One of the selling points of a career in copywriting is the flexibility of how you structure your work. But if you’re not yet making your living as a full-time copywriter, you might be wondering how a copywriter actually spends their time.
While this is going to look completely different from one person to another (especially as there are different routes like freelancing or working on-staff), there will still be some commonalities. In this episode, Nicki and Kate talk us through the details of a day in the life of a copywriter and how best to use your time when you’re feeling more or less creative!
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A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[3:05] A copywriter’s day will look completely different from one person to another due to all of the variables, but there will still be some commonalities.
[3:33] The beginning of the day can be a good time to do admin tasks if you prefer to ease into your day, like Kate, and not have to worry about checking emails all day. For Nicki, she is more fresh and creative at this time of the day, so it’s a valuable time for her to work on trickier copywriting projects.
[5:26] Scheduling breaks throughout the day and identifying when you are at your most creative and most focused is crucial for producing quality work.
[8:22] During the times when you know you are less creative, it’s a good idea to schedule client calls or do admin tasks like checking emails or research for pitching.
[10:04] Kate also likes to use the time when she is less creative to outline her copy doc and add some “low pressure writing” as she calls it. This is a good tactic because it means you have some momentum when you sit down the next day and are not starting from scratch.
[12:33] Nicki advises against sending through copy during wine time. As Hemmingway said, “write drunk, edit sober”!
[14:08] If you’re working on-staff, it can be more of a challenge to choose when you can do your most creative time. Try to block out your creative time and schedule meetings around this if possible–if you’re working for a creative director or a marketing director, they’ll likely understand.
[16:17] It’s important to communicate with all the people on your team, such as designers, to establish when your creative hours are. That way you can book in a suitable time to collaborate on your projects.
[21:20] For freelancers, it can be very easy to forget that you can create opportunities to collaborate as you need or want. Technology makes it so much easier to hop on a quick call with people and still build really fantastic collaborations.
[23:51] If you’re working freelance and with clients across different time zones, remember to set the boundaries that make sense for you. You don’t have to take calls at 11 o’clock at night!
[26:34] Nicki and Kate encourage you to do a little experimentation when it comes to when and where you do your creative work, so that you can find out what works best for you.
[29:02] Don’t forget that you can do different things on different days to keep it exciting and interesting. We didn’t get into this job to be bored!
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:
“One of the many great things about this career is that you can kind of figure out what works for you and we would encourage you to do a little experimentation. If you know you always do your creative work in the morning, try doing it in the evening, or in the afternoon. You could discover that you’ve been trying to force yourself into the morning hours, when it turns out you are one of the people who’s just really good in the afternoon or middle of the day. But experiment to figure out what works best for you, as long as you are delivering the best quality copy that you can to your clients and are responding to them in a timely manner.” – Nicki
“I would say one of the things I wish I learned sooner was still having that idea of when my key peak hours were to then be able to better push back against meetings that are scheduled.” – Kate
“Communication, communication, communication. Ask for what you need.” – Kate
“If you’re traveling while you’re working too, then you’re going to have to shift potentially what your ‘day in the life’ looks like. Maybe you want to be out exploring all day and then work at night. And that’s perfectly doable, which is the beauty of this career: the flexibility of it and the flexibility to change what your day looks like, especially as a freelancer. – Kate
“You can do different things on different days, just to keep it exciting and interesting, and not boring. We didn’t get into this to be bored.” Kate
Related Links
- What Does a Typical Copywriter Schedule Look Like?
- 5 Ways Super-Productive Copywriters Start Their Days
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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.
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Last Updated on June 10, 2024
