Building a copywriting career isn’t easy—sometimes we need a little help. As you know, we don't recommend paying for any sort of software for copywriters unless it's going to pay for itself. (Or, unless you're so far along in your business that it doesn't matter!). But there are lots of free apps, sites, and software that allow you to keep track of your work, cut out … [Read more...]
5 Ways Working in an Office as a Copywriter is Not What You Think
There are so many paths for pursuing a career as a copywriter. It’s easy to gravitate toward the idea of being a digital nomad copywriter, working from anywhere in the world, or even from your kitchen table as a full-time freelance copywriter. Working in an office as a copywriter may seem like the last thing you want to do! That’s a particularly easy dream to have if you’ve … [Read more...]
Book Pick: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Achieve Copywriting Success
Oftentimes, we're faced with several open doors ... but we self sabotage and get in our own way. When we have an an opportunity (or several opportunities!), it's all too easy to not take action towards it, whether because we don't know how, we're fearful of doing so, or some combination of the two. Whatever the reason, it's all too easy for us to spiral into negative … [Read more...]
Book Pick: How Copywriters Can Collaborate More Effectively
As copywriters, we do a lot of work on our own. After all, the actual writing of copy is a fairly solitary job. But often, we need to collaborate. With designers, yes, but also with project managers, marketing managers, and other key stakeholders within an organization. This is true whether you work in an ad agency or on an in-house team. Even as a freelancer, you may not … [Read more...]
Staying Productive When I’m Unmotivated: Pomodoro Technique
In my copywriting career, I have a few challenges you may be able to relate to. I have an active family (four kids!), a spouse who travels for work (gone for two overnights as I write this!), and an anxiety disorder (always unpredictable!). In short, I often feel overwhelmed and under-motivated. And yet, I have to be productive when I’m unmotivated, or else I won’t have a … [Read more...]
Book Pick: Why Your Obsession with Money is Getting in the Way of Your Copywriting Success
Money: whether we're thinking about how much more we want to make in our copywriting business or, alternatively, how scared we are to not make money as a copywriter (or both!), our hang-ups about money are often what cause us to hold ourselves back or even prevent us from fully committing to and pursuing our copywriting careers. If you're the type of person who has been … [Read more...]
Copywriting Rush Fees: When and How to Charge Them
The vast majority of copywriting projects do not need to get completed in a rush. As we like to say, there's no such thing as a copywriting emergency. However, occasionally clients will have a copywriting need that they need done fast. And in these cases, you will likely want to bump up your rates and charge a copywriting rush fee. By "rush" we mean scenarios like a client … [Read more...]
Learning to Effectively Communicate as a Copywriter
We talk all the time, but how often do we evaluate how effective we are at communicating? (And how often do we say we write copy, we don't speak it?) In It's the Way You Say It - Second Edition: Becoming Articulate, Well-Spoken, and Clear, Carol A. Fleming shares how you can not only become aware of how you communicate, but how you can more effectively communicate with those … [Read more...]
Book Pick: Find Your Why (Companion Notebook to “Start with Why”)
Many of you have already read Start With Why by Simon Sinek, but in case you need a refresher, it explains what the most impactful leaders have in common: a deep reason, or "why," for doing what they do. Without a why, the what you do won't matter. You'll eventually burnout, give up, or simply slog through each day. But that's not the book we're recommending here (though we … [Read more...]
Take Control of Your Copywriting Finances This Year
First, if you hate numbers and you still are reading this post, congratulations! Many copywriters aren't math fans, so you're not alone. But regardless of whether you love numbers or hate 'em, you need to spend some quality time with a few key numbers if you want to set your copywriting business up for financial success. So, if you're serious about your copywriting business, … [Read more...]
How to Make this the Best Year for Your Copywriting Business
The first week of January always has the excitement that comes with fresh starts. We have an entire year ahead of us to take action on our goals. There's so much opportunity! To commit to making the year ahead the best one yet for your copywriting business, let's lay a foundation for taking action on our goals. After all, even if we just spend five, 10, 30 minutes each day … [Read more...]