy because you feel like you’re in control because you’re putting in keywords in certain places, but you really have no control over this. Time is not on your side. Bills are coming every month.
[19:11] It would be so nice if we could just like sit back and fill clients. We are that diamond that they found and clients who just come to us and feet down our doors offering us work. But that’s not how the world works in any way, shape or form, much less for your career.
[21:00] It’s not copywriting that’s the problem. It is these tactics that are really terrible advice because people out there telling you what you want to hear instead of what the truth is.
[22:00] When it comes to something as important as our careers and as our finances, we need to be realistic about it. We need to take action because when we take action, we can rely on ourselves instead of rely on wishing and hoping. If you get people through your website, great. Use that as a bonus.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“As we tell our students, you can’t rely on referrals. Enjoy referrals, but don’t rely on them completely because again, you can’t control when and if people are referring you. Enjoy them, but keep pitching.” Nicki
“Think about the consumer journey. There so many opportunities for people to fall off, to not take that next step that you want them to take. There is no urgency or way for you to really get them to do what it is that you want them to do. That starts by you hoping that [your prospective clients] Google something and that you show up. It’s not a system. It’s not a strategy and it’s not a way to pay your bills. You have to be in control.” – Kate
“Even if you did start blogging, for example, on topics that you think your clients want to hear about, you run into the same exact issue. The search volume’s just not there.” – Kate
“We want to make sure that you are not gambling your career on this strategy. You will put in too much time, effort, and too much of yourself to risk what could be a really fantastic career on cruddy advice. You deserve so much more than that.” – Nicki
Mentioned in the Episode
- Ep. 5: Why Choosing a Copywriting Niche is Terrible Advice
- Ep. 10: Your Ideal Clients Want You to Pitch Them
Related Links
- SEO Copywriting Guide for Search Result Ranking Success
- Ep. 93: The SEO Copywriting Myth
- SEO Copywriting & Strategy 101: How to Write SEO
- Ep. 84: When to Break the Copywriting Niche Rule
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
